I get a TON of questions almost daily in the store on what it’s like to be married to a pilot and run my own business and raise two kids, so how better to answer those questions than with a blog post.  

As most of you know, my sweet hubby is an airline pilot. Back in the day when I was a flight attendant, I thought this was pretty hot stuff. I imagined a cute guy flying a jet around and free vacations all over the world. Before we had babies, it was a lot of fun and we traveled quite a bit!  But I never really imagined the having kids and being by myself part, or being stuck in a house in SUB ZERO temperatures alone for days on end, getting puked on, and pulling all-nighters with sick kiddos. Luckily, I have gotten a sense of humor from it all.

Here’s Levi when we first met – I thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Wouldn’t you too?! 😉

(I’m giving him a big head here, I can feel it.)

So here’s the main parts of our lives:

Levi commutes to Minneapolis. So he still starts his work day by driving to the airport, just not the right one. He drives to Sioux Falls and then flies to Minneapolis, THEN he can start his work day. Commuting can put quite the damper on my day. I hate it as much as I hate bright blue eyeshadow, and that’s A LOT. If he can’t get in early enough for his trip, or gets in too late to make the last flight home, he has to get a hotel room in Minneapolis.

Weather seems to be my number two enemy. It’s another thing standing between us and “family of four” time. If there’s fog, snow, thunderstorms, high winds, severe cold, tornados or sometimes extreme heat then there are delays, and delays mean missed commutes home. See what I’m saying about that commuting thing?

 

So my days usually consist of me checking flight loads, flight schedules and weather to see if I should bother making dinner for four or microwave chicken nuggets for the girls instead.

Last week our basement flooded (for the third time, yippee!) and Levi missed his commute home that night. So I got to rip up wet carpet and dry it out until 2 a.m. The next morning the water clean up guys come in and while I am talking to them holding my 1-year-old I got puked on, in the face. Yup, she has really good aim!!!! So when Levi is away I am the handy man, single parent, problem solver, and entrepreneur. It has definitely made me a more interesting person!

 

(our little bumpkins)

So here are the TOP questions I get!

How long is Levi usually gone for?

Levi’s trips last anywhere from 1-6 days and that totally depends on what the crew gods (schedulers) have assigned him that month. The 22nd of the month is when I see what cruel and unusual punishment the next month will entail. Below is Levi’s schedule for January. Any day that has any color or numbers on it, he’s gone.

See how it goes? I love the little number at the bottom that says TAFB (time away from base). This particular month it was 239:26 hours and that’s not even counting commute time, or having to fly in the day before or missing a flight home. So, when you see me sporting sweats with mismatched socks and baby puke, this is why.

Does he always fly the same route or with the same crew?

Nope, never. He might go to the same places a lot but every trip is different. He flies from Washington DC all the way to the West coast and everywhere in between. This is the same for almost every commercial pilot and flight attendant. The crew is different every time too. Sometimes he’ll never see that pilot or flight attendant again.

Do you worry about him staying in a hotel with flight attendants?

Having been a flight attendant myself I have seen both sides, the good and the bad. Just like in a normal job there are the good guys and the bad guys. I got a good guy.  Plus he’s an old man and likes to lay in bed and watch TV when he’s done working. He’s too lazy to go out. He’s what we like to refer to as a “slam clicker.” That’s crew terminology for someone who goes straight to their room and locks the door.

Do you worry about his plane crashing?

Nope. Every once in a while if I know he is flying in really bad weather I will give him a quick call when he’s landed. I know he’s a great pilot and is very cautious when he’s flying. Also commercial aviation is just so safe and there are so many backups. Half the time I have no clue where he is or if he’s even in the air. I have a ton of friends with fears of flying and I tell them all the same thing, the pilots want to get to their destination just as much as you do. They have families and little ones at home too.

Has he ever had any close calls?

His answer would be no. I would say he’s had a few things that would make me nervous. Best part is, he never even mentions these things to me, it’s just another normal part of his day! I usually find out months later because a friend says something or it comes up. He’s had a few issues where he’s had to divert (land at a different airport than where’s he supposed to) or do go arounds (abort the landing and circle until the problem is fixed).

Do you fly for free?

Yes! But it’s not what you’re thinking. We can fly for free if there’s an open seat. Nowadays planes are so full it can make it a bit tricky. Plus having two kids with us makes it even more difficult. I can’t even tell you how many times I end up with both girls and Levi takes the jumpseat (extra seat in the cockpit that only pilots can sit in) in the cockpit with a steel door between him and our screaming children. How nice for him!

The best one was on the last flight, a wonderful male flight attendant helped me play a little joke on Levi. 😉  He called up to the cockpit and asked the Captain to put it on speakerphone, then he proceeded to ask Levi if he should serve his wife her 6th glass of wine or cut me off. He asked them to cut me off!! Who doesn’t need a bottle or two when traveling with two kids under 4! It was hilarious though because the whole time he was wondering what he was going to find when he got off the plane!

Does he get holidays off?

Hahahahahahahahahha. No! When he was a first officer he had a much better schedule, but since he’s been a captain we haven’t spent a Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day and sometimes not even birthday’s together. The problem with being a pilot is MASSIVE amounts of people want to travel around the holidays, and someone has to get them there. Unfortunately, it’s my hubby. People are always super sweet around the holidays though. Passengers will give him presents or cookies and I’ve gotten some sweet stuff out of the deal.  So I always remind myself there is an upside to it all, and eventually it will get better.

What kind of plane does Levi fly?

This sexy beast right here. 

 

But I do have to say – I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be!

Thanks all for reading!

xoxo, Katie

xoxo,