updated 1/29/00

ABOUT ME   ...(continued...)

I was an airplane addict from then on. I was in second grade at the time, and to add
to it, my teacher in the second grade was Miss Stollatis, who of all things, was a
former "stewardess" (we call them "flight attendants" nowadays) for United Air Lines.
She encouraged and interested me even more: telling me stories of what it was like
working in the air transportation industry. That was it; I was hooked. Airplanes and
airlines were my vocabulary from then all the way up until now. The movie "Airport"
also got me hooked on the Boeing 707 for a favorite airplane and it remains my
favorite up until today. I drove my father nuts asking him to take me to Cleveland-
Hopkins International Airport to watch the airplanes take off and land. He obliged
me, when he could. A thrill for me was to walk through the terminal, seeing the
flight crews from the different airlines. A typical boyhood dream: I wanted to wear
the uniform of an airline pilot someday.
  As the school years progressed, a problem developed: I found I disliked (even
despised, in some cases) the educational process. Many teachers I had during Junior
High and High School were uninterested in educating and motivating their pupils;
the teachers I had that were genuinely motivational are the classes I learned the
most from. As I got older and researched more and more into the requirements of
being an airline pilot, I realized that I wasn't airline pilot material, I wasn't
competitive enough, or a seeker of knowledge. When you are hired by any airline
to be a pilot, and fly their aircraft, your training and learning is just beginning.
Even the most senior Captain of the largest airline goes through recurrent training
several times a year; several proficiency checks and check rides are normal at
irregular intervals. This wasn't me, I decided, and began to look elsewhere.

When I graduated from Valley Forge High School in Parma Hts.,
Ohio (a suburb of Cleveland), I joined the U.S. Army for a short
enlistment. This is something that I would recommend to any
confused kid just coming out into the world that doesn't know
what he or she wants. The experiences I had and lessons I learned
in the Army (especially in Basic Training) carry through with
me to this day. I still have routines throughout the day that I
do which were ingrained into me in Basic Training. I have nothing
but fond memories of my time in the Army. Believe it or not,
the food was good, too! I actually gained weight in the Army!

Upon being Honorably Discharged from the Army in September, 1981, I returned home
where I lived for two years. I still had "airplanes on the brain". All through school and
growing up, I had the typical boyhood dreams: baseball player(pitcher Gaylord Perry of
the Cleveland Indians was my boyhood hero), and whatever else. A unique desire I had
was to work in Mission Control for NASA as a Flight Controller. You know, the guys
you see sitting at their consoles controlling their portion of the flight. Once again, lots
of education. This was something I was willing to put up with four years of college for
but I researched this career field, too, and found it was a hard job to get into. At this
time, I was working for a men's clothing store as a salesman. About one year after
getting out of the Army, a new airline began flying into Cleveland: New York Air.
New York Air was a small upstart carrier borne from the Airline Deregulation Act
of 1978 they flew McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aircraft painted a fire engine red color
with a white apple on the tail.
  On a lark, I went out to the airport and asked for an application from the New York Air        ticket counter.  I filled it out, and turned it back to the agent, who said, "Our station
manager would like to meet you." I talked with Mr. Ty Johnson at length in his
office, and the next day I was one one of those red airplanes to New York City for
an interview to be a Customer Service Representative for New York Air.

I got hired by New York Air as a ticket
agent in May, 1982. Here is a picture of one
of our red DC-9 aircraft, tail number
N941NY. As I gained more experience in
the airline industry, I began to dislike New
York Air; we were amateurish, and the man
who owned the airline didn't treat his people
well at all. We were paid almost nothing, and
benefits were questionable.

So, I began to look to the larger airlines to further my airline employment. In October,
1984, USAir (now USAirways), hired me as a part time Customer Service Agent in
Cleveland, Ohio. More information about my experiences at USAir/USAirways are on
the Tribute to USAirways page.
Which brings us to the present. Hopefully, I haven't put you to sleep telling you about me.
I didn't intend to be so longwinded here, but I've tried to give you a brief synopsis of...
ME!!

Email me and
tell me about...
       YOU!!!

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