While waiting in the departure gate for a flight from Charlotte, NC to Fort Meyers, FL this weekend I spied an elderly man approaching the gate to pre board the plane. The man was gray and bent, he had stately grey hair and a mustache and appeared to be about 80 years old. He wore glasses and had a small, compact briefcase. He was also wearing the uniform of a flight crew member!I am not a squeamish flyer. In fact, I love to fly more than almost anything. Even rough weather and landings in squalls, icy, wintery 'go arounds' and other near disasters are merely interesting curiosities to me as I watch outside the window of a jet or small twin prop in New England or the Caribbean, Florida or California. But the sight of this aging pilot getting on my plane and looking as though he were going to take the controls himself caused me to have a tiny moment of panic. He looked like somebody's grandfather who escaped from a nursing home during a Halloween party in which he was dressed up as an airline pilot!
As I boarded the plane, I stole a glance in the cockpit and was relieved to see the two duty pilots going through their pre flight check list. The stewardess welcomed me aboard and I turned and looked down to see the imposter fast asleep in one of the first class seats. His gold braided hat was tilted down over his head and his gold striped sleeves tucked underneath his crossed arms.
This elderly man was probably not a pilot anymore but was still plying his craft probably as a navigator or coordinator. The flight was a safe one and he was gone when I exited the plane.
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