Call Sign January 2011 - Page 24 - Why do we think of missing relatives at Christmas?

From Dial-a-Cabs Victor Meldrew, Tom Whitbread When Christmas descends on us, we automatically think about family, relatives and friends that we have not seen for some time. Why is this, why do we not think of these people throughout the year? Why is Christmas so special that it jogs the memory into remembering these friends? Is it because we’re worried that if we do not send them a card and others find out, then the repercussions are transferred into tight-fistedness or just being miserable. Or it could be that the people we love and respect have travelled away during the year for whatever reason, causing them to be missed at the Christmas table and the festive meal. This year, my son Russell will be missing due to him following his chosen occupation, unable to do this in his home country he has had to travel to the other side of the world. The chance of him realising the employment he would like to continue with for the next 30 years, being found in a recession gripped England was non-existent. Russell left UWE (University of West of England) with his qualification as an Aeronautical Engineer; this enabled him to get a job with Quinetic, a company that deals with all aspects of armaments from guns, tanks and high-powered fighter jets. After working for Quinetic for a few years, he decided he’d like a change. so back to University and he trained as a maths teacher, spending time trying to inspire and educate teenagers at Salisbury High School; during this time he added his words of wisdom to children who would do anything to get out of a maths class! During one lesson, his words of wisdom were that if there was one thing in your life you wanted to do, then go and do it before it is too late. It was at that point that a budding Einstein with a big mouth said: "Sir, do you want to be a maths teacher all your life?" No, came Russell’s reply. "What would you like to do then, sir?" Russell replied that he would like to be an airline pilot! The reply from the student was surprising, "Well why don’t you f* off and do it then?" Because Russell didn’t want to lose face, he had to show he could take his own advice and try to learn how to fly. He had been in the air cadets whilst a pupil at the London Oratory School**. As he had been up in planes and gliders, he knew he had a head for heights - unlike his father! His first challenge was to try and convince his bank manager to give him a loan against his flat, before looking for an air school to do his training. He checked air schools in Spain, Australia, America and England - the foreign ones were cheaper at that time but a twist in circumstances	Why do we think of missing relatives at Christmas?
	*Russell Whitbread with some Susi Air Stewardesses in Indonesia*
	- the recession - changed everything. It became cheaper for him to stay at our home free and do his training at Stapleford, Essex, the same air school as John Riley of the DaC Credit Union. To train as a commercial pilot, you are looking at a cost of between Ł40,000 to Ł60,000 with a hell of a lot of studying regarding how to fly, air and weather conditions, map reading, air law as well as another stint back at university. Once he had passed his exams to fly a single engine aircraft, he then had to build up his flying hours to carry on to the next stage. To complete this in the shortest possible time, he joined together with 4 other pilots from his course and they travelled to America and hired 3 single engined planes. Two of the planes accommodated two pilots and the other had one pilot and the luggage, these tasks would be alternated day by day. They started in the southwest and flew up the coast to Canada, then across to the east coast down south and across America to their starting point. The trip took 1 month and allowed them to see sights like Niagara Falls, the Hudson River leading into New York, the Grand Canyon and many more magnificent sights from 2000 feet up in the air. This expedition was still cheaper than doing the same amount of flying hours in England. After his return it was back to studying for his multi-engined licence, he passed this along with 6 of his colleagues. They all then started their search for jobs, but the recession had taken a greater grip of the airlines with many going into receivership. Russell is now the only one of this group who has been lucky enough to gain an interview, even though he had to travel to Munich for the appointment. This was after the group sent many 100s of letters trying to gain interviews or employment. Now 8 months after passing, Russell is the only one who is in a job flying and completing his dream. But to achieve this he had to fly to Indonesia for his position as a pilot. He is flying for a company called Susi Air a fast growing company in Indonesia, carrying passengers and cargo. He is flying around Borneo, Sumatra, Java and the many local islands. Some of the airports are in slightly built up towns or cities, some are just a rough airstrips in the mainly jungle areas. The planes that Susi use are mainly new Cessna 208 Caravan planes, with space for a dozen or so passengers and cargo, but they can be changed to suit the situation. When I speak to Russell via Skype on my PC, he upsets me	that I am being subjected to freezing cold while he imparts the information that he went onto the beach and burnt his feet, not realising with the tropical heat he should have been wearing flip-flops. He did his familiarisation at Susi training airstrip, which just happened to be some 100 feet from the beach. Going out for a meal will cost around Ł3 and about the same for your drinks. Then flying over the islands can give you some spectacular views and variety from the dense jungle to the clear blue sea, but the weather can change in an instance from a beautiful sunny day to a steamy blinding monsoon downpour. Although Christmas is not celebrated in Indonesia as we do it in England, the people who are abroad still miss that family gathering for the festive season. I know this for a fact as during my early working years, I spent six years abroad including Christmas, but the misery was lessened as I spent the time in New Zealand, Fiji, Canada or Australia. But at sometime during the 24 hours of Christmas day, when you are abroad you will get a pang of loneliness. That will soon disappear if you are in a warm, sunny climate and you know England is gripped in icy conditions! When my son started his flying, he bought a small teddy bear in a flying outfit and it travels with him as his mascot wherever he goes, the bear’s name is Colin Stapleford, named after the airfield where Russell trained. Colin has his own page on Facebook with photographs taken all over the world with new friends, locations and celebrities! If you would like to see his photographs with views whilst he was in different locations and meeting personalities such as Sir Alan Sugar and Peter Crouch or in the cockpit of a trans-pacific jet, follow him on Facebook. There are many pilots and stewardesses who are friends with Colin, one stewardess on a regular commercial flight who recognised Colin in my son’s hand luggage, gave him his own seat and treated him like a VIP. The pictures are well worth a look so for photos to go with this article go onto Facebook and join Colin Stapleford and Russell Whitbread as a friend. I hope you enjoy the photos of warm tropical isles as we suffer this long, cold winter. I hope you had a nice Christmas and may I also take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very healthy and prosperous New Year. May Dial-a-Cab remain a success story and gain you the money you need to give your family a good life style.

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