My brother, the airline captain

My brother has been working for the Chilean airline many years now, and since the beginning we have been trying to schedule a flight together. However, one way or another, something has always come up and it has never been possible. Until this past holiday season, that is.

My brother, landing in a foggy Santiago morning

Our first attempt was in 1997, when I left Chile to come to the US to start grad school. But, the goddess luck was playing against us and called him on an emergency flight to LA the night before. He was still a flight attendant at that time.

One or two years later, when I flew to Chile for Christmas, I arrived the same day he was given his airline pilot exam. I had not slept all night and stayed at the airport to see him fly, for first time ever, a Boeing 737. There are few things more impressive than seeing an airplane that size take off and land, and to know that my baby brother is the one flying it.

The Boeing 737 was followed by the Airbus 320, then the Boeing 767, and until then all of our attempts to fly together failed… For the 2009 holiday season, we finally were able to schedule the same flight again, I was SO excited, but yet again luck was against us. This time, the December Snowmageddon DC kept me grounded, heartbroken, and exhausted after a full day at the airport trying to get on a plane. Sigh (*)

Last year he was ascended from copilot to captain, and yet again, for Christmas 2011, we were able to schedule the same flight. This time I was afraid, and a slightly superstitious inner self got in a serious argument with my rational self. The day I was leaving began with a rainy drive to leave my dogs at a kennel, in that terrible car rental I was using (my car was at the shop for over a month after being smashed by that truck) all the way to Warrenton, VA; I really did not trust that f’ing little car. I drove inspired by Betty White (or any other 90 year old). Then drove myself to the airport –again Betty White style-, dropped off the car, checked in, and could not believe nothing bad had happened. I had to celebrate with sushi and a large sake that left me kinda drunk since it was 3pm and I hadn’t yet have breakfast. Oh, well.

By the time I made it to Miami for my connection, I could not stop smiling. The thought that I was going to see my brother, after the year from hell that both of us and he, in particular, had gone through, and that he was going to be the captain of the flight taking me home, made me so happy that I was getting teary at any and all seconds. I just kept catching myself smiling over and over again.

My miami mojito, while waiting for my captain

I impatiently waited with a mojito first, then a salad and a glass of wine… then I saw the crew coming towards the gate; impatient as I am, I could not wait for them to arrive and ran to meet them… Bummer, the captains were not there, they were still upstairs debriefing. UGH, HOW MUCH LONGER DO I HAVE TO WAIT??? I kept pacing back and forth, jumping up and down, until I finally saw them coming. Went running up to him and jumped to hug him… I think I may have made him feel a bit embarrassed (although I was good enough to keep myself from calling him "Midget," which is the loving nickname that, as an older sister, I have for him).

The smile almost exploded when I heard the usual “good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome aboard, this is your captain, Mr. Midget, speaking…..” I could not be any happier or prouder.

Funny thing is, I always thought I would feel much more scared of flying if my baby brother was the pilot. Somehow I have always felt that I do not want to think of airplane pilots as fallible human beings, let alone my baby brother... Yet, I found myself much less nervous than I usually am, feeling extremely confident, and overall, really really proud.

We were also so lucky that he also got the flight that brought me back, so I got to fly with my most beloved captain Midget twice. The only bummer was that executive and first class were complete and I had to sit on economy class both ways, even despite being the captain’s sister. Oh, well.

(*) That day, I had someone there with me all day, making me company, even though there was nothing in it for him and the airport was a zoo. That day would have been so much harder for me without him there.