Roster publish 

Tuesday, April 12th, 2016

Reading my most recent roster at publish  
Comparing rostered duties to my bids 

  

School day blues

Tuesday, April 12th, 2016

I acknowledge the importance of maintaining academic skills that directly relate to my function at work. But as I progress further into my career I find the exponential growth of both online and face to face “learning” that is totally superfluous or at best tenuously related to my primary function frustrating to say the least. We seem to have more and more job justifying “education” driven no doubt by arse covering or legal obligation shifting. Here’s an idea invest in hiring and promoting the right people into the right jobs paid and incentivised properly. This can be paid for by making available to industry the entire People department or at least their education division. 

Leigh creek sunrise

Sunday, January 17th, 2016

Sometimes red eye flights are easy sometimes they are hard. I do know that no matter how hard you try to prepare no matter how diligent you are with your rest it is like Forrest Gump says” they are like a box of chocolates you never know what you will get.  “. No matter which one you do experience sunrises like this make them all the better.  

Radar magic

Sunday, January 17th, 2016

Lower picture what radar saw upper picture my view outside. Ghost clouds?   
 

Runway

Tuesday, April 14th, 2015

you don’t often get visual circuits internationally but this one had a smile on my face for hours. Grass roots stuff. Superb. 

  

Retro jet

Tuesday, April 14th, 2015

I can’t wait for Virgin Australia to repaint a Jet red to be retro. But this comes close. 

  

Coffee shop navigation

Wednesday, March 11th, 2015

i think I can geo place myself now by what coffe shop I am in. Anywhere in Aus and the world they all have their own feel. 

Perfect saying

Friday, January 30th, 2015

I would be a morning person if dawn happened around 1pm.

After the third 330am start this becomes excruciatingly true

American portion sizes and Aviation

Thursday, January 29th, 2015

There is an old saying about how the travelling public wants their pilots to be “well rested and well caffeinated”. Unfortunately with the 24/7 nature of this business they can mutually exclusive things.

Maybe that is why in the US you can buy the Trenta?

The dirty O word

Tuesday, October 21st, 2014

In a world that tries to find an underlying medical condition for every variance from the perceived norm I am still regularly surprised and frustrated by the practise that explains away poor choices lack of self control or just plain stupid people as having a medical condition. A case in point is 90% of obesity is not related to a medical condition people just have too little self control make bad choices and eat too much. If we want a world of self reliant productive people we must first entrust them to make the right choices for themselves and then make them accountable for those choices.

As a funny ending to this soap box moment below is quite possibly the funniest complaint letter that I have had the pleasure of reading.

Do you like riddles? I do, that’s why I’m starting this letter with one. What weighs more than a Suzuki Swift, less than a Hummer and smells like the decaying anus of a deceased homeless man? No idea? How about, what measures food portions in kilograms and has the personal hygiene of a French prostitute? Still nothing? Right, one more try. What’s fat as fuck, stinks like shit and should be forced to purchase two seats on a Jetstar flight? That’s right, it’s the man I sat next to under on my flight from Perth to Sydney yesterday.

As I boarded the plane, I mentally high-fived myself for paying the additional $25 for an emergency seat. I was imagining all that extra room, when I was suddenly distracted by what appeared to be an infant hippopotamus located halfway down the aisle. As I got closer, I was relieved to see that it wasn’t a dangerous semi-aquatic African mammal, but a morbidly obese human being. However, this relief was short-lived when I realised that my seat was located somewhere underneath him.

Soon after I managed to burrow into my seat, I caught what was to be the first of numerous fetid whiffs of body odour. His scent possessed hints of blue cheese and Mumbai slum, with nuances of sweaty flesh and human faeces sprayed with cologne – Eau No. Considering I was visibly under duress, I found it strange that none of the cabin crew offered me another seat. To be fair, it’s entirely possible that none of them actually saw me. Perhaps this photo will jog their memories.

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Pinned to my seat by a fleshy boulder, I started preparing for a 127 Hours-like escape. Thankfully though, the beast moved slightly to his left, which allowed me to stand up, walk to the back of the plane and politely ask the cabin crew to be seated elsewhere. I didn’t catch the names of the three flight attendants, but for the purpose of this letter, I’ll call them: Chatty 1, Chatty 2 and Giggly (I’ve given them all the same surname – Couldnotgiveashit). After my request, Chatty 1 and Chatty 2 continued their conversation, presumably about how shit they are at their jobs, and Giggly, well, she just giggled. I then asked if I could sit in one of the six vacant seats at the back of the aircraft, to whichGiggly responded, “hehehe, they’re for crew only, hehehe“. I think Giggly may be suffering from some form of mental impairment.

I tried to relocate myself without the assistance of the Couldnotgiveashit triplets, but unfortunately everyone with a row to themselves was now lying down. It was then I realised that my fate was sealed. I made my way back to Jabba the Hutt and spent the remainder of the flight smothered in side-boob and cellulite, taking shallow breaths to avoid noxious gas poisoning. Just before landing, I revisited the back of the plane to use the toilet. You could imagine my surprise when I saw both “crew only” rows occupied by non-crew members. I can only assume Giggly let them sit there after she forgot who she was and why she’s flying on a big, shiny metal thing in the sky.

Imagine going out for dinner and a movie, only to have your night ruined by a fat mess who eats half your meal then blocks 50% of the screen. Isn’t that exactly the same as having someone who can’t control their calorie intake occupying half your seat on a flight? Of course it is, so that’s why I’m demanding a full refund of my ticket, including the $25 for an emergency row seat.

I’m also looking to be compensated for the physical pain and mental suffering caused by being enveloped in human blubber for four hours. My lower back is in agony and I had to type this letter one-handed as I’m yet to regain full use of my left side. If I don’t recover completely, I’ll have to say goodbye to my lifelong dream of becoming Air Guitar World Champion. If that occurs, you will pay.

To discuss my generous compensation package, email me at: [Redacted], or tweet me at: @RichWisken

No regards,

Rich Wisken.

Gold pure gold.