Folding my Wings
This is a post I placed recently on LinkedIn and Facebook, my way of telling people that I made the decision to change direction. To my complete surprise, it got 57,000 views on LinkedIn alone. Today is the first day of the rest of my life – I’m excited to see what comes next!
For the last 11 years, my life has revolved around my roster, and I have loved every single second of it. None of us could ever have imagined that it would end now, and in this way, but my time at easyJet is coming to an end. My choice has been to opt for Voluntary Redundancy and because I haven’t flown since March, I already know that I won’t fly one of my beloved orange busses again.
I am, of course, really really sad about this, but I am also completely at peace with my decision. After 25 years of moving around the country and the world as a military wife, and 11 years of commuting (bar 2), it’s time to stand still for a while and take stock of what’s really important.
Over the last 11 years I have worked at 5 different bases (Stansted, Lyons, Luton, Porto and Gatwick), clocking up 8000 hours (that’s just under an entire year in the sky!), and met some of the most brilliant and wonderful people I have ever known.
I have been flown on private jets around the network to operate “rescue” flights, I have flown all over Europe and beyond, from Keflavik and Tallinn, to Sharm el Sheik and Tel Aviv, to Tenerife, Madeira and Essouaria (google it!) and everywhere in between. I have seen the northern lights on descent into Edinburgh, and in the climb out of Keflavik (google that too – it’s on the telly!!), I have flown DJs, Pop stars, politicians and Z List TV oiks, I have diverted around thunderstorms that are 300 miles long, seen the sun rise over London more times than I can think of, seen Mont Blanc from above, flamingoes flying past me in Sardinia, and had the best view in the house of all the stars in the sky.
I have received awards, been on TV, received notes of thanks from passengers, been asked for selfies, and even received fan mail (there are currently 5 members of my “fan club” ), and I have bypassed every queue in every airport in Europe because I have been operating crew. I became a captain, honestly my proudest moment, and fitting that my final line check was in my own personal aircraft G-EZEH (if that ever gets scrapped I want the nose gear doors ok!!), and flown my dad, two of my children, and countless friends. I have landed on really long runways (Geneva, Madrid, Lisbon) and really short runways (Isle of Man, Jersey, Dortmund), in heat that knocks you over when you open the aircraft doors (Seville at 2300 still 38°!) and in cold that makes you think your face will fall off doing the walk round (Keflavik every winter!!), I have flown on Tango routes, ferried empty aircraft around the network, and dedicated every single moment to doing my job with the pride and professionalism it deserves.
I have also spent birthdays at 37,000 feet, mine and my families, missed weddings, funerals, family gatherings, people coming to stay, and countless school events.
And now in this weirdest of years, something has come along that has brought the industry in which I work to its knees, and it’s time for me to stand still again. Me choosing to leave will hopefully save the jobs of someone else who doesn’t have this option – I really hope so because it’s bloody hard to give up!!
So to all the friends I have made along the way, and to my orange family who have been such a huge part of my life for so long, I say thank you for the memories, the fun, the laughter, and for always stepping up when I have needed your support, in the air and on the ground.
I have signed my final tech log and am folding my wings, if you need me, I’ll be in my hot tub!
#captainemma signing off
