Flight Paradox

All your friends have soloed. You’re still in the 4100 block. Your friends are in instruments. You finally fly fam 4. Your friends have all completed. You’re the only person in contacts. You will never finish contacts.

“Oh, VT-2-a-day” your friend laughs. You don’t laugh. You’ve never been scheduled twice a day. You barely get scheduled once a day. You only stand watch. You don’t fly.

“We’ll have the first brief in the morning” your instructor tells you. You have the 7:30 brief. You don’t get a plane.

“There’s extra planes!” someone says. You look outside. All the planes are gone. The planes never existed.

“Maintenance is on strike” “Maintenance is not on strike” “The plane shortage is fixed” No one knows who fixes the planes. Maintenance isn’t real; it was only a myth you believed before you realized you have to fix your own plane.

There are 15 planes. The weather is terrible. “At least maintenance will have time to fix the planes” someone jokes. The next day there are 5 planes.

“You’re on the priority list,” the FDO tells you. You’re not scheduled the next day. You put yourself on standby. “Who are you?” the FDO asks. “Do you even go here?”

You’re in the 4200 block. Everyone is in the 4200 block. Except your friend who was med down for a week. He’s having his checkride today. When did he fly? No one knows. He doesn’t know.

“Time to train is 27 weeks” everyone says. “It took me 27 weeks exactly!” all the completers agree. It echoes in your head “27 weeks.” You’re in week 20. You’re still in contacts. “Don’t worry, you’ll be done in 27 weeks,” everyone reassures you. Their eyes are empty, glazed over, unnerving. “27 weeks” the crowds whisper.