#115 Celebrating that Final Flight
The captain takes a one last bow.
On Friday, I was returning from the Keck Medical School at USC, where I was giving a talk about how doctors and other healthcare professionals can do so much better in their challenging interactions with patients. I am an emergency physician and author. One or two interactions with patients and/or their families, in the workday of doctors and nurses, will go poorly and leave both sides disappointed and frustrated.
I firmly believe that medical professionals can find more satisfactions and meaning in their careers. There will always be some tragedy and challenging interactions with our patients. It takes effort to change the negative ways of thinking that we humans adopt. All working people could do with more goodwill and gratitude from their patients and clients.
I walked into an entirely unexpected celebration of love and gratitude at the end of another person’s career. I was catching a morning flight from the airport in Burbank and the gate agent made an unusual announcement. She said that the captain of the flight to Pheonix was about to make his final flight before retiring from a 37-year career of commercial aviation.
He popped into the terminal to a chorus of balloons, bouquets of flowers, and hearty applause from the crowd waiting to board. Even harried travelers could appreciate that this was a special moment. On the flight, Captain Tom took the time to talk at length to the passengers and crew. He apologized and explained why there was a slight delay in the takeoff time for our flight.
Two mechanics needed transport from Phoenix to Burbank to make some repairs on another aircraft leaving from that same terminal. He thanked the passengers for being so understanding of the delay. The safety of all the passengers was his primary concern. I could empathize strongly with the captain.
In my career as an emergency physician, the staff and I had to keep people waiting. There were generally not enough beds open in the department. We were likely taking care of a critically ill patient who took up all the available resources of the nurses, technicians, and doctors. Our primary concern was the safety of our patients. The limits of safe emergency care were constantly being stretched and challenged.
Captain Tom got a little weepy as he mentioned that his wife and children were his guests and passengers on this, his final commercial flight. Surely his family sacrificed a lot as the pilot missed family dinners, homework time, and soccer games for the kids. He mentioned that he was looking forward to spending more time with his family.
Emergency physicians miss a lot of those family moments as well. Few emergency physicians and nurses get to start work in the morning and leave work by the family dinner hour. Another person at home is left to supervise homework and bath time.
The captain reflected on his long career, and I could not help but marvel at how many people he must have served over the years. Surely there were people traveling to attend funerals, visit loved ones, or meet a new grandchild. There must have been transportation of the deceased to their final resting places and the family dogs to a new home. Some travelers were likely attending work meetings or leaving for vacation. The lives of thousands of passengers were in the care of his well-trained mind and skillful hands,
He expertly took the plane through some bumpy air on the way from Los Angeles to Phoenix. Never have I been more certain of the expertise and care that would be taken by the pilot of an aircraft.
One of the male flight attendants also got on the address system and gave Captain Tom his words of appreciation for the overlap of their careers. He lauded the pilot’s skill and professionalism that also elicited a hearty round of applause from the passengers. I might have shed a few tears on this myself.
As I exited the aircraft, I saw a large sign on a tripod that was congratulating the captain. It looked like some of his family and friends were waiting there as well. What a lovely way to ride off into the sunset.
Not everybody gets to tie up their careers with the lovely party and rounds of applause. If we could, most people would probably write the script just in this way. The folks on AA0937 got to share a special and unexpected moment with a total stranger, his co-workers, and his family.
What a rare and delightful treat.
