My late husband, Jack, was a pilot. He served in the Army and eventually went over to the airlines. He enjoyed flying, and he enjoyed talking. This brings me to the next part of this story.
Back in the early 1970s, Jack was flying for Pan Am and was based in Berlin, Germany. The Wall was still up, so if you wanted to get in or out of West Berlin easily, you flew out, and Pan Am had the best routes and permissions from the East German government.
As a flight engineer, Jack did all the weight and balances for the fuel and walked around looking for damage to the aircraft. They monitored aircraft systems, including engines and other critical flight systems. He joked he knew more about the A300, 727, and 737 systems than he did about either of his wives.
After all, he needed to memorize everything at the drop of a hat. I can’t even memorize a recipe!
I bring this up for two reasons. First, Jack had a mind that retained everything. And second, Jack loved to talk.
So, after taking off and reaching altitude, Jack turned his seat to talk to the pilot who was sitting in the jump seat. It was then he saw a plane heading for them.
“Captain, nine o’clock!”
The Captain took the yolk and pushed it forward. Then he leveled the plane, and the Captain got on the radio once the plane was secure.
He asked the air traffic controller what altitude the Pan Am Clipper had been cleared to. Then he asked about the other plane.
A long silence followed, and the German air traffic controller returned with, “I am so sorry, Clipper.”
“My dear boy, you certainly will be.”
In the end, the air traffic controller was very sorry. However, there was a plane full of people who made it to Frankfurt, Germany, in one piece, aside from thinking their ride was a bit bumpy.