It's a Pilot's Wife Life For Me

When I first met my husband I was intrigued with his job title...he is a Pilot. I had never met a Pilot before and it was like meeting a unicorn. Pilot's are considered one of those rare job titles that you don't meet a lot of. I had a ton of questions for him...now knowing it was questions he had answered over and over...which he gladly answered for me. When people find out that he is a Pilot they too have the same fascination  I had when I first met him...we will then usually spend the next hour talking about his job and him answering the same questions I once asked him. Being a Pilot's wife I have come to find out that I get asked the same questions over and over...so I have resorted to saying my husband works at the airport...that usually diverts anymore questions. I have taken to Pinterest to show some Meme's that describe my life as a Pilot Wife to a T.

1. This explains my life exactly, wherever we go and people find out that my husband is a Pilot, the conversation very quickly turns to him and his job. There have even been instances where I am introduced and then followed by " her husband is a Pilot". It seems like whenever we meet new people there is really no way to get around the job description. We have learned to go with it and be as vague as possible...sometimes it works...and sometimes we find ourselves talking about flying for the night.

2. The best feeling is when you know that your husband is coming home from a few days of being gone. You are counting down the minutes until you can give him a big hug, and then you get the phone call or text that they have added on another overnight to his trip. That is the worst feeling knowing that you will then have to wait another day to see him. Pilot Wives have to be independent, we can't live by a set schedule because it is bound to change day by day. Our pilot may be scheduled to get home that evening, but ends up getting stuck where he is due to weather, or a plane malfunction. It is also hard to make plans in advance, because we have no idea what his schedule will look like for the next month. If we are invited somewhere I usually find myself saying: " I will have to check with my husbands schedule".  The great news is when he has 4-5 days off in a row!

3. When you marry a Pilot or date one, you are signing up for a different life. Like I said before, Pilot Wives have to be independent. The day to day routine at the house is left up to them when their spouse is on the road. I love this meme because we have heard time and time again about other spouses being gone for the night and how the women can't handle it. Mine is usually gone for 4 days in a row. I usually just nod and tell them that I am sorry for the inconvenience of him being gone for a day. Honestly inside I am laughing because they have no idea what it truly feels like for their husband to be gone for long amounts of time. Now this isn't brand new news to us, we know what we are getting into by marrying a pilot, and honestly I can say that I miss my husband greatly when he is away, but I also enjoy my alone time.

4. I don't know about any other pilot's, but I know mine will not pay for seats on a plane. This is one big thing that when I say I am a Pilot Wife that people are jealous of. They usually respond with: "Oh ya'll must travel everywhere" or " That must be awesome to fly for free". Well yes the flying for free part is fabulous, but the flying for free on standby is not. If we want to go on a vacation we usually pick spots that are in their off season. You see when we fly standby we are not guaranteed a seat. We can usually either make it there, but may have a hard time making it back. It becomes fun when you are on the list and it looks like you are going to get on the flight, and then the flight in front of you cancels. You might as well pack it up and head back home. The other fun part is when part of your family makes it onto the flight and the other part hopes that they can make it on the next one. So yeah we travel for free, but it is a HUGE gamble. 

5. Okay I would never slap anyone, but I do get asked this question a lot : " Do you know where your husband is?" Most of the time I have no idea where he is. He could be in another country for all I know. The fact that he does not fly to the same place each day, makes it hard to know where he is at all times. All I know is that he is flying and his last trip ends tonight.

6. A man in a uniform...enough said.

7. With our crazy life I wouldn't trade it for the world. I am very proud of my husband and his career that he enjoys. There is no better feeling than riding on an airplane and knowing your husband is the one flying.