Short Final: Guilty Conscience?

I was coming back from OSH one year with a group of friends. We changed planes at SLC and the captain came on the overhead and happily made all the normal announcements prior to departing the gate but ended up with “First Officer Franks will be flying this leg. First Officer Franks, ladies and gentlemen.”

I thought it was odd but gave it no more thought.

We were descending into SJC and the captain came on the overhead again went through the normal “prepare for landing” patter but again ended with “First Officer Franks will have us on the ground shortly.”

Again, odd but whatever.

Now, I don’t fly big iron, nor do my flying friends who were with me but we could tell First Officer Franks was having a time up there. We could hear the engines spooling up and down as the plane would drop, and then surge upward, and then drop, like he was fighting up and downdrafts on this clear summer evening. Finally we heard the engines spool down and the plane just dropped and bottomed out on the landing gear stops. The other passengers noticed this as well.

When exiting the plane the Captain was turned in his seat cheerfully saying goodbye to the passengers along with the stews in the door way. First Officer Franks had his head down and was writing. Never looked up. I cheerfully remarked to the Captain when I walked by, “Hey way to test that landing gear!” He cheerfully replied, “Yeah, how 'bout that!”

And then I knew why he kept making a point about First Officer Franks doing the flying.

(Names changed to protect the indignant)