Hey everyone. I hope everything is going well. I’m doing great here in Connecticut, just enjoying the summer. I’ve been working a lot, but I have also been trying to relax as much as possible and enjoy the time off from school. I think it is really important to allow yourself time to relax when you can so that you can re-focus your energy when you need it most. Summers are great for that.

Summers are also a good time to visit colleges. While when you attend the various universities, you may not see many students around, it is still a great time to go and visit as you are not tied up with school and the other extracurricular activities you partake in during the school year. I highly recommend visiting as many schools as you can now, so that your final decision can be made easier and more effectively later on.

That is easier said than done, however, as I have spent most of my days thus far working. Really, though, for me it is not work as I look forward to going in every day. When you do something that you love, it is like you never “have” to go into work—you want to.

My brother graduated from high school last week, which I find really hard to believe. He will be going to Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service next year, a perfect fit for what he is interested and wants to do. It is kind of funny that both my brother and I will be following our dreams, which not all that many people get to do. We are very fortunate indeed.

The graduation ceremony itself was nice, but I could tell that it was sad for my brother as he had so many friends at school. Probably the most difficult thing for him though, was having to officially step down as Student Council President, something that he cherished the whole year and worked hard for. That weekend, we had a graduation party for him and it was a nice end to his high school career. Congratulations, Sam!

Things are going well at the airport, in any case. I really enjoy being at my “home” airport as everyone has a bunch of things that they need me to do and have saved since I went back to school in December. This may sound tedious, but I like being given specific jobs to do because of my various abilities above and beyond aviation-related work. Not all that much out of the ordinary has happened on that front, except for a few things.

For one thing, one of the Dash 8-100’s was stuck on the ground in New Haven for a full two days. It was probably the longest maintenance delay I had ever seen, but it was justifiable as one of the engines was simply not producing over 50% of thrust. The pilots attempted several times to troubleshoot the issue with a mechanic, but were unable to fix the problem. One of my friends was the first officer on that flight and it was nice to be able to catch up with him for a while, but eventually they flew the pilots home on another flight. The Dash 8 then sat there for another day and a half before mechanics finally came to replace the faulty engine component—in the middle of the night. They then decided to do a full engine run-up on the ramp, a few hundred feet from neighbors’ houses that already hate the airport. Needless to say, that did not go over well. Finally, the next day, the aircraft was flown out.

The other thing is on a much sadder note. A week or so ago, a 20 year old Connecticut soldier was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan. One night at work, I got a call from a charter company asking for an exemption from our noise ordinance to allow the aircraft carrying his remains to fly in. Of course, I authorized this, and volunteered my time on the day he came in to assist in whatever way I could. I ended up helping to lead the police escort off the airport and on their way. I’ve seen several of these situations before but it never gets easier. Seeing the family as the flag-draped coffin is unloaded from the aircraft is too much for me to handle. Rest in peace.

I was also in attendance as one of my best friends, David, received the Businessperson of the Year award from his town’s government. He is a franchisee of Bruegger’s Bagels and Jamba Juice and a very hard-working guy. He received a citation signed by the governor and a nice plaque as well. He really deserved it.

Other than that, I really don’t have too much else to say this time, guys. I hope you keep enjoying your summer. Please, contact me with some questions!
Talk to you soon,
Pete