Fini Flight

Today was Brad's fini flight...this is the final flight in your plane before you PCS to a new assignment. Brad seemed fairly sentimental about the entire thing considering his flying future is really unknown at this point. Our next assignment is graduate school, then a staff job, and then the next step to be determined. Odds are he'll fly something at that point, but there is never any guarantees. Since he has been flying for the past 10 years I'm sure this has got to be a strange feeling for him.

Waving at Daddy as he taxi's in on the C-17.The tradition upon landing your fini flight is to be greeted by your squadron and sprayed down with water. The girls were pretty excited for the chance to spray Daddy with a hose!
Getting sprayed by his former commander "Smokey". I remember when Brad was sprayed after being a T-37 pilot...they used a fire hose and it knocked him off his feet...that was more exciting!
A round of congratulations and good-bye's. I think Brooke was a little confused by the sea of green flight suits and leather jackets. "Daddy? Where are you?"
One last family photo in front of teh C-17 Globemaster. This photo was actually a set up. After the "family picture" I moved the girls to get a photo of just Brad in front of his plane...at that exact moment the guys poured a Gatorade cooler (like at football games) out of the cockpit window 2 stories above Brad. Gallons of ice and water drenched him. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of it...but he was extremely surprised (this isn't part of the tradition!) and wet!

So our time in the NW is drawing to a close and our career in the C-17 may be history. It's funny how you can love and hate a plane at the same time. Upon returns from deployments just the site of that plane on the runway could make me cry. However, seeing a C-17 on a local practice flight in the third month of a deployment and knowing it wasn't Brad made me despise the plane and the pilot flying who would return home to his family for dinner.

I admit I'm looking forward to Brad being a student and having a staff job at our next assignment. I just hope he isn't so miserable with the idea that he is difficult to live with and I find myself wishing he were flying...wouldn't that be ironic!