Retirement Traditions

[beechlive]

Does anybody know about how the tradition of spraying down an aircraft with water on the last flight started or what it means? I have used google and ask.com and have found no answers. My father-in-law is retiring and I'm trying to find some info for my wifes speech. Thanks for your help.

 

[grog_sit_reserv]

Its to get the stink of an airline career off him.

Sorry, I don't know, but was wondering about that myself the other day.

 

[BlueandWhite]

In the AF, it's always been a tradition to get hosed down after your "fini-flight". Normally it's not the jet, but the pilot leaving. After the hose, he gets doused w/ a bottle of champagne.

I would imagine some in the commercial world do something similar.

 

[Captain Overs]

I thought it was a sybolic jesture to remind him of all the times he was pissed on during his aviation career.

 

[Lear70]

I thought it was a sybolic jesture to remind him of all the times he was pissed on during his aviation career.

Made me snort coffee out my nose...

Good luck to your wife, if she flies she should get it, if she doesn't, maybe she should let you write the speech while you explain why certain parts are important.

Worst thing my dad's wife did was try to write his retirement speech - most non-pilots don't "get" this career at all... I gave up trying to get my wife to understand it a long time ago.

 

[ATA For Now!]

I hope she understands what you are going through now and why.

Hope all is well.

RV

 

[Lear70]

Not really, but that's life. No one really "gets" it unless you're a pilot. How we identify our entire life with our career is one of the things that defies most explanations.

It's also probably why we're so easily manipulated by management during negotiations... we're just way too personally-vested in what we do that it's almost "who we are" sometimes.

But, enough thread drift, I'd really like to know about the history of this, too... Did it really come from that military "hosing" and champagne spraying, or somewhere else? Didn't find it on wikipedia or google...

 

[GuppyWN]

Lear,

You got it bro. Now if I could just figure out how to move on to that fourth level of flying - the getting paid NOT to go to work I'd have it made in the shade.

Gup