The 405

405. It’s a lousy credit score, an amazing batting average and a busy California freeway. Last night, it was our flight number.

I’m Christopher Rocha, a husband, father and an Airbus 320 Captain with Jet Blue Airways based in Boston, Massachusetts. As co-founder of On The Upwind Flying Club’s blog, I will attempt to bring you the airline pilot’s side of the aviation business.

I must also point out that I disagree with the old saying “Hours of boredom followed by a few minutes of sheer terror”. It’s more like hours of boredom followed by a chicken sandwich. The thousands of professional pilots who fly everyday do so with the experience, knowledge and confidence to make the amazing, routine. Not to do a disservice to the hard work we do, but rather to point out the fact we do it so well that for most it’s like driving car. Put me in a business meeting or courtroom and I’d be lost but put me in an airplane and I’m right where I should be.

405. Coincidentally (or not), this was our flight number from Boston, Massachusetts to Long Beach, California. Our six hour flight was uneventful. To say the flight was uneventful almost sounds like
I am dismissing all the work we do on each flight. In actuality I am once again reiterating that all our training and experience made this flight “routine”. We land on runway 30 and taxied to our ramp. After all the passengers were off I took the shuttle to my hotel and went to bed. It was only 830pm there but 1130pm back in Boston! In future writings I’ll attempt to bring you into our world as airline pilots. Some of it fun and some of it not so fun but all real!