This year’s holiday party arrived with a change of plans, courtesy of the first major snowfall of the season. What is normally a 45 minute drive to the restoration shop stretched into an hour and a half each way, slow and careful miles through fresh winter weather.
The Texas group, including our founder, sent their regrets earlier in the week once it became obvious that serious weather was likely. With that, and the road conditions, the party saw a light turnout. Still, the effort to gather felt meaningful, even if fewer chairs were filled.
The restorer and I have been more intentional lately about how and when we spend our time and energy.
With the major project at the restoration shop transitioning from a long term aviation project back into being an airplane again, there has been a lot more cross checking and confirming as systems come together.
The natural pause that the holidays bring has been a welcome respite. It created space to breathe, to observe, and to reflect on what has been accomplished and what still lies ahead.
One volunteer who could not make it to the party was one of Rosie’s daughters, known affectionately as the Blonde Bomber. Since earning her private pilot certificate last year, she has been weighing how she wants to build a career in aviation. The restorer and I both felt she would enjoy the work of dispatching, and I shared my own experience earning an aircraft dispatch license.
She called the school I attended, did her research, and decided it was worth the investment.
Having a base not far from the Dallas Fort Worth area where the school is located, she leaned on her friends and aviation family at the museum associated with our restoration shop.
On weekends, she made the two hour commute to recharge, reconnect, and sneak in some fun flying.
After successfully completing her oral and practical exams, she earned her letter of competency and will exchange that for her dispatch license when she turns 23. She soon found employment with a regional airline and is learning the ropes about two hours from home.
I spent time with her at her new apartment, listening as she talked through irregular operations and the steep learning curve of stepping into a more regulated corner of aviation.
Her stories felt like a mirror of another time and another young professional, wide eyed, capable, and absorbing everything at once.
The support and opportunity available in airline operations come with trade offs.
Aviation does not sleep. Working nights and holidays is part of the culture, and learning to live inside that rhythm takes adjustment.
Still, her excitement was unmistakable as she showed me her new place, then welcomed me along as we explored her new town dressed in holiday lights.
Driving home from that visit, I was reminded how much we can learn from and encourage one another, no matter where we are in life or in our careers.
When I first began spending time at the restoration shop, working alongside the Blonde Bomber, her sister Phoenix, and their mom Rosie on the Beech 18 interior gave me an outlet.
It was a place to hear airplane noise, to talk aviation, and to be part of something tangible.
The time shared with these remarkable women gave me far more than I ever gave them.
Sometimes the holidays are loud and full. Sometimes they are quiet, snow softened, and reflective.
This year, they were a reminder that community, mentorship, and shared work are gifts that carry us forward, season after season.
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