For longtime pilot Ron Bush, his final commercial flight marks the end of his 35 years in the cockpit.
By DOUG CLIFFORD
Published October 22, 2004
CLEARWATER - The flight computer showed the aircraft was flying at 507 knots.
"He's flying fast!" baggage manager Denise Tuafono said. "He must be looking forward to getting here."
The moment was bittersweet.
Southeast Airlines flight 425 from Columbus, Ohio, made its final approach Thursday carrying 84 passengers into St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in Clearwater. Chief Pilot Ron Bush steered the lanky DC-9 into a northern vector and feathered it gently onto runway No. 39.
It was yet another perfect landing. It also marked the end of a career.
Thursday was Bush's 60th birthday. In accordance with the FAA's mandatory retirement policy, Bush can no longer fly passenger-carrying commercial flights after a 35-year career.
Bush recalled being a teenager in rural Indiana when he felt the first pangs to fly.
"I used to love to look up at the contrails in the fall from the combine," Bush recalls. "But I never dreamed I would be up there."
At 19, he paid $5 for an introductory flight and was hooked.
Following his first taste of flight Bush gradually acquired the aircraft ratings that would eventually put him behind the controls of a jet.
"When I got out to do it, you couldn't even buy a job," Bush said. "But I got lucky. I worked hard and went from a tractor seat to an airplane seat."
Hard work punctuated Bush's career as he climbed the ladder from a flight engineer and first officer for Key Air in Savannah, Ga., through stints with Private Jet Expeditions in Atlanta, Sunjet International in Clearwater, Express One International in Dallas and AirTran Airlines in Georgia before becoming chief pilot with Southeast Airlines in 1999.
Bush plans to stay on the ground with Southeast, retaining his chief pilot's title and supervising 30 pilots. He looks forward to spending more time on his boat and riding his motorcycle.
As the plane came to a rest Thursday and the engines quieted to a whisper, Bush methodically turned off his instruments and called in to close his flight plan. He popped open the pilot's window to wave to a group of departing passengers, but only for a moment.
"Hey Ron!" Tuafono shouted. "There's a wheelchair waiting for you."
Bush tweaked his captain's hat before skipping down the stairs as safety director Jim Hooser offered a courtesy ride to the terminal.
At the entrance a party had started, and the proud chief waded though a line of hugs and handshakes.
"You look good, your landing looked great," said Ron Burke, Southeastern vice president of operations. "What a way to go out."
