The Evolution of the Pilot Wife

Steve and I are celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary today...ahhhhhhhh.

I posted this blog post exactly one year ago, and it is my most 'hit' post. I want to post it again so that #1 I can mark this special day and #2 so that all my readers get a chance to read this.



The Evolution of the Pilot Wife

June 21, 2003

What better time to talk about the evolution of a pilot wife than today. I find that the older I get and the longer I am married, the more in rhythm I am about being a pilot's wife. It took a good while to get in a rhythm, but I have done it. Being the wife of a pilot is no longer a chore or a burden or something that I bitch about every day...it is simply our way of life.

I have been with Steve since 1999, and from Day 1 he was a pilot. That night at the bar I met "Steve the pilot" (Hey Baby, I'm an airline pilot) and "Greg the accountant." Glad Steve was the one that called me the next day. He flew corporate. That Fall he got hired by a regional. So, since fall 1999 I have been a commercial airline pilot girlfriend. Wife since 2003. I have been with him for 14 years, and we have come a long way!

It took a long time to REALLY understand the whole industry. And it took a really long time to get adjusted to being with a pilot. And it took a really long time to get adjusted to having the father of your children be gone all the time.


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The first couple years of our relationship wasn't really effected by his flying. Since we met when I was in college, I was busy doing my thing and he was busy doing his thing. I learned things about the industry here and there, and over the months I learned more and more.

I remember being afraid for him when it was storming outside and I knew he was flying home...now, I don't worry much at all. If he doesn't call right after he is supposed to be in after a 4-day, I figure he was called in for a pee test. I remember wanting to hear from him after each leg, practically. Now, I am content with hearing from him once a day, even if it is just a text. His job was exciting to me. I am sure all the questions were annoying to him, but you gotta learn someway or another.

That first year I got used to his life as a pilot. I got a feel for what his schedule was, how many legs he would fly in a day, what cities he would go to, ect. I started to understand the lifestyle more and more. I started to get more comfortable with airline lingo and all the damn acronyms.

In terms of money, I never had a sense that he made what he made. He made shit money those first couple years...all regional FOs make shit money those first couple years....I didn't know that. He made it work, treated me well, and I never knew.

After I graduated college, I went off to far away place for Peace Corps. During PC, Steve came to visit 3 times, which was awesome. He was able to bid his schedules so that he could come for 2 weeks at a time. I truly believe that this time prepared us for our airline pilot lifestyle. We would go up to 4 months without seeing one another. What is a 4-day, compared to 4 months? Piece of cake! Since we were an ocean apart, I really wasn't effected by his schedule at all...aside from thinking it was awesome that he could gets weeks off at a time without having to take vacation.

Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder. The truth is that Steve knew he was going to marry me after our 2nd date, but we really started talking marriage and a life together during my time in PC.

When I got back from PC, we started to settle into life as a couple. We had our adjustment period, for sure. But, it all got ironed out through communication.

I also remember being super into welcoming him home from trips. I had the time and energy to totally put together a nice welcoming home. I am sure he appreciated it. I had fun with it. Now, I am happy if I get a kiss when he walks in the door. But I am okay with that since the kids are the ones to run up and greet him...and that is all I need.

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Steve proposed in 2002, right after we bought our first house together.

Life was good. Aside from Steve being downgraded from CA to FO, due to the attacks of September 11, which meant a pretty significant pay cut, he was able to maintain a pretty regular schedule. He usually worked Monday - Thursday and had the weekends off. We were sort of like a normal couple, in terms of him being home. Life was good.

Our first house was pretty turn-key, but there was work we wanted to do on it. I distinctly remember the old kitchen floors in the house. We like real hardwood floors, and the previous owner had installed fake hardwood floors. They were horrible and even splintered if you slid across them.

One afternoon, Steve was on his hands and knees scrubbing the floors. He was so frustrated with work and was just wanting "his break." According to his plan, by that point in his career he should have been an FO at a mainline, or at least a CA at a regional. For a good number of years, I was the breadwinner.

Patience is key....


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Steve got hired by a mainline carrier in 2006. Hurray! Steve and I decided it was time to start a family.

Now, having kids is really where adjustment to an airline pilot husband/father really comes into play. I sort of skimmed over the first couple years of our relationship since it seems like such a long time ago. We had our adjustments. I had to learn his lifestyle. I had to learn THE lifestyle...but, it was just the two of us. I could talk to him, it was just us. Getting things worked out was easy.

We did go through crap things like getting downgraded from CA to FO, and reserve and crash pads, and working every holiday, and missing him like crazy. A house is so lonely when it is just you. The only noise is the tv when you get home from work. The loneliness is almost scary sometimes. You question why you ever signed up to a marriage where you were alone so much.

And then you have kids...having kids is where it gets complicated and adds an entire new dimension to this whole pilot lifestyle thing. Having kids opens up a whole new can of worms. It trys you and challenges you and tests you every single day. You question your ability to handle it all. But, it is so worth it. The house is no longer quiet all the time. His trips no longer drag on...they fly by.

I got pregnant with Ben in 2006. I got pregnant with Cecilia in 2008. I know pilot wives that have issues with their husbands schedules, in terms of being home to conceive. We were blessed and didn't have any issues.

Steve was on a trip when I went into labor with Ben, but made it home for the birth. Steve was on day 2 of FMLA when I went into labor with Cecilia. Steve took FMLA for 8 weeks with both kids. The best thing ever for a pilot family!!!

After having two kids, the two biggest adjustments are: sleep and control.

I never thought that I would resent Steve for sleep, but I do. Not so much now, but I did a whole lot in that first year when the babies would wake up every couple hours. Even though sleep is a non-issue now during the night, I still resent Steve for napping. Just the other day he only ran 12 miles at 6am, and when he took a nap later on I was pissed. Why is it that he gets to nap when he is home, and I never do? Why is it that he can sleep in on trips, but I never sleep in? I have no idea why I am so sensitive to the whole sleep thing, but I am.

The other issue is control. Before I was a mother, I never thought I was that controlling. Sure, I would schedule things for Steve, but nothing too crazy. Now, as a mother, I am VERY controlling. Steve has adjusted well to this, and usually steps out of the way and lets me lead.

I think this controlling thing comes from the fact that I am a single-mom a lot. I need to keep things in order and in line with the kids, otherwise, things would get out of control and crazy. Things have to be done my way, and sometimes I have a really hard time stepping back and letting Steve take the lead. I am sure this controlling thing is due to the fact that the kids are still so young. I am sure the older they get, the less controlling I will be.

Steve is a very patient man when it comes to me being the mother I am. He knows where to pick his battles, and knows when I need him. He knows when to step back and knows when to lead. Of course we have our spats about things here and there, but we are united in this parenting thing and we are doing okay at it. At least, we think we are.

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Through the years, I have grown very accustomed to the fact that Steve will be working every holiday for many years to come. I have grown to realize that Steve will miss birthdays and anniversaries and special parties. Not to say I don't get upset when his work schedule gets in the way, but I have learned to not let it take over me.

The first of everything is always the hardest, but the more it happens the more numb is becomes. As this life continues, he will continue to miss a lot of everything. It will always suck when he misses things, but the more it happens the easier it becomes.

We have been through training a couple times...I now know what to expect. He will be out of reach most of the time. And when we do speak, his brain will be so over processed that he won't want to talk on the phone with me. We have done the commuting thing. Sucks, but it is just a temporary thing. We have been through work issues that keep him up a night. But, those issues pass. We have been through a 57% pay cut, but we made it through. We have been through contract negotiations...never a strike, and I hope never a strike...but, if it comes to that, then I will support him.

Up until Steve's hire at a mainline carrier, we were always reaching for that next step. We are no longer reaching. Steve is where he wants to be. We are living in our dream house, and I really hope to never move again. We have two children, that are perfect in my eyes. We are where we want to be. No more reaching and trying to get somewhere. We are here.

The longer we are together, the better I am able to process everything that comes with this job. The longer we are together, I hope the better his schedule gets and the easier this job will be for him, me and the kids. The older I become, the more chill I am about what life hands me. I don't dwell on the negative, but I embrace the blessings I do have.

To my groom 9 years ago today: Happy Anniversary Steve. I love you more today then I ever have. I wish us health and happiness, and a lifetime filled with love and memories we will forever cherish. Here is to us!