Wingmen

This is familiar, not bad familiar but familiar. 

Its weird how there are things in common with Freddy. 

Its comforting that it isnt like Waterville or Debert. 

Its weird that I found myself in a wing of 4. Me, an older more experienced pilot, a pretty party boy and and an ace. 

These guys are not Mark, Boris or Jason but the similarities are there.

The whole wingmen thing was a big deal forever ago and that was especially true and prominent among pilots. Wonder why.

There always needs to be a party leader, the one who leads, others follow

A hype man, usually the idea guy. Someone who gets everyone jazzed about going out

Finally, a role that I have found myself in, this time and several times before. The rear guard. The one who avoids getting too impaired.

The original 4. Mark was the party leader, always seemed to start and end at his place. Boris and Jason were quite often hype men, coming up with ideas and bringing the positive vibes.

I was trying to be serious, mature. Im here to fly etc etc etc etc. I wasnt much of a rear guard in that crew, not that I remember. This time around Im trying to make a point of making sure everyone has a good time and gets back home.

Dont add to the population, dont subtract to the population dont end up in jail.

Ive met a couple people like me. I think given the opportunity we could all go hard, but we dont. Maybe for a special occasion.

I never really had the chance to go out often with the Debert crew. Maybe that was the problem, honestly Im glad I didnt. There are some there who I dont hate, and it would suck to hate them. Thats kind of the risk with going out, fuck around and find out. Fuck around, find out how little it takes for people to start hating each other.

This crew, the groundschool wing we will call them. One hype man, one rear guard, the other two would swap between leader and hype man depending on what was going on. Then one night we lost two. One of them eventually went off to work for another op the other one just got mad. 

No one listens to me when I say strip clubs are bad luck. No Im not getting into that here, but booze and socially distant strippers were involved. One got mad and jumped out of 2 cabs, the other got so out of hand he ended up downtown, no jacket no shoes and punched out by a bouncer.

Then there were two. I dont mind being the rear guard. Make sure the ubers show up and go where they need to. Keep the peace, be an anchor in a sea of shrooms. If I pass this ride maybe I'll go hard but this is a strange, new town. A dangerous town, if nothing else I'll want to keep my head on my shoulders for my own sake.

Of course it wasnt long until we found more. Other pilots from other ops, roommates, coworkers/future pilots. 

Each group thankfully has a rear guard, I get the feeling that one of them appreciated that there was another who was staying relatively sober.

It also helps that these guys arent chasing women (or men) it does mean its less funny at bars but also more mature and more fun. 

Im trying to get a balance of work and fun while Im out here. Ill probably go back home, there's a pretty good/attractive reason to go back. So first night out with my sim partner was pretty chill. We got together for a couple drinks and some food after I got clothes and such to hold me over until my baggage found me. 

The second time was an adventure. I'll just list the 'high' points

1) Punched out Wingman opens and starts to drink booze in liquor store to "see if he likes it" we get yelled at.

2) Punched out Wingman drinks too much and starts to try and fight people

3) Punched out Wingman leave to acquire drugs and or prostitute. I cannot confirm either

4) Punched out Wingman makes porn of him and this lady and proceeds to send it to me

5) Red solo wingman thinks strip clubs are a good idea. I am reluctant. Not because I would prefer to see someone in particular naked but they make me nervous, especially in a new twn

6) Red solo Wingman gets loud and obnoxious, tries to get a red solo cup chant going in a strip club

7) Punched out Wingman looses his work stuff, jacket and shoes at that girls place

8) Punched out Wingman shows up at strip club, no jacket no shoes and gets punched out by a bouncer (he says he had the bouncer on the ropes, I doubt that a bouncer is a sober semi professional fighter)

9) Red solo wingman and punched out wingman get into an uber to try and leave

10) Red solo wingman jumps out and contact me, looking for directions to the strip club

11) Red solo wingman jumps out of another taxt after going on a long, loud rant about how we dont know what love is, and why were we at a strip club etc

*This was literally HIS idea. It is not OUR fault he called his wife and wasted a bunch of money at a strip club and lied/didnt tell his wife about it

12) punched out wingman at hotel, surrounded by staff and EMT

On top of all this, during the first week I am told punched out wingman was kicked out of his hotel for similar shenanigans  

I am here to work. Things eventually got patched up with Red Solo, but hes not a wingman. I dont speak for lead, but I will not go out with him again. Too angry, to arrogant to relax and just have a good time.

Befor and after all this, we are in class and in the simulator trying to do, in my case, the most challenging flying and largest step I have taken (and probably will ever take) in my career

Speaking of the sim, there is a captain. She had one simple request for me

"Im going to simulate a cabin fire, I want you to pretend to be a passenger"

Done. #chaos

So, when she gave me the word, I ran up to the first officer and I shouted

"OH MY GOD [REDACTED] ITS ON FIRE, EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE"

I am shaking him like there is no tomorrow. He freaked out, the captain freaked out, my sim partner freaked out

The sim instructor giggled. I made my point, and they did very well in the exercise. My thinking: A passenger will not be patient or calm. Also it was a lot of fun

Things went sideways

 Well Initial flights were scheduled incorrectly by me or the system. Then they were cancelled and I was stuck at home for another week. During that week I was attending the ground school via zoom and trying to power through the 90ish online courses that they expected us to have finished before we started flying.

All of this should have been signs of things to come...

Got on a plane, finally, it was turbo delayed and I almost missed my connecting flight.

Then they cancelled my connecting flight, there are no hotels anywhere near or convenient to the airport so I tried to get comfortable in one of those awful chairs and get some sleep. The next morning the new flight that I was scheduled for was also delayed.

They are blaming the weather, but I remember years ago Canadian pilots would routinely fly through snow and weather that spooked Americans. Some articles even say the pilot shortage isn that bad. It is, every op is scrambling to reschedule and reduce their flying in order to try and mange the problem that is Toronto. Too many people need to fly and too few people can make that happen

Eventually I got to Winnipeg, and my baggage was not loaded in the air craft by the guys at Toronto, I had a feeling that would happen. 

I saw a woman in tears because they lost her dog, like her dog is gone. Possibly still in Halifax? Possibly buried under a bunch of bags somewhere at the airport. 

I decided to go to my place of employment and meet my class mates, get some paper work done. Told them of my Odyssey through Hell to get here and finally got to the hotel and got somewhat settled. 

There always seems to be 4 when it comes to pilots. The whole Wingmen thing that people unironically used back in the day is especially true of pilots. There is always the 'leader'. It is not anything formally agreed on, one guy just becomes the guy to take point. There is one guy who is the pretty, party boy. The jester. There is the youngest guy, who more often than not is the better pilot. The Ace.

Then there was me, what the fuck am I doing here. This is leading edge all over again. Its Mark, Boris and Jason again, except different. We had the older, more experienced pilot. We had the pretty/party boy we had the ace.

The experienced pilot and I went to what passes as super store out here and I hunted for some basic supplies, food, clothes etc. I was not sure how long it was going to be until I got my baggage. After all that I met up with my sim partner. I am lucky, I was partnered up with the ace. Who happens to be mutual friends with an old bouncer I worked with, a guy I knew from cadets and my first year university room mate. 

Maybe this was not such a bad thing after all

New Adventure

 Im slowly deleting (almost) everything that was on here. I hate past me and I hate how not wise and angry I was.

nothing has really changed TBH, still I dont want to be reminded of the cringe.

And I hate talking to myself while having a phone camera pointed at me like people on tiktok, insta, youtube etc etc etc.

I feel like the camera is being pointed at the wrong thing in that instance, so I shall instead try to organize my thought here and not look like a narcissistic lunatic.

I finally got the call I've been waiting for, for years. I should have got it sooner, apparently I was forgotten about for several weeks and now Im scrambling to get my affairs in order.Packing up things, trying to figure out what I need to bring. I'll have to leave the girl back here for now, hopefully I can come back for her sometime or I can bring her to wherever I end up.I start next Monday, first time in years Ive had to learn something new, its awesome, and a little intimidating, however I did once near impulsively jump on a plane to see an airshow and drink in Japan. Im going to do that again, they have more fun at their airshows than we do here.I have done this a couple of times, when I first learned to fly, then again when I went to flight college for cpl multi etc....Then again when I was doing survey work. There is a pattern, I start a new flying thing I remember blogger exists.

Im a little nervous about this, its a big step, big risk and very short notice. A lot of things could go sideways.

Japanese adventure

The adventure started like any other, uneventful. Boring, all going according to expectation.

Then, as all good adventures do, it properly started in a bar.

Cheap drinks, pretty women, rugby and Germans.

I met a group of Germans and Asians, strangers with only one thing in common: the drink

Got hit on by one, drank hard with the others until we all eventually called it a night

The next day, again, according to plan until the bar, I accidently ran into some from the previous night and we go clubbing.

I'm distracting this lovely, tesanderie dentist while one of the random Germans can score.

Earlier in the night a random Korean and I did the zoo plan so Robin (the only German I got a name for) could score with a Chinese.

He changed his target mid way through, oh well

The next day, as expected however I encountered a husband and wife, falcon he and aerobatic she from Australia and we cut the line to get in to the race earlier.

That is relationship goals.

After I made it back, dehydrated, heat stoked, burned, hung over, starving I slept until today

Today, Japan got rocked like a hurricane. No trains, so I grab a random Californian from the crowd, he grabs a random Japanese and we split a cab.

The Japanese guy gave up and went home, so we picked up a mom, her baby and the grand mother and are driving to the airport.

This should be the end, but you never know, only 2 things so far have gone as expected.

I'm glad I did this alone

This wasn't the end, the last day there I met someone who was pretty awesome, wish it happened sooner

Claude's Chronicles 6

I need to kill Sal? Fine. Boom boom boom.
I just chased his ass with a car and shot at him. A lot. Then when my car blew up I decided to show a rocket up his ass. Fuck you for trying to kill me because your fucking wife makes shit up.

I swear to fuck she had better give me the best head or I will shot her.

These 2 girls a fucking dykes? Excellent?  Seems a 3 way is in store for me. Seriously this asian chick that has a thing for maria seems to be coming on to me. Maria you may be replaced because it seems SHE WILL ACTUALLY RIDE MY COCK. Fuck her name, it starts with a...akira maybe? I dont know. However she has referred to me as Marie's territory. I could get used to that.

Well I got another page. Seriously, I dont know why I have a pager I dont even know the number to it, so how the fuck can I give it out. I literally just felt something vibrate in my pants and it was there and random ased people have been sending me pages.

8 ball, that son of a bitch, these were his pants and its his pager.

Wait, the car was a trap...a bomb probably. Did 8 ball try to kill me? Fuck Sal turned the guy who saved my ass on me. Im glad he is done, in fucking fact I want to end all of the mafia.

Anyway, new page and an new street race. One was in a lambo...he was kinda challenging the other 2 were in a chev truck and a hummer, my fuck A challenging drive would be nice. I won the race so the voice has some more work for me, may as well check it out. I will talk to the dykes later.

2 guys are riding with me...to see if I am capable? Riiiiiiiiiiight. This is going to be fun. Kill some diablos, I do driving and shooting. Well atleast they were kind enough to give me an uzi.

Jack some cars? Easy enough...

Yeah it was, akira practically gives me a triaid supra, the other two were easy to find and I just love me an excuse to go over to port land and run over those assholes in the suits.

Resurrection of Claude 5

Another day, another note. Fucking hell.

Atleast he was kind enough to give me some wingmen with uzis..and and uzi for me? Toni you shouldn't have. I need to kill some soldiers and leaders of the triads...with these guys? Fuck that shit. I got into an audi and ran their asses over, then one guy was in a blocked off area. I just punched the shit out of him while...my audi blew up, fuck this town. I stole a mini and jumped it over the wall to their fish factory and ran over every fucking triad I found.

Then got paid handsomely for it, fucking awesome way to start the day.

Rain mackerel? Sounds good. I need to rig a garbage truck with a bomb, park it in the fish factory and blow it sky high. Easy enough, problem is it is on a timer and twitchy as hell. So drive fast and smooth and dont hit anything. Easier said than done in this fucking town.

And it fucking worked! It rained mackerel, it was great. I took some of that shit home and fried it up, it was delicious.

Im done with Toni now...guess Sal needs me to do some things. Let us see what he needs.
Follow Bob...he is talking then I have to kill him. I will follow him in a mafia car to be subtle.

I cant believe that seriously work, I whacked the guy by just running his ass over. Fuck that noise

We need to use one head? my head? This guy wants me to fight his fucking war for him? Good to see my old friend 8 ball. That fucker doesnt even know his name.

100000 dollars? fucking hell, how the hell does this handless man make bombs...and a sniper rilfle? I fucking hate sniper rifles...

Well that was easy, and kinda fun. Now Im not sure what to do, Ive stopped the war with the triaids and I just sank a colombian ship with smack

Well shit

What am I supposed to do, really what? My boss looks like he runs this town, oh well Im bored with the mafia for now. I hear the garage needs me to steal cars for them. Maybe I will become a taxt driver

So that marty guy has another mission for me, pick up some thieves that he hired so he could get some insurance money...and they said nothing in the car. Then they fucking got killed by this guy. My fuck everyone in this town is an asshole, why did he have to kill the people who knew to shut their traps. Sounds like he has another mission for me.

He wants me to pick up his wife...great I wonder what for. He has a Vanguish now, its a nice car.

God his wife is a dumb cunt, and wouldnt shut up. I hope he kills her. He fucking killed her, schweet.

Wait, what he wants me to dump the vehicle into the sea? THIS IS A FUCKING ASTON MARTIN

Fucking nob, oh well. Perhaps he has money problems because he keeps destroying his cars in order to kill people. I cant swim so I dont want to drive it into the sea, so I inconspicuously pushed it into the water off the end of the wharf, thats not suspicious, right?

Fucking hell, his wife was cheating on him with a guy who wants to kill marty now. I need to pick him up...guess I know how this is going to go.

The fuck, why is marty outside? MY GOD THIS GUY JUST FUCKING SHOT MARTY

Im going back to the italians, they are less crazy. Fucking hell, I need to dispose of yet another corpse and car. Fuck this city, Im going back to san andreas.

Maria fucking paged me, seriously how do people get this number? Anyway the car is a trap...fucking hell whats going on here.

What? Salvatore was selling me to the cartel to end this war? Sal thinks me and Maria were fucking behind his back...BECAUSE MARIA FUCKING SAID THIS TO HIM WHAT THE FUCK WOMAN

God damn it learn to shut your hole.

She probabily said it to try and convince Sal to not get me killed, she actually gives a fuck about my life. Im not sure if anyone has before. Fuck the mafia, im in a boat and we are getting out of here.

Well I am in liberty city proper now. Is this girl asian? like triaif? WHAT THE FUCK.
Oh well, she has been kind enough to give me a place to lay low, may as well check it out.

A nice big garage, a nice new toyota supra in triad colours. I think I like this woman. Fuck today, Im calling it a night.

Part 4

I am a getaway driver for a bank robbery...fantastic.
This went so well last time, atleast I can fuck them over if need be and not be fucked over
Well that was actually alot of fun. Got chased through ally's and lost the cops, go my car sprayed and new engine and we are home free. Joey has nothing new for me, I guess I will go see Toni.

He wants me to blow up vans...I have a lovely flame thrower kicking around that has not been used in a little while hehehe

I may have went a little crazy with the flame thrower...I really should have thought that threw, it was hard to find a vehicle after.

I need to pick up the cash...I scared them so...good? Anyway that fuck left me a letter and you know what? He is still yelling orders at me. My fuck I can never get a word in with these people, working with them may be a little irritating now

Well it was a fucking ambush, and that fucker sends me another letter, atleast he wasnt yelling at me. My fuck I want to talk sometimes and everyone else to shut the fuck up. Anyway go see joey, pick up the limo pick up luigi, pick up toni. Joey is the black sheep of the family, spells his name with a y. Fucking italians.

Must say Joey cleans up good, this isnt a fucking limo. Thank god, its a BMW 760. All these mafia guys in one car, it would suck if we got chased and I had to maneveur one of those ugly stretch things around this fucking city. And now the rain starts, great this would suck if we get chased.

We got fucking chased by fish trucks. They did not stand a chance against my skill, and you know what? these italian guys kept their mouths shut while shit was exploding around us and we were being shot at. They trusted me, that is fucking awesome. Im not sure if anyone has ever trusted me like that before, and they seem to know when to be quiet. I change my mind, I like these guys. I want to just work for them until I die.

Well Salvadore is the guy in charge, sounds like he has some use for me and seeing as nobody else needs a transporter and I like working for these guys lets see what they have.

I need to look after his girlfriend Maria...and she looks like a redhead. Well atleast he told her to shut up and it seems that these 2 do not get along. My fuck she talks to me like a cunt...and doesnt shut up

and she was totally undressing me with her eyes. This is not good.

She wants to score some drugs, Im guessing that she uses sal for money and he uses her for pussy. She is just a prostitute with clothing on. She is a little chatty and my name is fucking claude. IF PEOPLE WOULD SHUT UP AND MET ME SAY SOMETHING THEY WOULD KNOW THIS. I am not fido, kid, bro or whatever the fuck you guys call me. Claude. Fuck.

Now I need to wait outside while she goes in and dance? My fuck I had better get paid well for this. This is boring as tits, I would kill for a cop chase right about now...

Fuck my life.

Well that was a hell of a case, the swat raided the dance and they were shooting people and fighting. Maria was useful in a fight, she punched out 2 guys on her way to the car, then a nice short chase followed.

Im getting used to being chaed in the BMW, Im going to miss it. The boss wants his car back, pity. I have a feeling that Toni needs me for more work and Sal does as well. Fuck that noise, Im going to sleep. Maria touched my hand after I got her home, Im getting the vibe she wants to fuck me. God damnit.