MIKE BRODERICK | CONTRIBUTING WRITER That question fl oated in the air waiting for my
answer as another friend, interested in my future plans posed the “R” question. And being the recalcitrant elderly gentleman that I am I always respond, “Depends! If I wake up and fi nd my name listed in the obituary, then I will know it must be time to slow down!” That usually puts an amusing cap on the conversation but avoids the obvious — I don’t know when I am going to retire. Heck, I don’t know IF I am going to retire. So I guess the correct answer is I will retire when I am ready — but not right now! And besides, it seems not all that long ago, back when I had long hair instead of longing to have hair, that the question was about when and where I would launch my career. But alas its true — time and life unfold like a roll of toilet paper — the closer to the end you get, the faster is goes, and like it or not retirement is one of the squares on the roll. And trust me, my roll is moving pretty fast. So, the question remains. When should I chose the retirement square on the roll? Hmmmm, what say we talk about this “retirement” thing.
6
HelicopterMaintenanceMagazine.com April | May 2020 Now, as an early “Boomer” with a protracted AARP
affi liation and more career behind me than facing me, I know I am fi rmly ensconced into the ranks of seasoned citizenry. A good group by the by, because that is where most of my friends also reside. And as my friends and I have discovered, along with the fact that “Depends” has now morphed from a verb into a brand name for us Seniors, the subject of retirement is also right up there with prostates and politics. Should I? Do I have to? What will I do in retirement? Will I have the funds to have fun? Good questions. However, with an allergy for sitting still, no interest in wandering the world’s golf courses and gratifi cation from the current challenges of my A&P career, imminent retirement for me is not a light at the end of my career tunnel. Although admittedly I have, as of late, altered my tool selection for helicopter maintenance, replacing the wrench and safety-wire pliers with the sharing of my 49 years of rotorcraft education and experience. Now this is not to say I haven’t planned for an inevitable slowdown (ref. appearance in the Obits), but think about it — you and
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
