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Companion Song: 13,760 Feet - My Personal Hole in the Sky
Bonus Track

lyrics

Ode to the Flight Engineer


Airplanes today
All have two pilots
Two pilots are more than enough
One pilot flies
If the other one dies
Two pilots are more than enough

But I flew in an era
When three pilots ruled
Two faced forward and flew
The third one sat sideways
In front of a panel
With more than enough work to do

The flight engineer
Had no way to steer
He had no controls but a desk
Computers do now
What he only knew how
Every miniscule task

He balanced the fuel
Controlled the cabin temp
And managed electrical power
Turned on hydraulic pumps
Maintained cabin pressure
And balanced the fuel every hour

When engines failed
Or hydraulics were lost
Or any of the systems went away
It was the flight engineer
Who flight after flight
Made things always work out OK

If the gear didn’t come down
He had to crank round and round
And do things the old fashioned way
Three cranks to the left
Or three cranks to the right
Were just another part of his day

But this is the age
With computers the rage
There’s no turning back to the day
When the flight engineer
Would hand crank the gear
And make sure everything stayed OK

He balanced the fuel
Controlled the cabin temp
And managed electrical power
Turned on hydraulic pumps
Maintained cabin pressure
And balanced the fuel every hour

Airplanes today all have two pilots
Two pilots are more than enough
One pilot flies
If the other one dies
Two pilots are more than enough

credits

from 13​,​760 Feet - My Personal Hole in the Sky, track released September 28, 2013
Words by Mark L Berry
Music by John Cooperider
Performed by John Cooperider

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Literary Companion Songs Missouri

Mark’s an airline pilot with an MFA from Fairfield University, author of a memoir and two novels, contributing editor for Airways magazine, and former managing editor for Mason's Road literary journal. His work has also appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and newspapers. He lives in St. Louis, MO near the big staple in the middle of the USA map. Locals call it: The Arch. ... more

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