Celebrating 40 years 1977/2017 at engine building and still having fun. (Part 1)

When I was very young my mother told me “One day son you will fly to and from work like Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin”. Well back in the day that appeared an old women’s wise tale. But as the years progressed I would often hear her soft voice in the back of my head, saying those wild wise words to me. To take into context I was only seven years old, we were the only family in Friarstown Lwr Bohernabreena Dublin with a black and white PYE TV. All the neighbors were packed into our kitchen to watch Apollo 11 the spaceflight that landed the first two humans, who were Americans, on the Moon. Mission commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the lunar module Eagle on July 20, 1969, so if these guys were only getting to the moon, how was I going to fly to work. Well fast track to 2017 and entering my 40th year working on engines from Honda 50 bikes, Ford Transits and not for forgetting the Ford D series, (We were always replacing the head gaskets), through to the Pratt & Whitney JT3D, JT8D to where I am now with PW1100 GTF engines. Mam was wise and right, I do fly to work, each Sunday I catch the Lufthansa LH981 at 17:55 from Dublin to Frankfurt to work at the Lufthansa Engine Maintenance base and then return on Friday on the Lufthansa LH980 Frankfurt 16:10 to Dublin to see my family. I love it and the best thing it feels normal, but back in the day when my Mam predicted my future, I did not see this as something that would become a reality.  Back then this was my Mams vision and dreams for my future and she was not afraid to encourage me. Her dreams are my daily schedule and reality now. It’s good to dream and think outside the box as dreams do come through. Over the next few months I hope to share with you through the use of this article of my 40 year voyage of working and building engines, from Neil Armstrong to now. Maybe it will encourage the younger talents starting off to dream big and refresh some memories for the ones in my age profile.