The Loss of My Favorite Travel Partner Forever

What’s love? Letting your gal sit left seat in a 727!

On July 10, 2021, my lovely spouse and soulmate Brittany Brown handed away resulting from colon most cancers. Now, that could be a sentence that I by no means thought I might be writing on AirlineReporter… or wherever, for that matter. She was recognized on December 13, 2019 with Stage 2 (simply two months after our wedding ceremony and three days earlier than her thirty first birthday), and she or he fought with all her may, however this most cancers was unbeatable. #fuckcancer

As I make my means via the totally different phases of grief and bear in mind all of our time that we had collectively, I’ve realized how a lot of an ideal journey companion she was for me – and the way I used to be for her. Throughout the 12 months and a half that Brittany battled most cancers, I used to be not very public about our scenario — just some shut family and friends knew. So, why share this very private life expertise on the weblog? There are just a few causes.

Having fun with airplanes touchdown throughout DorkFest at LAX

To honor a number of the nice journey reminiscences that we skilled. To share some tales that can have a house on AR. It will likely be therapeutic for me. And I belief you. I’ve been doing this airline weblog factor for over 13 years. This web site is a ardour for me, the opposite writers and hopefully for a lot of of you. When our lives get sophisticated, content material slows down (or stops), and that’s okay. Lots of you’ve been via your individual ups and downs and I can not even start to say how grateful I’m for the love and assist of the AvGeek group via every part.

When We Met

Visiting the Museum of Flight

Brittany and I met again in July of 2016. We labored on the identical firm and I noticed her on my first day and was like “dang she is cute, possibly I would like to speak to her.” To not insult many AvGeeks, however I believe most of us are critically self conscious that our sturdy go well with is realizing the distinction between a 737 and an A320. Probably not flirting with people who we’re drawn to.

It took somewhat little bit of courting and endurance, however we beginning courting in September of 2016. She had talked about that she loved flying, however I assumed she meant touring. After I caught her taking a look at a airplane flying overhead, I requested some observe up questions and no, she really favored the method of flying itself, separate from journey. Oh yea… I immediately simply obtained stronger emotions for this gal!

Once we met, she had not accomplished a lot touring — I believe Utah was the farthest east she had flown. She beforehand instructed one among her sisters that she hoped to discover a man sometime that loved happening journey adventures. Nicely, guess who has two thumbs and likes adventures… this man!

Our First Flying Journey

Quickly after formally changing into a pair, we have been discussing how we wished we may put on our cowboy boots extra. We lived within the larger Seattle space on the time and felt it wasn’t the very best place to point out them off. She additionally talked about that she had by no means flown on a Bombardier Q400. I used to be beginning to really feel our first journey coming collectively… a weekend journey the place we may fly on a Q400 and put on our cowboy boots. After some trying round, we opted to go to Missoula, Montana. I received’t get into a lot particulars in regards to the journey since I wrote up a story on it that you can read (or at the least have a look at the candy photographs).

When I’m doing journeys alone (not press journeys for the positioning), I prefer to fly by the seat of my pants. Get my airline tickets, a lodge room, a rental automobile, after which determine the remainder after I get there. And naturally stopping to odor the roses. In Montana, for no matter purpose we simply began driving north on again roads, and stopped at a small city gasoline station for snacks. They by some means knew we weren’t locals (we had our boots on, so we thought we slot in) and so they tell us about this unmarked street that was tough (we had an SUV) and you would see deserted log cabins from the gold rush period, largely untouched. It was one of many coolest experiences that I’ve had.

Flying By the Seat of Our Pants

I discovered it curious that Brittany was so laid again with having actually no plans with the journey. She’s usually one which follows guidelines, loves group, and doesn’t fly by the seat of her pants. I believed possibly it was as a result of our relationship was nonetheless so younger, however that was not the case. Lots of our future journeys adopted this identical mannequin and she or he liked it — we each did.

And it wasn’t nearly having enjoyable when issues have been going nicely… it was about how we each dealt with ourselves when issues went dangerous. Once we visited Ketchikan (by no means wrote a narrative on that), we went in October to overlook the cruise ships. However it was additionally the top of the salmon spawn season. That’s when the salmon use their final vitality to swim again up river to put their eggs. I knew that the salmon die after doing so, however I didn’t know that they attempt to make it again to the ocean. Lots of them find yourself dying proper the place the river and the ocean meet. We had a very nice room that neglected proper the place the river met the ocean. Each time we stepped out, it smelled of rotting fish. Like a stage of odor you can not describe in phrases.

For some individuals, that may smash their journey. Complain the entire time, and simply wait till it was over. As a substitute we laughed about it. We spent a lot vitality looking for the appropriate time to be there to keep away from individuals, that we ended up with pungent lifeless fish as a substitute. Plus the one factor I wished to do whereas there was take Brittany on her first seaplane experience, however the climate by no means cleared up sufficient.

Nonetheless, with the home windows closed in our room, we couldn’t odor something, however we may watch the seals go after the fish. We had a bald eagle land on a pole just some ft away from us, and we nonetheless obtained to see the great thing about Alaska not solely being there, but in addition from flying out and in of the airport. It ended up being a enjoyable and profitable journey (though I might not counsel visiting throughout that point of 12 months).

As you realize there’s virtually at all times one thing that goes unsuitable once you journey and we each would attempt to stay optimistic about it. Discover the journey with-in the journey and that’s laborious sufficient for a single particular person to do and much more tough when you’ve a pair.

She was additionally genuinely within the totally different airline-themed occasions. She liked going to Aviation Geek Fest, and we each flew all the way down to LA to get pleasure from Dorkfest. And it wasn’t like she was simply going as a result of she wished to assist me or go along with me, she was attended as a result of it was attention-grabbing to her.

Staying Home — On Goal

It’s laborious to see, however there are over 20 pins within the board. We solely pinned a spot if we flew to it. The leftover pins make me cry each time I see them.

Earlier than assembly Brittany, on common I might go on a world journey for AirlineReporter about as soon as per 30 days. After assembly her, I’ve taken zero. I’ve nonetheless accomplished some journeys, however they have been all home. That wasn’t as a result of she didn’t need me to go (really the alternative; she inspired me to take a few of these alternatives), however I work a “actual” full-time job, with a restricted quantity of trip days, and I might a lot slightly use these days happening random journeys together with her to nowhere than on an extravagant world tour value tens of 1000’s of {dollars}.

Once we first began our travels, I obtained this map and put it on a bulletin board. We might put pins in any respect the areas that we had visited. We obtained fairly just a few pins on there from our time in Montana till she was recognized with most cancers. One of many saddest issues for me now could be taking a look at that field of pins and seeing what number of are left. They characterize all the longer term journeys that we should always have loved collectively, however life robbed them from us.

My Conclusion

We clearly had many conversations over the past 12 months and a half of her life. She introduced up just a few occasions how vital it was to her that I don’t let this entire expertise cease me from touring and that I get again to writing on AirlineReporter. She knew how a lot I really like this web site and all my AvGeek buddies and readers.

Issues have been tough and I do know it’ll be fairly darn laborious shifting ahead, however I do know I can do it. I can use the identical perspective that Brittany and I had on so a lot of our travels and attempt to discover the positives, irrespective of how dangerous issues may appear.

I’ve heard many occasions “it’s in regards to the journey, and never the vacation spot.” However I actually assume it’s extra in regards to the journey companion and never the vacation spot. Brittany has actually proven me that having the appropriate journey companion could make journey exponentially extra gratifying. Though my journey adventures won’t ever be the identical, I do know that I’ll at all times have Brittany with me in my coronary heart. I’ll at all times love and miss her and admire the various fantastic adventures that we shared.

Tales on AirlineReporter That Concerned Each of Us All through the Years

• My First Spirit Airlines Flight… On Virgin We have been caught in LA an additional day — a metropolis we each don’t actually like — as a result of our flight was cancelled. However we made probably the most of it, simply relaxed, and she or he obtained to fly on Virgin America for the primary time.
• Pay the Anxiety Away – Flying United’s First Class Brittany has at all times had journey nervousness and this story was to focus on how, even for these on a funds, paying extra cash to get extra companies may be useful. This was additionally her first time flying firstclass.
• Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Doing it for Real Considered one of my finest journey experiences ever. We flew into New York Metropolis for somewhat bit, then took a practice all the way down to Ft. Lauderdale, rented a convertible, and drove down the coast to go to my dad earlier than flying dwelling.
• Flying Salmon Marks the Retirement of the First Alaska Airlines 737-400 Combi I had Brittany go on this story with me as my photographer. To be sincere it was extra of a means for her to simply come to an occasion with me, however I forgot she has fairly a little bit of expertise taking photographs. On the occasion I used to be taking photographs with my telephone as nicely. When selecting photographs to make use of within the story from the occasion, I used to be going to choose the very best, irrespective of who took them. It turned out that they have been all hers. I used to be impressed.

We liked going tenting in our 1973 VW

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & FOUNDER – SEATTLE, WA. David has written, consulted, and introduced on a number of subjects regarding airways and journey since 2008. He has been quoted and written for quite a lot of information organizations, together with BBC, CNN, NBC Information, Bloomberg, and others. He’s obsessed with sharing the complexities, the advantages, and the enjoyable stuff of the airline enterprise. E-mail me: [email protected]

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