Anticipation Rewarded
Low-hanging clouds and silence in the air had me wondering for a few seconds if the Rolls-Royce 747-200 would emerge from the veil of mist concealing it. You see, Rolls-Royce, the company my wife has worked for her entire career, was anticipating its own company 747 to make an imminent low altitude pass over its downtown Indy facilities. In fact, with the media alerted to the plans, all of Indy was clued in to what would be a rare treat in the aviation world. The special low altitude flight plan was approved by the FAA and made known to local authorities, and was intended to pay tribute to the hard work of the engineering and manufacturing teams that were integral in putting the Trent 1000 TEN engine in the air.
My eyes alternated between the absolutely awesome web app for viewing air traffic, Flightradar24, and the sky. I watched the plane glide millimeter by millimeter across my iPhone screen until, almost on cue, I detected a slight engine rumble, and then the nose of the massive 747 broke through the cloud cover, sending a surge of adrenaline through my veins. It was right on top of me! I couldn’t press the shutter button fast enough.
Hobbies, Interests, and Careers Unite
Being a lover of technology, software, aviation, and photography, it was like all of my hobbies and passions collided together in a split second. It was absolutely glorious.
In much the same way, as a database and BI developer and consultant at E-gineering, many of my hobbies and passions collide each and every day. I love all things data: databases, data-driven web applications (like FlightRadar24), SQL (the language for working with relational databases), information presentation and layout, and analytics. Most of all, I love to provide solutions and serve people by providing valuable information and insights. I always gauge the success of a project by how well it serves a client. When a project solves a business problem and the client is happy, the quiet satisfaction that is yielded is on par with a 747 flyover. It’s just hidden. And that’s OK with us software peeps.
Today, like most other days, I am cranking away at business-oriented data-driven reports, but I also got to put some of my photography and aviation interests to good use today: The flyover was scrubbed last minute (literally) due to the weather just moments before it would have passed over downtown – but not before I was able to capture the low-speed, low-altitude pass before the Jumbo Jet diverted away from its downtown heading. Hopefully the Rolls-Royce family will get to enjoy these pictures. In addition to my wife Ashley, I know many Rolls employees, and you all do awesome work. You are fellow engineers and tech-oriented people — just in a different space. You deliver power plants, and we deliver awesome code! 🙂
Sharing the Community Love
I write this post in hopes that Indy-area residents (whom E-gineering serves) and the Rolls-Royce family get to enjoy these pictures, even if they didn’t get to see the tribute with their own eyes. Hooray for technology and hard work!
Hour of Code 2015!