Childhood dreams dashed…I really liked the wording throughout this piece – it was sort of sad and disappointed, but with some bits of humor thrown in.

Also, I was unaware of the British/American spelling of aeroplane/airplane…you learn something new every day, I guess!

Ah, it’s what we all eventually face, isn’t it? Well, I hope I don’t. Bittersweet.

I love British spellings of words, like aeroplane, favourite, or realise. I feel like they’re easier to read. Maybe I’ll start spelling things the British way even though I’m a stupid American. Great story, though. Very well-written.

I think we can all relate to having reality be far different than our dreams. I could definitely connect with that aspect of the story.

However, being the son of a commercial airline pilot, I also know that some of what you’ve written is not factually correct. Yes, autopilot does relieve them from having to hold the controls all the time, but there’s always something to do, whether it’s checking on the status of various aspects of the plane or tracking the weather to make sure you’re not going to fly into the middle of a thunderstorm. And trust me, none of those switches are useless.

Things also go wrong on planes sometimes, but the passengers rarely know it. My dad has brought planes in with entire engines offline just fine. That’s what the pilots are paid for.

I don’t mean to rag on your story, just to educate. My dad will be the first to tell you that it can be very boring and tedious, so you nailed that aspect as well. :-)

Oh come on, am I the only one who had an idea for a segue into a deranged killer’s mind? I suppose I read psychothrillers too much.

Charlie: This is just a thought….why is it we always refer to ourselves as stupid Americans, but they never call themselves stupid Brits? Hmm…

That is a good thought, Someday. I never thought of that… I will have to meditate on this…

I shall meditate with you then…after all, it seems that British and Americans have the same average intelligence, so perhaps its a psychological thing…I will continue to ponder.

Ah, the dream and then the letdown. It’s like an allegory for most of adulthood. How sad, but nicely told.

Oi, very nice story mate. These bloody Yanks have no idea how to write. Ah, sorry, okay I’ll come back to reality here in lower Alabama. But it really is very well written.

Cheers. (Sorry, couldn’t help it)

I like the flow in the writing from the memory of a young boy to someone’s thoughts on their situation, adult and slightly cynical. The last line made me chuckle, and I’m now wondering how I never considered it in that context before.

Uh, to Someday, possibly because although Britons are famously self deprecating, generally witty, usually, dry, humour is preferred: mocking/satirising situations and stereotypes rather than out and out insults.

what if in the future some of the buttons really are useless? :P
i think most everyone said what I would have.

British English is much nicer than American English imo. That might be because I’m Australian, but I don’t like the spelling for American words. And I hate the spell-check for my browser because it is default for American :S

Oh and a good story. I saw this as a futuristic thing, where pilots were virtually obsolete.