The world of luxury private jet travel or how to stress yourself to the max whilst appearing calm and organised!

I am sitting at our kitchen table making a list for the next few days

 Thurs

2 crew b’fast
2 crew lunch

Sat

3 crew b’fast
3 crew lunch
Client champagne, juice, wine, water, coffee and petit fours etc

 You may well ask ‘why is a Medical Coordinator of an Air Ambulance outfit making such a list –

 A couple of months ago we did a flight on our executive jet that required fine dining catering (Michel Roux Junior style) – so of course I put my hand up and, it was quite a success, if I do say so myself (smoked salmon, pate, chocolate strawberries). The next day our accounts manager asked me if I would like to put in a quote for doing the crew breakfasts and lunches and other catering for the flights going out of Nairobi.

So here I am with 2 flights in 3 days. You may not think that is not so bad but I usually don’t get home until after 6pm, after having been shopping for the ingredients and then spend the evening boiling eggs, making sandwiches and some sort of loaf cake whilst still cooking dinner; up at 0500 to make the fresh coffee and hot milk, throw everything into the car and whiz down to the airport for a 0700 departure!  

 Thursday is going to be a bit of a challenge. Pilots to be fed with a 0500 departure from the international airport – a logistics nightmare! I am certainly not going to be delivering picnic bags at 0400 in the morning. Luckily one of the pilots lives not too far from us so I will deliver late on Wednesday night.

 The list is growing. Only am I slightly panicking about getting food done and ordering the drinks in, I am also putting the progress of the flight on paper to make sure nothing is forgotten…..

Nairobi to Malindi – 3 crew breakfasts is the easy part.

I then have to organise for the coffee and tea to be restocked in Malindi; hot towels, table linen, cutlery, china, on and on and on. Even when everything looks perfect Irene has to be able to prepare and serve without fault within full view of the clients. The cabin is not large by anyone’s estimation. There is no way of reheating, so everything has to be packed to stay hot or cold and never the twain shall meet until they are on the plate.

I remember watching my friend Lissy in the 1^st Class galley of a Qantas plane years ago when I was flying from London to Australia. It was a tiny space and she had to get freshly cooked dishes out but at least she was out of sight of the passengers and had space to stand up and turn around.  

Tomorrow will be a frantic run around town to pick up all the last minute bits and then back to the hangar to go through a test run in the plane with Irene.

 For now, Jim has just arrived home, dinner is in the oven and my dried fruit is soaking in hot tea for my Bara Bryth for the pilots’ morning tea on Thursday. A few minutes sit down and then I have to get the flight bags out to go through and make sure all the extra bits such as sugar boxes, cups and juice bottles have all made it home from their last outing.

I know I will not sleep on Friday night for fear of not hearing the alarm in the morning and the whole thing being a disaster, but for some reason I do love this part of the job – variety and a bit of stress to keep me on my toes!  

 

Oh gosh - must remember fresh flowers for the bud vases.....