Local pilot has special retirement flight

For the past 17 years, Peter Suek, 65, has been commuting from his home near Waldorf to his job in San Francisco.

 

Suek, a pilot, explains it has not been anywhere near as impractical as it sounds.

 

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules dictate that pilots of commercial flights cannot be at the controls of a plane for more than 1,000 hours in a year, a schedule that works out to roughly 80 hours in a month. 

 

“It’s been simple enough to get a flight from the Cities that gets me to San Francisco on time,” he says. “I watch the weather and just leave early if there’s anything that might cause a complication.” His casual observation about catching flights is easier to understand when one knows there is a reciprocal agreement among airlines that qualified members of flight crews can take unsold seats on flights, regardless of what airline they work for.

 

This flexibility has allowed Peter and his wife Teresa to live in a variety of places over the 40 years of their marriage. Both grew up in the Twin Cities; they lived near Newark, New Jersey, early in Peter’s career in the 1980s, and in Guam for 13 years prior to acquiring and moving on to the property near Waldorf.

 

Teresa, originally a nurse, became involved in pharmaceutical research. Before her retirement two years ago, her job also required frequent travel. Their experiences and opportunities have allowed them both to feel very comfortable about navigating airports and sifting through flight schedules. Teresa speaks of having lived in Guam, but knowing she could be in the U.S. visiting family or “shopping at a Target store” with relatively little trouble–aside from the disruption caused to her sleep cycle by crossing the international date line.

 

Peter began his career as a pilot shortly after leaving high school, having always had a feeling he would like to fly. After taking private lessons, he was able to join a training program with People Express based in Newark. At the time, the company was relatively small; it no longer exists today, having been among the companies gradually acquired over time by Continental Airlines, after which Continental and United Airlines merged, creating the company from which Peter is retiring.

 

Though he wishes his work could continue, Peter has come up against another FAA rule; this one requires all pilots to retire when they reach the age of 65.

 

Teresa offers that she has been contacting government officials all the way up to the level of the White House protesting that an age-based retirement is inappropriate, and in Peter’s case, an obvious mistake. “Why would they ground someone who’s so good at what he does?” she asks.

 

The approach of the mandatory deadline has been a significant influence for the couple for roughly two decades. As accustomed as they are to travel, and having the advantage of “space available” seats on flights for the rest of their lives, the couple recognized long ago they had nearly endless options when it came to their selection of where they wanted to be after retiring.

 

Thinking of the advantages and disadvantages of all the settings they were acquainted with, it was Peter’s childhood connection to the Waldorf area which turned their eyes toward Waseca County.

 

“I would spend part of the summer at Grandma and Grandpa’s place every year,” Peter mentioned, speaking of Innocence and Rita (Mathews) Suek. “I had really strong memories of the peaceful setting and the close-knit community. It was the center of everything when I was growing up.” The couple began communicating with area realtor Bill Hinz, bided their time, and in 2002 bought the seven-acre, wooded plot which was once the homeplace of a local farm. Still standing on the property were a small house and granary.

 

Over time they have also constructed a workshop and done renovations on the pre-existing buildings; the granary has a painted sign inside indicating it was built in 1895. 

 

 They built their current home and moved in in 2008. Both are still pleased with their selection. “It’s quiet here,” observes Peter. “And we know our neighbors.”

 

“Quiet” was a priority for both of them, knowing their childhood neighborhood in the Cities is constantly inundated with traffic noise from nearby highways.

 

Peter’s retirement was official at the end of July. Teresa explains it is an airline tradition that, when pilots retire, one flight during their final month is designated as a celebration of their career. Family members are invited to join the flight and are allowed to tour the plane, including a stop in the flight deck for a few minutes.

 

Peter’s grandson Henrik, 10, was able to sit in the pilot’s chair for a few moments and even press a couple of carefully selected buttons.

 

The flight took the family from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. Family members were seated in luxury class. An announcement was made during the flight that Captain Peter Suek was taking his retirement flight. After landing, Teresa joined Peter at the exit speaking with passengers as they deplaned. In D.C., the family enjoyed the Independence Day fireworks at the nation’s capital, and joked among themselves they were in honor of Peter’s career.

 

“It was a truly special event,” comments Teresa. “We were grateful for the chance to be together and celebrate that way.”