irrational fear of flying

[Saab2000]

I prefer my gubermint petty and vindicative as opposed to incompetent.

We’re going to get both soon.

But the points about ignorance of geography is legit. Flying from DCA-DFW-JFK-FCO is absurd.

[Tom]

gregl, you called it. ATC delay, our 1st leg would never have made connection so they re-booked us and sent us in a sketchy cab from Albany to Newark. Cab didn't make it in time so we spent the night after rescheduling on something that would have us miss my brother's Nobel lecture and our group celebration. Today we bought direct flights on SAS and canceled the other, we were eligible for a full refund and took it. Now have time for the tux fitting, the lecture, the reception and the dinner. On the top of the roller coaster again... we have assigned seats on the flights if not actual boarding passes. Hoping fervently we don't go pitching over again...

[bigbill]

You know they are just having fun and fucking with you.
It gives them stories to tell at Christmas dinner... You know I have this guy ask me if I understood international travel..... so I sent him to Cincy for an 8 hr layover. Har har har

I prefer my gubermint petty and vindicative as opposed to incompetent.

"Incompetence, there's no good reason for it, it's just our policy." I was in Oahu when I transferred to Sardinia, DTS sent me to San Francisco on a redeye, then Chicago, then another redeye to Rome, followed by an eight hour layover in Rome before my Meridiana flight to Olbia. My Meridiana ticket was paper and when I went to check my bags and get a boarding pass, I realized that DTS had purchased a ticket for May 19th and it was May 9th. I'm sure it was a translation error but the agent said the flight was full and I'd be rescheduled for the next day. I asked for standby and when I got to the gate, I was surrounded by Giro teams and knew I was good to go. If nothing else, cyclists are tardy, so I got on the flight. I sat next to Axel Merckx and we had great conversations.

[bigbill]

Maybe I've discussed it before, but in 2018, I had just started a new job which required a week in Winchester for onboarding. It lined up with plebe parent's weekend at Annapolis so I got to see my son. My soon to be ex-wife was there and left early because she was mad at me, so I planned to spend the day with my son before flying out at 4pm from BWI to DFW. We were eating ice cream at the waterfront when American texted me that my flight was cancelled. Who cancels a flight on Sunday afternoon, folks on that flight likely expect to be at work on Monday morning. In my case, movers were arriving at my house in Paris, TX at 6:30am on Monday. It was August, if I rescheduled my move, it would be October before they could do it. I went to BWI, dropped the rental car, and a wonderful woman who sounded Jamaican handed me a taxi ticket to get me to DCA, where I barely made the flight to Chicago, because it was late leaving. In Chicago, I had to run because my flight was on another concourse and was the last person on that flight, but my luggage made it. I got to DFW around 0100, got my bags and was driving out the north entrance around 0200. I got home at 0430 and slept in a recliner until the movers showed up. I had rented a UHaul trailer for my bikes and tools, but realized that my ex had not taken everything she was supposed to. I ended up with an additional bedroom set and some other stuff that wouldn't fit in the moving van, so I spent a day breaking down bikes so they'd fit in the back of my Expedition SUV so I could put furniture in the trailer. On Wednesday morning I left for Arizona, stopping in Holbrook the first night, and arrived in Kingman the next day where I unloaded my trailer at my rent house and dropped it off. My movers called and said they'd deliver my stuff on the next day instead of Saturday. I stayed in a Hilton Home 2 on Thursday night and was in bed by 8pm and slept until 7 the next morning.

I think that's why Veterans thrive in situations like that, you can do whatever you want to us and we'll still think we're getting a good deal.

[rwsaunders]

Keep that big old lump of snow covered granite way to our port side, Cap'n.

[72gmc]

My kid’s over the Atlantic now, on her way back from a semester in London. I have rarely seen my wife this excited for a drive to the airport.

[echappist]

Keep that big old lump of snow covered granite way to our port side, Cap'n.

Mt. Rainier?

[Saab2000]

Mt. Rainier?

Yes, I think. I have flown past it many times and it is impressive. After having lived in the Alps I didn’t think I’d be impressed by many US mountains but Mt. Rainier is impressive. I also like the other extinct volcanoes along the west coast through northern Cali and Oregon and Washington.

[Tom]

So I have a question. Does any airline coordinate well with their partner airlines? United would show flight and seats that weren't really there or not show flight or seat availability that was there. After we bought flights through United and had seat assignments we later had them sold out from under us on Brussels Airlines. When on our way out and our connection wasn't going to be made the United supervisor in Albany couldn't get anything to stick - seats would be there one minute and when she clicked to confirm they'd error out or change class - and calling their contact at headquarters that person resorted to Google to try and find flights.

Right now we're thinking that if we go overseas it's a car ride to Boston, Montreal or one of the New York city airports for a direct flight on somebody like SAS or Iberia.

[Saab2000]

Keep that big old lump of snow covered granite way to our port side, Cap'n.

When I was learning how to fly this was referred to as “Cumulus Granitus”.

[Scott G.]

When I was learning how to fly this was referred to as “Cumulus Granitus”.

"Controlled Flight into Terrain" in NTSB speak.

[72gmc]

Keep that big old lump of snow covered granite way to our port side, Cap'n.

Sorry I missed you. Are you back in Pitts-a-burgh?

[Mabouya]

"Controlled Flight into Terrain" in NTSB speak.

CFIT was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw that post.

[rwsaunders]

https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/s...e=sendgrid.com

Tracking Santa on Christmas Eve for your kids, grandkids and sentimentalists like me.

[bigbill]

My son starts his classroom phase of advanced flight training in Kingsville, TX, on January 6th. He should be flying the T-45 within a few months, but realistically, he is still about 14 months from getting his wings. He has to do formation flying, strafing and bombing, and air to air maneuvers. Carrier quals are TBD, the T-45 is much more difficult to land on a carrier than an F-35. He'll do carrier quals at some point, but it'll be after he gets his wings.

[Scott G.]

https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/s...e=sendgrid.com

Tracking Santa on Christmas Eve for your kids, grandkids and sentimentalists like me.

I prefer the traditional NORAD tracker.

https://www.noradsanta.org/en/

[rwsaunders]

I prefer the traditional NORAD tracker.

https://www.noradsanta.org/en/

I wear my tinfoil hat and search the sky for black helicopters and Jersey drones when I log into NORAD…