BobDDuck
Island Bus Driver
Just a (mostly) normal day 2 of a 3 day trip.
-Wake up at 5:55am in Atlanta. My alarm is set for 6:00am. I feel cheated out of 5 minutes of sleep, but on the other hand am glad I didn't actually have to hear my alarm go off.
-Get downstairs at 6:25 to find that I am actually leaving "late" enough in the morning to have breakfast out already. Eat a strawberry yogurt and decide to forgo the bagel as it looks sort of stale.
-Get on the van at 6:30. Instead of heading to the airport we head to another hotel to pick up a group of people. The van ride takes 20 minutes instead of 5. We get to the airport 40 minutes before departure.
-Cut in line (and get some dirty looks) at security. With out the blazer (we only have to wear them October 1st -May 1st I only need one bin, hence my time in line is greatly reduced.
-Get on the shuttle to head out to the D gates, and laugh a little bit inside (as always) while I watch people trying to be cool and stand in the shuttle with out holding on and stumble as it slows or speeds up despite the recorded voice saying "please hold on" every 20 seconds.
-Get to the gate and start my daily new airplane ritual of putting away my rollaboard, flight case and laptop. Doing the walk around (thanks TSA for making me open all these panels) and then sterilizing every surface I might touch in the cockpit with an alcohol wipe. It takes about 3 or 4 to do it.
-Do the normal flying stuff and head up to Charlotte. I actually remember to turn on the transponder upon exiting the ramp. I am the non flying pilot on the in legs today so I get to work radio and finish my Time Magazine.
-Get to Charlotte (where the wind is gusting to 24) and quick turn for the leg to Greensboro.
-Get to Greensboro where I land with the winds gusting to 28, although mostly down the runway.
-Fly back to Charlotte with a Fed in the jumpseat. Do a 30 mile final for 36R slowed to 150 knots. It takes for ever. The Fed falls asleep. We get windshear on final, but it is positive and not too bad so we continue and the captain lands. The Fed wakes up and says nice job and goes away to bother Jet Blue to JFK.
-While people are boarding for us to head to Nashville, I realize that out of the crew of four (male captain, and male and female FA) I am the only one checking out the women as they get on the plane. I also realize I am the only one that doesn't stare at the group of 6 Marines that get on the plane.
-Fly to Nashville.
-Get a really good chicken taco during our 50 minute sit in Nashville. Eat said taco and manage to dump some on my white shirt. Tide Pen to the rescue.
-Fly back to Charlotte and sit for 3 hours. Manage to watch the end of Fletch (what ever happened to Chevy Chase?), try to get the internet to work (and fail), check some flight availability for later in the month (loads look good) and eat some ice cream (frozen yogurt actually). 2 1/2 hours later I head out to the airplane.
-Check the weather at Wilmington and find the wind is gusting to 36 knots about 50 degrees off the runway. We get more gas so we have Charlotte as an alternate if we can't get in.
-Leave about 10 minutes late due to late international connection.
-Fly the visual approach with nasty bumps and winds of 27 gusting 36. Manage to touch down near the centerline and aiming blocks after getting rattled pretty good below 400 feet.
-Do the walk around and see the engines are still spinning so fast due to the wind that you can't tell the blades apart.
-Get to the hotel, check in, change, head downstairs to the bar and order salad and chicken tenders and hang out and decompress a bit.
-Call it a night and head back upstairs. The conversation that is going on as I leave involves the bartender talking about how if "a crackhead takes your ####, don't even try to get it back 'cause those ####### are fast as hell."
A yes, a day at the regionals.
-Wake up at 5:55am in Atlanta. My alarm is set for 6:00am. I feel cheated out of 5 minutes of sleep, but on the other hand am glad I didn't actually have to hear my alarm go off.
-Get downstairs at 6:25 to find that I am actually leaving "late" enough in the morning to have breakfast out already. Eat a strawberry yogurt and decide to forgo the bagel as it looks sort of stale.
-Get on the van at 6:30. Instead of heading to the airport we head to another hotel to pick up a group of people. The van ride takes 20 minutes instead of 5. We get to the airport 40 minutes before departure.
-Cut in line (and get some dirty looks) at security. With out the blazer (we only have to wear them October 1st -May 1st I only need one bin, hence my time in line is greatly reduced.
-Get on the shuttle to head out to the D gates, and laugh a little bit inside (as always) while I watch people trying to be cool and stand in the shuttle with out holding on and stumble as it slows or speeds up despite the recorded voice saying "please hold on" every 20 seconds.
-Get to the gate and start my daily new airplane ritual of putting away my rollaboard, flight case and laptop. Doing the walk around (thanks TSA for making me open all these panels) and then sterilizing every surface I might touch in the cockpit with an alcohol wipe. It takes about 3 or 4 to do it.
-Do the normal flying stuff and head up to Charlotte. I actually remember to turn on the transponder upon exiting the ramp. I am the non flying pilot on the in legs today so I get to work radio and finish my Time Magazine.
-Get to Charlotte (where the wind is gusting to 24) and quick turn for the leg to Greensboro.
-Get to Greensboro where I land with the winds gusting to 28, although mostly down the runway.
-Fly back to Charlotte with a Fed in the jumpseat. Do a 30 mile final for 36R slowed to 150 knots. It takes for ever. The Fed falls asleep. We get windshear on final, but it is positive and not too bad so we continue and the captain lands. The Fed wakes up and says nice job and goes away to bother Jet Blue to JFK.
-While people are boarding for us to head to Nashville, I realize that out of the crew of four (male captain, and male and female FA) I am the only one checking out the women as they get on the plane. I also realize I am the only one that doesn't stare at the group of 6 Marines that get on the plane.
-Fly to Nashville.
-Get a really good chicken taco during our 50 minute sit in Nashville. Eat said taco and manage to dump some on my white shirt. Tide Pen to the rescue.
-Fly back to Charlotte and sit for 3 hours. Manage to watch the end of Fletch (what ever happened to Chevy Chase?), try to get the internet to work (and fail), check some flight availability for later in the month (loads look good) and eat some ice cream (frozen yogurt actually). 2 1/2 hours later I head out to the airplane.
-Check the weather at Wilmington and find the wind is gusting to 36 knots about 50 degrees off the runway. We get more gas so we have Charlotte as an alternate if we can't get in.
-Leave about 10 minutes late due to late international connection.
-Fly the visual approach with nasty bumps and winds of 27 gusting 36. Manage to touch down near the centerline and aiming blocks after getting rattled pretty good below 400 feet.
-Do the walk around and see the engines are still spinning so fast due to the wind that you can't tell the blades apart.
-Get to the hotel, check in, change, head downstairs to the bar and order salad and chicken tenders and hang out and decompress a bit.
-Call it a night and head back upstairs. The conversation that is going on as I leave involves the bartender talking about how if "a crackhead takes your ####, don't even try to get it back 'cause those ####### are fast as hell."
A yes, a day at the regionals.
