Such fun!

[derg]

Big old starbucks Venti and a fresh shirt...

Splash! The top pops off and there's a big brown stain on my fresh shirt!

Departed PHX today a little late because of the weather in ATL.

Departed for ATL and then my radio altimeter starts freaking out. Run through some procedures to determine that we're not able to do Cat II or Cat III.

Check the weather for ATL and it's 1/8 vis and 1400 RVR. Ouch!

Start monitoring the trend in RVR just in case we don't have to divert to BHM because we're straight Cat I.

RVR goes up to 1800 as we're holding, shoot the approach then 'bing bong!'

It's the printer!

Ack!

REROUTE!

So instead of shooting the river visual into DCA tonight, we're deadheading to IAH to layover.

But! The 737-800 we're supposedly deadheading on is stuck on the north side of the airport because of the low visibility and arrival rate not allowing ground ops. The aircraft is coming from the maintenance hangar.

The plane just got here so I'm officially out of time and back to 'work'

 

[MikeD]

Similiar story Dougie.....

[ QUOTE ]
Big old starbucks Venti and a fresh shirt...

[/ QUOTE ]

A canteen of water and worn flightsuit.

[ QUOTE ]

Splash! The top pops off and there's a big brown stain on my fresh shirt!

[/ QUOTE ]

Still raining here and mud all over the place...and some of me.

[ QUOTE ]

Departed PHX today a little late because of the weather in ATL.

[/ QUOTE ]

Got bumped to alert 5, entails cranking the jet and taxiing out of the HAS to hold in the rain. Airfield and jets are blacked out, only thing showing #2 is in position in front of his HAS is the glow from his cigarette.

[ QUOTE ]

Departed for ATL and then my radio altimeter starts freaking out. Run through some procedures to determine that we're not able to do Cat II or Cat III.

[/ QUOTE ]

Cat II/III would be nice to have. Hell, there's not an ILS working in this country.

[ QUOTE ]

Check the weather for ATL and it's 1/8 vis and 1400 RVR. Ouch!

[/ QUOTE ]

Was TEMPO 500 viz and FEW001 BKN/OVC003

[ QUOTE ]

Start monitoring the trend in RVR just in case we don't have to divert to BHM because we're straight Cat I.

[/ QUOTE ]

Divert, 320 NM south

[ QUOTE ]

RVR goes up to 1800 as we're holding, shoot the approach then 'bing bong!'

It's the printer!

[/ QUOTE ]

The what? Printers in planes?

[ QUOTE ]

REROUTE

So instead of shooting the river visual into DCA tonight, we're deadheading to IAH to layover.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ground firefight ends. Handled by AH-64s. Downgraded to previous alert status. Shut down. Roll back into the HAS, dry off.

Another night of fun.

 

[triple7]

I hate to say it doug, but I think Mike D has you beat...God bless ya man. Doug, I dont think there would have been much of a river "visual" tonite anyhow....its cold as hell and everything is icing over....not sure what the celiings are looking like but they arent high. sounds like an interesting afternoon though, to say the least. I drove past dulles earlier and could see the icing equip on the ramp....Pretty sick weather the whole east coast is having.

How did you end up shooting that approach? maybe i missed it but did you manage with cat I?

 

[CK]

Yeah you wouldn't have had much fun shooting a visual tonight around these parts

 

[MikeD]

[ QUOTE ]
I hate to say it doug, but I think Mike D has you beat...God bless ya man. Doug, I dont think there would have been much of a river "visual" tonite anyhow....its cold as hell and everything is icing over....not sure what the celiings are looking like but they arent high. sounds like an interesting afternoon though, to say the least. I drove past dulles earlier and could see the icing equip on the ramp....Pretty sick weather the whole east coast is having.

How did you end up shooting that approach? maybe i missed it but did you manage with cat I?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nah, not trying to beat-out anyone. Just relating that I'm having a similiar night to Dougie's, in a different way. At least he was airborne dealing with the WX, the farthest I got was to the hold-short lines, where I could only look up and wonder what was in store!

 

[TheShortOne]

...i walked to class in the sleet and snow...and then went to the post office in said weather...ok ok you win (both of you guys)

 

[E_Dawg]

65F and clear yet again today!

Too bad the airplane's been either broken or booked for the last month

...

 

[MrLeisure757]

Wow Doug. Sounds like you had your share of excitement today!

MikeD, you too! I enjoy hearing the stuff that you post on here, about what you witness and get to experience!

The weather in New Hampshire right now is just cold...but we all know what is instore for us tomarrow and tomarrow night..

 

[kostcoguy]

[ QUOTE ]
65F and clear yet again today!

Too bad the airplane's been either broken or booked for the last month

...

[/ QUOTE ]


Ahhhh, beautiful sunny socal....

 

[tonyw]

I think you won out, Doug. Flying to IAH would have been better than flying into DCA. Tonight, we've got freezing drizzle. Yuck!

 

[tonyw]

I'm going to feel like a bonehead for asking this, but what is an HAS?

 

[derg]

Houston is cold and extremely windy!

And then we were late, I had to sit next to a business traveler who kept bumping me and trying to talk to me as I was watching a movie on my laptop.

I'm down to single battery ops so it immediately died then I was at the mercy of doing my patented "glassy-eyed nod-glare" as he told me about picking Phil Mickelson in his fantasy golf game, how much more he flies more than I and blah blah blah...

And the worst part was that I was in the exit row of a 737-800 with the little square box-style seats with the trays in the armrests... Gaaaaaar!

The scarebus is so much nicer in coach than a 737NG.

 

[tonyw]

[ QUOTE ]
how much more he flies more than I and blah blah blah...

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, god. You sure he wasn't one of these guys?

http://www.saveskymiles.com/

 

[RPM]

[ QUOTE ]
Houston is cold and extremely windy!

[/ QUOTE ]

Cold? I'm in Houston right now, and it was 73 degrees today, but windy as hell, shorts and sun tanning

Much better than that Utah 25 degrees crap

 

[BobDDuck]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm going to feel like a bonehead for asking this, but what is an HAS?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not a military person at all, but if I remember correctly a HAS is a Hardened Aircraft Shelter. Sort of a bunker like thing to protect A/C and crews from weather and incoming fire. I don't know if you can tell us Mike, but are your HASs sealed like the old NORAD ones or are they just sandbag walls and roofs?

Ethan

 

[Maximilian_Jenius]

[ QUOTE ]


The scarebus is so much nicer in coach than a 737NG.

[/ QUOTE ]


I always knew you were an Airbus lover.....

Matthew

 

[MikeD]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm going to feel like a bonehead for asking this, but what is an HAS?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not a military person at all, but if I remember correctly a HAS is a Hardened Aircraft Shelter. Sort of a bunker like thing to protect A/C and crews from weather and incoming fire. I don't know if you can tell us Mike, but are your HASs sealed like the old NORAD ones or are they just sandbag walls and roofs?

Ethan

[/ QUOTE ]

Correct. Hardened Aircraft Shelter. Think of it as a hangar for one plane made of steel-reinforced dual-layer concrete and fully enclosed. Within, there's also a personnel bunker and living areas. Designed to withstand mortar/artillery fire and associated fragmentation. Most of the time here when I'm doing my flying duties, I live with the airplane. When I'm doing my ground duties, I have a Humvee and tent.

Not a bonehead question at all, Tony. It's my bad. I type like I talk, so sometimes I forget the audience I'm addressing.

 

[aloft]

[ QUOTE ]
Airfield and jets are blacked out, only thing showing #2 is in position in front of his HAS is the glow from his cigarette.

[/ QUOTE ]

So much for that 50 foot rule!

 

[mastermags]

[ QUOTE ]

Check the weather for ATL and it's 1/8 vis and 1400 RVR. Ouch!



[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I couldnt even see Grady Hospital from the Marta line as I was riding into school today... no visability at all... it's nice now, but windy.

 

[n77j]

[ QUOTE ]

Start monitoring the trend in RVR just in case we don't have to divert to BHM because we're straight Cat I.


[/ QUOTE ]

Doug-now that you mentioned BHM- why does it say BHM special qualification airport on the flight release everytime i see it as an alt? Also says check with pilots////just curious what the reason was for that....