After several long delays in Anchorage I'm back in New York via Chicago. Our airplane came from Hong Kong, and kept having maintainence delays which pushed back our departure. Welcome to world of non-scheduled freight. While waiting to leave I took several walks around downtown Anchorage, got to pet a reindeer, and flew a really big kite. I'm not sure how, but while browsing the net for kites I stumbled across a new sport called BloKarting. Its basically a go kart that is wind powered and looks really fun. I think I watched every blokart youtube video while sitting around waiting to leave.


We left Anchorage in the dark and got to see both the sunrise and the moon set at the same time; a true divided sky.


I was pretty beat by the time we landed in Chicago, as I had been up for close to 24 hours at that point...felt ok to fly, but crashed pretty hard as soon as my head hit the pillow courtesy of the airport Best Western. When we got back to the airplane that night Air Force One was parked very close to our plane. Kinda cool to think I could fly the presidents airplane.

Today my brother Mike called me to ask if I was still in Chicago; he and his wife flew in last night and saw not only Air Force One, but also the plane we brought in. It would have been fun to see him and Jen, but I'm long gone...


NYC for the weekend, and then back to Germany on Monday. As Always, be well, feel free to leave a comment, and have a great weekend!

Enjoying Anchorage

I've had a day and a half here in Anchorage and have had a good time. The weather has been great and I've got to spend some time with friends I haven't seen in a while. We've been delayed a bit leaving, and it been good to have some down time a well.

Yesterday I had lunch with Greg, Patty, and Nolan Griffin, my friends from flight school. Greg and I were in the same class and he and Nolan used to come by our apartment to cut the grass in our tiny backyard with their weed wacker. Greg and I have seen each other occasionally while we were both at Mesa Airlines, but I haven't seen Patty or Nolan since 2002. Nolan has really grown! He was a little boy last time I saw him, and he's definitely a teenager now.


I also got to meet up with Kristin Wilkinson and her boyfriend Daniel for dinner at Glacier Brewing. I had a great time with them as well. It's good to re-connect with friends and get to spend time with them again. I've know Kristin for about 15 years now, we met when worked together in Skagway. We had some laughs about our time in Skagway, and when we both lived in Seattle at the same time. She remembered the time the duplex I was living in caught on fire; not only did I apparently sleep through it, but I didn't even remember it happening.

My hotel room faces the downtown park where people fly kites, its a nice view to see big kits against the mountains. Today I found a thai restaurant really close to the hotel that I'm sure I'll go back to, and saw that I can rent a bike for $10. I'll look forward to coming back to Anchorage.

Until next time, be well...

photo update

I'm in Anchorage now, after a trip around that started in NY last week. We flew from JFK>Dover AFB> Hahn, Germany, rested, flew to Bagram AFB in Afghanistan, rode the airplane to Xiamen, China (between Shanghai and Hong Kong across the water from Tawain), rode China Eastern Air to Shanghai, then operated Shanghai>Nagoya, Japan (fuel stop)> to Anchorage.

Here's some pics from the trip:

NYC

I've spent the last few days in New York City and have really enoyed checking out the city. Sunday was a gorgeous day out, around 70 degrees out and sunny, so I went out by myself and made a couple of new friends in Times Square. I participated in the "Free Hugs" experiment, where someone holds up a sign that says "Free Hugs" and asks random strangers if they want a hug (I saw a video of it on youtube a while back and thought it was pretty cool http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4). Also spent some time wandering Central Park, saw the fashion district, the Rockefeller building, and finally made my way down to Greenwich Village.





Today Sonia (my friend and co-worker), myself and my new friend Craig (also an Evergreen Pilot), went out for another day in the city. We took the subway to the Chelsea District to see and walk the High Line Park which is a former above ground rail track that has been recently converted into a walking park. It was very cool, and we walked the entire distance that has been completed. We passed the actor BJ Novak who plays "Ryan" on the TV show "The Office" while along the walk.



From there we went back through Times Square, past The Ed Sullivan Theater, and into Central Park where we made some giant bubbles! Then to the Upper East Side to a bike shop that sells foldable bikes that Sonia is thinking about getting. It was about a 5 mile walk, with a pizza stop along the way.





After the bike shop we took the subway back the other direction to the East Village for some Indian food for dinner. From thee we took the subway back to the airport where the hotel van picked us up. Was a super fun day, and we all had a great time despite getting on the wrong subway train *twice* on the way home which really made it a long ride.

Tomorrow I'm off to Dover AFB, then Hahn, Germany. Not sure where or when after that. Be well, until next time....

Last night I flew from New York to Hahn, Germany via Dover Air Force Base in Washington DC. It was both my first flight in the 747 and my first time flying over the Atlantic. Come to think of it my first time in Germany as well. It was a long day, and a very short night since we were going eastbound and the sun started to come up around 100 miles or so prior to reaching land over Ireland.

The flight out of Kennedy was typical of the type of flying I've been doing for the last 6 years in that it was pretty short; a little over an hour including taxi time. Since it was my first time in the airplane I was the "pilot monitoring," meaning I operated the radios and assisted the the Captain as he flew. The view from three stories up is quite a bit different, and I really noticed it when it we started taxiing.

After a few hours in Dover where our cargo was loaded, we were off to Germany. It was dusk by this time, and my turn to fly. The flight over went well, and I felt pretty comfortable in the airplane. My Captain had me switch back to the "pilot monitoring" role when we were out over the water so I could practice giving position reports over the HF radio, something I had never used before. There is an amazing amount of traffic crossing the Atlantic in the middle of the night, and we had to "slop" (off set our course) 2 miles to the right in order to get out of the preceding aircraft's wake turbulence.


Since it was nighttime there wasn't a whole lot to see during the crossing. Shortly after the moon came into view the sun started rising, and I saw that it was pretty cloudy down low. We crossed over Ireland and Belgium, and then into Germany where we landed at the Hahn Airport outside of Frankfurt. I can't say I greased the landing, in fact it was kinda ugly. But, as I've already mentioned, the sight picture is drastically different then what I'm used to seeing and its gonna take a while to get used to it. My Captain assured me he's seen worse, which I'll have to take as encouraging.

I knew adjusting to the time zones would be a difficult thing to get used to, and it appears I was right. I was pretty fried after getting to the hotel, and slept for a bout 5 hours before getting up to have dinner. Its now about 9:30 pm local, and I've got to try and sleep again soon.

I did get out for a short walk around town (Morbach) before dinner, and have decided that I like Germany. Here's a few pictures from the church across the street from the hotel. Oh, yeah, the beer's pretty good here too!

Tomorrow I'm off to Bagram, Afghanistan and then Almaty, Kazakhstan for a short over night. Until then, be well....

slow going, I know...

So its been a month since my last post. Sorry, its been hard to get up the motivation to sit down and write while I was in the simulator. Good news is that they're going to let me fly and I leave on the 4th to head out on my first round the world trip. Never really thought I would do a trip like that, much less from the cockpit, but its starting to sink in, and I'm getting excited! I'll have a "split" line in April, meaning I fly a week, have a week off, and then another week on (and another round the world trip). That's not a normal schedule, as most are 16 on 14 off.


Since finishing last wednesday I've had a few days off and have had some fun around town here in Denver waiting for the snow to melt and the biking trails to dry out. Debbie got back on Friday and we've had 2 birthday parties and a concert this weekend. The rest of the week I'll be doing all the things I've put off for the last two months (taxes), getting ready to go out on the trip, and some much needed biking!

I'll definitely try to update a lot from the road, as that's the main reason I started this, so hopefully I'll have some cool pictures soon. Until then, be well...

Ground School Almost Over

Finished the Systems exam today. So nice to come back to the hotel room and *not* have to study. Two more days of performance training in OR and its back to Denver for the sim (with a few well deserved days off in between). I realized that tomorrow I'll have been gone for 4 weeks; I'm ready to go home.

I took that picture last week, never did find the pot of gold...

Ground School Update

Everyday on the way to ground school we drive by the 747 outside the museum complex where our class is held.

Today we went out to the airplane with our instructor, walked around it, and actually got to go inside. Its pretty impressive, and it kind of hit me that I'll be flying one of the largest airplanes in service. Granted, its 1970's technology, but its still pretty darn cool.
There were no stairs to get to the main deck door, so we had to climb up an exit hatch behind the nose gear, to get in via the electronics compartment in the lower deck. From there another ladder took us to the main deck and up another ladder to the upper deck and cockpit. The main deck is really, really, big and it was easy to imagine it full of cargo pallets. The upper deck and cockpit are the "hump" on the airplane where I expect to be spending lots of time in the near future


Looking forward from the First Officer's seat, the view from three stories up is going to be very different than what I'm used to. I think the landing flare might take a while to get used to. Everyone was excited to be in the airplane, and we really enjoyed our "walk around," then it was back to class to finish learning about the fuel system.
Here's some pictures of my class mates Chris, Edul and Kevin in front of the #3 engine.
James "JB" Brown in the cockpit
Jason picked Edul up by his leg, (ok, actually Edul was doing a headstand and Jason was trying to "steady" him.
Me in the cockpit
Chris "let's go swimming" Farina

It's been a while, I've been a bit busy

Let it be known that my attempts to blog might be random and inconsistent.

I'm in McMinnville, OR and I should be studying. A lot has happened since I last posted, I've been busy! I flew my last trip with Mesa, went home for my brother's wedding, and am now through my first week of ground school at Evergreen. Life is moving fast!

My last days at Mesa went well, and it hasn't quite hit me that I'll no longer be flying the ERJ. I'm a little sad to leave Mesa as I've got some great friends there that I'll miss seeing on a regular basis. But I didn't shed a tear on my last day. I'm excited for what lies ahead for me.

After a quick stop in Denver to change out the suitcase, I left for CA and my brother's wedding. I arrived in CA to great weather and I can't remember seeing that much snow on the mountains ever. The skies were clear and the grass green, winter really is the best time of year in SoCAL.

Not just because he's my brother, but in all honesty, the wedding was one of the best ones I've been to. Big props to Jen for putting together such a classy celebration. I didn't get too many pictures, but I'm sure there are a lot around. The wedding was in a 100 year old church in downtown Laguna Beach and the reception at a super cool restaurant/night club up the canyon. Here's the wedding party and Jen's Dad giving a toast.


It was a great time, and a great party, and I was sad to leave. Not enough time with Debbie, not enough with my family, not enough to de-compress before heading north to OR. We stayed right on the water in Laguna Beach at a great little hotel right on the beach. Here's a picture of Debbie on one of our walks along the coastal path:

And one of my cute nieces, they really do grow fast!

I've been in McMinnville a week now, and the weather has been typical NW cloudy/rainy for most of the time. Yesterday, however the weather was fantastic with nice temps and no rain, blue skies even! We drive by this 747 on our way to class every morning. I still can't believe I'll be flying such a big airplane. I realized that this summer it will be 10 years since I left Seattle to go to flight school.

I've made some new friends and feel lucky to have some great guys in my ground school. One, another Mesa guy, is a yoga instructor. He gave me some yoga instruction this morning; it was the first time I had done any in a while, and he said I did well. He's very good, and was able to coach me into doing my first headstand! (sorry I didn't get a picture, may be tomorrow?)

I'll try and post more often, but to be honest it might be a while until I'll be able to update the blog. With systems starting on monday, I'm going to be very busy studying, but I'll do my best. Until next time here's a nice picture I took in Laguna.

Be well.

Good Bye ERJ, Hello 747

I quit my job today.

For some that's a momentous day, a day of victory, of relief. I guess. Doesn't really seem like reality yet. I've had some good times at Mesa, and some bad. I've made some great friends, and flown with some super pilots. I'll definitely miss the people, and hope to keep in touch with as many as I can.

I've got one more trip and then I'm done.

Then I'm off to CA for my brother Mike's wedding, and then up to Oregon for ground school. I start with Evergreen International Airlines on Feb 1. Gone are the days of 5 legs, and in are the long flights and international travel. Its going to be a lot of new info, and I'm excited to fly the classic 747. Never thought I would, but am stoked with the thought of it.

The main reason I decided to start attempting this blog was to keep up with everyone as I transition into a new lifestyle. I hope it works. Wish me luck.

Yeeee Haaaawww Nashville!

Ok, may be I'm exaggerating my enthusiasm. I wouldn't know if I like Nashville or not. I've only ever been to the hotel, and this new one is, thankfully, pretty nice.

After an all-too-early wake up (5:00 am) this morning, we got out of Charleston a bit late due to some technical difficulties with dispatch. We were also a bit delayed leaving for Nashville as well, as the inbound plane we picked up in Cincy left Chicago late for the same reasons.

Shortly after takeoff, a stuck mike on another airplane almost was a problem for us, but luckily we were able to get the correct frequency for our next controller and continued to Nashville without further incident (a "stuck mike" is a pilot or controller's microphone that won't turn off, thus blocking everyone else's ability to communicate. All you can hear is the person trying to figure out why they can't turn off their mike or why they don't hear anyone else. It can be funny if they don't know they're broadcasting, and possibly a little embarrassing if they're not careful what they say).

Here's some more gee-whiz aviation stuff: a lot of navigational fixes in our airspace system are named after something appropriate to their locations. Coming in to Nashville this morning we flew the GUITR FOUR arrival over the "FIDDL" fix, and then went direct to "JUDD" on the approach, bypassing "REABA" and "WAYLN". I love's me some country music!

Not much else after getting to the hotel...a little nap, some studying, some internet (listed the superu on craigslist in OH)...etc, etc. Two leg days are pretty easy, and I'm grateful for them after a short night's rest.

Got another early show tomorrow, so its early to bed for me tonight...4:15's gonna come early!

5 Legs, 13 Hour Work Day

My day today:
Show time 8:25 AM
CVG-CLT
3 hour sit
CLT-CVG
CVG-GRR
GRR-CVG
CVG-CRW
Duty off 9:35 PM

Total Duty: 13 hours, 10 min
Total: flight time: 5.7

Van ride tomorrow morning: 6:00 AM

CVG again...

Yep, I'm back in Cincinnati at my favorite hotel the Comfort Inn. Ok, may be not my favorite, but its cheap, and well....its cheap, and technically its in Kentucky. Should I be worried that there were 100 open seats on my flight out here tonight? Its the slow season for travel and all, but 100? That kinda makes me go hmmm. I actually had a first class seat, but it was the bulkhead, so i opted for the second row in coach, and had it all to myself (there's no seat in front of you to stow bags and computers if you're in the bulkhead). The flight was quick as I was studying for most of it, and I think we had a pretty good tail wind. Its a wee bit colder here than in Denver 33 last time I checked.

So the good news is that I found the title to the Superu. No, that's not a typo, I call it the Superu, a nickname Debbie and I came up with cause its easier to say than "the crash pad car". I was worried that I couldn't find the title to it, and as I'm planning to sell it, I kinda need the title.

Anybody want to buy a 93' legacy wagon for cheap? I mean real cheap, like $700?

Pweeblo Part Duece

Met up with Brian and Dan this morning for the 1.5 hour trip to Pueblo for some more mountain bike riding. We were all excited to be on our bikes and on dry trail, and the trip down went fast. Brian drove his cool 4 door Jeep that can carry all 3 bikes. We had a great time riding some new trails that I hadn't ridden before, and sessioned some of the harder sections.

It was around 60 degrees in the sunshine and noticeably cooler in the canyons and shade. Dan had a couple flats, and Brian had one, all from pinch flatting the tire against the brutally sharp rocks, but I made it out without any mechanicals; the new tire and wheel continue to impress me. Nobody crashed either, which is always a good thing. Twas' a good day :)

Back home getting ready to head back to work tomorrow is not my most favorite thing to do, but gotta be done. 100 seats available on the 2:40 Delta flight....shouldn't be a problem getting on. Time off at home just seems to go by too quickly.