Coast to Coast

Coast to coast. Day one of this trip we flew to California and saw the West coast in San Jose. The top picture is of the Uinta Mts. They are out by Salt Lake and are one of the few mountain ranges in the world that span from East to West. Look it up on a map. Most mountain ranges run North and South but these run East and West. Kind of cool to see. The peak is Kings Peak and is over 13,000 feet above sea level.

The next pictures are what it is like heading to the East coast. Traffic, Traffic, Traffic. The West is very calm and quite and the east is very busy. Aircraft are all around you all the time and the radio is constantly talking. The two pictures with the airplanes are flying by only about one thousand feet away. Pretty neat to see. The last picture is of the cockpit instrument that shows all of the traffic. If you look at it you will see a yellow cross. That is our airplane. All of the white dots to the right are airplanes flying past and next to us. Very Busy. Well I am in New York today and back home tomorrow after a stop in Detroit. I am in China Town were they have all kinds of very authentic Chinese food, like tentacles and worms etc. Good thing for me there is a McDonald's around the corner.

Sayonara

Do you know the way to San Jose?

Do you know the way to San Jose? That is a song you probably have only heard a few times before. Well the answer is I did find my way to San Jose. Flying to the west coast is far more interesting than just about any other part of the country. The sights are amazing. The first part of the flight takes us over Rapid City and the Black Hills. The top picture is of the Crazy Horse Monument. We were at 38,000 feet. You can see it so clear from that altitude. Then the road takes us over the Continental Divide where there is still snow on the peaks of the mountains. I will put more pictures in tomorrow. The second picture is just past the Continental Divide called Flaming Gorge. This is kind of what the Grand Canyon looks like. This Gorge extends for over 90 miles and is made from natural sandstone which gives it the beautiful color of red and orange. The next picture is Salt Lake. This lake is huge and is full of so much salt you float on top when you get in. You don't even have to tread water. It is the second saltiest lake in the world. Guess which one is the saltiest? The Dead Sea in Israel. Cool! The last picture is us parked at the gate in San Jose. As you can see we found our way to San Jose. This airport is still one of the few old style airports that does not have jetways. They use these old style ramps to get people and everything else on the airplane. If someone needs a wheel chair they come out with a fork lift and lift them off. Yahoo!!!

Ew Nork City (New York City)

The last day of my trip. The last day is the best day. The last day was another early get up and started with a beautiful sunrise and a calm flight to Memphis. After a quick turn in Memphis it was off to New York. When Austin was little we went to New York which he called Ew Nork City and he said he would live there one day and ride around in a limousine. Who knows? Today we were flying into LaGuardia which is another very small airport with spectacular views. The approach takes us by the city which you can see in the first 2 pictures. If you look closely you can see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. There is a void at the end of the peninsula where the Twin Towers stood. You can see it clearly and the skyline looks slightly beaten where it once stood so strong.

The next 2 pictures are on approach to the airport. To the right is the New York skyline. We actually fly so close to the city it seems weird to be so close to a city that was so terrible ravaged. It is beautiful and sad at the same time. Notice in the pictures how much water there is around. You don't think about New York City as being right on the water. LaGuardia airport is surrounded by water much like DC. There have been several airplanes slide off the runways and into the water. Thankfully I did not bring my swimsuit so I will stay dry. See ya at home!

Day 2 Philly, Detroit, DC, and Nashville

Well I have been flying all day and boy are my arms tired. Get it! Today was another long day. 12 hours with a 3 am get up. We started out in Philly this morning as you can see the cockpit view of the Philly terminal and went to Detroit. The picture of the Island is just outside of Detroit and is a memorial for Admiral Perry. Look him up. Pretty famous guy. Hard to believe there is a huge lake around Detroit. One of the big shipping lanes. When you fly over it, it feels like you are in the middle of the ocean. It is that big. That picture is from 20 thousand feet.

The next picture is of the Detroit Terminal. This is the new International terminal where Northwest flys most of the giant airplanes over seas. When they are all lined up in the morning it is pretty impressive. These airplanes will fly for 12 to 14 hours straight to reach there destinations. Most of them have beds in them for the pilots to take breaks. That is what I need.

The last picture is on Final approach to DC. This time we were flying in from the south up the river. If you look on a map you will see the DC airport has water on both ends. It is one of the shortest runways we fly into and is very tricky. You don't want to mess up here or you have to swim. It is a beautiful view of the city in front of the airport. If you look closely at the picture you will see the airplane in front of us landing. That airplane will land and they will squeeze another plane in front of us to take off. He will be lifting off as we land. The airports are getting very crowded and they have to squeeze them together like that.

I have a few more pictures of DC and on to Nashville. I will be back tomorrow after we go to Memphis and New York.

Early Morning to Philly

As hard as it is to get up at 4 in the morning to go fly it is one of the most quiet and peaceful times of the day in this business. The second picture is of the airplanes lined up at the gates getting ready to start their busy day. It is completely quiet and the sun reflects off the airplane in a new beginning of a new day. It is rare that an airport is quiet but early in the morning it is peaceful. The terminal is almost empty but starting to wake up just like me.

The next two pictures are on final approach in Philly. It was raining and overcast here. The approach to landing flys directly past the military ship yards. Many old military ships are being decommissioned and taken apart. At one time this was a very active military base with war ships passing through regularly. This city is very historic as it is the home of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell (remember National Treasure); the building they took the spectacles out from behind a brick is Independence Hall. The Liberty Bell is kept near by for viewing. It rang in Independence Hall untill it cracked.

Tomorrow on to Detroit, Washington DC and Nashville. I have to get up at 0315 so early to bed. Be good!

Washington DC

I am in Washington DC and coming in to land last night was beautiful. They have an approach to landing called the river visual that guides you in along the river. It is beautiful and takes you along the city. The runway is short and you have to be right on but it is a beautiful view. You can see all of the monuments lit up and reflecting off the river. It was very cool. While I'm here today, I have several meetings for my other job, and then I fly back home - see you tonight!

New York

Hey Guys this is the skyline of New York City. I am sitting in line for takeoff at New York JFK airport. There was a weather delay and we sat there for over 2 hours. It is a beautiful sight so close to the city. New York is a crazy place to fly into with all of the delays because it is so busy.

The top picture is a aircraft that has flown in from Kuwait. New York is also a place you will see people and aircraft from all over the world.