OutdoorType

No f’in way, originally uploaded by outdoor_type.

A few thoughts while I wait at the gate from today’s travels…

Airport Efficiency

This is the busiest travel day of the year, but you wouldn’t know it from visiting Washington Dulles International Airport.

I’ve flown out of here three times in the past 6 weeks or so and by far Veterans Day was the worst in terms of traffic, full lots, and long, long, lines at security.

Thanksgiving? Cakewalk. Today? Ditto. There was no line at the ticket counter, no live for the various security check points. In fact, this kind of caused a problem because unless you’ve got your act totally together and have nothing in your pockets before even entering the line you end up having to stop at the x-ray machine and stuff your bag full of your pocket’s contents. Normally you’ve got plenty of time to do this while shuffling along with hundreds of your newest, closest friends, kick pushing your carry-ons across the floor. Anyways, I’m not complaining. I just could have waited someplace else instead of here at the Z10 gate which is lacking in its amenities is all I’m saying. There, I guess I am complaining, but only a little. Things are too good is my problem.

Designed for Small Compartments

A US Air guy just walked up and put this ticket on my camera bag. No way am I checking it, even at the gate. Update: this is becoming a fun game… I took off the original tag. 20 minutes later he walked by and attached another tag! (which I promptly removed. again)

The bag is designed for small planes:

Airport Antidote
Legal carry on backpack fits all international carry on requirements, and fits into the overhead of very small planes.

After the jump, The Carry-On Conclusion, A One Wheeled Landing, and… Detained by TSA!

The Carry-On Conclusion…

So guess what? The gate agent didn’t know what he was talking about and the ThinkTank claims proved true. Not only did my bag fit nicely in the overhead compartment of the CRJ, it also fit (minus the laptop sleeve) in the overhead of the Dash 8. And because I got to board Zone 1 for the second flight I was able to be “that guy.” You know, the guy who boards early and who puts BOTH bags in the overhead. Yeah, that was me today.

Ok, as much as I’d love to end this with the bravado of the guy who doesn’t care if his fellow passengers have room for their bags, I was actually feeling a little guilty about things until I realised the flight was only half sold. I kept waiting for more people to board, ready at a moment’s notice to jump up and pull the smaller bag out of the bin, but it wasn’t long before the door was shut and nearly everyone on the plane had two seats to themselves.

Air travel can be so nice when the delays are minimal and you’ve got room to stretch your legs. Maybe I should amend this to say that air travel can be so nice when you’ve got minimal delays, room to stretch your legs, and a pilot who can put both of the rear wheels on the tarmac at the same time…

20 knot Winds = Exciting Landing

On bigger planes you don’t often feel the effects of wind pushing the tail end around, but today, today we got to experience a little bit of that.

On our final approach we were informed by the flight deck crew that a 20 knot wind was blowing at HHH and we should make sure our seat belts were securely fastened low across our laps. The ride was in fact bumpy with the plane jostling about the sky. Things became bumpier still as we made a one wheel (the left rear) landing. My seat on the right side of the plane was directly across from the right rear landing gear and I watched as we hop skipped across the runway… down and then up and then down and up and then finally both rear wheels were on the ground and then, after a slightly longer than normal wheelie, the nose slammed down too. Safe! And exciting.

Detained by TSA or HHH is a Really Small Airport

How small is it? It’s so small that the TSA folks who inspect your bags, are also the same folks who operate the metal detectors, are also the same folks who open and close the metal gates that let you in and out of the terminal (gates like you see at a locked shop at the mall after hours). So after our exciting landing, and one of the shortest taxis you’ll ever find at a commercial airport, we entered the terminal only to discover the metal gates were closed because the TSA guy hadn’t realised the only plane landing had landed. Oops. Again, that my longest delay of the entire day was caused at my destination after deplaning… I should be so lucky (or in the words of S. Vowell, it could be worse). While everyone queued up at the gate and began to fidget I sat down, relaxed, and just went with it. Welcome to the island where everything moves just a little bit slower. Ok by me.