Winter Ops

I never really knew the meaning of this phrase until this week. When I interviewed for Mesaba, I was asked if I could work in all kinds of weather. I said, "Sure!" I had shared a paper route with my dad and my brother when I was younger and we had to deliver in all of the elements. I don't remember anything like this though. The wind chills the past couple days in Dubuque have dipped below negative 30°F. Not even my toasty coveralls could keep me completely warm. The wind blew right through those. I could also sleep in until 5:30 when I had a paper route. These days I have to be up by 4:00 to shower and preheat my car. 

With all the cancellations due to weather and freezing planes, I've put in quite the work day the past two days. I was on the clock from 5am - 10:30am and from noon to 10:30 pm

 yesterday because our plane had a "hung start" on one of the engines. From what I understand, it's too cold inside the engine to produce a good flame and maintain steady combustion. The turbines inside the engine don't speed up to the proper RPM and if the pilot continues the start attempt he or she could do damage to the engine. So we had to deplane everyone back to the terminal and get them rebooked for another flight. Many couldn't make connections that afternoon due to oversold flights and schedules that didn't align. So they got pushed back a day. Last night, the aircraft we were supposed to get from Minneapolis had a mechanical problem and didn't come in. So that cancelled our flight for this morning also causing some passengers to be rebooked a second time. Many people are getting frustrated and thousands are stranded at airports with dwindling hopes of making it home or to visit friends and family. 

I was able to help one family last night though. They were waiting for their son to come home from the military whom they hadn't seen in 10 months. Mom and dad drove from Fayette, IA and were expecting him to arrive on the afternoon flight into Dubuque. Mom told me that she wasn't supposed to be at the airport and only his dad was expected to pick him up. Unfortunately, a late arrival from Seattle cause him to misconnect out of Minneapolis. His parents were then waiting for him to arrive on the late flight that he had been rebooked on. When that flight cancelled, he was told to stand in another rebooking line. When he was almost to the front, that agent had to leave and redirected the remaining customers to a different gate. I was looking at the availability and knew there was no way he was going to make it into Dubuque until the following night due to overselling. I didn't know where Fayette was, so I asked and I found that the next closest airport was Waterloo. By some miracle, there were actually four seats available on their late arrival, so I booked him on that flight. He still had to get his boarding pass from an agent in Minneapolis so I took the phone from dad and began giving him instructions to finalize the process. I told him to just find any agent who didn't look busy and if they didn't know how to complete the transaction, I would walk them through it over the phone. It took a couple more phone calls as he found someone to help him but he finally got his boarding pass. While I was giving him directions over the phone, I learned that he thought he was going to be surprising his mom by coming home early. It was a touching moment for me and I knew the mom was happy to see her son yet that night. I wish I could have been there for the reunion. 

In other news, I was notified this week of the results of the 2008 Iowa Aviation Photography 

Contest. I had submitted several of my photos from work and from the airshow that took place in Dubuque over the 4th of July. I was hoping for several awards, but was satisfied with taking third/fourth in the Commercial Aviation category. To see all the winners, you can go here. To see the page I'm on, go here. Now, I'm just hoping to get published in the 2009 Aviation Calendar. There's a chance it may not get printed due to budget constraints, but I'm hoping for the best. Time to shower and put my petroleum products on before going back out in the cold. All you doobies keep warm. 

Bonjour / Goedendag

It's been a couple weeks since I posted last, mostly due to the fact that I went on my first trip out of the country ever! It's taken me a little while to get caught up, especially with Thanksgiving being thrown in there. For those who have never been to Europe, it was a great experience to be immersed in a culture completely different from that which I am accustomed and I recommend going if you ever have the opportunity. I will try to recount as much as I can remember with the aid of my pictures for those that have not traveled to Paris and Amsterdam! (Disclaimer* - this account of my trip is very long. It will take a while to read and may not interest you. It is meant to be more of a personal journal for my benefit because there's so much more than even the pictures can tell you. If you want the short version, give me a call or check out my Facebook album, #2, #3.)
My co-worker Lori, our friend Sumner from American Airlines and I had planned to Amsterdam after considering other destinations such as Tokyo, Sydney, Beijing, Hong Kong, Phuket, Bangkok and Greece (pretty much in that order). We settled on Amsterdam because it would give us the most amount of time to sightsee. Sumner backed out at the last minute to exchange his travel plans for an opportunity to spend time with his father in Jordan, so Lori and I planned to proceed without him to Amsterdam. After an early morning shift at the airport we started looking at flights and alternate routes to Paris and Amsterdam. Somewhere between 8:00 and 9:00 AM we decided to leave a day early and stay in Paris as well. We arranged to have our afternoon work shifts covered and return a one-way Avis rental to Cedar Rapids (IA) so we could catch a flight from Cedar Rapids to Detroit and from Detroit to Paris that night. We each took about three hours to pack a carry-on and a backpack and we were on our way to the Eastern Iowa Airport. 
Our flight from Cedar Rapids left at 5:15 PM and we were in Detroit by 7:30 PM. We departed Detroit at 9:25 PM aboard an Airbus 330 in our business class seats. Before we even pushed back from the gate we were offered champagne and juice. I watched outside while they deiced us and a 747 several gates down. Once established in a cruise climb, we were served appetizers of mixed nuts and a sampler plate of mini toasts with lobster Marsala spread and prosciutto chevre canapé (whatever that is). For dinner, I chose the stuffed chicken breast with gorgonzola au gratin potatoes and edamame and a salad. We pulled out our personal entertainment screens and donned our headphones. I began watching "A Good Year" (something about a boy who inherits his uncle's vineyard), but after finishing my blackberry crisp à la mode, I became somewhat disinterested and tired and fell asleep. I woke up and finished the end of the movie before starting "Wall·E" (an animated Disney flick about a trash-compacting robot). It was okay, but I also dozed off several times during this one. Periodically, I monitored our progress across the Atlantic using the map page of the entertainment system. There was also a flight information screen that showed altitude, time and distance to our destination.
We arrived at Charles de Gaulle shortly after 11:00 AM on Friday morning. There was glass everywhere I looked. Even the jet bridge was made of glass. It was quite a maze from our gate to customs, but the flow of traffic kept us headed in the right direction. After clearing customs, we wandered around looking for an ATM to withdraw Euro and a place to purchase a train ticket to downtown. We looked at several maps and took a few lucky guesses before getting in line. We bought a three day unlimited pass for the trains, buses and trams in Paris. Another lucky guess got us on an RER train that brought us downtown. At the first stop, a young boy boarded with his accordion and began to play music for the passengers. It was very quaint, almost cliché, but he was good and I imagined that he was personally welcoming me to Paris, so I gave him some change. We noticed a lot of graffiti on the walls and over passes at every train station. It was not how I pictured Paris at all. From the Paris Nord station, we began to wonder around armed with a street map and an accommodation guide to secure a hotel or hostel for 2 nights. We struck out on the first place that looked reasonable. The entire street was blocked off apparently for construction, but we also saw a lot of police in what appeared to be riot gear. We never did find out exactly what was going on. We hopped on the Metro to get us over to a different zone. When we got there, we couldn’t find the hotel. The number was on the wall next to an alley, but there 

was no entrance. Looking up and down the alley, we found another hotel with an available room. The only downside was that it was on the 5th floor. It made for an exhausting climb up the steep spiraling staircase. But it was cheap and very clean. That day we were so wiped out that we didn't feel like doing anything but sleeping. So we made a rough plan of attack for the next day and slept through the afternoon and all night.
 
Day 2
 

Lori and I awoke fairly early on Saturday morning to begin our big

day of sightseeing. We took the Metro to the station nearest the Louvre. There were signs to the entrance, but I was not sure exactly where I was going. All the buildings had so much detail on every face, edge and peak. I just kept snapping pictures. It wasn't until I saw the glass pyramids in the center of the museum that I knew we were at the right place. We got in line by quarter to nine and only had to wait a few minutes for them to let us inside. Map in hand, we began in the Denon wing on the first floor. (You can follow along on this Interactive Map if you so choose.) I wanted to head straight for the Mona Lisa so I could get a good look before it got too crowded. However, we did make a few stops along the way. We then made our way through the Greek terracotta and ceramics exhibits in the Sully wing. The Egyptian Circuit didn't interest us much so we moved through that section pretty quickly. Next, we went up to the 2nd floor to see paintings from the 15th - 17th centuries. Not really my cup of tea. I would rather see sculptures than paintings. It was interesting to see students in the museum copying various subjects of art. The artists were very talented and sometimes I couldn't tell the difference between the original and the copy. It was at this time we caught our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower from a window. Moving on, we went down to the ground floor through the French, Italian, and Greek sculptures. We saw such masterpieces as Michelangelo's "Dying Slave", Canova's "Psyche and Cupid" and Aphrodite or "Vénus de Milo." We saw just about everything we wanted to by 11:30 AM. Afterwards, we realized how much we rushed through the museum and we probably could have stayed another hour or two to see everything and take in each piece of art more thoughtfully.

A short trip on the Metro took us near the Cathedral of Notre Dame. We came out of the station near the Palais de justice de Paris. Next to that building I saw a cathedral and assumed it was the correct one. Lori and I walked around entire block in vain before looking at the map and realizing the Notre Dame was a few blocks to the southeast. I again rushed past this landmark

 without going inside to fully experience it. I was mad at myself when we got back and heard how beautiful it was inside. I suppose it's just another reason to go back. I did take the time to walk around to the back of the cathedral to see the flying buttresses. Ever since studying about the architecture of that time period in high school history class, I've wanted to see them in person. It was now about lunchtime, so we looked for something quick and cheap. We found a sandwich shop and each had a Royal Poulet, which was a baguette with chicken, lettuce and tomato. It came with a can of pop for just under 5€.
From here we got on the RER line to the west side of town to see the Eiffel Tower up close and personal. It was about four blocks along the Seine River from the station to the tower. I stood at the base in awe of size and grandeur. It covers much more area than one might imagine when viewing from a distance. I wanted to take the stairs to save a few Euro, but it was awfully windy and there didn't seem to be a designated line that I could see. So, we followed the crowd and took the elevator. The second level alone provided a breathtaking view. We spent several minutes investigating the landscape and snapping pictures before heading to the summit. 

Needless to say, the view from the top was even more spectacular. I was amazed that the structure did not sway in the wind the same way most skyscrapers do. Despite the windy conditions, the tower was as solid as a rock. The streets below looked as if someone had hand-carved them out of the solid blocks of buildings. We could see tour boats traveling up and down the Seine. Not too far off in the distance we saw the Arc de Triomphe. This monument was erected to honor those who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. We actually visited this later in the evening, but we had to go back to the hotel to get warmer clothes.Now bundled up, we stopped at the Arc de Triomphe beforewalking down the Champs-Élysées, which I would crudely compare to Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. There were a lot of high end retail stores including Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Prada, Armani and Nike, plus a few car dealers. The Metro took us back past the Eiffel Tower, which was now lit a brilliant blue, on our way to find a place for dinner. We decided on the Castel Cafe. I had quiche that had ham, green beans, tomatoes, and spinach inside. After dinner we walked back to the Eiffel Tower to get some night shots. At the top of the hour, strobes all over the Tower sparkled for about five minutes. It looked really neat, but my camera wouldn't take a good photo of it.

Day 3

There was one spot we didn't get to visit the previous day that I wanted to see before we left for Amsterdam. However, I misinterpreted the map. I thought that Place de Fontenoy was Palais 

de Fontenoy. Big difference. The "Palace" turned out to be a military school with a monument across the street. It was still cool to see up close, but I learned to be more careful with my map reading. Outside the Ecole Militaire, we saw some equestrians. We took a few pictures before moving on to look at what I thought was a capitol building. With a gold-leafed rotunda, I didn't see how it could be anything else. A closer look at the map and some Google-ing when I got home set me straight a second time. What we were actually looking at was Les Invalides, a complex of several museums and the burial site of Napoleon Bonaparte among other French war heroes. Not knowing this and running short on time, we snapped a picture and headed back to the hotel to check out.
Lori and I then made our way to Paris Nord station to board a high speed Thalys train to Amsterdam. We experienced a little bit of sticker shock when purchasing our tickets. For a same day travel ticket, the rate almost doubles. That’s just another disadvantage of making last minute travel arrangements. We didn't have many options, so we bit the bullet. It took us a while to find our seats because I didn't count the cars as we walked down the platform. Then we found out we were booked in separate cars. The conductor said it wasn't a big deal though. From Paris to Brussels was the "highest speed" part of our journey. Afterwards we had to go slower for the towns along our route. It snowed a bit on this leg of our trip. We went through Anvers and Rotterdam before learning of a train derailment near Amsterdam. Somewhere past Rotterdam we took a detour that would skip La Haye and Schiphol Airport. Passengers traveling here would be asked to take a different train to reach their destination. We got as far as Diemen Zuid when they told everyone they would have to take the Metro line the rest of the way to Amsterdam because of the derailment. They didn't really offer much for instructions, barely even a "good luck" before pushing us out the door into the cold and snowy weather. We again followed the crowd and made it in one piece to Amsterdam Central Station by about 5:30PM.
We found our way out, but it wasn't easy to get acquainted with an entirely different language in five minutes. I pretty much had to forget everything I learned in Paris. Again, I had no sense of direction coming out of the train station. To get oriented, we had to walk in one direction until we saw a street sign. The only map we had was in a guidebook loaned to us by a co-worker who had been to Amsterdam on the way back from her trip to Spain. We lucked out again by picking the right street and direction towards our hostel. Already having a place to stay put my mind more at ease than when we arrived in Paris. We dropped our bags off in our room and locked up our valuables before venturing out for dinner. There were no traditionally Dutch restaurants to be found, so we settled for Italian. I had a bowl of pasta with strips of ham. It was interesting, but not bad.

Day 4

We didn't have as many things to see in Amsterdam, so we agreed to slow our pace down considerably. We also declined to buy passes for public transportation because the book said it 

was just as easy to get around on foot. Plus, we didn’t need an excuse to spend more money. At Dam Square we found a national monument, the Royal Palace, and the Nieuwe Kerk. We then headed southwest to visit the Van Gogh Museum. A broken down 

tram car necessitated that an entire street be blocked, which caused us to get a little off track. So, we saw the Magere Brug a little earlier than planned. On our way back in the right direction, we stopped at the Carousel Pancake House for brunch and I got a plate of pofferjes, which I was dying to have. With our bellies full, 

we continued on to the museum For obvious reasons, pictures were not allowed inside. I did not find staring at artwork to be the most fun thing to do in the world, but I made the best of it. I took more interest in learning about the life of Vincent Van Gogh, even though his artwork was a huge part of his life.
From the Van Gogh Museum we walked and walked and walked to see the De Gooyer Windmill on the other side of town. The snow now began to fall harder and the cold chilled us both to the

 bone. I snapped a quick photo and we headed back to the hostel to warm up. It wasn't a very straight shot. We had to weave through a residential area and across a major street. It made us both a little uneasy because night had fallen. After warming up, we walked around trying to find something appetizing. We saw a lot of Italian restaurants, Argentinean grills, and a few fast food mainstays. We picked another Italian restaurant, but on a different street and it turned out to be a very pleasant experience. There were only two main waiters, but they took good care of us and were very upbeat and entertaining. Lori had warned me about the reputation for poor service in Amsterdam earlier when we stopped at the poffertjes house, but this establishment was an exception. On the way home, we stopped to pick up some souvenirs. I will say: it's hard to find something unique to Amsterdam that you can't find at any gift shop in Pella. It was a little hard to fall asleep at the hostel because a dance club next door was "bumpin." Management said there was nothing they could do and understandably so. The amenity kit we received in business class that contained an eye mask and earplugs came in handy and allowed us to get some rest.

Day 5

We had to be up early to get to the Anne Frank House and back to the hostel before checkout

 time. I remember reading the Diary of Anne Frank in either middle school or high school, but didn't think I would ever visit the place where they hid from the German Police. It was a disheartening way to start the day, but I am glad I took the tour. We started on the ground floor and worked our way up and back through the office space and storehouse for the company that Otto Frank owned. In the back, known as the annex, we walked through the concealed rooms where the van Pels' and the Franks lived in hiding for over two years.
We checked out of the Bulldog and made our way to Amsterdam CS to take the train to Schiphol Airport. This system was almost more confusing than getting out of the Charles de Gaulle Airport. We purchased tickets to get to the airport, but I'm not sure if we got on the right system. The gentlemen guarding the entrance to the Metro looked at our tickets and didn't give us any trouble. They even gave us directions. As far as I'm concerned, we paid an appropriate fare and we got where we needed to go, so my conscience is clear.
Schiphol was a nightmare at first. When we got off of the train, nothing looked like an airport. It looked like a mall. There were signs everywhere, but I had difficulty comprehending what they were telling me. It was information overload. Schiphol was definitely not set up like an airport in 

the states. We located a bank of flight monitors and found the appropriate concourse and check-in area for Northwest . I had to change into my business class clothes before check-in so that took a few minutes. While attempting to check in, I had trouble locating my reservation. It didn't work to swipe my passport and when I tried to enter the confirmation number manually, it asked for my destination. On our kiosk at our station, it asks for the final destination airport. However on the KLM kiosks, it asks for the first destination. The kiosk attendant sent me to a to a line that was not intended for employees but the ticket agent was kind enough to help me. We decided to check our bags this time so we didn't have to drag them around but the check-in process was still a hassle. We had to stop at the post office so Lori could mail her postcards. By this time we both noticed the final boarding announcement/special invitations for those passengers were "delaying the flight". It was such a pleasant announcement which made it 

funny. Plus, it sounded as if it had been translated from another language because the words were out of order and some words were missing. I’ll do an impression for you if you really want. I got to do a little bit of plane spotting near our gate before going through security. At Schiphol, everyone goes through security immediately before boarding rather than between checking at reaching the gate. We got in line to go through pre-screening of our documents. After passing the mini interview regarding the packing of our bags and our reason for visiting the Netherlands, we asked the gate agent if she could assign us seats yet. We were told to wait, so we headed over to some chairs. Unbeknownst to us, we walked out of the area that had been roped off for those that had already passed pre-screening. So we had to talk our way back in without our boarding passes. They didn't give us too much trouble and within 10 minutes we had our business class seat assignments.
Our appetizer for this flight was a selection of shrimp and salmon. For dinner, I had the chicken parmesan with cous cous. This is another crude American comparison, but I thought the cous cous had the taste and texture of shredded chicken ramen noodles. I had an ice cream sundae for dessert, a granola bar and a tangerine for mid-flight snack, and the cold meat and cheese tray and bread pudding for a light snack before arriving in Minneapolis. I had enough time to watch the rest of "Henry Poole is Here" that I had started on the flight to Paris, "License to Wed" (starring Robin Williams), and "Wanted" (an action thriller about a group 

of assassins.) We got to Minneapolis at about 5:30 PM, but it felt like 11:30 PM to us. After clearing customs and immigration, we claimed our bags and put them on a different carousel to check them the rest of the way home. We had to wait until 9:20 PM for our flight to Dubuque, but we ran into a friend on the way to our gate and told him all about our trip. Our flight to Dubuque was pretty uneventful. I got a few hours of sleep before I had to be back to work at 5:00AM. I was just glad that my body clock adjusted much better coming home than it did traveling to Europe.
I didn't pay anywhere near full price for the flights, but I will still need to save up before I can go again. I can't wait though. Business class was definitely worth it. Sumner, if you're reading this, I hate you for getting me hooked. Thank you Lori for making me fly business when I wanted to save and fly economy. Until next time, au revoir / vaarwel!

See my other pictures at Photobucket.com.

We Try Harder

It's not a new life motto for me or anything, although I do try to put my best effort into everything I do. I just thought I'd give my post some brand recognition. At the beginning of the week, I began cleaning cars for Avis at the airport to make a little more money on the side. I don't do any of the reservations or front counter duties, so it was easy to train me. I just fill with gas, vacuum, and wash. It's a little bit easier than getting overt the west end of town to donate plasma. I can work as much or as little as I want in between my other shifts and flying and don't have to drive anywhere else. Not sure if I get any benefits, but I can't think of any time I would need a car. I usually stick to public transportation on my non-rev travels. 

Today, I will be departing at noon for Grinnell, IA. The UD cross country teams will be running at Oakland Acres golf course with other D3 schools from the Midwest region tomorrow. It will be another opportunity to see my parents for a while. I hope to get some pictures, but will probably have to concentrate on getting splits again. That reminds me, I ought to bring my watch this time. Gotta do some dishes and pack in the next hour, so I'm out...

A Day of Firsts

It was a day of firsts for me yesterday. It began at 5am at the airport when we had to deice the aircraft. It had snowed off and on Friday afternoon making it difficult for our afternoon flight to land. They had to "go missed" on at least two approaches before making a landing. It began snowing again shortly before our scheduled launch time on Saturday morning and the captain asked to be deiced. Deicing means we really have to be on button to get all the passengers and bags loaded early. Once they're on board and the door is shut, we have to pull a deicing tower around the plane and spray the wings off with a 50/50 mix of heated glycol and water. This mixture will melt the ice off to make it safe to fly. Any snow, ice, or frost on the aircraft surfaces will cause a interruption of the smooth flow of air over the wing, thereby destroying the lift.

After work, I headed down to Iowa City to spend the day with Kyle and the rest of the family. It was family weekend at the University of Iowa and Kyle's engineering department had a open house. We toured a few of the buildings around campus before having lunch in one of the engineering buildings. We didn't plan on going to the football game, but we decided to head over to Kinnick Stadium to see what action we could from the outside because I had never been to a game. Kyle ran into one of his floormates who wasn't going to use his ticket and didn't care to sell it. We were looking for another ticket in the student section, but we bought two more not in the student section. Mom, dad and Amanda went shopping in lieu of going to the game. Kyle and I found standing room on right endzone side of the field.

If you saw any of the highlights, it was a game to remember. Iowa jumped on top early, but then trailed #3 undefeated Penn State in the second and third quarters. Iowa began mounting a comeback late in the third. One bad call in the fourth quarter nearly cost Iowa the game. Iowa deflected a Penn State punt and ran into the kicker, but was called for the personal foul. However, both Iowa's offense and defense were able to overcame the ref's mistake. As time wound down, Iowa still trailed 21-23. With 6 ticks left on the clock, Iowa's field goal kicker came on to attempt a 31-yard field goal. It was good from the second it left his foot. Fans immediately rushed the field, not realizing that one second still remained on the clock. Iowa was charged a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on the kickoff, but it didn't matter. They kicked it onside and recovered for the win inspiring fans to rush the field again. It was an amazing sight; well worth enduring the freezing cold for several hours and not being able to feel my toes.

After the game, we went to Kyle's fraternity house to meet his brothers and their parents and take a look around the house. The five of us then went to Applebee's for dinner. I was about a half hour from Dubuque on my return trip, when a deer crossed in front of me from left to right. Even though I knew better than swerve, my reaction was to avoid the buck at all costs, because the cost of having my car fixed or replaced and hassle of being without my car would have been a pain in the neck. I missed hitting the deer, but lost control of my car due to speed at which I was traveling. I spun out and came to a rest in the median. I was able to back out without the aid of a tow truck. I checked for damage up the road under a street light but didn't find anything more than some dirt around the wheels and side of the car. I made it the rest of the way home safely.

New Bookstore Website

You guys are either going to think I've gone off the deep end or that someone else is now handling all my blogging for me, yet believe it or not, I have more news to share. Got an email today about the new University of Dubuque Bookstore website. Looks like you can buy books and gear over the net now and have it shipped to you around the world. I'm sure that you will find more selection actually in the bookstore, but this is just another step forward for this growing university. Still not wild about the colors of the site, but then none of UD's websites thrill me. Just thought I'd share in case anyone desired some Spartan attire!

http://bookstore.dbq.edu/home.aspx

Cold Conditions

It was quite nippy in the northeast today; northeast Iowa that is (not to be confused with my travels of last week). In fact, it is 40°F as I write, but with the high winds and winds advisories today, it feels much colder. Believe it or not, we actually got some snow this afternoon. It was short lived, but sure enough there was white stuff blowing across the ramp. I would turn my back and the sun would be shining. I would turn again and here comes another wall of snow. It didn't amount to anything of course, but it was unexpected. (The picture above is borrowed, but it gives you an idea what we can expect this winter when deicing aircraft.)

Our last agent will be on board tomorrow for her first day of OJT. This might mean a slight reduction in hours for me, but it should allow me to zip through my CFI if the weather cooperates.

I have an eye exam scheduled for Tuesday this week. My prescription is out of date and my last pair of contacts was opened long ago. I also might take the opportunity to get extra hydrated and try donating plasma again. Last time didn't go so well. I felt my mind was over the "fear factor", but my body just said, "not today!"

No Halloween plans yet other than work. I'm trying to find a costume that might be work appropriate and practical, but with being inside and outside, I don't know if that will happen. I did get a bag of mini Snickers to munch on, as well as my personal favorites: Reese's peanut butter cups and dry roasted peanuts & candy corn. Can't wait til they go on sale for half price!

No cross country for me this weekend. The team will be going to Storm Lake for conference, but several people had asked for vacation time at work so I will be stuck manning the station.
Time to call this one quits. I have the opportunity to sleep in somewhat in the morning and I want to make the most of it. All you doobies be sure to bundle up when you go outside, wash your hands, and drink plenty of water.

Bah-ston!

I don't think I developed Boston accent in the 36 hours (give or take) I was there, but it certainly is fun to say it that way. I didn't have any problem with the flights out there. I arrived at Logan Airport about 10:15pm EST Monday night. Karl was there waiting for me. It took about an hour in the car to get back to his apartment in Portsmouth, NH which gave us ample time to catch up and share the latest pilot B.S. we had heard or seen. We had a snack and planned out the following day before crashing for the night.
After a bowl of oatmeal we were out the door by 9am. We drove around Portsmouth for bit before driving across the bridge into Maine. We were going to get gas but didn't see anything, so we turned around and filled up in New Hampshire before heading down to Boston. We took the very scenic highway 1A south along the coast. Along the drive we saw the fall colors I was looking for as well as some surfers, which I was not expecting.

We parked at the hotel next to the airport where we planned to stay that night. It would be much easier for both of us than driving back again in the morning for my 8am flight. From there we took a shuttle to the nearest train depot and took a fare to Chinatown for lunch. We ate at the China Pearl Best Cafe. I had the Kung Pao Chicken and Karl had the General Gau's Chicken. They were both much larger portions than we were expecting and by the end of the meal, we were stuffed. Good thing we had a lot of walking to do.
We made our way back to the subway/train ("T" for short) and made a couple line hops en route to the Samuel Adams Brewery. We took the free tour and it was well worth it. We first learned about the history of the brewery, then we were treated to a free tasting and got to keep a souvenir glass.

Next we went back downtown to walk the Freedom Trail, a historic journey through downtown Boston marked with a large red line. We saw such sites as the burial site of Samuel Adams, the State House, Old City Hall, the South Meeting House, the site of the Boston Massacre, the Faneuil Hall, Union Oyster House (the oldest tavern in America), and Boston Harbor. We backtracked a bit to visit the Bull Finch Pub, more famously known as "Cheers." This pub was the original inspiration for the TV show.

After a couple glasses, we walked up to the North End to Little Italy. We joined the Freedom Trail again and walked past Paul Revere's house, and the Old North Church before eating at the Florentine Cafe for dinner. After a seafood and pasta dish, we had some gelato at Gigi's Gelateria. We took the T back to the Hilton by the airport watched a little TV before falling asleep.

Overall I would rate Boston as great city to explore. It's not too busy or loud like a Chicago or a New York, as one might expect. We only saw a small section of the city, but it was packed with history. We didn't get a chance to the Green Monster at Fenway or the campuses of MIT or Harvard. Perhaps on another day trip.

No problems getting back to Minneapolis. I did have a long layover, but had I missed the first flight for any reason, there was still another flight that was scheduled to arrive at MSP before the flight to Dubuque departed. Fortunately, I didn't need it and it gave me the opportunity to hang out in the observation deck and take some pictures.

The pictures are out of order again due to multiple sessions of uploading. Do your best to follow my narrative and the pictures place throughout the post to make sense of the rest of the images. The pictures have captions, but if you have questions about anything, feel free to email me or comment on my blog. (Hint, hint!)

Photobucket Album

Uh oh!

This Sunday, Dubuque operations experienced it's first cancellation of service for Northwest Airlink since it's return on June 20, 2008.
My morning shift had gone really well. There were only two of us working and we had a few passengers listed on the afternoon flight show up to fly standby. I had never helped accommodate anyone in this fashion before, but I learned quickly that it wasn't as hard as it first appeared. We got the flight out and I felt a good sense of accomplishment. After a quick nap, I attended the morning church service at the Bridge. We had a visiting pastor since our ministering pastor preached his last sermon the week before. He and his family were moving elsewhere to continue ministering. After church I wrote up my previous blog and headed back out to work.
We were working shorthanded again and I considered calling in for re-enforcements, but decided that those who had the day off deserved it and it would be difficult to convince anyone to come in on such short notice. Working quickly, we got everyone off the plane and into the terminal and the next bunch onto the plane. With the engines started, my day was almost over until a look of concern came over the captain's face. I went inside to talk to her on the radio. She explained that they were having a problem getting the oil pressure in the right engine to reach the normal operating range. After a few minutes of troubleshooting and talking to dispatch in Minneapolis, she decided to have the passengers deplaned while she further diagnosed the problem.
We performed a run-up but it resulted in the same outcome. Without going into too much more detail, after about 20 minutes and still no definitive answer, the captain with the advice of dispatch and maintenance control decided to cancel the flight. I had to call our station manager on his day off to advise him of the situation and ask for his assistance in re-booking our passengers. Some passengers decided immediately to drive. Others were rerouted to American Airlines through Chicago. The really unfortunate ones, who couldn't make any connections to their final destination that late in the afternoon, had to stay overnight and go out on our first flight Monday morning. Only one gentleman required a hotel stay. The remaining passengers were either staying with relatives or had a residence in Dubuque.
Being relatively young and resilient, I volunteered to come back that evening to make sure everything ran smoothly. Minneapolis would be sending a mechanic down on our late arrival to try to fix the problem. This meant we would have two aircraft on the ground at once and the movement of passengers had to be controlled over a longer distance across the ramp. The flight crew from the afternoon flight went to the hotel to rest for a while, not knowing exactly what the course of action would be taken if and when the aircraft was fixed. Again, to make a long story short, the crew and I ended up waiting around until about three in the morning while the mechanic worked on the engine. Despite being extremely exhausted, we had fun passing the time and I made two more contacts in the Mesaba network of pilots.
Because the pilots had exceeded their allowable time on the clock and the problem wasn't completely resolved, they couldn't leave immediately and a second mechanic had to be sent in the morning. The crew and mechanic went back to the hotel to get some more rest. I got about a half hour of sleep at home before heading back into work at 5am for my scheduled shift. We sent the good plane out that came in the previous night as usual. I got to go home and sleep some more while the second mechanic worked on the engine. He determined that the cause of the problem was a broken lead somewhere in the engine. He was able to repair this in a fairly quick manner and the paperwork to reposition the aircraft to MSP was begun. I arrived for my next scheduled shift at 1pm and the crew from yesterday showed up shortly thereafter. We said our goodbyes with the expectation that we would see each other again soon, but under better circumstances. I worked the normal afternoon flight without incident before getting on to head out to Massachusetts. It was a long day and a half, but the vacation I had been looking forward to and the extra hours to cover my time off made it worth it.

Jon's Fall Folly

I know that an entry is long overdue, but it will have to be a short one today so that I can have time to eat and make it to work this afternoon. Ugh... where to start? This week was UD's homecoming. I was relieved to not be as involved with the planning as I was last year. I made it to the volleyball and soccer games during week. Yesterday I took the cross country team up to La Crosse, WI through quite a bit of fog. We made it safe and sound though. It was a big meet so the posted results may not be indicative of our team's performance in relationship to our goals. We had several PR's on the day and the music before, during, and after was quite entertaining. Our men and women were also quite pumped up from the pep rally the night before and the various other spirit building activities that took place this week. Several runners commented that this was the most fun meet yet and to those that had run the Dr. Tucker at the soccer complex in Dubuque in previous years, this was a big improvement. So, I didn't get to go to the football game, but we caught the end of the fourth quarter after the Iowa (vs. Wisconsin) game and once we were in radio range. I attended the homecoming dance at the Masonic Temple with last year's homecoming queen, Christine Roller, to crown the 2008 king and queen. We're hoping this will become a tradition. 

Flying is going well. By my estimation I will be on track to finish by the end of the year. I'm hoping to get standardized at the University after earning my rating and be ready for a few students next semester. 

This week I'm taking a couple days off to fly out to New Hampshire to hang out with my former roommate Karl Biermann. He is currently living near Manchester and flying Pilatus PC-12's for a company called Plane Sense. I don't know much about it, but I'm sure you could Google it. The flights to BOS look better so I'm planning on using that airport. Karl said it's a 45 min drive either way you look at it. 

I may have missed some newsworthy items in my rush to finish this and I don't have pictures to include, but I may go back and edit this later or make a new post. Hopefully there will be less time between this and my last post. 

Jon's Cooking Corner

Thought I'd share a recipe I saw on the news about a week ago. It's really simple, cost effective and I just learned it was as delicious as expected. Here goes:

Chicken Burrito Bundles
6 flour tortillas

2 cups of cooked chicken, chopped

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 can of refried beans

shredded cheese

diced tomato and onion

optional ingredients: jalapenos, salsa, green pepper

Combine chicken and taco seasoning in a plastic bag and shake well. Spread beans in the center of the tortillas. Top with seasoned chicken and cheese. Sprinkle tomato and onions on top and any optional ingredients you wish. Fold tortillas burrito style and wrap in foil. Place in a 350 degree oven for 15mins.

The recipe showed the burritos topped with extra cheese and salsa. I didn't do either this time. I just added my jalapenos afterwards in case my taste testers couldn't handle the heat. Next time I think they'll go right in so they don't fall off. Besides taste, the best thing about this recipe is that there is almost no clean up. I grilled the chicken and shook it ahead of time so the total prep time today was only about 15 mins plus 15 for cooking. Let me know if you try it and if you like it.

In other news, I drove one of the vans down to Grinnell for the UD cross country team yesterday. It gave me the chance to cheer, take pictures, and see mom and dad for a couple hours. Plus, I got a free lunch. My former roommate Matt drove down from Waterloo, IA to see the guys run and take pictures also. I also ran into a former high school friend who now goes to Truman State in Kirksville, MO. She went home for the weekend to see her parents and they all came to the meet to see her roommate run for Truman. Everyone got a little wet near the end of the men's race, but it was a good meet overall. The UD men's team beat Buena Vista University and Indian Hills Community College and the women beat BVU as well. Next weeks meet will be at nearby Memorial Park in Platteville, WI. I should be able to sneak up there to catch both races before work.

The men's football team was at #24 ranked University of Redlands in Redlands, CA this week. Dubuque received a beating similar to the one they put on Rockford College last week with a final score of 46-9.

I've got the Bears game on pause right now so as soon as that's done, I've got a lesson plan to do for tomorrow. Hope all is well with everyone else!

Shot of the week:

Rest of the pictures

UD Kicks Off 2008 Football Season

It was a gorgeous night for football in Dubuque on Saturday. The Spartans played host to the Rockford Regents under the lights for the first game on the brand new artificial surface of Chalmers Field and the first night game in UD history. The stands were full and there was a lot of excitement for the beginning of this season. Dubuque skunked Rockford last year by a score of 38-0. This year the Spartans kept the tradition alive by whooping up on Rockford 49-7.
I could only stay for the first half of the game before heading back to work the late shift, but I was impressed with what I saw. Very few mistakes from either team and a lot of action and thrills for those on the Dubuque side. The facilities were impressive as well. The scoreboard was my favorite component of the stadium. The graphics on it were amazing. They even played a clip from the movie 300 when the Spartans came onto the field before the game. (300, if you aren't aware, is a recent film about the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans (plus volunteers) held their ground despite being far outnumbered by the Persian enemy.) I couldn't believe how fast everything came together for the stadium and wellness center. There is still more work to be done on the indoor facility however.

After the game there was a fireworks display, which I heard was quite a show. UD sure knows how to wow the crowd! I wouldn't count on this for every home game though. We had fireworks for last year's homecoming and I'm hoping we can keep that tradition. One of the fraternities on campus owns a cannon, which was not in attendance last night because it was being restored. But once completed, it is my understanding that this will be fired after every UD touchdown.

Read the Press Release

See the rest of the Photos

Photos taken by Kevin Bradford

UD Aviation Accident

Hey everyone,

I'm not sure how far the news traveled, but I wanted to let everyone know that there was an aircraft accident yesterday afternoon involving two University of Dubuque flight students. Fortunately, I was not involved, but my friend and former cross country teammate was one of the pilots. Right now the two gentlemen are still in critical condition at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals in Madison, WI. I first learned about the accident from my former roommate who got a call from his former student who was at the flight center. From then on, all details were provided by the local news. I don't have any insight into the cause of the crash, but a full NTSB investigation will be taking place. If you want to read the news and press releases here are a list of sites with coverage. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm ok.

http://www.dbq.edu/

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/27828634.html

http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=214675

All Work and No Play

I wouldn't say things at the airport have been dull. I get to meet new people pretty much every day. However, work is work and I've begun to get into a routine. Hence, I haven't had much of anything newsworthy enough to share. Besides, most of you know my routine by now, so there's no need to beat that dead horse. Earlier this week, I found a Yahtzee game on an aircraft. I haven't played in quite a while, but now I have something else to do at work during the slow periods.

Yesterday, I went to Cedar Rapids for the UD men's and women's first cross country meet of the season. Despite small numbers on both teams, everyone ran well. The women's team has already doubled and it sounds like they will getting a few more runners for the next meet. The men's team currently has six members, so they could use some help as well. The Spartans are now under the direction of Matt Hayes. Formerly a runner at Wisconsin-Steven's Point, Hayes previously coached at Milikin and several other colleges before coming to UD (more info). It was good to see the returning runners and meet the rookies. The women ran a 4k followed by the men's 5K. I've seen several different vehicles lead cross country and road races: Gators, bikes, police crusiers... However, with Mt. Mercy as the meet host and the event titled, the Mustang Gallop after their mascot, why shouldn't a horse lead the race? It was unexpected for those of us who hadn't been to this meet before, but it worked out rather well. If I would have been thinking, I would have put money on that horse. ;)

Men's Results

Women's Results

Photo Album

End of Summer Summary

Technically, it's not the end of summer for everyone. As Grandpa Erickson noted, I won't be heading back to school this fall for the fact that I'm now a member of the real world (not talking about the MTV reality show.) However, there is still excitement around town as friends move back and get ready to take up classes and fall sports. Just because I'm not going to back to school, doesn't mean I have to stop bringing my peanut butter and jelly for lunch.
Things have been pretty routine here lately. I've settled in to a "regular" work schedule. My hours at Mesaba don't change as frequently as they used to, but I still find being alert for a 5am shift or staying up for a 9pm-midnight hardly normal. I had the day off today, which afforded me some time to get caught up on some chores around the apartment, some lesson plans, and still find time to relax. I do have to work tonight and tomorrow afternoon, but I have tomorrow night off and Thursday during the day. For supper tonight, I made pizza on the grill. My former roommate found the recipe and I have since perfected it. This time instead of pepperoni, I tried Alfredo sauce, a grilled chicken breast, tomatoes, and spinach. It was delicious.

Last week I also found time to meet up with some classmates for a single A baseball game in Clinton, IA. The Lumberkings played host to the Burlington Bees. It was a pretty good game, but we spent most of it catching up. Erin, who got the tickets, works for the team in the media relations department. Aaron, my former flight instructor and now "co-worker", was visiting his parents in DeWitt, IA. He's now a pilot for Mesaba so we shared some interesting perspectives.

The next thing on my radar will probably be UD's homecoming. I'll try to make it to a few of the football team's regular games as well as some cross country meets, but it may involve trading some shifts. No non-rev trips coming up soon. I think I'll bank my time off for the items I just mentioned. I would like to get to Seattle and Florida before the end of the year though.

Reunion Time

Most of the doobies attending the family gathering this year are probably on their way already and won't receive this, but I just thought I'd make an entry before I head out. Tomorrow afternoon I'll take a Northwest flight to Minneapolis and then on to Kalamazoo. Scheduled arrival time is 10:35 pm, but with summer weather, anything can happen. Friday has many possibilities for family bonding. Amanda is making a visit to Hope College , so I may tag along so that I can also see Uncle Darel. Hopefully there's enough time to pick fresh blueberries. Picking's not the fun part, it's the eating I'm after. I'm also hoping there's time for a rematch in the Pott's Family Volleyball Tournament. With the reunion on Saturday, my only goals are to pile on the oliebollen and brush up on my sailing skills. I'll have just enough time to go to church with the family before I need to verify at the airport. My routing back to Dubuque will take me through Detroit in addition to Minneapolis. Flights look full at the moment, but there's always a chance someone will misconnect or cancel, allowing me a seat to get home.

The Big Apple

Well, it was an interesting start to my New York City adventure. En route, we were advised of some thunderstorms in the New York area. We got about three circuits into our 45 minute holding pattern when it was decided that it would be more feasible to land and wait out the storm. So I got a trip to Pittsburgh at no extra charge! Fortunately, they let us off the aircraft to get something to eat in the terminal. After two hours on the ground, we reboarded and flew the remaining 50 minutes to Laguardia.

Paola and her roommate picked me up in a car they borrowed from a friend. We drove around the city to look at buildings and attractions which took us over the Brooklyn Bridge. We then picked up the owner of the car and went to eat at Paola's place of employment.

Monday, we got up early to fit in all of our sight seeing. Paola and I took the subway to where they were constructing the ground zero memorial. We walked around and saw the Statue of Liberty from a distance, which was good enough for me. Next, we stopped at the Merrill Lynch Bull for a photo op. We walked through Times Square, past Radio City Music Hall, Rockafeller Plaza, then on to the Ed Sullivan Theater where the Late Show with David Letterman is taped. Paola had to go back to work for a meeting, so I took a nap at her apartment. We went back out later to go up in the Empire State Building. Quite an amazing view. We went back to Times Square to find something to eat. I had never been to a Hard Rock Cafe, so we decided to eat there. The wait was too long, so I just grabbed a souvenir t-shirt. We hopped on the subway to find a place to take some pictures of the skyline. By now, dark had fallen and it gave me a great opportunity to take some night shots. I didn't bring my tripod, so I had to set my camera on the railing of the pier. We got back on the subway and headed home. On our walk from the station to the apartment, we grabbed a slice of pizza at a small shop around the corner.

I left NYC the next day at 1pm. I planned a long layover in Minneapolis so I could sleep in a little, but at the same time avoid missing the last flight out of New York. I took the opportunity to reunite Alli and take a tour of downtown Minneapolis. She picked me up at the airport and we took the light rail system from the mall to downtown. There we met her friend Sara and together the three of us walked around to look at more buildings. We ate the the Hard Rock Cafe, but I forewent buying another shirt and just took a picture instead. After dinner, we hopped back on the light rail to get back to the mall. Because of a Twins game, we had to change trains at the Metrodome. Alli dropped me off at the airport and I had plenty of time to relax before the flight back to Dubuque.

It was a great and much needed vacation after working almost non-stop since the beginning of training with Mesaba. I was fortunate to have friends in both cities to show me around and spend time with. The next trip will be in a couple of weeks to Kalamazoo for a family reunion. After that, I'm thinking about either Seattle or San Fransisco.

See all my pictures at Photobucket or Facebook 1 and Facebook 2. The pics at Photobucket are better quality, but they are out of order. The pictures at Facebook are lower quality but in order. Take your pick!