Does there ALWAYS have to be a problem?

Flying from Newark down to Greenville SC tomorrow (saturday) afternoon to see Mom. First time we've flown anywhere in two years. So of course I get a cold two days before the trip, and now I have to pack tissues and lozenges and medicine, and I get to be miserable on the plane and have everyone pissed at me for being the sick guy in the closed environment, and I won't be able to sleep well being sick AND in a strange bed.

And we're coming home Monday bight, right at the tail end of a predicted Nor'Easter storm in NJ, which will undoubtedly fuck up air traffic all up and down the coast and cause us to sit in Greenville for a 4-hour delay. We've even had a flight cancelled once due to weather and had to stay with Mom an extra day (which Mary just LOOOVED).

Should be a real relaxing friggin weekend, eh?



Next time I have a mother I'm gonna tell her not to move so far away.

You're flying out of Newark. Problems are part and parcel of operations there. Would you believe me if I told you that I've been #84 for takeoff there before? Eight fucking four- yes, you heard me right. Took 3.5 hours before we even bothered to start the engines.

And I though the time we sat in the taxiing line for 90 minutes with the engines off was bad! You probably can imagine what the cabin of a full ERJ-145 is like with the AC off for 90 miniutes. Yeesh! I was 5 minutes away from opening a few windows with my teeth!

Short Answer?

Yes.

Is that one of those shitty puddle jumpers by Embraer that are so short you can hardly stand?

Weird...I have the opposite thing about strange beds. I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime within minutes. The floor, a motel bed, parking lot, etc, but I toss and turn in my own bed. I'm sure this is some symbolic psychological bullshit.

I fly out of Eagle Creek, here...no problems.

I'm the pilot.

Short answer: drive.

It does make running out of gas a bit less stressful.

I concur. No offense to Marso or Techman, but if I can't get there via my 4x4 or pontoon boat, I don't have any business going there.

Shit, no offense taken. If I can make the trip by car in two days or less, fuck dealing with the airlines and TSA!!

My hatred of long-distance driving far exceeds my hatred of airport security.

Oh, and, once again, little Greenville, SC's airport security is MUCH more rigid and thorough than Newark!

They have far less traffic.

^That's an understatement!

I think there were four people on the security line, as opposed to 500 at Newark.

Heck, with that kind of time you should have taxied over to LaGuardia.

I was about ready to do like that old U-2 video- just abandon the plane on the ramp and walk home.