Travel Tips

Not so much any more...when I was 10 yrs younger, maybe?? While I will admit that flying around in small planes (not the commuter plane you just stepped off of) but Piper Traumahawks, Luscombes, Cessna's, end even helicopters even through after seeing 3 of them crash in my life time the scare the pooh out of me at times(I've been in a R22 but is was like scuba diving in terms of the type of movement we had. As you may or may not know I am the son of an old school flight attendant for Continental (when the Golden tail and service were around). Dad went to Law School and became an Atty but I got the flying/aviation bug from my mom...wish I had gotten the legal bug from my dad. Of everything I have gotten a ride in or flown (still don't have pilots license) doing "surf patrols" as we used to call them with Mark in the Luscombe and the Grateful flowing thru the David Clarks is my favorite. Heading into Anchorage in the jumpseat of a 747 freighter at sunrise is a close second........

Being an American I don't get a month of vacation to head out to some place..the most I can take is 15-16 days which makes a plane the most practical way of getting around. (A train ride is often part of the adventure if I have to get on one due to time constraints). Would rather ride a Cessna to some of these places but ever crossed an ocean in a single engine plane...I have not as it is usually a solo trip for those that do. Flying on an airliner used to a be big fun for me when I was a kid..no it can be at times but when your are sitting in a middle seat in the back of a packed 747 flying 11-12 hrs...you kinda loose the magic. No I look at it mostly as a quick way to get to a place I want to get to. On top of that you cannot listen to music during takeoff or landing due to safety issues even though I know the emergency procedures inside and out on most plane....
The food as you know is also not what it used to be...not that it was much to begin with but First and Business Class are far from what they used to be....flight attendants even used to have to talk to passengers if you can believe that one???? (Some still do but it is rare)

Guess I have been lucky since the longest I have been stuck in one is 3-4 days and that would be the one below..Punta Arenas in southern Chile. Other than that I got to spend the night under and a/c duct behind the Dubai ticket counters so I really cannot complain. Of the few places I like the most? Amsterdam has the most to do and getting into the city is easy plus they have a great observation deck that you don't need to be a passenger to use. Minneapolis is a favorite in the US. The people are nice and it is easy to get into town or the Mall of America if you get stuck. LAX where I live is a lame airport since the terminals are not connected. If you change airlines you'll end up going thru security again and visiting those lovely TSA people. Denver is cool airport due to it's size...kind of out in the sticks but when you land and see the small canyon outside between the runway and the taxiway...kinda cool also... I know, I said I am not big on top ten lists, etc... this is not a top ten list

Been here a few times and hell even worked underneath the terminal for a few months. Amsterdam is a place I know well considering I am not a local. As I said earlier there is plenty to do here..you can even gamble a bit if you like. Have waited a Checkpoint Charlie for friends several times..was here after the Burger King burnt up...along with the foot and mouth scare, eaten fries with no mayo next to the camera shop and tried to sleep upstairs to the right of the E concourse. This is one airport that is easy to get into but hard to get out (love playing 20 questions with security at the gate...thanks Uncle Sam!)

Some people hate these things when they see them. This Saab is fine for me. It is small/slow enough to where it does not cruise that high and you can see the ground at times. It's acutally a prop with a jet engine that spins the prop if that makes sense...very safe and a bit easier on mother earth for you greenies out there. I've flown on my share of them both at home and abroad. They are even more fun when you are in and out of the mountians....Mali in the pic below is a bit flat. South America has some good prop flights as well as Nepal which is Mecca to those who like flying. I'll fly on just about anything..any time/any place...would still like to ride in a Russian plane. I flew KLM and Korean when I was in Russia..years ago.

Need something quick? Send it via air. Most of your mail rides that way and in fact most of the stuff in the US even rides Fedex as they do the flying for the postal service inside the country. For longer distances air is the best way to get things to people in need. Below is a plane being loaded up with Chat, qat or whateve you want to call it for Djibouti? I earned a living moving things by air and it served me well. It's also a good excuse to play with airplanes. While not the cleanest way to moving something, speed has it's advantages. Everything from the socks you might be wearing to a turbine for a nuclear reactor have moved by air. The Russians or Ukrainians tend to move the heavy stuff on the An 124s. I guess I am a light weight by only moving a 27k micro chip maker on a 747F.