But you can never leave

[austin_dern]

I left Southern California today. My first flight of the day was from Ontario Airport to Los Angeles International. These airports are closer together than the opposite ends of the Crossgates Mall in Colonie, New York, are. The scheduled flight duration was 30 minutes. It was worth 500 frequent flier miles. It was actually about ten minutes, barely enough time to get above the clouds and enjoy the Laputa-like scene of mountains floating on a cloud cover. I'll describe more, including my brush with the law, when I've had time to sleep. It was, though, my first time flying in a propeller-driven airplane, which wasn't dramatically different but was a novelty.

Trivia: Salvador Dali's first one-man exhibition was in Barcelona in 1921, at the Dalmau Gallery. His works included classical, Cubist, and Purist paintings. Source: Salvador Dali, Jessica Hodge.

Currently Reading: The Thurb Revolution, Alexei Panshin.

Comments

[rcoony.livejournal.com]

On my last jump when coming back from San Francisco, I took a turboprop, and loved it. Turbulence caused it to bounce all over, it was so much fun!

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

This didn't bounce at all. I'm glad to say it was a smooth and trouble-free flight ... as, actually, I've had a lot of lately. I don't remember the last time I had significant turbulence on a flight, knock aluminum.

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

I've flown on props before.. very often during my college years, as Waco was served only by Props from American Eagle and Continental. Lasted about 40 minutes to an hour to Dallas, and an hour and up to Houston. Not a bad time.. usually just long enough to read the in-flight magazine.

10-minute flight is pretty amazing. I've spent more time than that within an airport on shuttle busses.

--Chiaroscuro

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

All the more absurdly, the flight was delayed -- the plane didn't arrive from Los Angeles International on time because of the cloud and fog -- so that I spent much more time waiting in the airport than I did flying, and I certainly spent more time waiting for the flight than I would have spent riding a bus to Los Angeles International.

Color me confused...

[patchoblack.livejournal.com]

You said you were leaving Southern California, but your flight was FROM Ontario Airport TO Los Angeles International. Um...that sounds like you were returning to Southern California, not leaving it. Am I missing something?

Re: Color me confused...

[yellow3.livejournal.com]

You might be thinking of the wrong Ontario. Ontario Airport is on the edge of San Bernadino county, several miles west of Los Angeles and LAX. It's a small airport, nice and local instead of massively huge like SFO or LAX. Still, the jump between the two must be very short, considering that it's perhaps an hour and a half, two hour drive between the two.

What annoys me about Ontario these days is that they're still all OMG TERRORISTS and you're not allowed anywhere even vaguely near the gates, so everyone's stuck on the bottom floor near the escalators, which is not that large an area. Also, it means that I can't creep out the airport attendants by plastering myself to (and closely examining) the heavily-fossiliferous limestone walls since those are also all up near the gates.

Oh well.

Re: Color me confused...

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

This is exactly right, the Ontario airport in Ontario, California, nearby Pomona and Rancho Cucamonga. I'm sorry I had so little time to visit places, since as a cartoon and Jack Benny Show fan I've wanted to see Cu ... camonga.

See my posting of June 20th for my encounter with paranoid security guards.

The trip was an extremely short one. And absurdly they had the flight overbooked and offered free tickets to people willing to be bumped to later. I wouldn't object -- I had a long time to wait for my connection -- but the first flight after that was full too, and the second would have me arrive at Los Angeles after my connection left. They really could have given me a bus ride instead ...

Still, it was neat.

[moonfires.livejournal.com]

My favourite prop flight was on a Beechcraft 1900D from Hartford to Montreal. The Beech 1900D only seats 18 passengers, which made it not require cabin crew (therefore cheap to run). All the announcements were recordings and the little folding doors to the cockpit had to be open except during takeoff and landing, because the pilots had to be able to check the cabin. I doubt these are used anymore these days.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

This was, if I wrote it down correctly, an EMB 120, whatever that means exactly. Seated 33 passengers. There was one flight attendant. Had three seats in each row, spaced A BC. The safety demonstration was almost longer than the flight.

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

The in-flight movie was the Looney Tunes opening titles?

I've flown on a turboprop a couple times, of which the most memorable was one leg between Arcata and Medford. Now, Medford itself is a mild challenge, as it's in quite a valley, with tall mountains all around, making for some good currents. On the other paw, Arcata's right on the coast, and has some nice cliffs.. toss in a good, stirring Dark and Stormy Night rainstorm, and you wind up with as lively a rollercoaster ride as you could wish for, with the positively futuristic aspect of there being no rails.

Not a landing one would easily sleep through. ^_^