I've arrived safe and sound in Pennsylvania
(Written on September 2 somewhere above the continent, generally
around FL370. I sincerely hope a
one-winged angel is not responsible for keeping this aircraft in the
air...)
Upgrades are handy
Ooooh, I'm being thoroughly spoiled by United's Economy Plus. After
taking my original upgraded seat assignment, the flight attendants
generously relocated me to the exit row after I ended up on a row with two
babies. Since the exit row has even more space than the original seat, I
wasn't complaining. Why, they might actually convince me that other
airlines are capable of providing the kind of service on domestic flights
that Southwest gives to all passengers by default!
And I can stretch my legs! Woohoo! It will be very difficult
for me to go back to standard cattle class on a transcontinental flight
after this (read: I'm looking into upgrading my return segment). United
already had slightly more generous space than the typical American seat, but
the only way American can come even come close to this is with their 777 in
the 2-class configuration (the secret here is to claim a business cabin seat
on the economy fare). United is quickly becoming my preferred airline for
long-haul flights (Southwest remains my preferred airline for regional
travel). If United would just offer power ports, they'd more or less
guarantee my business for long-haul.
Ever wonder just how many centers an aircraft passes through on a flight
like this? Erm, No? Of course you have! Well,
wonder no more!
Oakland Center
Have I mentioned how much I like Flightline (United channel 9) lately? I
planned ahead this time and brought a cable to link the in-flight audio
system with luc so I could mix music with ATC transmissions. Three-foot miniplug cables
are wonderful devices :)
Listening in on the radio for the entire trip does wonders for one's
confidence in the controllers' ability to keep planes from hitting other
airborne objects in the sky. At the moment, Oakland Center's looking for a
glider or VFR aircraft that
turned up on their radar in controlled airspace -- apparently none of the
pilots nearby can actually find it though.
Salt Lake Center
Salt Lake Center doesn't say much and sounds much more relaxed than
Oakland -- I'm not really surprised by this. They also aren't overly chatty
to thru traffic -- they've only said two words to us so far. Overheard in
a conversation with another aircraft though:
Center: United NNN, military airspace is not currently restricted, want
it?
United: [significant pause] ...Sure! Why not?
Denver Center
We dared to ask for FL370; center came back with a terse "We have your
request, traffic is a factor". Friendly folks here. Actually, the second
center controller we were transferred to is actually moderately friendly,
gently correcting a wayward pilot that thought he was still in Kansas. It's
just the other controllers that are fairly short in their
communications.
Minneapolis Center
Much friendlier on the line -- also in much less of a hurry than Denver.
The pilots also seem a bit more energetic in this airspace -- a fellow just
began his call with a very enthusiastic "Hello, Minneapolis!".
"United 186, US Air NNN, traffic at your twelve o'clocks..." Quaint way
of saying "So, did you all know you're flying directly at each other"...
Chicago Center
The controller here is having trouble identifying call signs;
"Imsorrywhoisthatfrom?" is a rather common phrase on the line now. This
airspace is a fair bit noisier; there's a lot of back-and-forth negotiation
between the controllers and pilots as the latter try to avoid turbulence
east of Chicago. Everyone's trying to get out of FL410, apparently they're
enjoying a nice roller coaster above us...
There's a lot of Southwest traffic up here, possibly MDW traffic; we seem to have
lost several of our American companions out of SFO.
We're gently rolling to the left and right, which I think would be rather
soothing if it weren't for various implications that one is intrinsically of
when one is a considerably distance above ground level and still within
Earth gravity's grasp...
Cleveland Center
Coming into this center we have about 100 miles before we hit this fabled
"turbulence" that's all the talk tonight. This flight has been somewhat
smoother than usual, though in fairness it is eastbound. The
interesting thing about Flightline is you get to hear the errors made all
across the board -- including United's. Something I've been reflecting on
as our pilots have failed to respond to three calls in a row...
???
At this point they turned off Flightline for some reason (possibly by
mistake), leaving us in the dark for a portion of the flight. If I recall
correctly though, we get handed off to New York Center and somebody's
TRACON. It's a
mystery!
New York Center
Okay, the transmission rate really picks up once they switch over to New
York Center. The messages are terse less out of temperament and more out of
necessity. Close to the end of the flight, yippee!
Philadelphia Approach
And here's where they ask us to turn off all electronic devices... =P
Addendum: Verizon's VZ Navigator service is actually pretty spiffy. We
might actually manage to not get lost out here!