I finally got to ride in a Convair! Since I started with this company, (I've been enthralled with this aircraft.) They have so much history and still work their tails off! They were made in 1956 if that gives you any idea :)
When I got to work last night, I found out that this plane was about to leave for Opa Locka to pick up freight and bring it back to our base. After a bunch of phone calls and texts, I was all set and headed to the plane! We took off at night, so I stared at lights until they went away. Don't worry, I saw plenty of lights after we leveled off.
While we were talking to Atlanta Center, I pointed out a big cluster of lights on the ground and asked if it was Atlanta. Turns out it was Greenville, SC! Oops. I'd never seen a major city from the air at night, so I had no real idea. When we got close to Opa Locka, one of the pilots pointed it out. It was a halo of light because of the humidity hanging over it. When we got closer I saw what a major metropolitan area looks like from the air. Then I realized how wrong I really was earlier!
When we got there, our freight was already there. We had to rebuild the skids so they would fit on the plane, but we had already planned for this, so in all reality this went as close to perfect as possible in our world! The FBO where we did our paperwork was very posh. Leather chairs and couches, duty-free alcohol and even caviar! I felt a bit under-dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, but everyone was very friendly and helpful.
We finally left (and on the runway we wanted, even) and headed back home. Because we were climbing it was hard to look at the city lights, but there was a storm a few miles away, so I watched a lightning storm. I'd never seen lightning from above before, so it was really neat! At one point I got to sit in the captain's seat because he had to change out the charts since they were expiring. Of course, I had orders to not touch anything, but I still loved it! I asked the First Officer a bunch of stuff about the gauges. and took some time to enjoy the even better view.
Most of the cruise home was uneventful. I got to see the sunrise from 23,000 feet in the air. I kinda felt like it was just for me since I was one of the first people to see the sun come up that day. We actually had pretty clear skies until we were almost home.
We had a line of big clouds with some rain that we would have cruised right over if we could still cruise. Instead, we had to descend right through it all to get to where we were going. It got pretty bumpy through all of that, but the cargo didn't complain. It was probably the roughest turbulence I've been through yet, which isn't really saying much. It hit pretty hard right when we got into the first cloud! But it's all part of the learning experience, so I was cool with it.
We landed quite well considering the weather we had just come out of and I was very proud of these pilots. It was raining quite a bit when we landed, but it hasn't rained in a while, so it was all good. There ended up being a problem with the truck, but it got ironed out and all was well with the world.
In summation: Can I go again?! Please?
(I'll try to add pics when I have a few more minutes, sorry.)
When I got to work last night, I found out that this plane was about to leave for Opa Locka to pick up freight and bring it back to our base. After a bunch of phone calls and texts, I was all set and headed to the plane! We took off at night, so I stared at lights until they went away. Don't worry, I saw plenty of lights after we leveled off.
While we were talking to Atlanta Center, I pointed out a big cluster of lights on the ground and asked if it was Atlanta. Turns out it was Greenville, SC! Oops. I'd never seen a major city from the air at night, so I had no real idea. When we got close to Opa Locka, one of the pilots pointed it out. It was a halo of light because of the humidity hanging over it. When we got closer I saw what a major metropolitan area looks like from the air. Then I realized how wrong I really was earlier!
When we got there, our freight was already there. We had to rebuild the skids so they would fit on the plane, but we had already planned for this, so in all reality this went as close to perfect as possible in our world! The FBO where we did our paperwork was very posh. Leather chairs and couches, duty-free alcohol and even caviar! I felt a bit under-dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, but everyone was very friendly and helpful.
We finally left (and on the runway we wanted, even) and headed back home. Because we were climbing it was hard to look at the city lights, but there was a storm a few miles away, so I watched a lightning storm. I'd never seen lightning from above before, so it was really neat! At one point I got to sit in the captain's seat because he had to change out the charts since they were expiring. Of course, I had orders to not touch anything, but I still loved it! I asked the First Officer a bunch of stuff about the gauges. and took some time to enjoy the even better view.
Most of the cruise home was uneventful. I got to see the sunrise from 23,000 feet in the air. I kinda felt like it was just for me since I was one of the first people to see the sun come up that day. We actually had pretty clear skies until we were almost home.
We had a line of big clouds with some rain that we would have cruised right over if we could still cruise. Instead, we had to descend right through it all to get to where we were going. It got pretty bumpy through all of that, but the cargo didn't complain. It was probably the roughest turbulence I've been through yet, which isn't really saying much. It hit pretty hard right when we got into the first cloud! But it's all part of the learning experience, so I was cool with it.
We landed quite well considering the weather we had just come out of and I was very proud of these pilots. It was raining quite a bit when we landed, but it hasn't rained in a while, so it was all good. There ended up being a problem with the truck, but it got ironed out and all was well with the world.
In summation: Can I go again?! Please?
(I'll try to add pics when I have a few more minutes, sorry.)
