With my move back to Embry-Riddle approaching quickly, life has been fairly hectic. I completed my fourth summer as a Research Assistant at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania this past Friday, and now my sights are set on finishing up my Private Pilot Certificate before heading back south. In my free time, I’ve decided to work on knocking off a few aviation books from my reading list (in addition to adding short reviews to the Book Reviews page)
I am more than halfway through this book. If you’re looking for the true story of how today’s airlines, and former airlines, got to where they are, this, so far, is a fantastic read.
I’ve also read Newhouse’s Boeing versus Airbus and found it an interesting read. The Sporty Game is quite a few years old, but I’m hoping it will detail some of the history of the competition involved within the aircraft manufacturing industry during the 1980′s and prior.
Most of what I’ve learned about Southwest Airlines and their business model has been unraveled through the various online articles I’ve read, coupled with the writings of Thomas Petzinger Jr in Hard Landing, and from listening to Colleen Barrett speak at Wharton’s Leadership Conference some time ago.
Despite David Neeleman’s departure from JetBlue a few years ago, it takes skill to create a successful and profitable airline. Mr. Neeleman has had success, not only with JetBlue, but also with Brazil’s Azul. I’m curious to learn what it takes, as well as the strategies and mindset, to successfully operate an airline.
With that list posted, it’s fair to say my plate will be fairly full. Even though I love blogging and writing about the industry, I’m sure you may have noticed I’ve taken a few steps from blogging, and have concentrated my time on outside-blogging activities. While I can’t promise I’ll be blogging forever, you can always find me on twitter to stay up-to-date with everything.
I hope everyone has a safe and fun fourth of July.
This past friday I had the opportunity to take a day-trip with family to Chicago, IL. The whole day was an adventure, and I’ll post the itinerary below, but the ending was remarkable. On our American Eagle flight back to Philadelphia, the sky was lit up by fireworks. Nearly every part of the see-able land area below was sparkling, and it was the perfect ending to a terrific trip.
It made me think, today is not a good day for VFR (visual flight rules) flights in small airplanes. I know for a fact that part of the Orlando area airspace is off-limits to pilots around the Disney area for safety concerns, one of them being the danger of fireworks. For all you low-flying VFR pilots, be careful out there tonight, and have safe flights.
To all readers, have a great holiday!
Itinerary for Chicago:
9:20 AM: Arrive at Chicago O’Hare via American Airlines
9:40 AM – 10:30 AM: Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line from O’Hare to Monroe (Downtown)
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The city of Seattle, sometimes referred to as Jet City, is sort of a mecca for aviation enthusiasts. I’ve never been to Seattle before last week, but I’ve been longing to go the day I found out The Boeing Company built their airplanes there. Although aircraft manufacturing is an integral part of Seattle, the city offers an abundant array of things-to-do around the city that are non-aviation. For one intense week, my father and I attempted to fit as much of Seattle as we could into our schedule.
We arrived into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport around midnight on a Saturday night. Overall, the airport was nice, but it was a bit of a haul to lug bags to the rental car facility at the airport. After loading the trunk of our rental Subaru Legacy, we drove to downtown and checked-in at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel. The hotel, located on the corner of Madison Street and 6th, was extremely convenient, since it was situated directly next to I-5 and was in a walking distance of all things downtown.
Road trip to Lake Crescent and Ruby Beach
After some research on Olympic National Park at TripAdvisor.com, I decided we should tour other parts of the state of Washington. We had to take a ferry across the Puget Sound, the main body of water around Seattle, to make this trip, but it was well worth it. As Pennsylvanians, ferries are rare, and I’ve never been on one – it was a pretty cool experience – and we enjoyed it. After we crossed the Sound, we arrived at Bremerton and headed to Lake Crescent. Despite the drizzling rain, we had a blast, and took dozens of photos. It amazed me how clear and deep the lake is. We continued westward to the coast, making our way to the Pacific.
Ruby Beach, even in the rain, provided some breathtaking views. I had never seen, or been in, the Pacific Ocean prior to this, so it was pretty cool.
Finally, after visiting these two landmark park areas, it was time to head back to Seattle. We headed south and took U.S. Routes 101 and 12 and looped back towards Olympia, Tacoma, and back to Seattle on I-5.
Seattle Center, Ride the Ducks, Pike Place Market
Due to rainy weather in Seattle, our flight with Kenmore Air was cancelled. However, the airline was quick to rebook and conveniently put us on a flight for Tuesday. Although wet, the light rain did not keep us from touring Seattle.
We walked from our hotel to Seattle Center and gazed upon the towering Space Needle. That weekend the folk festival was the major event, and we got to experience fine northwestern folk music.
Of course, I had to get a picture with the P-I globe.
After walking around Seattle Center, we ended up going on Seattle’s Ride the Ducks. As east coasters, we’re no strangers to the strange land-sea DUKW (yes, that doesn’t exactly spell ‘duck’) vehicles. In the 90 minute tour, we were driven around most of Seattle. In addition, we got to boat across Lake Union (where our Kenmore Air tour took place).
Following the tour the sun came out, one of its few appearances during our visit, and we were able to walk towards Pike Place Market. Known for its vast variety of non-chain shops (with the exception of the first Starbucks), Pike Pace Market offers Seattle-area citizens an amazing farmers market and a scenic view – it overlooks the Elliott Bay waterfront in Seattle, WA.
Kenmore Air
In the early afternoon, it was time for our seaplane ride with Kenmore Air. This is a must-do! Even with mostly cloudy skies, the flight was beautiful. While the price may be a bit steep ($89), Kenmore Air truly is the best way to see Seattle. Check out the video I compiled below:
Museum of Flight
The Museum of Flight captures the Northwest’s role in the history of aviation. With over 80 aircraft, the museum offers a diverse line-up of aircraft, ranging from the Boeing 80A to a tour-able British Airways Concorde. I especially enjoyed their Boeing Red Barn exhibit, where they highlighted the history of The Boeing Company in the Northwest.
Future of Flight / Boeing Tours
The Future of Flight museum offers tourists a look at today’s / the future’s aviation world that we live in. With numerous exhibits from Rolls-Royce, GE, The Boeing Company, and other major aerospace firms, Future of Flight is definitely a must-see. Additionally, the museum offers a tour of Boeing Commercial Airplanes’s Everett final-production assembly facility, where tourists can watch 747s, 767s, 777s, and 787s built right in-front of them. Of course, The Boeing Company’s presence in Seattle was the one of the primary contributing factors in my destination city selection for this trip, and I am proud to say that I finally saw the 787 and the 747-8.
Conclusion
While I’ve had the opportunity to learn about Seattle through my reader-blog at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, I never knew Seattle was as warm and welcoming. The “Northwest Nice” attitude is something to be envied, and we definitely enjoyed our stay in Seattle. If you’re looking for a relaxing and fun-packed vacation, I recommend you visit Seattle, and be sure to visit some of these must-see places.
9:40 AM – 10:30 AM: Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line from O’Hare to Monroe (Downtown)
3:45 PM – 4:15 PM: Hung out around Navy Pier
