Meeting New Friends at Southwest Airlines Headquarters

I arrived in Dallas at 7am and enjoyed the airport atmosphere for a few hours, since I wasn't expected at the Southwest Airlines Headquarters until 11am. While sitting at a charging station, charging my Blackberry, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant noticed my poster and complimented me on it. We chatted for a few minutes. Her name was Angela and she just finished a SAT (San Antonio) turn. She was from Louisiana and a very friendly lady.

I still had some time left so I found a quiet corner of the Dallas Love Field terminal and reconfigured my bags so that I would have what I needed in the next few hours most handy. While waiting for the SWA HDQ shuttle, I met a Mr. Quarles who was very friendly and helped me with my luggage.

When I arrived at SWA HDQ, I had about 15 minutes with which to take pictures after I had checked in with Security. My camera and I took in everything there was to see- on the ceiling, on the walls, on the doors, on the tables- in the lobby.

Paul arrived just before 11am as expected and began escorting me to The Landing. As we passed the elevator, he gestured toward it, "That's Colleen Barrett". I was able to wave and say hello as she disappeared into the elevator. Colleen Barrett is one of the living legends of Southwest Airlines. She is currently President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines, and most recently I had heard that one of the newest classes of Southwest employees had the privilege of hearing her speak.

I was overwhelmed with the amount of choices for lunch. I ended up choosing a fish sandwich, I think it was catfish and I watched it ~slowly~ grill before me, while precious time of conversing with my new friends was wasting away. I listed everyone that I got to meet on the previous post.

I "presented" the poster to my twitter friends from Southwest Airlines. Christi told me that a proper place would be found to display it. Scott presented me with a Southwest Airlines insulated lunchbox packed with all kinds of Southwest Airlines' brand goodies. Paul told him to put an inflatable airplane in there, but they were out. I did get a plush T.J. Luv, and yellow Southwest Airlines cap, a drawstring bag that actually can contain my laptop, a SWA luggage handle wrap, and I can go on and on! In return I held a drawing for some College Park Aviation Museum tumbler cups, since there weren't enough to go around.

The Landing was a great place to eat and had a nice view. But the best view of all was on The Deck. When lunch was over, Christi gave me a tour of the building. She took me onto The Deck where I was able to watch a few Southwest 737's take off and land.

I can't even begin to describe everything I saw on the walls and in the hallways! A large section was dedicated to pictures of employees' families. Some of the things that stood out to me were the pictures representing the activities and projects surrounding the opening of stations such as Denver and Philadelphia. I especially enjoyed the pictures from Southwest Airlines' earliest years. Another wall displayed cartoon caricatures of several leaders of the company. If I were to take a wild guess right now, I would say there were at least 100 to look at. I noticed Colleen's image quite early and Christi pointed out a few more for me and named their role with the company. The Five Symbols of Freedom wall adjacent to one of the elevators and the Giant T-shirt were some other of my favorite sights in the halls.

When Christi showed me the Giant T-shirt area and told me the story behind it and the several dozen t-shirts on the walls, I was so fascinated. When she asked if I wanted a t-shirt, my already sky-high level of excitement soared even higher. When the tour was finished, she presented me with a DING t-shirt that represented one of Southwest Airlines' most recent endeavors, designing an airplane's interior from scratch using more environmentally friendly and lighter weight materials. The shirt features a Southwest symbol blended with a recycling symbol and says "You are free to be green". She also gave me a copy of a poster entitled "We Are Southwest Airlines" that was a collage of many tiny pictures of employees and events that formed a bigger picture. It stood out at me as we walked down the halls. Finally I was given a copy of "Nuts! Southwest Airlines' Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success"

The adventure didn't stop there. I had the opportunity to visit Christi's department and meet Paula and Brandy. While in Brandy's office I saw one of those large magnets that allowed you to sculpt small metal pieces into a 3D shape. The small metal pieces were tiny airplanes. When I realized this, I exclaimed, "My heart!" before realizing that the magnet was heart-shaped and had the Southwest Airlines' logo on it. Brandy offered it to me, saying that she was trying to de-clutter her office, to which I graciously (I hope) received it.

Following the visit to Christi's department, Christi gave me a tour of Operations and Dispatch, where her dad works. It was then she told me about "My Old Man in Maintenance" a video series geared to educate people about basic SWA 737 maintenance.

Thank you so much to all who made this visit to Southwest Airlines' Headquarter such a magical experience! I hope to pay forward all the kindness and support I received from you all and make a difference for others as you have done for me!

A Trip of a Lifetime (Part 1)- Tweet-Up at The Landing and A Tour of Texas Aviation History... AKA Acknowledgements.

I want to start off by saying "THANK YOU!" to all those who made this trip magical!

-Thank you Paul (@FlyingPhotog) for co-ordinating the tweet-up lunch at The Landing!
-Thank you P.J. (@t0r0nad0) for inviting me to the 1940's Air Terminal Museum, and since he couldn't be there to meet me, thank you P.J., for covering my admission and telling Megan I was coming!
-Thank you Megan, for giving me a ride to and from your museum!
-Thank you to the staff, volunteers, and contributors to the 1940's Air Terminal Museum who have collected and preserved a rich Texas aviation history!
-Thank you Isaiah (@um_hi_isaiah) for the Southwest Airlines Spirit One pin, the "Wright is Wrong" pin, and the L1011 pin! Thank you for taking a picture of my flight as it came to the gate!
-Thank you Douglas Brown from Chase at Houston Hobby Airport for sharing your parents' connection to Texas aviation history!
-Thank you Tim for helping me with my bags while on my way to Southwest Airlines' Headquarters!
-Thank you Scott (@Scottas66) for the insulated SWA lunchbox, yellow SWA cap, Blue SWA drawstring bag, loveable plush T.J. LUV, and a selection of other useful SWA gifts!
-Thank you Christi (@christiday), Paul (@FlyingPhotog), Scott (@Scottas66), Deborah (@AluminumCloud), Mallory (@mcmswa), Leslie (@SWALesA), Paul (@pflaninganprguy), Katie (@packedandready), and Caleb Fox (@calebfox) for sharing your lunchtime with me and for your fun company!
-Thank you Christi (@ChristiDay) for the fantastic tour of the Southwest Airlines' Headquarters building, especially the enormous collection of SWA memorabillia, artifacts, and just plane fun!
-Thank you @Brandy_King for "My Heart!" A magnetized Southwest Airlines logoed base with tiny metal airplanes you can "sculpt"!
-Thank you Gary at the Frontiers of Flight Model Shop for the Top Flyte propeller!
-Thank you Brenda at the Frontiers of Flight Gift Shop for your assistance and stories!
-Thank you Paula (@PaulaBerg) for making my stay in Dallas a bit more comfortable!
-Thank you to my SWA cabin crew- Mary, Kate, and Sandra, for the used Emergency Procedures Card, and for making me sing in flight for some SWA playing cards!
-Thank you Harry, Harold, Leroy and Jim for letting me be your unofficial SWA Ambassador/Metro Navigation Expert. Thank you for dinner at Bertrand's too!

Wednesday, 19 August 2009- Making Memories on National Aviation Day 19 August 2009

Making Memories on National Aviation Day

(This post can also be found on the www.eaarentals.com blog as a guest post)

Did you know that in 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed August 19 as National Aviation Day? When I first heard about it from the tight knit group of aviators I follow on twitter, I believed it to be true. I decided to go to my local airport and either participate in specially organized activities for the event, or simply spread the word.

When I arrived at the Montgomery County Airpark, in Montgomery County, Maryland, I had a calling... and a way to break the ice. Upon greeting the airport manager, Mr. John Luke, I proceeded to tell him about the day. Now, I didn't do any official research up to this point, and he was intrigued that he didn't know about it. I only knew that it coincided with Orville Wright's birthday, and why, I didn't know that either.

The doubt began to surface- maybe it wasn't a presidential proclamation, perhaps it was informally proclaimed such by the aviation community, such as AOPA- yet confidently I assured him that aviators across the USA were recognizing this distinguished day. I told him that I would give him much more notice next year- maybe I could organize something! We'll see...

My next stop at the FBO (Fixed Base Operator), was the pilot's lounge. I timidly peeked inside. Yay, a flight crew! I couldn't contain myself, "Hey guys, did you know today is National Aviation Day? No? Well let me tell you about it! As we proceeded with a pleasant conversation, we taught each other much. They were pilots of a Beechjet 400A, a single airplane operation, used to transport medical patients. They were waiting in the Pilot's Lounge for another four hours to deliver a patient to South Carolina. Having talked their ears off for over half and hour, I bid them farewell- the hangars out on the ramp were calling to me. Perhaps I might find someone willing to give me a National Aviation Day flight! I would offer to pay for the fuel of course. :-)

Surprisingly, the hangars were very quiet. I decided first to visit the hanger of one of our most famous aviators based at GAI. I volunteer at the museum in College Park where his Stearman Biplane is displayed. His name? Gus McLeod. He was the first to fly around the North Pole in an open cockpit biplane. I met him when I was a member of one of the local Civil Air Patrol squadrons. Well, Gus wasn't at the hangar that I thought to be his, so I walked up and down a few more rows in search of life at my local airport. I came across another hangar that had markings similar to the first I visited, I asked the man working on an experimental aircraft if Gus McLeod was affiliated with this outfit. A few minutes later, Mr. McLeod emerged from an office. I was amazed that he remembered me! He seemed impressed that I volunteered at College Park Aviation Museum. When I told him about my current working conditions, he suggested that he might be able to find something I might like to do around there. What an awesome offer to hear! Whether it will bear fruit was immaterial! On this National Aviation Day, someone could see my wing buds! Before he had to leave to test some of the ground breaking aircraft he's working on, he took my phone number and suggested that he would take me up in a plane as a belated National Aviation Day flight! Did Christmas just happen? I was hanging on to every word!

I returned to the FBO where I found a seat on the Airport Cafe's patio. There were four women and seven children, most under five years old, who decided to spend a day at the park. One of the women apologized in advance for her rambunctious kids to which I replied "Not a problem! I'm thrilled to be surrounded by kids excited about airplanes on National Aviation Day". Her friends congratulated he on he serendipitous choice of spending today at the airport. I told the adults and kids who were watching the same airplane take off and land that it was performing touch-n-goes. I invited the moms to bring their kids to Air Fair 100 at College Park on the 29th, to which one of the ladies said they'd been to the museum and would try to make it to the airshow. Yippee!! It was fun watching all these children excited about aviation!

When I finished eating my Gyro, I resumed reading a few chapters out of First Flights, until I got a tap on my shoulder. It was my pilot friends who flew the Beechjet. They were getting ready to leave. I remained in my seat for about two minutes when I realized this was my last chance to ask for a tour of their airplane.

Fortunately I caught up with the head pilot who granted me my wish. Excitement rushed through me as I stepped up into the Beechjet. The windows of the cockpit were covered to keep the aircraft cool. The darkness of the cockpit at first seemed uninviting so I sat in the cabin and took in the upholstery and interior decorating. Finally the head pilot urged me to sit in the cockpit, so I took a seat in the left seat. As the two pilots discussed the intricacies of the next leg of their trip, I scanned the instrument panels and imagined what it would be like to know how to make this bird fly. The pilot permitted me to take pictures of the cockpit and then he took my picture seated there as well.

Then the time came to say good bye. I showed the pilots my pilot log and the variety of signatures I collected from pilots like Patty Wagstaff, Corkey Fornof, and the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team, whom I had met at previous Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In’s. There was also the signature of a Southwest Airlines Captain. I asked if they would be so kind as to sign as well, to which they humbly accepted the request. A quick Q & A session revealed that the head pilot always wanted to be a pilot as he was growing up- that would explain the love of aviation emanating from his being, from the moment I met him. The second pilot had just joined the operation a month ago, invited by his friend who sat in the left seat. He wanted to be a lot of things growing up, the latest being an astronaut. I was very impressed with this pair of aviators!

The head pilot then walked back to the terminal entrance with me to meet his passengers. My ear-to-ear grin said it all as I thanked him for making my National Aviation Day memorable beyond my original expectations.

My First SWA Spirit Day- Southwest Airlines Begins Service to Boston

Following my Southwest Airlines Twitter friends this morning at work made me wish I was in BOS for the big celebration. I was grateful that @danwebbage @curbcrusher @christiday and others were telling the story. When I learned that one of the flights was going to BWI, I decided that's where I was going- hopefully to meet them, but no guarantee.

As I made my way to the Germantown Transit Center from work, I decided that this was a poster-worthy event- I had to show my SWA Spirit! I went into Rite-Aid and bought posterboard and colored Sharpies for the project. I found a picture of a Canyon Blue Southwest jet to use as a pattern on my Blackberry and started to sketch it on the MetroRail to Greenbelt Metro Station. While waiting at the bus stop for the B30 bus to BWI, I spread out on a bus bench and continued sketching and started transferring the sketch to the posterboard.

Much to my pleasure, Brandon, a SWA pilot (I could tell by the SWAPA luggage handle) was boarding the bus. I asked him for a critique of my artistic ability when it came to aircraft graphic design. He was kind and seemed impressed with the project, as I explained what it was for. I also asked if he thought it was possible for it to get a ride to DAL SWA HDQ today, but he wasn't sure of the procedure. So I continued to work feverishly on it on the bus and then at BWI when I arrived.

It wasn't finished when the direct BOS to BWI flight arrived. I know this because a passenger from that flight saw me working on it and asked me where I came up with the "It's On!" slogan. I explained that it was Southwest Airlines' slogan and I was making a poster to greet the folks on the first flight, BOS-MDW-BWI, which left before the BOS-BWI, which in hindsight should have been the one that I greeted, since later, I would find no one who identified with the BOS-MDW leg. I continued to talk to this man who was quite a successful entrepenuer (sic) as I worked on the poster. When all was said and done, I had a pretty neat poster (if I do say so myself) and a great time, although I didn't get to meet anyone from Southwest Airlines.

Tuesday, 14 July 2009- Mental Breakdown

Tuesday, 14 July 2009- Mental Breakdown
I had a mental breakdown today. The trigger was the news I got of a hole that depressurized a Southwest Airlines jet. The reason this is the suspected trigger is because I had no access any more information than that. I had expected it to have happened either shortly after takeoff, or shortly before landing, because there had been no hint of serious injuries that could have likely occurred in any degree of a rapid decompression at cruise altitude. Also I didn’t know where on the fuselage (assuming it was on the fuselage) the hole occurred, could it have been the cockpit or the passenger cabin, or some portion of the aircraft not accessed by people. Each of these scenarios played out in my head. All I could do was obsessively speculate through the middle of the night on the story behind the headline I read.
The other, probably more significant reason I suspect that this incident was the trigger, is because it literally brought back from the dead the dream I had of becoming a flight attendant or working for the airlines. Incidents like this always reignite my desire to be on the frontline, reassuring a cabin full of passengers, and preparing them all for a safe return back to earth, in the event of such an incident. I had to bury the dream again.
Put simply when I was walking to the second building, I was crying my eyes out. I lay face down in the grass and concluded that no one would know if I just stayed here and let the tears run out over the next couple hours, or I could just walk off my post and leave this job for good. Fortunately I had the good sense to call Chris who was working over at Medimmune. He came right over and listened to me and consoled me. I was able to return to duty in fair condition.

BWI to Sun 'n Fun

I have been waiting for this day for a year now! It's time to begin the trip to Sun 'n Fun.

Today is about shifting my sleeping pattern from Graveyard operations to normal waking hours. So, after finishing my shift at 8am this morning, I set out to the Baltimore Airport in the pouring rain. With Paul (my rollaboard) in tow and a carry-on bag with my laptop inside, I arrived at BWI at 1pm.

Inside the BWI Terminal, I asked the ladies at the Maryland Welcome Center for some touristy ideas of things to do. I almost had to reassure them that I wasn't a juvenile runaway and they kept trying to hook me up with a hotel when I told them my flight was tomorrow. My stubborn resistance paid off and I hopped on the light rail to make my way to Baltimore's Inner Harbour.

My all day light rail ticket was a mere $3.50. First stop was Convention Center. There I exited the train with Paul and my Green tote bag in tow, and stepped onto Pratt Street.

I found a place called Cafe 100 on my walk. In the spirit of adventure, and hunger, I checked it out. Upon stepping inside, I didn't find an intimate ten table eatery, I found stairs- and lots of them! The cafe turned out to be on the third floor. I dragged my baggage wearily up the stairs with me. Then I saw the spacious uninviting buffet style cafe. One look at the buffet brought back memories of my uneaten leftover Chinese food. I wasn't in the mood to pay for the same stuff over again. I returned to Pratt Street, walked a couple more blocks, and found a mall called the Galleria.

Once again, this building was multi-level, but it was equipped with escalators. I went direct to Payless Shoes and bought my white sneakers. I haven't had white sneakers in years. All of my jobs lately have required black shoes of some kind.

Across the street from the Galleria was Harbour Point. A few quick minutes of browsing revealed nothing interesting, and once again, there were stairs. Moving on...

At last, I saw M & S Grill and decided that's where I would have lunch. They searched for a table that had access to an outlet so I could charge my phone. My $3 OJ, dispaced by a half glass of unwanted ice, was drank in seconds. I came to get just some crab soup, but upon seeing Idahoan Rainbow Trout on the menu, my appetite changed. It's been years since I ate the last Rainbow Trout I had caught. This one turned out boneless. I missed fishing through the bones for the fish's flaky flesh.

Stepping out a different door, I came face to face with the Harbour and heavier rain. Against my better judgment, I determined that now was the time to buy an umbrella. The Outfitters store appeared to be a promising place to buy an umbrella, but no. It turned out I was in another mall environment. I saw a small store called Harbour Gifts. They had an umbrella for $6. I was grateful it wasn't $30. I calculated that if the $6 umbrella lasts me the next 6 blocks to the light rail, then I got my money's worth. Bottom line: I expected the umbrella to: 1. Knock me upside the head a few times, and 2. Get blown out of shape by the wind.

I still had time to explore, so I took the light rail to the Timonium Station, hoping to see the sights... I ended up sleeping. As I promised to the volunteers at the Maryland Welcome Center, I returned to the airport at 7pm.

Halfway down the terminal, I found a moderately occupied set of seats. I squeezed my way to the back middle seat and fell asleep until 11pm. I missed the window to get through security. The checkpoint was closed.

I scored a seat on the second level that had an adjacent outlet, and parked my stuff there. Around 1am I noticed my friend Elliott was still tweeting, so I asked him if I could call him- I was having such a fun time and needed to share it. I enjoyed a nice conversation with him, and learned more about Alaska Air's current promotions and more in the works.

After drinking my Red Bull, I was ready to redo my awful packing job.

While waiting for my plane in the morning, I saw several pilots walk passed me. I greeted them with a "Hello" or "Good morning, sir". Out of this, I observed more of a response from saying "Good morning sir".

When Richard, the Gate Agent appeared on scene, I asked him if he could help me get my picture taken with the crew, if they would oblige. He said he'd do better than that- that he'd get me a visit to the cockpit! I felt like a kid at Christmas! I was on fire.

I noticed a uniformed non-revving crew member from another airline waiting for my flight. Carefully, I greeted her, making sure she wouldn't mind being bothered by a troublesome pax. She engaged me in a conversation about her company and her trip. She was familiar with Sun 'n Fun, so we talked about that for a while. I felt like I was tweeting live. The plane wasn't full and I found a seat adjacent to Judy. She had settled down with her book, so I didn't bother her. But later on in the flight once drinks were passed out, I got to talk to her once more. Such a nice lady!

Upon landing in TPA, I mentioned to the flight attendant about my wish, and Richard's promise, for a visit to the cockpit. The Captain had left, so I sat in his seat and exchanged a few words with Noel, the First Officer and had my picture taken with him. Such an awesome experience!

I met Lynda in the terminal an hour later. We went down to Baja Fresh, and both had a tostada salad. Another hour later, Jo came in. We all gathered by the cabs and decided to take the cab all the way into Lakeland, rather than just to the Greyhound station, all for $30 each. I'd say the price was right!

I want to thank all my friends on Twitter who actively paid attention to my trip as I tweeted. It was a pleasure sharing and trying to keep you engaged.