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It's Good to Be in DC: Part 3&4 (DCA-JFK-PHX on DL)
Well, the weekend is here, which means it's time for parts 3&4 of my Washington DC trip!
Delta #746 (3/28/04)
DCA-JFK
ETD: 1455 local
ETA: 1614 local
Micky-D MD-88
After a wonderful week in Washington DC (and the Smithsonian Air&Space & their Udvar Hazy Hangar out at Dulles), it was finally time to head back home. We were booked with our SkyMiles on a direct flight back to PHX that would connect at JFK. We took the subway from our hotel to the airport, and checked-in at the Delta counter, where we learned that all of our bags were overweight from all the souvenirs we had purchased!
Really nice terminal design at DCA.
Before passing through security, I watched out through the huge windows & a nice looking 732 pulled up right in front of me.
[photoid=280851]
[photoid=262007]
Security was no problem (besides prying the laptop out of the backpack), and we sat down to enjoy a light lunch before takeoff. Afterwards, I did some more shooting before I was asked to stop by a security agent, who stated that "We don't allow photography of the runways." I played nice, but I thought it was odd that if it's such a concern, the gate agents that I had been shooting next to (as in like 5 feet away) for a good 20 minutes hadn't said anything.
...Washington DC for ya...
[photoid=280854]
Anywho, boarding started and we made our way down to our M88. Cockpit door was open, and pilots were greeting us as we walked in.
Engines were started, and after a brief taxi and another explanation that we must remain seated for the 30 minutes after takeoff from DCA, we took the runway after a US Airways A320 touched down, and off we went. I love takeoff on the M88s- gut-wrenching pushed back into your seat exhilaration.
We really lucked out on our departure runway- it took us right over the Mall, for an amazing last-sight of Washington DC.
[photoid=280859]
This was a short flight, and only time for drinks and snacks, but the cabin crew was professional and cheerful. I had my traditional tomatoe-on-ice with their really yummy snack mix. The M88 was very comfortable- the seats and windows were big, and seemed much roomier than the 752 we flew from PHX-JFK.
[photoid=280858]
After a short cruise below FL200, it was time to begin our descent into JFK. As we descended through the clouds into the arrival pattern, I managed to get this shot of our reflection (I forget what you call this).
We approached from the east, over the water.
Landing was pretty smooth (seems like it'd be pretty hard to grease one on the M88- the cylinders on the gear don't look all that big), and after a brief taxi we were back at the same gate we had departed from on the way over to DC. Managed to snap a cabin photo before the cranky cleaners took out their whips.
[photoid=296893]
We had a couple hours of layover ahead of us, so I went around the Delta & Song area in the terminal & shot some pics.
Delta #1223 (3/28/04)
JFK-PHX
ETD: 1750 local
ETA: 2131 local
Boeing 757-200
Our next flight would take us back home to PHX. We were a little late getting out, but that gave time for the sun to set and some fantastic views out of my seat while we waited for a tug.
We were finally underway, and after about 15 minutes of NYC airport rush hour, we took the runway and rumbled away into the darkening sky.
The flight was pretty uneventful- I think we paid for a sandwich or something, and I watched a movie on the laptop. Cabin crew was pretty quiet and withdrawn, and let everyone sleep. When I went to go stand in back, one was playing some scrabble game or something
.
We began our descent into PHX about 3.5 hours later, and this is when things started getting interesting.
We entered the pattern for a 9L arrival, and had a spectacular night approach over downtown PHX, and managed to catch the Bank One Ballpark with its roof open and lights on. What we didn't know was that a Northwest 757 had landed right in front of us...
So over the freeway we go, and I start to see taxiway markings and the edge of the runway. The edge of the runway becomes much more visible when we hit wake turbulence when the gears are about 10 feet off the runway. Our left wing dips towards the ground (I swear, I thought we were going to have a wingstrike), and then flies up back into the air as our right wing does the same thing. The pilot corrected hard, and put the pedal to the metal- my first (and my dad's, who had been flying for years) commercial go-around.
WOW.
The pax started talking to each other, wondering what was going on, and the captain, a little shaken, came over the PA and told everyone what had happened and that it was safer to just go around and try again. So we fly around for another 15 minutes and get back in the pattern, see downtown and BOB again, and this time around he greases the landing. Everyone claps as the spoilers come up and reverse thrust is engaged. We make the taxiway for Concourse C, and dock at the gate just before midnight. COOLEST FLIGHT EVER!
If someone wants to tell me how to post an .MOV file, I have a video of the missed approach and wake turb.
Thanks for reading & hoped you liked it!
Delta #746 (3/28/04)
DCA-JFK
ETD: 1455 local
ETA: 1614 local
Micky-D MD-88
After a wonderful week in Washington DC (and the Smithsonian Air&Space & their Udvar Hazy Hangar out at Dulles), it was finally time to head back home. We were booked with our SkyMiles on a direct flight back to PHX that would connect at JFK. We took the subway from our hotel to the airport, and checked-in at the Delta counter, where we learned that all of our bags were overweight from all the souvenirs we had purchased!
Really nice terminal design at DCA.
Before passing through security, I watched out through the huge windows & a nice looking 732 pulled up right in front of me.
[photoid=280851]
[photoid=262007]
Security was no problem (besides prying the laptop out of the backpack), and we sat down to enjoy a light lunch before takeoff. Afterwards, I did some more shooting before I was asked to stop by a security agent, who stated that "We don't allow photography of the runways." I played nice, but I thought it was odd that if it's such a concern, the gate agents that I had been shooting next to (as in like 5 feet away) for a good 20 minutes hadn't said anything.
...Washington DC for ya...[photoid=280854]
Anywho, boarding started and we made our way down to our M88. Cockpit door was open, and pilots were greeting us as we walked in.
Engines were started, and after a brief taxi and another explanation that we must remain seated for the 30 minutes after takeoff from DCA, we took the runway after a US Airways A320 touched down, and off we went. I love takeoff on the M88s- gut-wrenching pushed back into your seat exhilaration.
We really lucked out on our departure runway- it took us right over the Mall, for an amazing last-sight of Washington DC.
[photoid=280859]
This was a short flight, and only time for drinks and snacks, but the cabin crew was professional and cheerful. I had my traditional tomatoe-on-ice with their really yummy snack mix. The M88 was very comfortable- the seats and windows were big, and seemed much roomier than the 752 we flew from PHX-JFK.
[photoid=280858]
After a short cruise below FL200, it was time to begin our descent into JFK. As we descended through the clouds into the arrival pattern, I managed to get this shot of our reflection (I forget what you call this).
We approached from the east, over the water.
Landing was pretty smooth (seems like it'd be pretty hard to grease one on the M88- the cylinders on the gear don't look all that big), and after a brief taxi we were back at the same gate we had departed from on the way over to DC. Managed to snap a cabin photo before the cranky cleaners took out their whips.
[photoid=296893]
We had a couple hours of layover ahead of us, so I went around the Delta & Song area in the terminal & shot some pics.
Delta #1223 (3/28/04)
JFK-PHX
ETD: 1750 local
ETA: 2131 local
Boeing 757-200
Our next flight would take us back home to PHX. We were a little late getting out, but that gave time for the sun to set and some fantastic views out of my seat while we waited for a tug.
We were finally underway, and after about 15 minutes of NYC airport rush hour, we took the runway and rumbled away into the darkening sky.
The flight was pretty uneventful- I think we paid for a sandwich or something, and I watched a movie on the laptop. Cabin crew was pretty quiet and withdrawn, and let everyone sleep. When I went to go stand in back, one was playing some scrabble game or something
.We began our descent into PHX about 3.5 hours later, and this is when things started getting interesting.
We entered the pattern for a 9L arrival, and had a spectacular night approach over downtown PHX, and managed to catch the Bank One Ballpark with its roof open and lights on. What we didn't know was that a Northwest 757 had landed right in front of us...
So over the freeway we go, and I start to see taxiway markings and the edge of the runway. The edge of the runway becomes much more visible when we hit wake turbulence when the gears are about 10 feet off the runway. Our left wing dips towards the ground (I swear, I thought we were going to have a wingstrike), and then flies up back into the air as our right wing does the same thing. The pilot corrected hard, and put the pedal to the metal- my first (and my dad's, who had been flying for years) commercial go-around.
WOW. The pax started talking to each other, wondering what was going on, and the captain, a little shaken, came over the PA and told everyone what had happened and that it was safer to just go around and try again. So we fly around for another 15 minutes and get back in the pattern, see downtown and BOB again, and this time around he greases the landing. Everyone claps as the spoilers come up and reverse thrust is engaged. We make the taxiway for Concourse C, and dock at the gate just before midnight. COOLEST FLIGHT EVER!
If someone wants to tell me how to post an .MOV file, I have a video of the missed approach and wake turb.
Thanks for reading & hoped you liked it!
![[http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=3669]](http://www.jetphotos.net/user-uploads/JP banner 12.7.05.jpg)
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