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UAL 939 DEN-SFO July 16,2003 B777

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  • UAL 939 DEN-SFO July 16,2003 B777

    FLIGHT-939
    DATE- 07/16/03
    AIRCRAFT- Boeing 777-200 International Version C
    REGISTRATION- N220UA
    SEAT- 35J
    DEPATURE AIRPORT- DEN - Denver International Airport
    ARRIVAL AIRPORT- SFO - San Francisco International Airport
    SCHEDULED DEPARTURE- 11:20 AM
    DEPARTURE GATE- B32
    ACTUAL DEPARTURE- 11:19:30
    ACTUAL TIME WHEELS OFF GROUND- 11:33:00
    TAKEOFF RUNWAY- 25
    CRUISING ALTITUDE- 39,000
    SCHEDULED ARRIVAL- 12:51
    ARRIVAL GATE- 82
    ACTUAL ARRIVAL- 12:37
    ACTUAL TIME WHEELS ON GROUND- 12:33:23
    LANDING RUNWAY- 28R

    Note that all times mentioned in this TR are in the ORIGIN's time zone until descent into the final destination. The time of descent IS NOT in the origin's time zone.
    SFO=DEN-1hr
    DEN=SFO+1hr

    I left my house around 8:30 in the morning, allowing plenty of time to get there and get through security. It is about a 30 minutes drive from my house if I take the E-470 tollway. I got to west side economy parking and there was a line of maybe 10 cars going through the lot in a line looking for a space. I decided to try searching a different area of the lot. After about 15 minutes of searching, I caught someone leaving and took no time occupying the empty space. The only problem was that it was quite a ways out from the terminal, and unless you want to walk with all your baggage and things, you have to wait for the shuttle to take you there. I only waited for about five minutes, not too bad. I got to the check in counter at about 9:45. As usual, the line for United was really long but moves fairly fast. It took close to 25 minutes to get there and another five to check in. I headed to security on the bridge to concourse A even though my gate was on B. I thought that the line would be shorter here and I would get through quicker, then take the train to B. I was wrong. The first five minutes in line, was just standing there. Then it moved, fast. We'd move a little every 30 seconds or so. It still took about 40 minutes because I was selected randomly for more questioning and screening. Finally, I got through and made my way to gate B32 and got there 7 minutes before my flight left. Just enough time to take a few pictures.

    [photoid=123545]
    [photoid=123547]
    [photoid=123552]
    That is cutting it close. The agent took my ticket and slid it through their machine, it chopped off the big portion of the ticket and gave me the stub, I hate that. My seat was 35J, a window on the 777. I was glad to see that the seats did have PTV's. I sat down, plugged my headphones in and turned to channel 9. I pressed the button down that said "map" and on came a little screen with our current ground speed, altitude, time to destination, and distance traveled. We pushed back 30 seconds early. Wow, the engines on start up were extremely quiet. We started our taxi to runway 25. We were second to takeoff behind a Northwest A320.
    [photoid=123590]
    That takeoff was powerful! Our wheels actually left the ground at 11:33 exactly. Within a minute or so we were up to 10000 feet, this was about the time the flaps were retracted and the captain made his announcement about our flight. We would be climbing to 39000 and we will be flying over Salt Lake, Reno, Sacramento, and on in to San Francisco. We reached cruising altitude at 11:56:15. It was cloudy below us pretty much the whole way, but some of the clouds and blue sky made it look cool.

    That is when the seatbelt sign went off and the FAs started to serve drinks and snacks. It is such a big airplane that it took them 15 minutes to get to me and I had planned to maybe get something to eat back at Denver but time kept me from doing so. I was served a packet of what tasted like ChexMix. It was pretty good. I was given a full can of coke to go with it. Of course one packet of this stuff wasn't quite filling, so I asked for another and they gladly gave me one with another can of coke! Nothing happened inflight except that the movie didn't work and we had a patch of turbulence over Nevada. The wing sure looked like it was taking a beating from the turbulence and I could barely feel it inside. The captain came on around 12:10 and announced the weather and that our descent would follow the seatbelt sign. It came on around 12:15. Descent was very quick since we landed about 18 minutes later. Approach into SFO is very cool. Looks like you are going to land in water, then there is land.

    Landing was very smooth, with no reversers at all on 28R. The wheels touched the ground at 12:33:23.

    We taxied to gate 82 and had United 747's on both sides of us.


    I usually stay to take pictures of the cabin and wanted to get some of the cockpit, but I was told that I needed to get off so they could service the aircraft before the plane leaves again. So I decided to get my pics on the way back. I took a look to where the plane was going, and it was the 2:10 flight to Denver. I think 2 hours is long enough to service an aircraft.

    Ratings:
    Parking 0/10 Impossible to find a space
    Checkin 7/10
    Security 5/10 I don't mind being questioned, but late for flight.
    Service-FAs 6/10 Nice for extra coke+snack, not for rushing me off plane
    Plane 10/10 Nice aircraft


    Look for the return TR later this week.

  • #2
    glad u enjoyed ur trip, i rember a few weeks ago u asked us bout the 777
    ill be flying a 777 with ptvs in in august, ord-den and back, also tomarro i will be flying firstclass to bos-ord on a a320 ill be sure to write a trip report
    frist is my last name, not a type-o

    Comment


    • #3
      Two pictures:




      Five words:
      Wish I was with you

      -----------
      OK, thas enough West Coast Fever for one day Remind me to move outta ATL!

      Excellent trip report. Did you pass a water treatment facility about half a minute before landing? When I went to San Francisco in April, our plane flew over somehing of that sort...there were lots of small lakes that were many colors like red, green, light green, dark green and crimson...

      I've always wondered what that was! So just wondering...

      Comment


      • #4
        Is this it?


        Comment


        • #5
          Is this it?


          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by ATLcenter
            Excellent trip report. Did you pass a water treatment facility about half a minute before landing? When I went to San Francisco in April, our plane flew over somehing of that sort...there were lots of small lakes that were many colors like red, green, light green, dark green and crimson...

            I've always wondered what that was! So just wondering...
            Those are salt ponds. They fill them with bay water and let them evaporate. Then the salt is harvested from the dry pond. It's big business. Don't feel bad though, I thought they were sewage ponds for years before learning the truth.

            Comment


            • #7
              Yeah, those are it!

              Airnerd:

              Thanks, I guess it can be misleading...so do you know why they have algae in them? Or is that another misconception?

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by ATLcenter
                Yeah, those are it!

                Airnerd:

                Thanks, I guess it can be misleading...so do you know why they have algae in them? Or is that another misconception?
                For more on how salt production works in the bay, check out: http://www.cargillsalt.com/sfbay/EV_colors.html

                Comment

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