Work was nice. They gave me four days to go spend some time with her. I couldn't go down for her actual birthday, as that would have required using up some of my Leave days. I don't have that many, and there was no way around that. So, had Thursday - Sunday off. (Note: In the Army, you have to "take the weekend off", even if you don't normally work that day, because Soldiers are "always on duty". It's why taking two weeks vacation costs us 14 days and civilians only use 10. So, saving those days is a big deal.)
I scooted first up to Cleveland, hoping to meet with a good friend. Unfortunately, weather caused delays and by the time I arrived in Cleveland, it was nearly 0200. My next set of flights required I be at the airport around 0545, so sleep was minimal. Kind of a wasted stop, but it was worth the try.
Moved on to my flight to Savannah. It's the closest airport to where Ellicia is staying these days (What a view!). But, me being me, and loving flying as I do... a direct flight was out of the question. I flew from CLE -> LAX -> IAH -> SAV. Was fantastic!
The views on my way to LAX were amazing. I even saw a WN (Southwest) airlines jet pass us at 37,000 feet in the opposite direction (do the math... Plane A is travelling eastward at 525 MPH and Plane B is travelling westward at 525 MPH. How much time does Reid have to steal a glance out the window to spot the other plane? Sorry for anyone having SAT flashback nightmares.) We also overflew (naturally) the Rockies. At the altitude, they looked more like wrinkles in the Earth's carpeting.
Spent a couple of hours in LAX, enjoying the scenery. All those beautiful tails were something to see. And then, it was off to IAH. We had to hold a little bit due to some growing storms, but there was a break, and we were able to come in. Some advice for you fliers out there... anytime the pilot comes on and says it will be very bumpy and turbulent landing... listen to her. It's going to be bumpy. Just ask the business guy who didn't put his drink away... hehehe it WAS a nice suit. Anyway, it wasn't too bad, but then, I fly a lot and have been through much worse, but there were some tight, white knuckles for some people as we bumped and dropped through the storm.
Airport closed shortly after we landed. And naturally, people complained. There were solid black clouds moving through the airport area, and at some points, it was impossible to see the other terminals. A Tornado warning was in effect, and these nuts thought that the best thing to do was get into a thin aluminum tube and fly THROUGH it. No thank you... Common sense prevailed. Unfortunately, flights were greatly delayed.
Which leads me to my new experience. Something I'd never experienced before (hence the word "new", eh?)...
I've had aborted take-offs. I've had aborted landings. Even inflight emergencies (engine on fire anyone?)... but, I've never had a combination. My flight out of IAH started off normally, though about five hours late. I'm sitting at the front, and as we start rolling, I can hear all the alarms start pinging, whooping, etc. We continue accelerating and I can tell we're getting close to V1 (decision point... go/no-go). Suddenly, the pilots decide. No-go. And folks, routinely you don't get to experience the full braking power of an airliner. We shuddered to a stop. After about 45 seconds, we moved to a taxi-way. And sat. Nothing seemed immediately wrong with the plane, and the pilots just seemed to be "working the problem". What was it? The root problem was that the plane thought a door was open. It wasn't. I could see it was closed from where I was sitting. But. You have to make sure. And BE sure. Triple-checking is ok, too.
Eventually, we decided that we were going to SAV, daggummit, and the plane was fine. So we went back and tried again. I could hear the plane fussing, but we went anyway. And we did fine.
A couple of hours later, we approached SAV. Late. Very late. No biggie. As we complete our approach, I can tell it's not right. First, we stayed higher than normal for longer than normal... then the pilot dived for the glidepath. Which gave us too much speed... and so the pilot tried dumping the airspeed... which we lost too much of. We were now sinking, and going too slowly. I could feel the plane begin to "wallow" and "mush" as the landing began to fall apart. In the back of my mind, I was calculating it all through... looking out the window, thinking... "NOW would be a great time to get out of this approach, Cap'n." We sink a little more, and then... the engines spool up and we shoot out of there. Go around! So, in one flight, an aborted take-off and aborted landing. Too cool. We landed smoothly on the next attempt and all was well.
For those who fear flying, the above is a story of safety. Aborting the take-off and the landing were both examples of the pilots knowing not to push a bad situation. Knowing when to STOP and go try again. Very safe.
Went to Savannah. Drove. Nice hotel. Next day, 04 May, made my way to the cemetary.
First time back since the headstone was placed.
It's a beautiful place, really beautiful. And I tell you, it's a sobering (yet peaceful) thing to see your own name on a tombstone.
I think it's very nice, and it was good to go see Ellicia, again. I talk to her often, but... some of you may understand, and others... maybe you'll never have to. But, it was nice to be with her.
Happy Birthday, Ellicia!
