LXM83 From Switzerland, joined May 2005, 569 posts, RR: 5 Posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 10379 times:
TRIP REPORT
The rarest Embraer RJ, twice in a row? Not quite!
03Aug11
Introduction
A subtype still missing from my log which is impossible to catch here in Europe is the Embraer RJ140, a version in between the shorter Embraer RJ135 and the longer Embraer RJ145. With a capacity of 44 seats, the size of the Embraer RJ140 is close to the RJ145. In fact, it’s only 1.42 m shorter than the RJ145, but 2.12 m longer than the RJ135.
The only operators are located in the USA and are American Eagle (MQ/EGF) and Chautauqua Airlines (RP/CHQ), with the latter’s aircraft operated under the American Connection banner.
When planning a family vacation in the USA for July/August 2011, I realized that there may be a chance to include half a day of flying fun just to catch this rare subtype. Our plans for this holiday were to go to New York for a couple of days and then fly out West to Las Vegas, from where we rented a car to drive to Grand Canyon, Death Valley, the L.A. area and the up North to San Francisco. At first I was planning to fly a rotation from San Jose (SJO/KSJO) to Los Angeles (LAX/KLAX) and back with an American Eagle RJ140 during our stay in the SFO area. However, later I found a better opportunity when we were staying at friends in the L.A. area. So I was now planning to fly LAX-SJO-LAX. A concern was the risk of an aircraft change to either an RJ135 or RJ145, as American Express operates those as well. However after researching all the AA flights from LAX, I found only schedules exclusively planned on the RJ140 (IATA code ERD) from and to LAX, indicating that no RJ135 or RJ140 normally circulate around LAX. Also, I chose the LAX-SJO route because traveling on stand-by tickets meant that if a flight was going to be full I would have plenty of other opportunities on this frequently served city pair, using Southwest Airlines (WN/SWA), Alaska Airlines (AS/ASA) operated by Horizon Air (QX/QXE) or United Air Lines (UA/UAL) operated by SkyWest (OO/SKW) as United Express. So finally, I decided to take the first flight in the morning out of LAX to SJC and then come back immediately on the same aircraft. Ideally, I would have liked to take an AS (operated by QX) Dash 8Q-400 flight back, just to get some variety, but I decided against it as it would have meant a longer wait for my wife back in L.A. to resume our holidays.
Flights
Date: 03Aug11
Route: Los Angeles (LAX/KLAX) - San Jose (SJC/KSJC)
Flight number: AA 3190
Schedule (local times): LAX 0715 - SJC 0825
Scheduled block time: 01:10
Airline/Operator: American Eagle (MQ/EGF) operated for American Airlines (AA/AAL)
Aircraft type: Embraer ERJ-140LR
Registration: N848AE
1st flight on subtype ERD, 37th flight on ERJ family, 1st flight on N848AE, 1279th flight overall
Wake-up call was quite early, around 04:00, at our friends house in the San Fernando Valley northwest of downtown L.A. I was on the road about 20 minutes later. Traffic was still light, but not as light as I would have preferred, and I had to concentrate well to keep the lane around many crazy drivers taking advantage of the uncongested freeways. So this precluded eating breakfast while driving. Finding the correct route to L.A.’s terminals was not so easy, but in the end I managed to arrive around 05:20 at the parking garage near terminal 4, from where AA operates. I then went to the terminal, where tried to locate the check-in area. AA has an area where you can check in using self service machines, but unfortunately due to my stand-by ticket I was not able to use them. A quite long queue had already formed at the non-self-service check-in counters, which were confusingly marked “ticketing”. A friendly AA agent check-in the line confirmed that I was in the right queue. It moved painstakingly slow and many passengers were already getting nervous about their flights. I was glad that I had plenty of time! About 45 minutes later it was my turn to check-in and a very friendly agent was able to already assign a seat for me and even better than that - it was a window!
I then went upstairs to the security lines. Other than what you read and hear, the TSA agents were actually quite friendly and the security process itself was ok, apart from having to remove your shoes. Once through, I was looking for a place to have some breakfast and I found a Burger King. The whole gate area was already quite busy and I took a couple of pictures of the planes parked at the gates. About 40 minutes before departure, I followed the signs to my gate 44E.
LAX AA departures
Terminal 4 airside
nice bird with special colors...
... and nice heavy metal on the ground and in the air
I went downstairs where a bus would transfer the passengers flying on regional aircraft to a separate terminal quite a distance from the main terminal. I just missed a bus and had to wait 5 more minutes until the next one arrived. It was an enjoyable bus ride across the tarmac, giving me the opportunity to snap some nice aircraft pictures.
nice RJ
during my bus ride to the American Eagle terminal
The regional (or American Eagle) terminal was small but suitable for the number of passengers. The aircraft for my flight to SJC was already parked in front of the terminal, but there was no way to get a view of the registration. Also, I was unable to look at the aircraft in order to be able to determine if this was indeed an ERJ-140. Well, I was set to go now regardless. Boarding started soon after my arrival at the terminal and even during boarding, I wasn’t able to see the registration. In this terminal, the aircraft were connected with a sort of jetway, so that passengers would not have to use the stairs of the aircraft but rather a ramp. I guess this is done for the benefit of wheelchair passengers and those unable to climb stairs. When I entered the aircraft, the cockpit door was still open and I took a peek and I was now able to see the registration on a placard in the cockpit: N848AE. Stupidly, I did not have a registration list for the MQ fleet, so I was unable to determine the subtype. A quick text message to a friend in Switzerland and he was able to confirm that N848AE was indeed the sought after ERJ-140. Mission achieved!
the American Eagle terminal
minimal staffing!
the gate to my flight
nice way of confirming standby passengers
my name was also there on the next screen
this is how those RJ airbridges looks like
regional jet haven, some ERJ’s and a CRJ 700
The flight appeared to be practically full. We pushed back from the terminal, where other ERJ-140’s and a CRJ 700 were parked. We taxied along runway 07L/25R to the holding point for runway 25R and I could watch numerous aircraft landing and taking-off on both the 07/25-runways. It was interesting to see the different UA liveries after the merger with CO. UA very old, UA old, UA new (ex-CO) and CO liveries could all be seen. It’s still unusual for my eyes to see A319/A320s in the UA new (ex-CO) colors. During our taxi to the runway, a LAN B767-300 with winglets and a Yangtze River Express B747-400 could be seen landing. On the south side of the airport, a couple of FedEx Airbus A300-600 freighters, an ABX B767-200 freighter and - most interestingly - an ATI DC-8-70 could be seen.
nice birds seen on the way to the runway
line up on runway 25R
next in the queue for take-off
After line up, we took off immediately, giving me great views of LAX airport. After overflying the beach, we took a right turn and our flight path took us along the Pacific coast.
control tower and the landmark LAX Theme Building
nice birds
a new pier under construction and two 777 from Australia
nice views of LAX just after take off
crossing the coastline
Santa Monica and its pier
the Malibu Coast
Point Dume
view down to Zuma beach, where me any my wife have been the day before... it was cool and windy
some clouds further inland
view towards California’s Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada Mountains
As soon as we reached cruising level, service started. It consisted of a drink in a plastic cup mostly filled with ice. I continued to enjoy the good views towards California’s Central Valley.
cabin view shot from my window seat
Quite soon, descend towards SJC started. We flew straight-in towards runway 30L. Before landing, we passed over downtown SJC. Sitting on the right side, I had a good view of it. Landing was smooth and we taxied across runway 30R to gate 10 in the older Terminal A, which was quite close.
descent through a very thin cloud layer into the Silicon Valley
approaching SJC
downtown San Jose
The skyscrapers are quite close! I’ve last seen something similar when approaching LCY.
Nimitz Freeway, also known as Interstate 880, just before landing
cargo area
view to SJC’s terminal’s built along the side of the runways
crossing runway 30R towards the terminal
The gate had an airbridge, which connected directly to the aircraft. In Europe, we don’t usually see smaller aircraft like the Embraer RJ’s connected to jetbridges. I disembarked and mentioned to the flight attendant that I will probably on board again for the flight back. She was a bit surprised and I explained that I just wanted to try MQ. The terminal looked quite nice inside, and I was finally able to get a nice picture of the aircraft that just brought me there.
finally a decent picture of “my” ERJ140
the gate monitor for the flight back to LAX, well the aircraft type is not quite right...
As soon as everybody had arrived in the terminal, I made myself known to the very friendly gate agent. He said that the flight was sold out, but that I should stay around the gate in case of a no-show. Boarding commenced rather soon and after 10 minutes it became clear that I would not get on. He offered to transfer me to the next AA flight, and I said fine, but I would try to catch an earlier flight on WN or AS (operated by QX), for which I had tickets. On a screen, I found the gates for the WN and AS flights and I slowly made my way there. SJC’s two terminals are connected to each other and run along the entire tarmac. A Hawaiian Airlines (HA) flight to Honolulu (HNL/PHNL) was just about to finish boarding and I watched it until it pushed back. I loved HA’s livery.
gate area in terminal A
interesting seats with power outlets
nice 767-300 to HNL
WN’s gates were in Terminal B, but the gate for the flight to LAX was not yet manned, so I asked a WN agent at an adjacent gate. He entered my name into the system and issued a boarding pass immediately. I asked whether I was now on stand-by but he said that I am confirmed already! He was very friendly and I was surprised how easily everything went. Having flown WN a couple of days earlier already, I still wanted to see whether there was any chance to go on the AS flight operated by a QX Dash 8Q-400. That gate was located at the far end of Terminal B. Again I met a very friendly gate agent. She was surprised that I had not checked in, but after I explained that I was bumped off another flight, she was satisfied. She said she had only 2 open seats and a waiting list on that flight. I decided not to take the risk, because I would miss my confirmed WN flight which was supposed to depart 10 minutes earlier. Also, there would probably not enough time to catch the following WN flight, departing 30 minutes later.
the modern terminal B
just wow!
AS special colors
Could my ride back to LAX be on this type and airline?
ERJ140 going back to LAX without me
departures to LAX, a soon to depart UA flight is shown
On the departure information screen, I also saw a UA flight to LAX departing within the next 20 minutes. Since I did not have a ticket for UA, I did not previously consider this flight. But taking either the AS or the WN flights would have resulted in an even later arrival than planned at our friends house back in L.A. After all, me and my wife wanted to continue our California trip by rental car and I already lost an hour because I did not get on the planned AA flight. So I went back to terminal A to the UA gate to assess the situation there. When I got there, the gate agent was not busy for a moment and I took the chance to explain that I’m airline staff, got bumped and wanted to see whether she could take me on the UA flight. After examining my tickets, the friendly agent (I only met friendly agents!) deemed the AA ticket acceptable and she checked me in on a stand-by basis. My name showed up on the gate monitor as being on the stand-by list. Nice feature. Since I did not plan on taking this flight, I also did not check the aircraft type. I thought it could be an Embraer 120. Instead, a Canadair CRJ in SkyWest livery showed up. That suited me, too. I especially liked the SkyWest livery instead of a UA Express livery.
the SkyWest CRJ has just arrived, will I get on?
Route: Los Angeles (LAX/KLAX) - San Jose (SJC/KSJC)
Flight number: UA 6499
Schedule (local times): SJC 0950 - LAX 1110
Scheduled block time: 01:20
Airline/Operator: SkyWest (OO/SKW) operated for United Airlines (UA/UAL)
Aircraft type: Canadair Regional Jet 200ER
Registration: N506CA
13th flight on subtype CRJ (CR1/CR2), 19th flight on CRJ (CR1/CR2/CR7/CR9/CRK) family, 1st flight on N506CA, 1280th flight overall
After everybody had boarded, there was one seat left and I got it. And it was even a window, wow! Unfortunately, there was no time to cancel my confirmed seat on WN. Not good, but there was no choice.
I was on board quickly and found my window seat. Being the last passenger to go on board, the door was closed quickly after me. I was very happy to be on board this unexpected flight. We pushed back and taxied along the terminal and lined up on runway 30R. Along the way, the ATI DC-8 freighter which had arrived before was being unloaded. It had arrived before when I was in the terminal. Too bad this type is not in passenger service anymore.... still missing from my log....
some WN 737’s parked along the terminal
just after take off
very nice cloverleaf interchange, totally symmetric
Silicon Valley
southernmost part of San Francisco bay, are they trying to reclaim land from the bay?
city of Milpitas, view towards the east
San Jose Country Club golf course
nice countryside in the mountains just east of San Jose
wing view, San Luis reservoir visible
After take off, I got a good view of the Silicon Valley. The route we took seemed to be parallel to the route on my previous flight but a bit further East inland. There were much less clouds than 1.5 hours ago and the views were splendid. Inflight service by the crew, which introduced itself as a “Tucson-based-crew”, consisted again of a drink in a cup.
cabin view, interesting round bulkhead
three different landscapes: mountains, desert, agriculture
this is the town of Coalinga, population 13’500
green fields with arid land around
what’s this? maybe oil fields?
Soon again, we were descending. What followed now was a great approach over Simi Valley, San Fernando Valley and the vast concrete expanse of L.A. As a bonus, during final approach an AA MD-80 flew parallel to us. It was basically a L.A. sightseeing trip in a regional jet! I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
interesting rock formations
Simi Valley, L.A.’s San Fernando Valley in the background
San Fernando Valley, the area where our friend’s house is located and from where I had started my trip early in the morning
Malibu coastline
two Santa Monica golf courses, Interstate 405 running north to San Fernando Valley in the background
Interstate 405 running from left to right, view to Santa Monica Boulevard (straight road running to top right), Century City (area with skyscrapers), and Wilshire Boulevard (parallel to Santa Monica Boulevard but curved and with skyscrapers along its course
interchange detail
Century City and Beverly Hills in the background
Hollywood, Hollywood Freeway, Hollywood Reservoir - and just barely visible right of the highest point of the mountain - the famous Hollywood sign
the vast expanse of the L.A. area, Hollywood in the top third of the picture
skyscrapers along Wilshire Boulevard, this area also is known as Koreatown
detailed view
view towards the east of the L.A. area, the highway in the middle is Interstate 10 (San Bernardo Freeway)
Los Angeles River
can you spot the MD-80 flying a parallel approach?
a green race course surrounded by concrete
crossing San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405) on final approach
LXM83 From Switzerland, joined May 2005, 569 posts, RR: 5 Reply 1, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 10376 times:
there is quite a distance between the runways
lots of parking spaces...
WN has quite a presence here
We landed on runway 24R and taxied around the terminals located in the center of the airport to Terminal 8, where UA Express is handled. I managed yet another picture from the terminal and then walked along Terminals 7, 6 and 5 to Terminal 4, the starting point of my trip. I found my rental car again. The trip back to our friends place took about 1 hour and we were ready to continue our holidays a bit later.
whale jet from Down Under
some Far Eastern visitors
seeing an A330 in DL’s colors is still an unusual sight for me
all kinds of UA colorschemes
my ride parked in LAX, continuing to Tucson (TUS/KTUS)
old fashioned gate area in UA’s Terminal 8
this trip is concluded by an on-time arrival
Conclusion
I was very happy to add a rare subtype to my log. Logging the Embraer RJ140 is currently only possible in North America. Now I had flown all the Embraers, the 135, 140, 145, 170, 175, 190 and 195. The flight itself on MQ was standard but with good views. During this morning, I only met very friendly gate agents - something I did not expect and which took me by surprise. Well done, AA, WN, AS and UA! The return flight again offered great views and an excellent approach. Not getting on the AA flight back to LAX from SJC offered me the chance to add yet another operator to my log. All in all a great morning of flying.
Next Trips
A two day trip in November which includes one inaugural flight, two new carriers, two new airports and one new country. Plus a chance to collect some Euro coins from the latest country that joined the currency union... hopefully before it’s too late?
Quoting LXM83 (Thread starter): It’s still unusual for my eyes to see A319/A320s in the UA new (ex-CO) colors.
I can only agree. I once said the same about A319/320s in DL colors.
Quoting LXM83 (Thread starter): A two day trip in November which includes one inaugural flight, two new carriers, two new airports and one new country. Plus a chance to collect some Euro coins from the latest country that joined the currency union... hopefully before it’s too late?
CaptainRed From Germany, joined Oct 2010, 578 posts, RR: 19 Reply 4, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 10007 times:
Grüezi,
interesting little report and of course congratulations on logging the ERJ140, certainly something special. Also great pictures, especially from the approach into LAX. I have done the approach into LAX only once, and that was at night, but also very impressive with the almost endless sea of lights down.
planejamie From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2011, 572 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 9809 times:
Nice TR - I don't mind the ERJs so much (prefer it over the CRJ-200), the windows are nice and big and the single A seats are good. All round, it's a nice aircraft once you've sat down. Getting onboard and into the seat is a whole other matter if you're over 6ft like me...
Seems like American Eagle do what they say on the tin, a simple connection service, decent crew and a drink on board, you can't ask for much more!
Quoting LXM83 (Thread starter): A two day trip in November which includes one inaugural flight, two new carriers, two new airports and one new country. Plus a chance to collect some Euro coins from the latest country that joined the currency union... hopefully before it’s too late?
FLIEGER67 From Turkey, joined Sep 2003, 4391 posts, RR: 57 Reply 6, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 9502 times:
Hey, J.,
congrats, what a great idea to spend some days in the States and catch these rare plane type.
Superb pictures, that´s really sightseeing by air.
Always a tough decision to leave the wife/family somewhere else on travel.
I´ve done no flights in between our family trip to Italy this year, anyway the time goes by rather quick.
Good to know that you managed to be back not that long after planning.
Quoting LXM83 (Thread starter): Along the way, the ATI DC-8 freighter which had arrived before was being unloaded. It had arrived before when I was in the terminal. Too bad this type is not in passenger service anymore.... still missing from my log...
Quoting LXM83 (Thread starter): A two day trip in November which includes one inaugural flight, two new carriers, two new airports and one new country. Plus a chance to collect some Euro coins from the latest country that joined the currency union... hopefully before it’s too late?
You never know these days, so better do it and I´am looking forward to you´re story.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 7, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 9496 times:
Quoting LXM83 (Thread starter): A subtype still missing from my log which is impossible to catch here in Europe is the Embraer RJ140, a version in between the shorter Embraer RJ135 and the longer Embraer RJ145. With a capacity of 44 seats, the size of the Embraer RJ140 is close to the RJ145. In fact, it’s only 1.42 m shorter than the RJ145, but 2.12 m longer than the RJ135.
I hadn't realised that the E140 was so rare. I flew N858AE last week SAN-LAX - I was quite dissapoiinted not to get an E135 or a E120, but now that I know about it's scarcity, Im happy with it!
The777Man From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 6088 posts, RR: 56 Reply 8, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 9032 times:
Hi LXM83!
Thanks for a very nice report with very nice pictures featuring my hometown of Los Angeles. Great pictures of LAX and Los Angeles both on departure and arrival.
Nice for you to finally get the EMB=140!
You have given me an idea with this trip report of yours and I may do a similiar trip to SJC but coming back on WN 73G hopefully. MQ would be a new carrier for me and EMB-140 a new type and 73G on the return would be a new type for me as well.
Very impressive with 1280 flights! I'm at a little over 800......
The777Man
Need a Boeing 777 Firing Order....Further to fly....GA, T5, CI and LX 777s
sultanils From Belgium, joined Mar 2010, 1188 posts, RR: 29 Reply 9, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 3 days ago) and read 8715 times:
Hi LXM83,
A nice and special report covering this exotic RJ140. Great pics on overflying LA, it is really a huge area! Too bad you got bumped off the return flight, but it seems you had pretty much enough other options to choose from
Quoting LXM83 (Thread starter): A subtype still missing from my log which is impossible to catch here in Europe is the Embraer RJ140, a version in between the shorter Embraer RJ135 and the longer Embraer RJ145.
I didn't even know this subtype existed? But indeed it is listed on a.net's database of 'aircraft data and history'.
Quoting LXM83 (Thread starter): using Southwest Airlines (WN/SWA), Alaska Airlines (AS/ASA) operated by Horizon Air (QX/QXE) or United Air Lines (UA/UAL) operated by SkyWest (OO/SKW) as United Express.
Quoting LXM83 (Thread starter): A quick text message to a friend in Switzerland and he was able to confirm that N848AE was indeed the sought after ERJ-140. Mission achieved!
Funny! You can never be sure enough, can you? As if you were still able to switch planes when you were not in the right one.
BlueJuice From United States of America, joined Jun 2010, 205 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 8528 times:
Great report and congrats on catching the elusive 140.
I do the LAX-SJC-LAX run about twice per month and love the flight. The views are spectacular. The 8C DC-8 based at SJC is always a treat. The ride from Terminal 4 at LAX to the "Eagles Nest" commuter terminal is always great for plane spotting.
KLASM83 From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 584 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 8391 times:
Very nice TR!
Used to live in California and these are quite nice pictures. Amongst the grand trips around the world, it's nice to see the humble RJ's plying the intra-state systems. Additionally, I liked the detailed pictures as they have made me quite homesick. Thanks!
Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 4): I have done the approach into LAX only once, and that was at night, but also very impressive with the almost endless sea of lights down.
Yes, at night it must be impressive, too!
Quoting planejamie (Reply 5): Seems like American Eagle do what they say on the tin, a simple connection service, decent crew and a drink on board, you can't ask for much more!
Yes, apart from the long check-in queue I have nothing to complain.
Quoting FLIEGER67 (Reply 6): Superb pictures, that´s really sightseeing by air.
Yes, it's one of those approaches that I will never forget.
Quoting FLIEGER67 (Reply 6): Always a tough decision to leave the wife/family somewhere else on travel.
Yes, indeed. But the chance to get the ERJ140 on just one morning made me do it.
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 7): I hadn't realised that the E140 was so rare. I flew N858AE last week SAN-LAX - I was quite dissapoiinted not to get an E135 or a E120, but now that I know about it's scarcity, Im happy with it!
Well, the EMB 120 are nice too, if you haven't flown it yet it's time to do so now.
Quoting The777Man (Reply 8): very nice pictures featuring my hometown of Los Angeles
Thanks, I hope I did not make any incorrect descriptions on the scenery on my pictures.
Quoting The777Man (Reply 8): Very impressive with 1280 flights! I'm at a little over 800......
Well, 800 is not bad, either!
Quoting sultanils (Reply 9): Too bad you got bumped off the return flight, but it seems you had pretty much enough other options to choose from
In fact, I don't like trips going back and forth on the same route, same aircraft type and same registration. I only planned it like this to not be away from our family holiday for longer than necessary. In the end I'm totally happy how it played out.
Oops, I knew it was going to happen. So let's set it straight: San Jose (SJC/KSJC)!
Quoting sultanils (Reply 9): Funny! You can never be sure enough, can you? As if you were still able to switch planes when you were not in the right one.
Well, too late to switch of course But at least I could enjoy the flight better, knowing I was on the right type. I would not have any clue how to tell an ERJ140 from an ERJ145 if it stood on the ramp alone or from inside the cabin.
Quoting sultanils (Reply 9): I think FRA does also display standby's on screen at the gate.
Yes, I know, and I like them. I wonder why they don't have them more often at other airports.
Quoting BlueJuice (Reply 10): Great report and congrats on catching the elusive 140.
Thanks!
Quoting BlueJuice (Reply 10): The ride from Terminal 4 at LAX to the "Eagles Nest" commuter terminal is always great for plane spotting.
That's true. Great name - "Eagles Nest"!
Quoting KLASM83 (Reply 11): Additionally, I liked the detailed pictures as they have made me quite homesick.
I'm sorry to make you homesick... maybe time to take a flight to go there and write a trip report about it
FlyingFinn76 From Finland, joined Jun 2009, 1705 posts, RR: 41 Reply 13, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 8285 times:
Hi J,
That ERJ-140 is sure a nice catch! The story why Embraer made this special version for the AA feeder carriers is also quite interesting, but you already know that, don't you?
Anyway congratulations on catching that and some very nice pictures of the L.A. area on your return trip. Not one of my favorite places in the world by a long shot, but that urban sprawl is indeed mighty impressive when viewed from the air, day or night. I remember a Southwest flight from SFO to SAN a couple of years ago - it was early March and the Bay Area weather was like it usually is that time of year - very wet and foggy with almost zero visibility. All of the sudden the weather cleared up once we crossed the mountains surrounding the L.A. Basin and there were excellent views of the area all the way down to San Diego, culminating in the fantastic approach that the airport has right next to the downtown skyscrapers - fantastic!
CrimsonNL From Netherlands, joined Dec 2007, 1620 posts, RR: 42 Reply 14, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 8162 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW CHAT OPERATOR
Hey LX! Nice report. Reminds me of my ERD flight from DCA to JFK a few years ago. At that time I only wanted an Embraer and only later found out how rare it actually is!
brilondon From Canada, joined Aug 2005, 3183 posts, RR: 1 Reply 15, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 7927 times:
I must be the luckiest man on earth to beable to fly in such a "rare" aircraft, as you put it, very often. Seriously though, the trip report was very good, and hope to read more of your TR's in the future.
LXM83 From Switzerland, joined May 2005, 569 posts, RR: 5 Reply 16, posted (1 year 8 months 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 7394 times:
Hello guys, thanks for some more replies.
Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 13): The story why Embraer made this special version for the AA feeder carriers is also quite interesting, but you already know that, don't you?
No, honestly I don't. Scope clauses? I'm sure there's more to it.
Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 13): Not one of my favorite places in the world by a long shot, but that urban sprawl is indeed mighty impressive when viewed from the air
I second that.
Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 13): all the way down to San Diego, culminating in the fantastic approach that the airport has right next to the downtown skyscrapers - fantastic!
Yep, the San Diego approach is great. Did it a decade ago on a BA 777-200 from LGW.
Quoting CrimsonNL (Reply 14): Reminds me of my ERD flight from DCA to JFK a few years ago. At that time I only wanted an Embraer and only later found out how rare it actually is!
Hey, that's good. So that's checked off you list, then.
Quoting brilondon (Reply 15): I must be the luckiest man on earth to beable to fly in such a "rare" aircraft, as you put it, very often.
Well, actually it's just another Embraer RJ. I like all of them, but I just wanted to make sure I was on every variant. I guess the "rare" definition is subjective.
MSS658 From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 2212 posts, RR: 14 Reply 19, posted (1 year 8 months 3 days 1 hour ago) and read 6728 times:
Hi
Nice trip report you have got there. Did not realise the E140 was that rare. Congratulations for maneging to get all the Embrears! This report proves that US domestic flying still can be interesting.
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