United Express “Mesa” 6364
West Palm Beach, FL (PBI) – Washington, DC – Dulles (IAD)
Embraer E-175
N83904
Seat 20A
Scheduled Departure Time – 1:55pm
Actual Departure Time- 5:20pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 4:23pm
Actual Arrival Time- 6:57pm
1 hour 37 minutes
N83904 arriving from IAD
Not long after everyone was off, boarding started
N746JB the NY Jets plane pushing back to HPN, 6 hours late
We ended up pushing back at 4:56pm, 3 hours late. The engines were quickly started, and we started the taxi.
N603JB was boarding for a flight to JFK, 2 hours delayed
N751FD an Airbus A300 departed the next to Memphis
N503JB the first jetBlue A320 on short final from Boston. I flew this plane back in 2008 from JFK-SYR
There were several planes on final, that we had to hold short for
Taking off
A few seconds later, we were quickly climbing into the air
We climbed through several different cloud layers, before we finally broke out on top
We leveled off at flight level 330, for the flight up to Dulles
The captain announced that we were just passing Jacksonville, FL and we had another 555 miles to go, and that it would be another 1 hour and 5 minutes. I listened to a podcast, watched the sunset and did a little studying for what I would be doing the next few days in training. The flight passed by pretty quickly, and before long the spoilers were out and we were making a steep initial descent
Cruising
There was pretty consistent light turbulence throughout the entire flight
The closer we got to IAD, the darker it got
Starting the descent
We flew straight in from the south on the CALVR4 arrival, before landing on runway 1C. The gear was lowered, before any flaps were extended
Short final over runway 30
Parking next to a 737 MAX that arrived right in front of us from San Francisco
N89304 was turning around, and flying right back down to West Palm Beach
Once I got off the plane, I checked where my other plane was. It had just taken off from Chicago. It had gotten a little bit of a late start. I ended up having about 3 hours until my next flight was departing. So, I walked around for a while before eventually heading to my gate. Dulles isn’t my favorite airport. But I headed over to the international terminal, and that was a lot nicer then the United gates.
United 1745
Washington, DC – Dulles (IAD) – Indianapolis, IN (IND)
Airbus A320
N451UA
Seat 25A
Scheduled Departure Time – 10:01pm
Actual Departure Time- 10:18pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 11:58pm
Actual Arrival Time- 11:34pm
1 hour 16 minutes
N68811 getting ready for a flight to Syracuse. A few years ago United occasionally started flying mainline SYR-ORD during busy times of the year. Recently they also started flying mainline IAD-SYR
It wasn’t a full flight, so boarding started and ended pretty quickly. Once everyone had settled in, the captain welcomed us aboard. He told us he was anticipating some bumps on the departure, and arrival. He also added that we had 18 connecting passengers, that had landed and we were going to wait about 15 minutes for them since we would still be arriving early. He said that would be waiting until 10:08pm, and sure enough we started to push back right on the dot
25A, next to N488UA that had arrived from New Orleans
Waiting on the connecting passengers
Getting in line behind a 757, getting ready to start a late night cross country flight to Los Angeles
We called Dulles Ground, and were given taxi instructions to runway 30. The pilots called with the old ATIS. There were not many planes taxiing, so we were advised to get information Kilo and to monitor tower. The winds were calm, and we were given our Line Up and Wait clearance. Once the 757 was off, we were instructed to make a left turn to a 270 heading on departure and were cleared for takeoff
Potomac departure cleared us up to 10,000ft, and instructed us that as we were climbing out of 3000ft to proceed direct to the LOULU intersection. A few minutes later we handed off to the next sector of Potomac Departure
We initially leveled off at 32,000ft for a little bit, before we continued climbing to 36,000ft. The flight attendants came through with drinks and snacks, and it was a quiet and uneventful late night flight
Cruising
Descending
Final 23L
Pulling into the gate, next to N410UA that had arrived from Denver right before us
N451UA spent the night at gate A23, before flying back to Dulles the next morning
Training this time was only for a short time, it was only for the week. When I started the week, I still hadn’t received my flight going back. I was eventually booked going back through EWR, with the EWR-PBI flight on a 737 MAX. Would this flight actually be my first flight on the Max? Or would my streak of issues whenever I was supposed to fly on one continue. We would have to wait until the end of the week and see. On the day of the flight I had training until the early afternoon. The first part of the day was a review of the systems of the airplane for our upcoming oral exam. After spending nearly 4 hours listening to all of the engaging and fascinating material
about how the APU, Electrical, Fuel , Hydraulic and all the other systems work, training for the week was done and it was time to head to the airport. My class ended a little early, so I ended up getting to IND a few hours early. I checked my bag, and the agent said you win. I asked her what for? She said the destination she was most jealous of. She said that she had a trip planned to Florida coming up that she was looking forward to. After this I went through security. N222NV had just arrived from Punta Gorda, FL
N969WN taxiing to the gate, after a flight from Las Vegas
N432AW pulling into the gate after a quick 33 minute flight from Chicago
And taxiing back out
N222JQ waiting for a flight to LaGuardia
N191UW waiting for its gate to open up, after landing from Phoenix. I had flown this same plane about two weeks earlier from PBI-CLT
N935NN pushed back for a flight to Dallas
N604NN getting ready to push back to Charlotte
My flight was still ontime, but the only thing I was worried about was the winds at EWR. The winds were gusting 30 out of the Northwest. I was worried they would start holding planes, and I only had a 45 minute layover
My plane landing from Newark
Shortly after my plane landed, I got the notification I wasn’t that surprised to see
This flight was now supposed to arrive 3 minutes after my PBI flight was departing. The curse of the 737 MAX continues, or so I thought. Eventually it was moved up a little bit, and I would have about 15-20 minutes to make the connection. I called the travel department, and they said they weren’t any other flights out of IND tonight. If I missed the flight, they would get me a hotel in EWR. But that taking this flight was probably the best option. I looked at flights they next day, just in case. It was February and every flight to PBI, FLL or MIA was full the next day. The only flight United had wasn’t until 6pm the next day. EWR might be my least favorite airport, and the idea of not only having to spend the night there but possibly the next day to was not an idea I was into. Hopefully this flight would leave earlier
United Express “Republic” 3709
Indianapolis, IN (IND) – Newark, NJ (EWR)
Embraer E-170
N635RW
Seat 10A
Scheduled Departure Time – 5:15pm
Actual Departure Time- 6:15pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 7:20pm
Actual Arrival Time- 7:40pm
1 hour 15 minutes
We ended up boarding about 15 minutes later then we were supposed to
10A
The captain made an announcement. She talked about the air traffic control delays into EWR, and that they were down to one runway and the gusty winds were the reason for the delay. She said we would be pushing back from the gate, taxiing towards the runway. We would have to hold for about 40 minutes on our wheels up time. After a little while of waiting she said that ATC was going to let us go 5 minutes earlier. There was still hope for my connection, but it would be tight
A 727
N335FR holding short of the runway, before taking off to Vegas
N132EV taking off to JFK
N166FE on short final from Memphis
Our original wheels up time was 6:19pm. While we were waiting, they moved it up to 6:14pm. At 6:05pm the engines were started, and a few minutes later we taxied up to the runway and held short for a few minutes. We were given a Line Up and Wait clearance. Eventually we were given a left turn to a 210 heading on departure, and takeoff clearance
We climbed up to FL350, and the flight attendants came through with drinks. I spent the flight watching the sunset and my watch, worrying about my connecting flight. I hadn’t gotten any more used to the idea of spending the night in Newark, any more than before I had boarded
Cruising
After what seemed like forever, we were finally starting the descent into EWR
It was still windy in EWR, so there were some decent bumps on the way in
Final 4R
We touched down at 7:40pm. I had 25 minutes until my next flight was departing. I got super lucky and we quickly crossed 4L, and didn’t have to wait for any planes to takeoff. But once we were on the other side, we had to hold short of the ramp while some planes came out. We finally got to the gate. I asked the guy sitting next to me, if he minded if I quickly got up. I was one of the first people off the plane. I quickly headed to my next gate. I made it just in time! I got off my first plane at 7:51pm. I boarded my next flight at 7:59pm, and they closed the door at 8:03pm. I felt kind of bad. There were two standbys who were standing there. As I was scanning my boarding pass, I heard the agent tell them we have one seat left now. That had to be a bummer. Nothing like someone coming at the last second and screwing you over on the last flight of the night
United 1450
Newark, NJ (EWR) – West Palm Beach, FL (PBI)
Boeing 737-8 MAX
N27255
Seat 20F
Scheduled Departure Time – 8:05pm
Actual Departure Time- 8:33pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 11:03pm
Actual Arrival Time- 10:57pm
2 hours 24 minutes
N27255 had arrived earlier in the evening from Phoenix
When I boarded, there was a couple that was sitting in my seat. The guy asked if I would mind taking his seat, one row up and another window. I didn’t care, I was just happy to be on the plane. I was supposed to be in 21A, but ended up in 20F. I had been so pre occupied with my connection, that it wasn’t until I sat down and looked out the window and saw the wing that I remembered that I was on the 737 MAX
20F, next to N35260 also getting ready for a flight to Florida. It was going to Ft Myers
The captain welcomed everyone, and mentioned that it would be a few minutes, since the last of the bags were be loaded and they were also waiting for the towbar to be connected. He also said that we had a longer flight planned to PBI. The flight time would be 2 hours 40 minutes, because of some winds from a weather system that had moved through the night before. We ended up pushing back at 8:15pm. By the time we got out to 4L there were only a few planes ahead of us, so it wasn’t that long of a wait
We held in position, while a few planes taxied across
Climbing out of EWR
On our way up to 34,00ft, we first stopped at 28,000ft for a little bit. Then we spent a little time, at FL300 and FL320 before finally going up to 34,000ft. On this flight I watched Downfall: The Case Against Boeing. It had been released that day, and I figured what better time to watch it then on my first flight on a 737 MAX.
Cruising
As we got a little closer to Florida, the captain announced we had gotten a short cut from ATC. We originally were supposed to be going over Central Florida. But we were able to fly straight down over the water. That saved us about 15 minutes
We checked in with Palm Beach approach, as we were coming down the arrival. They cleared us to the RELTY intersection, which is the final approach fix on the ILS. We were cleared down to 1,500ft, before being cleared for a visual approach to 28R. We turned a fairly short final and were high, we were all white on the PAPIs
Final 28R
We touched down and quickly exited the runway. There were two jetBlue airbuses that were delayed, that took off as soon as were off the runway. It was a pretty quick taxi into the gate. The MAX was cool, and something different to fly on. But, I definitely prefer the older 737s
N27255 spent the night at gate B2. It flew back up to Newark early the next morning
A Breeze E190. They started service out of PBI the next morning
After this I was home for about another 10 days. Then it was back to start the sims, and finish up training. I have less than two weeks left!