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When I published the first edition of my transatlantic traffic analysis on A.net in April 2011 (https://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/aviation_polls/read.main/216043/), I received a couple of interesting private messages from A.netters commenting and discussing my work. Little did I know then that one of those discussions, with one particular American A.netter, would evolve into what has become one of my possibly strongest, certainly most interesting friendship relationship in a long time. From the analysis at hand, our correspondence drifted to more personal topics and we discovered each other a surprisingly vast amount of common interests. The geography/history/politics part of this sustained correspondence, which is still going strong as I start the writing of this report, reactivated the interest for U.S. history and geography that had always been part of me, albeit sleeping while I was busy with the discovery of other countries.
Long story short, another visit to the U.S. was in order after my last visit to New York in 2008 ( BA BRU-LHR-JFK-EWR-LHR-BRU (Pics/Vids/go-around) (by BrusselsSouth May 7 2008 in Trip Reports) ) (not counting a change of planes at PHL in 2009 - Canada : 9 Flights W/ LH/US/WS/AC/BD Lots Of Pics! (by BrusselsSouth May 7 2009 in Trip Reports)). A discussion with the aforementioned A.netter and friend (let's call him Mr B for the remainder of this report to protect his A.net identity, if he has no problems revealing himself, he'll just comment on this report) related to one of his recent travels to Washington, DC had made the U.S. capital a no brainer in my mind. As is often the case, the sparkle igniting the fire was the discovery of a promotional fare on AF/KL from Europe to North America, for travel in January/February. Before booking, I contacted Mr B to assess the feasibility of a quick meet in Washington, but unfortunately, as we both had a very busy schedule during the discounted fare period for business/personal reasons, we concluded that there was too little advance notice for the meeting to actually happen.
This would oviously not prevent me from going by myself, and it would provide me with a good reason to come again to the U.S. for a proper meet at a later point. Upon checking the schedule options on the AF website, I realized that they wouldn't charge more for a multi-city itinerary which I took as an excuse to look for an alternative return routing. There came another no brainer: for a very reasonable fare, AF/KL allowed me to compile the following itinerary:
- High speed train (Thalys train with an AF code) between Brussels and CDG.
- CDG-IAD on the AF A380.
- MIA-AMS on the KL MD-11.
- AMS-BRU on the KL Fokker 70.
While I had already tried the AF A380 ( AF A380: WhaleJet Across The Channel (pics) (by BrusselsSouth Aug 12 2010 in Trip Reports) ) and KL F70 ( Copenhagen In One Day: BRU-CPH-AMS-BRU SK/KL (by BrusselsSouth Dec 23 2011 in Trip Reports) ), the MD-11 did appeal to me big time, especially amidst all the noise about KL retiring them soon (and pulling out of MIA completely). Mr B mentioned that after her retreat from MIA, the KL MD-11 would be operating on AMS-ATL (which I actually took as an invitation), but as another round of personal problems is already scheduled in my near future life (health problems, again, but don't worry, a credible solution exists although its implementation will keep me away from the skies for a couple of months), I played it wise and followed the saying that claims that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
All I still needed was a hotel (found a good deal for the ideally located Hilton Garden Inn DC, three blocks away from the White House) and a way to reach MIA from Washington on the day of my return. In true A.net style, Mr B had very wisely suggested that I use both IAD and DCA during any trip to Washington as a way to discover both airports which were, according to him, both very different experiences. As I was supposed to arrive at IAD, I started searching for DCA to MIA options only to find that no airline beside AA operate the route. I opted against connections to maximize my time in the capital and minimize the risk of missing my flight back to Europe. With no other options in sight I booked myself on an AA 737-800 (no possibility for a Mad Dog here), allowing plenty of time for the connection at MIA.
A couple of days later, I bought an upgrade to Y+ for the KLM MIA-AMS segment, in an attempt at getting some sleep during that flight since I had to work the day following my return. I even enrolled into the Flying Blue FF program even though I've been a Miles&More member for long, since it appears that I find myself more often than not on SkyTeam carriers. This being said, the program doesn't look exactly generous, but what can you loose when it's free?
The following days, I received lots of suggestions and tips from Mr B which turned out to be very useful. My plan called for an exhausting but extensive visit of Washington in a short (2 full days, starting on Friday noon till Sunday noon) time frame. The "must visit" list featured both facilities of the National Air & Space Museum, at Dulles (Stven F. Udvar-Hazy Center) and on the National Mall.
So, now that the background is set, fasten your seat belts, put your seat back in the upright position and join me for a ride to the U.S. capital.
A train with a flight number
Like most of my personal travels, this trip begins with an early wake-up at 4am. The first thing I do is a quick check of the North Atlantic Tracks (NAT) for the day:
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A warm shower and a couple of cups of coffee later, I'm on a cab that drops me at the Charleroi-South railway station.
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Not many souls around at this early hour, I catch the first double-decker IC service to Brussels of the day.
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50 minutes and 4 intermediate stops later I reach the Brussels-Midi/Zuid station where I find my way to the airport-style Air France check-in counters. Checking in online doesn't exempt you from a visit to the manual check-in counter for Air France's train service. As stated on my "boarding pass" (train ticket), my "flight" (train ride) will depart from "gate" (track) 4. I'm also given a boarding pass for the CDG-IAD segment by a, let's say, not too friendly agent.
I wait for a couple of minutes on the platform until a trainset formed by the coupling of a Thalys PBA and a TGV-Réseau shows up. This train serves CDG before continuing to Marseille.
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Boarding is a brilliant mess with everyone, including me, walking the whole length of the train multiple times in a desperate attempt at finding the car mentioned on the boarding pass. Finally, a catering loader solves the mystery by realizing that a "1" has been prefixed to the car number on the boarding pass. So, car "11" actually means "1", "12" means "2" and so on. I find my comfortable seat in a first class car (I believe all Air France customers are seated in first class carriages) with more legroom than you could ever dream of on a plane, even in First. I notice that there is a large load of Air France ticketed passengers on board the train, with a good proportion of Africans about to connect on AF's subsaharian network.
As usual, the Brussels to Paris journey is a short (1:15) and smooth ride that ends right at the heart of the action at CDG, between terminals 2C/D and 2E/F (we were served complimentary biscuits and drinks during the journey).
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I counted no less than 13 U.S. departures in the 10:00 - 11:00 time frame. Note the cancelled Tbilisi flight on Georgian Airways.
While I hear many complaints about the supposed difficult navigation through CDG's terminals, I always (well, for the three times I used it) seem to find my way there easily, all it takes is a careful following of the signs.
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CDG Terminal 2E check-in hall.
There's a short line for passport control, before I board the small automated train called LISA (Liaison Interne Satellite Aérogare) that leads to the satellite hosting gates E51 through E75.
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That's where security control takes place, after a few minutes of waiting and without hassle. That part of terminal 2E boasts a very airy and spatious architecture with plenty of natural light.
Terminal 2E is SkyTeam territory:
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Two A380s are parked on the western side of the satellite, docked to Whalejet-specific air bridges allowing boarding on both decks simultaneously. One is on duty for my flight to IAD while the other will take off to JFK after us. The waiting lounges are large with plenty of seating. I find a spot at the southern tip of the terminal where I can watch departures and arrivals on the 26's.
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While there's no lack of movements, most are AF or standard Euro-stuff, anyway I manage to catch these (sorry about the reflection on some pictures):
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F-GUFD to Nurnberg.
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Old AF colors...
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... and new colors.
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N346AN departing as AA45 to JFK.
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C-GTSN arriving from Samana, Dominican Republic.
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7T-VJY arriving from Algiers.
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AF in retro livery departing to Barcelona.
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France Air Force F-RADA.
Crossing the Pond on a whale(jet)
Flight details:
+ AF028
+ CDG-IAD
+ Scheduled: 10:50 - 13:10
+ Actual: 11:05 - 13:25
+ Aircraft: Airbus A380-861 F-HPJA MSN33, first flight 12-FEB-2009
Soon enough my flight is called for boarding. Two gates (E53 and E54) are used to separate premium classes and elites from the Y cattle, each gate being divided into lower and upper deck corridors.
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The weather looks slightly better for English speakers...
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I make my way upstairs after a lengthy queue and enter the beast through the U1L door (a "U" or "M" prefix is added in front of A380 door designators to distinguish between Upper and Main deck).
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I cross a large section of the C cabin ("Affaires"), then Y+ ("Premium Voyageur") to find my seat (92L) in the mini Y cabin at the very back of the upper deck. SeatGuru has those Y seats at the standard 32" pitch but they sure feel comfortable, almost like 33".
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They feature a large IFE touch screen, adjustable headrest and foldable footrest, and a classy red pillow and beige blanket set waits on each of them. A nice feature of the A380 upper deck is the presence of stowage bins between the cabin wall and outer seats, I find this very handy to store items you want to have at hand while not wanting to open the overhead bins all the time.
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After doors are closed, my seatmate spots a free row and moves there, leaving me with two seats to make myself comfortable. We leave the gate on time while a recorded safety demo is played, and taxi to runway 27L for a westbound departure.
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The captain makes a welcome speech, mentioning the weather and also the fact that F-HPJA is the first A380 that was deliverd to AF. The tail camera feed is played on our individual screens during taxi and take-off, very nice but that's the last time the feed would be available until final approach and landing.
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The A380 is so incredibly quiet during take-off that you barely notice the take-off roll.
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Soon after departure, the crew makes a pass to distribute a small "amenity kit" containing earphones, ear plugs, eye shades and a refreshing towel.
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I'm surprised to read on the menu that bubbles are free for us Y guests so I order that, you know, just to check, and sure enough, even if the glass is not in the purest French tradition, it contains real Champagne. It's actually not bad as a matter of fact.
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I then order the salmon and pollock main dish which comes accompanied by a vegetable salad with chicken strips, tasty rice, camembert cheese, excellent chocolate mousse, a mandarine orange and multiple rounds of bread served from a tray. I wash it all down with a bottle of white wine and another one of water, before the flight attendant comes for coffee.
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I'm already filled when she proposes scotch of liquor (all this for free, wait, a quick look at my boarding pass, that's economy, right?) and as I don't want to have too much alcohol I decline.
After the meal is complete, attendants request that all window blinds are closed as to allow sleeping. I hate that as looking out of the window is my favorite IFE (yes, even above oceans) but a fellow passenger across the aisle makes me understand that the light from the window causes reflections on her IFE screen. Oh well...
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I try to sleep without much success while the complaining mate across the row takes advantage of the light load to make herself comfortable by laying on the 4 middle seats.
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Without much to do, I actually make use of the "official" IFE by testing the games (not really my thing) then watching a randomly picked movie, "The beaver" featuring Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster. The only good thing with stupid movies like this is that they make time pass fast.
For the first time in my life, I decide to do what hardcore A.net trip reporters do, going to the lavatory with a camera. Here's the result, it definitely felt weird to take pictures of the loo I'll admit:
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Before I knew it we were reaching the American continent abeam St John's. From time to time I quickly open up the my window blind, ignoring a few angry looks, to get a view of icy and snowy Newfoundland, then Nova Scotia and later Maine and New Hampshire.
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Over Maine.
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Concord, NH, and its airport (CON/KCON).
Around Boston, cabin lights are switched on and the afternoon snack service begins, giving me an excuse to open the window blind for good, followed by most other passengers. Said snack is a sandwich with biscuits, OJ, Actimel fermented milk and a round of drinks.
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Connecticut river.
The skies have become clear at this point, and the snow on the ground disappears somewhere before we reach the New York area. I had anticipated a more easterly route which would have offered nice views of Boston, NYC or Philly, but ours was a little too far inland. Here are some of the sights though:
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Stewart Airport (SWF) near New York.
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Delaware river.
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Susquehanna River with the infamous Three Mile Island nuclear powerplant (right smoke plume) and the city of Harrisburg, PA under the wing. MDT airport is visible just above the smoke from TMI.
After some slow and relatively low flying (for ATC reasons, according to the captain, at FL210 according to FlightAware) we pass IAD downwind...
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... before executing a right turn...
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... that brings us to a greasy landing on runway 1R.
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Interstate 66 running toward DC at Centreville.
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Final approach.
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We taxi to our stand at the A gates, from my window the airport looks deserted, with a Continent... err... United Q400 (N354NG) and Delta MD-80 being the only metal in sight.
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N354NG about to depart to Buffalo/Niagara (BUF/KBUF).
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Old Dulles Tower.
I guess there must be more action on the other side, such as this South African A340 I spot when disembarking.
Once inside the midfield terminal, we are directed to one of those typical Dulles "mobile lounges" that lead us to the iconic main terminal designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen.
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The queue for immigration is not that impressive, but it takes a while to process each person so I end up spending more than 30 minutes in the queue. When my turn finally comes, a long queue as formed behind me, with not only my fellow passengers from the AF A380, but also a freshly arrived load from EI's weird MAD-IAD service. A few questions, fingerprints and a photo later, I'm welcomed to the U.S. by a not too welcoming immigration agent.
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Here's a FlightAware map of our route:
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National Air & Space Museum / Part I: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
My first mission on American soil consists in visiting the Dulles facility of the National Air & Space Museum, named the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. I have a bit of spare time in front of me since immigration took later than expected, making me miss my targeted bus. I take advantage of this to "visit" the impressive main terminal, admiring the graceful beauty of its roof designed in the late fifties.
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Thanks to Mr B's advice, reaching the museum by minibus is a breeze.
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The security guard at the entrance is impressed to see a Belgian although I suspect the number of foreigners visiting the museum must be significant. The inside is like a dream come true, here's just a small selection of highlights:
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SR-71 Blackbird (I built a model of it as a kid).
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The Boeing 707 prototype (Dash 80).
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The B-29 that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.
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Lufthansa Ju-52/3m.
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Space exploration hall.
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Mr B's surprise welcome
The sun is already about to set when I take the bus back to IAD, to catch another bus (Metrobus 5A) to Washington. Following Mr B's suggestion, I remain on the bus till the end of the line as to see the Pentagon and pass on the infamous bridge that got struck by Air Florida 90 in 1982. The then 14th Street Bridge is now the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge in the honor of a passenger from that flight who repeatedly gave up the rescue lines to other survivors before drowning.
A quick Metro ride later, I check in at my hotel where a surprise awaits me: a large box has been delivered by UPS, with my name written in the addressee area!
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As soon as I reach my room I open the thing to discover a present for every member of my family. As a clue for fiding out who the sender is, presents include a selection of typical southern U.S. (more precisely Georgian) culinary products. A nice letter welcomes me to Washington and directs me to a bottle of typical Georgian wine stowed in the bottom of the box.
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The sender has been so kind as to include a cork-screw to spare me a crual frustration. My surprise turns into extreme excitement when I extract a large, and absolutely unexpected aviation related present from the box, something I have been dreaming of holding in my hands during a recent discussion with Mr B. Oh wait, the letter is signed by... Mr B and his family! How cool is this? Thank you so much Mr B and family!
Visiting Washington (part I)
After having enjoyed a couple of glasses of this lovely Muscadine wine, I crash into bed as the time zone difference takes its toll on me: it's already the middle of the night in Belgium. The next day, after a delicious breakfast, I start my (very cold) visit of Washington with a walk to the U.S. Capitol. It has been snowing during the night, but not enough to make walking difficult.
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Library of Congress.
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Supreme Court.
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U.S. Capitol.
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Statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Captiol rotunda.
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The Crypt was supposed to look down on George Washington's tomb. A star on the floor marks the point where Washington DC is divided into 4 quadrants.
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The Capitol Dome. The frieze on the left depicts a summary of American history, until the birth of aviation.
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The Apotheosis of Washington is a large fresco painted by Constantino Brumidi in the dome of the Capitol in 1865.
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Detail of the frieze depicting the Wright brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903.
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The old Hall of the House of Representatives now houses a large part of the National Statuary Hall Collection.
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Looking across the National Mall from the Capitol toward the Monument. Construction works are in progress...
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... for this reason.
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The National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall.
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The Smithsonian Castle, on the National Mall.
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The 555 feet Washington Monument was the world's tallest structure from 1884 to 1889.
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The difference in color just above the flag marks the place where construction stopped in 1856 before being resumed in 1879.
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World War II Memorial.
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This one is for Mr B...
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... as is this one from the Lincoln Memorial.
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Lincoln Memorial.
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National Mall seen from the Lincoln Memorial.
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Korean War Veterans Memorial.
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
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The memorial displays the names of 58,272 servicemen who were either killed in action or went missing in action.
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In the reflection on the memorial wall is A.net member BrusselsSouth...
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The Three Soldiers bronze statue depicts a White, African and Hispanic American looking toward the wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
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The Vietnam Women's Memorial.
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The Federal Reserve building.
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The White House seen from the South...
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... and from the North.
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Lafayette Square, close to the White House.
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U.S. Treasury building.
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(Continued in Part 2)
Sultanils
