Stuck in traffic
I have spent many hours in a helicopter looking down at LA traffic. I didn’t call them all losers like Chuck does, but I did think about the misery of being stuck in traffic twice a day if you had to live and/or in that city. I have done just a bit of it for a short amount of time and never for a nine-to-five job and that was more than enough for me personally.
It’s crazy to think that in this modern world, people in LA move at speeds slower than the old horse buggy of the Wild West because the car is almost the only way of transportation there.
Mike
I personally broke a record yesterday in Paris : 3 hours to travel 13km. Thanks to Biden security that convinced French authorithies to close half of paris peripherique in busy hours.
And the bastard had choppers he didn’t use
Don’t worry about traffic in the air, never happens? Right?…
“Speedtape 123, flow into XYZ is giving you a wheels-up time in 40 minutes.”
“Speedtape 123, hold your push. Traffic passing behind you.”
“Speedtape 123, ramp hold is in effect for VIP movement.”
“Speedtape 123, taxi into the Alpha Hold Pad. The FXONE gate [in English – the initial fix on the departure procedure] has been closed due to approaching thunderstorms. Contact clearance delivery for a new flight plan.” … “Dispatch has approved the flight plan to FXTWO, we’re good to go.” “Roger, but the FXTWO gate has just closed as well. I can give you FXTRE, which will take you in the completely wrong direction, but at least you’ll be airborne.”
“Speedtape 123, turn 30 degrees left for a corporate jet passing in front of you. You can expect back on course in 20 miles.”
“Speedtape 123, slow from 300 to 220 knots for congestion.”
“Speedtape 123, we see you from the airport but continue your downwind; you’re being vectored onto a 50-mile final to follow other inbound arrivals.”
“Speedtape 123, hold short of Runway 01 for multiple departures and arrivals.”
“Speedtape 123, this is East Ramp. Hold short of the ramp, we have three aircraft outbound.”
…
“Speedtape 123, this is airport operations. We’re shorthanded today, so you’ll be brought in after Rival Airlines at the next gate over. We like them better anyway, and they always manage to get in on time.”
@J Segal: HAHA! That is such a great point! I have had all of these last week. Actually, it only takes one trip to Denver Int’l to get them all at once, lol.
Including: “Speedtape 123, your gate is still occupied. I need you to taxi past your gate, make a U-turn abeam the tower and hold on the green line abeam gate B63. We’ll let you know when it opens up.”
Or “Speedtape 123, taxi BRAVO-NOVEMBER to de-ice pad JULIET and hold. Your gate is occupied.”
Except in a helicopter, you do get to escape most of these things since you’re mainly just avoiding the flow of fixed wing traffic…
Mike