Commercial Flights!

Last weekend I went with my band Hookslide to Dickson, TN to sing to a bunch of school kids and raise money for evacuees from Mississippi and Louisiana. Long story, but the relevant part here is that it was the first (and second thru fourth) commercial flight I'd taken since starting my flying lessons. A few observations -- first, we took off out of SJC to the south, which seems like it's a rare phenomenon. But it gave me a good look at Runway 29, where I'd practiced landings a while ago. On the way out, instead of flaps that extended rearward, the wings appeared to have some sort of mechanism on the front of the wing to serve the same purpose. And on the way back, on a plane with normal flaps, the flaps were extended at takeoff out of Houston. I figured maybe it had to do with wanting a steeper angle of ascent...but that doesn't really make sense; I'd think it'd have the opposite effect.

I guess all commercial flights basically take long, straight-in approaches; at least that's what it felt like. And the landing roll was very familiar; I could feel the plane level off, hear the power reduce, and feel the flare. I think the weirdest thing was not being able to see outside. I also did not get an opportunity to listen to the radio communications; these airlines were not playing them.

Still recuperating from the weekend, and still need to write about my lesson today!