INCREDIBLE SUNSET

One of the joys of sitting up front in an airplane is the incredible views we have of the sun rising and setting. Here's an "eerie" shot I took of the sun setting a couple of weeks ago when we were flying from San Juan, PR (SJU), to Newark (EWR). It amazes me how the sun can produce such interesting views when it's so far away from the earth. Truly majestic, don't you think? Click on the photo for an enlargement of this nice shot.

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SHE'S A BEAUTY!!!

Here's a nice picture of a private B-727-200 I took in Bermuda when I flew there recently. I think the B-727 has to be one of the nicest flying airplanes ever made. It's certainly a stable platform and although most were a bit under powered, it certainly made flying FUN. Flying the B-727 all over Europe was one of the highlights of my flying career. Too bad they won't be around much longer. Guzzling gas just makes it too expensive to fly. At least I got the opportunity to captain this majestic airplane throughout the skies!

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MY BRAIN AGE IS.............

My girlfriend got me a Nintendo DS for my birthday last year since I hit the big "FIVE OH" (50). As a "more mature" adult, I have to do things to keep my brain working at peak performance. I've been doing daily "brain exercises", and as you can see from the results, they are working....... ;-) At any rate, my girlfriends daughter is 13, her son 11, and Maria is..........well, younger than me. 20 is the HIGHEST brain age in the Nintendo program.............so here's a shot of the person with the sharpest brain! :-)

REFLECTION and NIGHT SHOT

Here's a nice shot I took of us being pushed back for engine start in Montego Bay Jamaica. I think people think it's neat to see a different perspective of what's happening up front. Also included a night shot I took as we waited to taxi out in Newark, NJ (EWR). The picture is of a B-757 waiting for his sequence to taxi. We'd been sitting and waiting for our turn to taxi for over 10 minutes, so I thought I'd try for a nice "night shot". It's certainly hard to hold the camera still for a picture like this, but I'm getting better. ;-)

WHY I DON'T WANT TO LIVE UP NORTH? FREEZIN'S THE REASON

Here's a shot I took a few short months ago during a "quick snowstorm" in Cleveland, Ohio (CLE). This picture shows just what a "little" snowstorm can do in a few short hours. Brrrrr is all I can say. Two days later I was eating dinner in my cut-offs in Hollywood. Now do you know why I like Florida so much????? ;-)

HOW CAN YOU HATE THIS?????

Sorry for being gone for so long, but I finished my last flight of the month and now I'm back for a few days of R and R in Hollywood, FL! During my last trip, we got the opportunity to stay at the Sherry Frontenac hotel in Miami. I've attached a photo so you can see how nice this place is. It's been strictly an "airline crew member" hotel for the past 35 years or so. It's a great place for an overnight, but we still have pilots who aren't happy, even at places like this. I don't think staying in the Trump Plaza would be good enough for some of these guys.............

NEAT PICTURES AND CLIPS

Here's a few of the photos and clips I promised. You really see a lot of things when you're out on trips. Check out this guys tattoo. How many skulls can you see? He said their were four, but I counted a few more. (Said it took over 40 hours to get this badboy done! OUCH!). This guy doing a belly flop was having a contest with a few other "shipmates". (Yes, they'd been drinking). They looked like tomatoes when they were done. And my favorite.......the "beach marching band". Kind of strange having a marching band pass you while you're at the beach. I guess this stuff happens only in Jamaica mon!!! Enjoy.

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STILL ON THE ROAD

Well, I'm here in West Palm Beach, and our flight is almost three hours late due to nasty weather in the northeast. Going to be a long day. We fly up to Newark, and then back to West Palm tonight. Hopefully we won't be delayed out of Newark too much, but that's probably a pipe dream since they are already backed up around two and a half hours...... :-( Tomorrow we have our shortest day of the trip and fly from West Palm Beach (PBI) back to Newark and then I'm done for a couple of days. I'll get my videos and photos posted for everyone to see. I think you'll like them! Ciao....

WAITING IT OUT

Well, I decided to stay up in Newark on my days off so I wouldn't have to worry about commuting up from Florida during the storm. My girlfriend came up a couple of days ago so I wouldn't have to spend all my time in the "crash pad" by myself. Sure was a nice surprise!!! Tomorrow I head off to San Antonio (SAT), and West Palm Beach (PBI), the following day. When I'm finished with this trip I'll upload some nice video clips and photos to my blog! Have a great day everyone and thanks for checking back!

SAD DAY AT CONTINENTAL

Well, today I flew with a great guy who flew his last trip for Continental for a while (he's 28 years old). He's being furloughed (supposedly due to the high cost of fuel.....), but hopefully this drop in oil will help bring him and his fellow furloughees back sooner. Since most of the airlines are cutting back, they don't need as many pilots, so he's on the chopping block. Sad thing is though, is that the age for pilots to retire was recently extended to age 65 so all those pilots who didn't have the brains to save for the past 35 years of their career could have a few more years to do so. Do you seriously think they will be able to save enough in five more years if they couldn't save enough in 35? What a joke......rant over. A lot of GREAT pilots are now being sent to the streets so these UNPREPARED buffoons can try to make ends meet. How sad........................

ON THE ROAD

Well, I'm on the road for the next week, so it'll be tough to upload any "good" stuff, but I gotta tell you, I've got quite a surprise that I'll upload next week. While in Montego Bay, Jamaica, I got a couple of video clips that I think are pretty hilarious. You'll really like them. Tonight I end up in Austin, TX, and then back to Newark, NJ tomorrow evening. Unfortunately, I can't go home since there's a couple of storms on the horizon and I don't want to get caught not being able to get back to work. Sooooooo, keep check in and I'll try to keep you updated on my travels. Ciao....