Margaritas and Rocking Chairs: The Journey Home From Cancun Part 2

A US Airways A321, my ride to Phoenix

Continuing on from Part 1, I was waiting my next leg of my journey back to Calgary. Now that we've gone northeast, it was time to do some backtracking and head west to the desert and the lovely city of Phoenix, Arizona. The sun was low in the sky as I awaited. During my 4 hour layover in Charlotte I had seen pretty much every type of aircraft US Airways has in its fleet from the Boeing 737-400 to the mighty Airbus A330-300. My flight to Phoenix would be US 705 and we would be flying on a Airbus A321, the largest aircraft in the A320 series. Because this was pretty much a cross-country flight, it would be about another 4 hours in the air on this leg of the trip. At 4:30pm local time, boarding began and to my surprise, my seat had been changed. Instead of being at the back of the bus again, my seat got changed to the 12th row, quite an unexpected surprise from an airline that has already done so much for me. What was even better, the middle seat in our row was vacant, giving me and my seatmate more room to stretch our arms and legs. We pushed back from gate 10 minutes ahead of schedule and headed out for Runway 18C. Here, the A321 lit up its IAE V2500 engines and roared down the runway and boy what a beautiful sound they made as we rocketed off and headed west.

A United Express Embrarer 145 just finishing pushback next to us

This seat would be a little quieter because we were one less person in our row and also because the gentleman who was sitting in my row had just gotten off an 12 hour flight from India and was heading home to Phoenix, so it was no surprise that he was looking for some sleep. He did wake up towards the end of the flight and we started chatting about our journeys and our homes. That's one of my favorite parts of flying is getting to sit with people you've never met before and just learning about them, especially on long trips and everyone is just so interested in learning about each other. We would be chasing the sun for part of this flight and seeing the sun set at 38,000 feet is probably one of the most beautiful sites in the world, the colours of the clouds are bright and livid and its beautiful to see; I love picking evening and morning flights just for that reason. During the flight the pilot made an update on our arrival time into Phoenix and me usually being the organized one didn't realize what my departure time from Phoenix was until I looked at my ticket in Charlotte, I would have barely 45 minutes to connect and had that flight left Charlotte late, I wouldn't make that connection. Still even with an early arrival time, I would just be sliding by with my connection. My seatmate, who was from Phoenix, assured me it was super easy to navigate the airport and I would make my connection no problem, especially since Phoenix is another US Airways hub. Descent and landing into Phoenix was smooth and uneventful and soon I would be at the gate awaiting the final leg of my journey.

My time in Phoenix would be short, only 15 minutes in the terminal before boarding my next flight. All airlines prior to departing for Canada are required to verify that passengers have their passports prior to boarding as airlines do face stiff penalties fro transporting passengers who can't enter Canada. After flying on both the A320 and A321, my fingers were crossed on getting the A319 on this flight and completing the A320 series in 1 day. Sadly this wouldn't happen as I would get another A320 on US 247 heading to Calgary. This short 2 hour flight to Calgary and it would be a quiet one, most of the flight was families heading home from Spring Break and everyone was pretty dead tired, including myself from the long journey home I've had so far. Our A320 pushed back right on time and in 10 minutes we lifted off Runway 8. This flight was a little more bumpy than the previous flights, mainly due to turbulence over the Rockies and the wacky weather that was going in Calgary at the time (gotta love when Chinooks roll through). Despite the turbulence we arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule on Runway 28 in the wee hours of the morning and with that came the conclusion of my Mexico trip. Driving down 16th Ave during the night was quick and along the way I thought, I can't believe I did that much flying in one day. But I was home safe and sound and at 1:30am, I fell asleep in my bed, happy to finally have some peace and quiet and get some sleep after a long and frightening trip.

My tickets for the flights out of Charlotte

I have to say, US Airways was amazing that day, they ensured I was able to make my connections and get me home safe and sound. From getting a great fare at the last second to their amazing staff, it was a great trip home with them. I would highly recommend them when flying to the US. As for Mexico, I wouldn't mind going back someday, but if I do it will be during a time when it is quiet and not full of drunk college students on Spring Break. I will also probably pick a quieter location away from Cancun and will do my research before booking a hotel.

But that's another story, for another day.

Margaritas and Rocking Chairs: The Journey Home from Cancun Part 1

Sunrise in Cancun

One of my goals with this Blog is to write about both my flight adventures and travel adventures. I will talk eventually talk about my trip to Cancun, but today I have a flight log for you today. A few week earlier I talk about my flight south to Cancun; today we talk about the return journey back to Calgary. Before I start this, word of advice to those wanting to go to Mexico for peace and quiet; don't go during Spring Break, a big reason for me heading home a few days earlier than planned. Because there were no Air Transat flights home till the next week, my cheapest option to get home was via Charlotte and Phoenix with US Airways. To most of you this doesn't sound like the greatest routing, but for someone who loves to fly, this was the perfect option. Plus the price of the ticket was really inexpensive, especially for a last second purchase at midnight from my hotel.

The next morning, I packed up and began my journey to the airport. Now I'm sure all of you have heard horror stories about Mexican taxi's, but in Cancun they are actually really good. I was a little nervous at the first, but was super impressed with the driver I had. He was fast, friendly and got me to the airport with no fuss, I left him with really nice tip for getting me to the airport with no problems. Arriving in Cancun, I saw how busy the arrivals area was and this was on different for departures. Most US flights arrive and depart out of Terminal 3 (Canadian flights use Terminal 2) and at my time of departure, most airlines were getting ready to depart back to the US. I was booked on US 884, the second Cancun-Charlotte flight of the day, was scheduled to leave at 12:30pm local time. Check in was quite slow due to lack of check in kiosks and people not knowing how to use the machines. The security process was quick and efficient and before I knew it, I was walking through the largest duty free store I've ever seen and into the hustle and bustle of Terminal 3.

My early arrival to the airport would prove to be of benefit to me. I received a phone call from US Airways advising me that my flight to Charlotte would be delayed due to an equipment problem with the B767-200 that was on the flight (first time I've seen an airline call advising of delays). Luckily from walking around the terminal looking at the different planes, I had seen another US Airways flight just loading up for its journey to Charlotte. Panicked, I ran as fast as I could to the gate realizing if I didn't make this flight, I would likely be spending a night somewhere that wouldn't be home. But thanks to the hard working efforts of the gate agent, she was able to locate my bags and got me the last seat on US 882 to Charlotte.

A US Airways A320

I took my seat on the Airbus A320 and breathed a huge sigh of relief, my journey home was about to begin a little earlier than planned. Pushback was 15 minutes late, mainly due to my last second switch, but within 5 minutes, we were rolling of off Runway 12R heading northeast for Charlotte. Before we left Cancun, one of the flight attendants on our flight saw me at the gate and happily offered me a drink from the bar, thanking me for my patience. I was more than happy to have a drink at 30,000 feet, something I've never done before. Because the flight was pretty full, I was seated in the very last row with a gentlemen heading for Cleveland and a family heading home to Charlotte. We struck up a conversation, talking about our trip's to Cancun, our hometown's and of course, me being from Canada, they asked me a lot about my country and I asked them a lot of the US. I learned a lot about Charlotte from the family I was sitting with; it is pretty similar to Calgary in terms of population and size. It would be such a lovely city to visit someday that's for sure. Touchdown on Runway 18L in Charlotte was a little rough and within 15 minutes, we were line waiting at US customs with some of the most friendly border guards I have ever seen (and I'm not be sarcastic here).

Charlotte Airport is quite possibly one of the most unique airports I've ever been to. Throughout the entire terminal are white rocking chairs for customers to relax and enjoy, quite a site to see them in an airport. Because I now had a 4 hour layover in Charlotte, I had a chance to find a good bar and just finally have a chance to relax after my trip. Coincidentally I happened to find a Mexican bar called Tequileria, where I had a couple of double shot Margaritas and a really good meal (Probably the most Mexican thing I did on the entire trip). I highly recommend this place if you are ever passing through Charlotte and have some time to kill. This was also the first time where I was old to enough to finally drink in the states. I didn't realize it until I was asked for ID and completely forgot I was 21 and old enough to drink in the US.

I don't want to make this blog too long, so I'll split this into two parts. In the next part, the flight to Phoenix and than on to my final destination, Calgary.

My Tales and Adventures at Calgary Airport

So as you may have noticed from the theme that this blog has, I'm a huge fan of aviation, particularly commercial aircraft but I do also like a little bit of military of aircraft as well. I've been "spotting" at Calgary Airport now for over 3 years and over that time I've come to dub myself  "The Cowboy Spotter", mainly because almost every time I'm out at the airport you'll catch me in my black Cowboy hat. I think both the guys in the Tower and Security at the airport know who I am since they have seen me countless times up at the airport. So if you are ever up at the Calgary Airport and you see a red Ford truck (also lovingly dubbed by me as the "Spirit of Taylor Swift") and a guy standing in the back wearing a black Cowboy hat, that is most likely me out enjoying my passion.

A WestJet Boeing 737-800 landing at YYC

Over those 3 years of being at the airport, I've seen a lot of different kinds of planes, different operators and even heard things over the radio that gives you quite a good chuckle. With Calgary being both a hub for Air Canada and WestJet, you do get a little bored seeing that same colours over and over again. A typical traffic sequence in the morning there can be 4 WestJet B737'S in row or 10 aircraft shared between Air Canada, Jazz and WestJet. But with that I've turned it into a little challenge, try to catch every aircraft registration that each airline has. WestJet I've caught all except 8 aircraft and between Air Canada and Jazz, I caught 1 photo of all their Embraer 190's, Airbus A330's and CRJ-705's and very close to finishing of the Dash 8-300's, the Airbus A319's, A320's, A321's and the CRJ 100/200 fleet.

But we still get a wide variety of airlines here in Calgary. Many American carriers fly here on a daily basis. Most legacy and mainline airlines from the US fly direct from their hubs to Calgary; United from Chicago, San Francisco, Denver and Houston; Delta from Minneapolis and Salt Lake City and so on and so on. We even have quite a few international airlines who fly to Calgary; KLM, British Airways and Thomas Cook just to name a few. Lufthansa did serve Calgary for a few years, but made its last flight here back in February and no longer serves our city.

Air Caraibes Airbus A330 lining up on Runway 34

Over my 3 years of spotting, I've come across some unique aircraft. From the massive cargo carrier, Antonov 124 to an Air Caraibes A330, its been amazing some of the planes that have to Calgary. My most recent catch was a C-17 Globemaster from Canada's military rotating off of Runway 16 and when those planes takeoff, they don't mess around. Within just a few thousand feet, the monster had already rotated and was already airborne, quite a spectacle to watch this massive plane takeoff right in front of you.

A C-17 Globemaster rocketing off of Runway 16

So what can I expect for the future of spotting at Calgary Airport? Well with the opening of the new international terminal and runway in a couple years, my hope is we see a few more carriers operating non-stop flights into Calgary, particularly those who operate larger aircraft such as the B777 or A380. My hope is also once construction activities are complete, it will open up some new spotting areas. I have goal of getting out spotting at the airport at least once a month and I have to admit its been tough because of the closure of some key areas, including the southeast field and the north access road (way too many construction vehicles in that area). Mother Nature isn't always a great help, either the winds are in the wrong direction or its too cloudy or rainy. But somehow I've done good, 5 months down and actually have done close to 10 trips so far this year. With still have half the year to go, who knows what I'll catch in the coming months. But if you are ever up at the airport and see a little red Ford Explorer, come on by and say hi, I'll be more than happy to tell you stories of my spotting adventures or answer your questions about pretty much anything flying or airline related.

An Update from the Flight Deck

Good Morning from the Flight deck. First off, I want to apologize for the lack of updates recently, I've been quite busy over the last couple of week between preparing for exams, writing those exams and taking a road trip out to British Columbia. But now with school all finished, I'll have a little more time to write here. But I do start my new job on Saturday so if the lack of posts starts to show again, that's the reason why.

So last week I wrote all my final exams and on Monday got all the results back and I have to say I'm pretty happy with them. Guess we'll see what the second year has to bring us. But for now, I won't have to worry about school for another 4 months.

The Osprey 2000, one of 2 ferries that sail the waters of
Kootenay Lake

Last Friday I left on a road trip out to British Columbia on a 5 day tour of the interior, passing through Creston and the Kootenay Lake region. I even took the lake road north of Creston and took the Kootenay Lake Ferry (One of my favorite things to do out there) across the lake to Ainsworth Hot Springs and Nelson. I highly recommend visiting the Hot Springs if you are ever out there, it was so cool to swim through the caves they have there and just sit in the nice relaxing pool and just listen to sound of the waterfalls that run through the caves. I will have to admit that it is quite a long drive out there, especially if its just one person doing it and the weather isn't the greatest.

So we've been out of school for a week now and as much as everyone is probably happy to be out of school, I for one am not. I was so sad on the last day of school not only because the classes I loved were done, but also because all my friends in class would be heading off for the summer. They would off doing their new jobs or taking trips to exotic locations around the world. I know that I'll everyone back in class again in the fall (I sure hope that everyone does come back for Round 2), but now that everyone is gone for the summer, it feels like its the end of the good times. All the fun things that we did together of the past year, I feel like we won't have chance to get together since we'll all be too busy with work and everything else.

But I hope everyone is having a good start to their summer vacation so far, even though its only been one week. I'm quite happy that I'm living here in Calgary for the summer. I will be honest, I know I'm not much of a party person, but I do want to have another one of those epic nights that one will never forget, kind of like the one back in November we all had. Only problem is I'm not sure what to do so if anyone has any suggestions, I'm open to pretty much anything.

Anyways, have a wonderful day everybody! :)

A Year End Letter to My Class

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of our first year in the Travel & Tourism Program. I'm still wondering where in the world the time went. It still only feels like a few months ago we were just starting this program and meeting each other for the very first time. I still remember that first day in class when we all met for the first time and where many of our friendships started.

But now here we are, the final days of classes and to be quite honest (most of you probably won't agree with me on this) but I'm actually quite sad that the first year of school is coming to an end. I know, I know, most you are quite happy too finally make it out of the first year of school, however not me.

In my first year in school, I've not only learned so much about the Tourism industry, I've also met so many amazing people in my class and got to do things that likely had I not taken this program, I most likely would have never gotten to do. I know it has been a roller coaster kind of year, filled with many ups and downs and sometimes turbulent skies that I wondered if it would ever end. But as always, we remained strong and through all the turbulence. From building a Canadian Pavilion in Geography class to building PNR's in Reservations class, we have learned so much over the last 8 months. I'm really happy I got the chance to learn about Apollo and finally have a Reservations system at my fingertips that allows me to look up flights and price them out. I've learned so much more about the world around me and even learned about more countries and attractions that I would love to visit someday.

Sadly, the first year draws to a close and I want to take this opportunity to thank all the wonderful people in my class for everything they have done for me. For always being there for me, for helping me out with school work and for helping me get through those turbulent times. Our class is absolutely amazing and I will definitely miss everyone over the summer (I'm getting quite teary eyed just writing this). 

Our flight is coming to an end, as a Pilot would stay, we have the Runway in sight. It's almost over, you've done an amazing job everyone.

Thanks for a great year everybody, hope y'all have a great summer and I hope to see you all again soon!

Sincerely,
Brad "Captain T-Swift" Vermeeren-Novak

South to the Sun with Air Transat to Cancun

Welcome to my first flight and what better way to officially kick this blog off is with a recent travel experience I had with Air Transat. I flew with Air Transat from Calgary to Cancun, Mexico during my reading week.

The Mighty Airbus A330-200

As with most charter flights to the south, they leave super early in the morning and my flight was no exception. Transat 762 was scheduled to depart for Cancun at 6am and required me to be at the airport by 4am. I've been on early flights before, but never this early before. To add to my enjoyment, a freak winter storm had blown in the night before, which had me worried about my drive to the airport in the morning.

3 am and surprisingly, my alarm didn't have to wake me, somehow I was already awake and ready to go. Within 15 minutes I was out the door and on my way to the airport. The roads that morning weren't too bad, slushy but in pretty good shape. I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare to walk to the terminal and await my flight. I was quite surprised how busy the airport is for that time of the morning., but when there's over 400 people departing all at once, you want to capitalize on that opportunity. Check-in wasn't as efficient as I've seen with other airlines, taking well over 20 minutes, even for web check-in customers.

The winglet of Transat's A330 over the US

At 5:20am, boarding was called for Transat 762 as we walked down the jet-way to our awaiting Airbus A330-200. I have coined the term "The Mighty 330" for any A330 I see now and there is good reason I call it that. The A330 is a powerful long range aircraft and is one of the most common "heavy" type aircraft the come to Calgary. "The Mighty 330" is also the backbone of Air Transat's fleet and are used on most runs to the the south.

We boarded and settled into our seats and we were lucky as we had gotten on of Transat's refurbished cabins with leather seats and seat back tv's. At 5:55, we pushed back from the gate, deiced and began our long taxi out to Runway 34. 20 minutes later, the Rolls Royce engines roared to life and we were off into the early morning sky bound for Cancun. Within the half hour after take-off, the flights sprang into action, pouring glasses of champagne and passing out breakfast. It was a smooth flight, just over 5 hours till we would be soaking up the sun.

Because we were flying on one Air Transat's newly refurbished planes, I had the chance to sample their seat-back televisions. The system is much like Air Canada's but doesn't offer the same amount of content. The movies and tv shows were very current, although their music selection could have been better.

Cancun Control Tower

At 11:45am local time, the "Mighty 330" started its slow descent into Cancun and made a smooth touchdown on Runway 12L. Of course this is Mexico and what's the first thing I see, A giant advertisement for Corona on the side of the Control Tower. Good way to get people thinking about drinking.

Leaving the plane was much slower than boarding due to Mexican officials checking everyone to ensure they had their forms filled out. Now you thought Canada or US customs was bad, you haven't seen anything yet. It took nearly a half hour just to clear immigration, than another half hour to claim our baggage and get through their customs line. This line consists of you having your baggage screened again and pressing a button. If you get a green light, you are free to go, but if you get a red light, you get secondary inspection and boy that can be fun.

Overall I was very impressed with Air Transat, their new tv's and leather seats really show that they are committed to improving their in-flight product. The onboard champagne, hot breakfast and really friendly staff made it a great start to my vacation and would highly recommend flying with them when heading somewhere warm!

Welcome Aboard! We Hope You Enjoy Your Flight

So I would like to welcome everyone to a new blog I have started. My user name may be Captain T-Swift, but I also like the name Captain Brad. I'm not only the biggest fan of Taylor Swift in all of Calgary, Alberta, but I have a huge passion for aviation, hence the name of the blog and the theme I have going here.

During this flight, you'll find a variety of tales and stories from my experiences in life, unique things I've done and seen and some of my travel experiences, especially when it comes to flying. You'll also enjoy some great flight entertainment as my goal is try and post a video every once in a while of me talking about pretty much anything.

Now y'all may be wondering why I gave this blog the name is has. Well 21 is obviously my age, but it's also those 5 words that starts a journey. A journey into the unknown filled with amazement, wonder and discovery. I've always thought of life is kind of like flying.

It won't always be the smoothest journey, there's gonna be turbulence along the way and at times you wonder if the storm clouds will ever clear away. But there's always blue sky behind those clouds and with the help of your flight crew (Family and Friends), it'll be smooth sailing once again!

Before we push-back from the gate, I just want to say I'm so thankful to have some the best friends, from work, from school and from everywhere and my amazing family along for the journey. They've helped me weather some of the most stormiest moments of my life and have helped me to find that proper flight path to be on, the flight path of Travel and Tourism at SAIT.

Now ensure your tray table and seat backs are in their up right position and all cabin baggage has been stowed in the overhead bins or underneath the seat in front of you. Sit back, relax and enjoy your flight...

Cleared for Takeoff Runway 21, Destination: Life and the Great Unknown!