It Sure Can Get Quiet Here at 35,000 Feet

So what do you do when you grounded in bed with nothing to do for the entire day? You write more blogs, that's what you did. Since I'm stuck in bed after a long night I figure I would try and write a few more posts.

It's been about a month since school ended and I have to admit its been a pretty interesting month that's for sure. I opted to stay in Calgary over the summer, mainly because its close to everything and works out perfect for my new job. Right now its a mixture of feelings I'm having about living at residence over the summer. On the one side, I'm quite happy to be living because it is centrally located to pretty much everything and it also always me quick access to the airport for my spotting trips. I now no longer have to wait for a day off and hope that the weather will be good. I also don't have to drive as much anymore since I have access to Transit right outside my door (though I will admit the cost of a Transit Pass is a little crazy).

But as always, there is a sad side to things like this. I have been feeling a little down since school ended and its been a mixture of stings. With school over and no more homework to do, I've had a little trouble finding things to do in my spare time off from work. I do realize that yes a good chunk of our class would be busy going on trips and working at new jobs for their internships or they have moved away for the summer so its been a little tough to meet up with them. I think that's part of the reason I like working so much; not only I'm I loving my job, it's also something to keep me occupied in my spare time off from school. If I had more days off from work I would most likely go crazy trying to find things to do. I do enjoy biking around the city (my favorite is biking from Bridlewood all the up to SAIT) and photography at the airport, but both of those things and my job are very weather dependent and when the weather goes sour, I'm left scrambling to find things to do. Although yesterday since I was stuck at home, I decided to sign up to become Proserve certified (The Alberta Government's Liquor Service Training Program) just for fun.

There are a lot of times where I feel like I just moved to Calgary despite the fact I know the entire city like the back of my hand. Right now it feels like there is anyone out there who shares the same interests that I do. I will admit that some of the things that I do are a little different from those that a typical 21 year old would do such as going out clubbing and drinking like crazy. Those things are of no interest to me, I'm one who likes to be up early in the morning, love to watch airplanes and listen to country music (especially Taylor Swift). These are things you don't see a 21 year old doing. But I'm not going to start doing things that I don't like just to fit in with everyone else. I know at this point in my life is more of a transition period and I may still have to get this through my head, but I have to take time for myself. These 4 months will probably be one of the only times where I get a chance to do the things that I want to do because once school starts again the fall, there won't be much time for that. It feels like September is long ways away, but knowing me that time will fly by really fast, especially since today is the end of May already. I just need to stay on the path I'm on right now, so school will be in session and things will be a little more active. For now, its just a period of quiet time that I need to take advantage of.

Anyways, that's just a little bit of ranting from the flight deck, hope you all have a wonderful day and are enjoying the flight!

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.