American Flying

An American Airlines jet on descent to Dallas - Forth Worth
International Airport (DFW).  2/4/2019  dwm photo

I don't do a lot of flying.

More than some, I suppose, but less than many more people.  I think my first flight ever was a family trip to New York City.  There were other times my Dad and I flew for a conference and then seeing some sights.

Just a few I remember included trips into the Toronto airport and one in Boston, where I was fascinated by the crazy traffic.

It's an interesting adventure, especially now.  People used to dress for flying; now we are glad people are dressed.  It can be a shared experience of high anxiety (pun intended) and a location where we sacrifice our usual personal space.

Skylink takes passengers
between the 5 terminals
at DFW. 2/4/19 (dwm)

Like other activities - people develop rituals around flying - my ritual is music and a book.  On our trip from Madison to Dallas last month, we flew out on one of the coldest days in years.  The flight was pretty smooth until we got to the edge of the Polar Vortex when we bounced around for nearly 30 minutes before finding clear air.

You could feel the difference immediately when we took a breath of fresh air as we crossed from the plane on to the jet-way.  It was 70 degrees warmer than where we were just three hours earlier.

The flight was just over two hours aloft.  The Dallas - Fort Worth Airport is so large it seemed like we taxied for almost 20 minutes before coming to a stop.

A plane taxis to the terminal - our
view from Skylink. 2/4/19 (dwm)

On the return trip, we didn't fly out of Dallas until quarter to nine at night.  We got to DFW early.  At the suggestion of a gate attendant, we hopped on Skylink for a tram ride from one terminal to the next.  There are five terminals.

It's a sprawling airport.  There are two Hyatt hotels alongside the terminals and plane roads on bridges over Interstate highways that connect two modes of travel.  The TexRail commuter train is in there someplace, but we didn't see it from the speeding tram.

Then we found our gate, found some food, reopened our books and relaxed until it was time to board for the trip home.

DFW Sunset        2/4/2019   dwm photo

Dallas is American Airlines home.  It's one reason we flew non-stop from Madison.  It's also why two terminals are devoted to the home-base carrier.

Before take-off the pilot said we might have a few bumps after take-off.  We did, but nothing like the trip into Dallas.

I was sitting on the aisle, reading the biography of U.S. Grant while chewing gum so my ears could adjust to changes in air pressure.

We landed at home 10 minutes before 11. 

It was cooler than DFW, but 40 degrees warmer than when we left, it was good to be home.