It's no secret that I love planes and I love trains. To me, not because they are both transportation related, trains and planes go hand-in-hand. And, it's no secret that I am or have been disappointed by Boeing for some time because they just don't have any interesting planes in design channels and are about to kill-off the best airplane that ever flew, the 747. But, somewhere down the line, they will get back on track after they stop playing with composit material and determine that they have the new space age material already. Design is the next step to get back on track. There is more to it than it being that simple. It's just that I'm getting old and I want to see as much of the next generation aircraft that I can while I can still kick dust instead of pushing it up.
Somethings just are not meant to be. Fate is funny like that. You might as well laugh. No sense in being or getting in a dither over things. I could have seen the new 737-800 MAX that Boeing flew into Love Field yesterday. It had the Boeing paint and those magical word on its side: Experimental. It will have those words on its side, until the FAA certifies the air frame to be air worthy, which should be about this same time next year if some part doesn't fall off or something mechanical like that breaks. It was brought into Love to Southwest for them to gawk at since Southwest will be getting the first one. I've got pictures of the 787 Dream liner that came into DFW a while back. All my photo buddies were all lined up to get shots as it come into DFW on 18 L or 18 R. At the last minute ( like they didn't know ahead of time) the ACT switched it over a couple of miles to the east on 17L,or 17C, or 17R. I could not tell from that distance which one it was lined up with. American had the big show set up in the hangers on that side of the field rather than on the west side of the field at their other Maintenance hanger.
Southwest did the same, but trying to get a shot on those days when they plan on purpose to keep you at bay just isn't worth it to me at my age. Even when I have been a fan of Herb and Gary since Herb's napkins days,so I stayed home. I was going to go over to Love and watch it take off and get some good shots today. I missed the departure by 21 minutes. AARGH! When I checked the status the flight was already crossing the Oklahoma line on its way to Chicago.
Now, yesterday, I posted the post about the Amtrak trains and the Union Pacific freight trains that roll through this little California town nestled into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. What I didn't mention in that post is that I have been having a laugh fest about where the Amtrack train looses so much time in Nevada. There is a little town called Winnemucca, Nevada. I'm always kidding myself when the station boards clicks and says that the train will be late by so many minutes. And it hasn't even left the station in Winnemucca yet. I say what when amucca in Winnemucca? As it is, it seems that there are a lot of freight trains switching in that area and being in the mountains, pulling 100-110 car trains with eight locomotives is totall y because of the mountains. That's why the UP built the Big Boys in the 1930s. It takes power to come across the mountains. But, Winnemucca must be a good little town and I enjoy having a little fun at their expense when it's not their fault.
So, today, while I am looking at the stats for N8704Q, the Boeing 737-800 Max that had just taken off from Love Field, I was looking at where the plane had been. It had come to Dallas from Denver.
Looking back farther, It has been hanging out at Pinal Air park (KMZJ) near Marana, Arizona and had gotten there from Boeing Field International, Seattle. But before going to Denver, it had left Pinal Air park and had last been seen----get this----near Winnemucca, NV. of all places on the globe for that plane to run a flight test to and then back to Pinal, had me in tears, my stomach was hurting from laughing so hard that I just shut down the computer for a bit and sat here at the desk shaking my head. Fate had gotten the last laugh! And I knew it.
The activity log reads:
| Unknown | Pinal Air park (KMZJ) | Near Winnemucca, NV |
01:53PM MST |
Last seen 04:18PM MDT |
1:25 |
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You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried. I had said in a previous post that a mail truck was an equal opportunity pumper and what do I see but an actual fire pumper at the gas station getting gas a couple of days later ....not just any pump at the station, but the one right behind me. Two feet away.
Now, to get even with me for laughing and saying, "what went amucca in Winnemucca,?" The closest airport to my house and one where I could have gotten the best shot departs ahead of time and had the activity log rubbing it into my face with the word, Winnemucca!. Don't tell me that Fate isn't also a practical joker. I've got the proof now!☺☺
If you would like to see the picture of the plane in the Boeing Experimental paint that was on the plane here at Southwest hangers at Love, the link is included here:
http://flightaware.com/photos/aircraft/N8704Q
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| Natures Boquet on a lake shoreline. |
