Saturday, July 20, 2002

OPERATIONAL DETAILS
Mesaba Airlines operating as Northwest Airlink
Flight 2959
CAK-DTW
Aircraft: Saab 340B, N365PX, s.n. 340B-265, G.E. CT7, 1991
Seat Assignment: 2A, port window
Passenger Load: 1/2 full
Departure Gate at CAK: 9
Scheduled Departure: 0820 Actual Departure: 0813
Scheduled Arrival: 0925 Actual Arrival: 0911
Scheduled Gate-to-Gate: 1 hour 5 minutes
Actual Gate-to-Gate: 58 minutes
Flight time: 0815-0851, 36 minutes (38 minutes announced)
Arrival Gate at DTW: C14

Akron-Canton Regional Airport (CAK) to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
After leaving home at 3:00 AM to finish laundry for packing, then hitting the road at 6:00 AM for the drive, I arrived at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport at 6:50 AM. This was my first time to CAK for a flight; I had made one previous "spotting run" in the summer of 1999.
CAK is a small airport (9 gates) but it functions well. The parking lot was full and the shuttle picked me up even though I probably could have walked to the terminal just as quickly (I think the driver was bored.) There were about fifteen other passengers checking in at various ticket counters when I arrived. The restaurant, news shop, and cafe were already open. The entire facility was sparkling clean but not uncomfortably sterile.
I checked in at the ticket counter and got my boarding pass off my E-ticket with no problem (just gave them my driver's license.) My suitcase easily fit in the carry-on template. The security checkpoint was easy and one of the guards wished me a good flight.
After a small breakfast in the cafe, I took some medicine for my increasingly annoying sinus and ear pain. I had debated the lesser of two evils: flying sick, or missing perhaps my last chance to see my grandmother alive. I chose to fly after agreeing with my parents (who were meeting me in Tampa) that I should immediately see a doctor if I was hurting when I finished my flights. There was one other person in the cafe and she and the woman at the counter were very pleasant. The woman working in the cafe was studying economics homework from the University of Akron.
At CAK there were several other regional/feeder aircraft in gate: Atlantic Coast Airlines (United Express) CRJ-200, PSA (USAirways Express) Dornier 328, Atlantic Southeast Airlines (Delta Connection) CRJ-200. The ACA flight to Chicago was cancelled and we took a family on our Mesaba flight to Detroit as they were rerouted via Northwest Airlines.
I went to the gate at about 7:45 AM and sat there for a while until I saw the same woman who had checked me in at the ticket counter come and open the gate counter. She checked us all in and we were boarded without trouble. My suitcase was gate checked into cargo for the ride on the Saab 340.
Sitting in a seat on the port side, I didn't have anyone next to me. Our flight attendant, Roger, was very pleasant and served beverages (I declined.) Our flight was perfect, although I couldn't see much because my view was obstructed by the port engine and wing. What I did notice was that there were a lot of boats out on Lake Erie that early in the morning.
As we taxied parallel to the runway after landing, we were followed in by another Saab 340, a DC-9-10, an Avro RJ-85, and an A320, all Northwest Airlines.
Our flight was so perfect that we arrived on the DTW Concourse C ramp twenty-eight minutes early. We sat for fourteen minutes until our gate was clear. I was surprised to walk off a jetway from a Saab 340 turboprop!

At Detroit (DTW)
Of course the "red sea" of Northwest Airlines tails was evident. There were multiple A320s, DC-9s, and 727-200s. There was a DC-10-40 departing for Memphis in the next gate from my departure. I also saw a Continental Airlines 737-500, Continental Express ERJ-145, FedEx 727-200, and Spirit Airlines MD-80 or late model DC-9.

Detroit (DTW) to Tampa International Airport (TPA)
While boarding I stopped near the end of the jetway and rearranged a few things in my suitcase so I could pull them out at my seat. I was almost immediately barked at by a flight attendant who said "there's a door there and I can't watch to make sure you don't go out." Honey, why would I want to do that?
By this time I was getting pretty tired from my early morning (practically an all-nighter) and feeling quite ill from my continuing sinus pain. I did try to pay some attention while we were still on the ground and I logged an America West A320, two United Airlines 737s, a Southwest Airlines 737 in old colours, a United Express CRJ and an American Airlines aircraft which appeared to be a 767.
This was my first time on an Airbus of any type, and I figured that an A320 was an appropriate start since I have rarely flown on a widebody. (Referring to "pitch" in the sense of sound) Keenly aware of the sounds of aircraft, I observed that this engine sounded uniformly medium-pitched instead of a high whine over a roar. The engine noise increased in pitch as power was increased for takeoff, but once we were up in the air the engines were nearly indistinguishable from the normal rush of air. The cabin was clean and comfortable. I did notice that there was no airfone in the seatback.
I noticed that the Northwest Airlines logo is painted on the inside of the dart winglet. I'll have to look more closely at the outside next time I am spotting, to see if the logo is there as well. Advertising to existing passengers?
The only complaint I had about this airplane was that as I sat in the exit row and read through the exit row instructions, I noticed that there was supposed to be a deployable slide off the back of the wing. Yet there were no instructions or photographs showing where we would find the slide, or how to operate it. Does that mean they work automatically in a hard landing? I did not see any arrows or paint marks on the wings through the window, either. If that is part of what I'm supposed to do from the exit row, why can't I find out how to do it?
I sat next to two large men who were kind and courteous throughout the flight. One was an autoworker and the other a retired autoworker (what a surprise...) The younger man was going to Florida to help his sister move home; she had been a police officer but was injured and no longer able to work so she was moving home to Michigan. The three of us helped each other throughout the flight, holding beverages, snacks, and reading material when one or another had to move. And there was no complaint when I needed to use the lav. Thanks, guys.
There were a few isolated severe thunderstorms along our route so we had some deviations. These storms were classic shapes and as a weather observer I enjoyed looking at their towering anvils and up/inflow. Just beautiful. Despite the deviations we were twenty minutes early arriving in Tampa; our gate was open so we taxied straight in.
On the ground at TPA I saw several USAirways aircraft, both 737s and A319s, Continental Airlines 737-500, Northwest Airlines 727-200, and Gulfstream International (Continental Connection) Beech 1990D.

At Tampa
My parents had flown in from Long Island/MacArthur Airport (ISP), Islip, NY, on Southwest Airlines. They had arrived before me, retrieved their bags, and gotten their rental car by the time my mother found me.
We went straight to Urgent Care. I was sick, sick, sick.
At least my grandmother felt well.

At Tampa
My visit with my grandmother completed, and three days into my antibiotics, I was feeling much better when I arrived at TPA for my return flights. Unfortunately Mother Nature was p*ssed off and we had severe thunderstorms rolling in off the Gulf of Mexico.
For the time being I ate some pizza (available in Airside A just a short walk from my gate) and a hot pretzel, sipped a Coke, and answered multiple questions from some children who were going to be on the same flight. Their father was a meteorologist for the NBC affiliate in Portland, Oregon. So I provided the airline/aircraft information and he answered my questions about what the weather was doing. Cool.
I also walked around and saw other aircraft departing during breaks in the storm: Delta Air Lines MD-80 and two 757s; Southwest Airlines 737-200, -300, -700; USAirways A320, United Airlines A320, America West A320; AirTran 717; Continental Airlines MD-82 and 737-500.
The aircraft for my flight arrived at the time we were scheduled for departure and the situation got worse from there. We finally lined up for boarding and...
I got pulled. Probably because I knew so much about the airline/aircraft. I didn't even get to the point where they would scan my boarding pass into the computer for random selection. They pulled me out of line from six or seven people back.
I kept my mouth shut and did as I was told. I allowed them to search my bags (I knew I didn't have anything contraband.) They had a folding chair for me to sit in when I took off my shoes. I stood with my legs apart and arms up, patiently waiting as the female (actually, they were all female at my gate) security guard went over me with a magnetic wand. The guard who went through my suitcase only gave a second look to my newly-purchased Dr. Scholl's heel inserts. And when they gave my stuff back, I thanked them. Because I am happy to see that even I can be searched in the quest to keep the skies safe, and I am even more happy that I didn't have to go through some sort of interrogation, and that I didn't miss my flight, and that I *still* wasn't the last person boarded. The whole process took only five minutes at the most, and they wished me a good flight and thanked me for my cooperation. Gladly.

Tampa International Airport (TPA) to Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport (DTW)
Once we were on board, we pushed back relatively quickly. We taxied out to the runway and came to a dead stop at the end of taxiway W. It seems there was a hold on all northbound traffic until just before we pushed back, and now we were "behind" about eight other aircraft which were taking off on the parallel runway. While we waited, several aircraft moved in front of us, in the following order: (landing) United Airlines A320, USAirways 737-300, Delta Express 737-200, Spirit Airlines MD-80, (departing) Continental Airlines 737-500, (landing) AirTran 717, (departing) Piedmont/USAirways Express DH-8-100. Behind us for takeoff were an American Airlines 757 and a USAirways A320.
I was happy to be on a Northwest Airlines 727-251, perhaps my last chance to fly on a 727. I knew from experience that 727s have a long roll, and this was no exception. Thank goodness for long runways; 37 seconds before rotation and 42 seconds until we were airborne. But the old bird flew well.
With the exception of the climb from takeoff and two shorter periods while at cruise, our flight encountered light-to-moderate turbulence. Our pilot warned us that we were going to be in the air longer than usual because we would be zig-zagging around thunderstorms on the entire route (see Part I.) Although the seatbelt sign was on most of the time, we were still given snack and beverage service. Along with a soda I was given a bag of Spinzels Braided Pretzels and a small Walkers Pure Butter Shortbread (the same as on my southbound flight.)
There was nobody in seat B so the other person in my row and I were able to put up the armrests and stretch out a little. He played games on his computer. I slept some of the time, but since I was feeling better I really enjoyed looking at the thunderstorms again. I couldn't see lightning through the clouds (which we were above or flying around) but I was impressed with the 40,000 foot anvils and even some places where the tops of smaller thunderstorms were being sheared off by the inflow from nearby larger storms. What a sight!
And for the first time in memory, I saw a plane cross *above* us, which looked to be a 737 of some sort, crossing east to west when we were just north of Atlanta. I estimate that it was near 35,000 feet. And it flashed by so quickly I couldn't see anything but that it was light in color on top.
There was only one slight hitch with our proud 727; one of the aft lavs was out of order. And I needed a little extra time in the lav once I got in, which was rudely interrupted by knocking not once but twice. Hey, sometimes a lady needs a little extra time. Please.
Once we got to southern Ohio our pilot announced that we would be going over Cleveland instead of Dayton (thus, more easterly) to avoid more thunderstorms; and that we were most likely going to land in a thunderstorm in Detroit, or be in a holding pattern. Luckily we must have found a hole in the weather because we went straight in off Lake Erie. But it was a bumpy ride down and once again I found myself praying on board an aircraft. Not that the turbulence was very bad; it was just that lightning was all around and it was very dark and raining heavily, and I didn't want to have a reprise of a near-crash I was in as a child.
We got on the ground OK and taxied to the ramp. Unfortunately there was a ground hold for departing traffic heading almost anywhere, and our gate was occupied even though we were late. Our pilot seemed exasperated but things actually started to work well. Within five minutes the other plane pushed back, but then lightning was striking the airport, so the ground crew couldn't bring us in. Just a minute after our pilot briefed us, we did move in. An extended moment to get the jetway sealed to the door, and we deplaned only 11 minutes after touchdown.

At Detroit
Once again all I saw at the airport was the "red sea" of Northwest Airlines tails. As soon as I was away from the gate I looked at the screen to check on my connecting flight. It, along with almost everything else, was delayed. My scheduled departure was 9:20 PM; it was now listed at 10:45 PM. I decided I wasn't going to rush.
This was my only my second time in the Midfield terminal (the new Northwest terminal at DTW), the first time having been two days prior between my southbound flights.
I decided to try the express train even though I preferred to stay on one level. I went up the escalator, stood maybe two minutes, and the train was there. I got on, and it was a smooth ride to the Main Station, which was almost directly across the Concourse "hall" from the tunnel entrance.
I made my way through the tunnel to Concourse C and checked in at the main Passenger Services desk in the commuter lobby. The man looked relieved to speak with a passenger who wasn't angry or distressed. I merely confirmed that I would wait and that since I had my boarding pass, I didn't need to do anything else.
So I took the time to do something I thought "if I ever have time here, I should do this." I went back over to Concourse A and got a meal at McDonalds, then re-entered the tunnel. I walked 2/3 way through the tunnel (not on the moving sidewalks) and plopped on the floor right there.
For those of you who have never been through the new Midfield Terminal or have never gone through the tunnel between Concourse A and Concourse B/C, it is an experience in itself. I have nicknamed that tunnel "The Mood Tube." The walls and ceiling are made of transparent (but not clear) plastic or glass behind and above which are colored lights, blue, red, green, and yellow. There is new age music piped in. At each end of the tunnel are escalators, but there is a dropped light fixture which also has colored lights. These lights change in context with the music, either pulsating, "traveling," or staying one flat color.
Let me tell you, during the sections when there was just a cool blue color, I could have fallen asleep right there. And then there was one point in the music when the accent was a flash of BRIGHT RED and I actually experienced a hot flash from the visual input. I sat there and ate my less-than-enlightened dinner while enjoying the mood tube. I'm sure some people thought I was nuts, but I'm seriously considering writing a letter to the airport authority suggesting that they put a bench or two in the middle of the walking area (there's plenty of room so it wouldn't obstruct the flow.) It was like being in a psychedelic dream, without drugs.
After my half-hour reverie I re-entered Concourse C and sat there with other frustrated passengers (well, I wasn't so frustrated anymore.) We cracked jokes, talked about our travels, and generally just had some fun while waiting. We weren't going anywhere with that weather. Larger aircraft were departing, but none of the turboprops were moving and in many cases the aircraft (even the RJs) for the delayed flight wasn't even in Detroit yet due to weather at its previous stop.
At 10:20 PM the estimated time of departure for my flight was changed to 10:55 PM.
At 10:30 PM, just when I thought we might hear about another delay, my flight was announced; our CRJ was on the ground and heading into the gate, and so were we. We all dutifully marched out to C17.
There were lots of people out at other gates, "camped out" on the floor (there were few if any benches) as I had previously seen in Concourse E at PIT. Why they don't have at least a few amenities in these "commuter concourses," I don't know. Even a decent food concession would have been nice so I needn't have gone all the way back to Concourse A. Anyhow...
We were boarded onto our CRJ not by the jetway, but up the fold-out stairs. I guess they were trying to save time. My suitcase was gate-checked again. I sat next to a gentleman who was headed for a business engagement in Cleveland (he had also sought to save money by flying through CAK.) He was getting anxious. It turns out his meeting was at a business only a five minute drive from my apartment.
This was my first flight on a CRJ, or any modern regional jet.
Our flight was turbulent and short. There was no beverage service. We were just glad to be up in the air and headed home. There were a few bumps, shimmies and yaws along the way, but the most remarkable aspect of the flight was the power of the CRJ. At takeoff I really felt pressed back into my seat, and we also made some turns just before final approach in which I really felt the G-forces. That didn't make my ears feel any better.
We had quite a bit of ground effect during landing, and finally touched down with a WHUMP!, but stayed firmly on the ground while the reversers made a loud whirring noise. Taxi was expedient. I was the last off the plane, as I stopped to get the N reg. The pilots noticed I was keeping a log. After retrieving my bag, the last thing I heard was the sound of the engines spooling down for the night.

Back at home
50 minute drive.
Slam. Click. :)

Posted by redngold on Airliners.net
July 25, 2002

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