Tag Archives: flying

Aug15

up and down.

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the world’s shortest commercial flight takes less than one minute.

 i am not on this one.

my flight takes more than one minute.

still in the air, hopefully sleeping, when you read this.

Passengers aboard Loganair Flight LM711, which travels 1.7 miles between the Scottish islands of Westray and Papa Westray, are airborne very briefly. On a good day, the world’s shortest commercial flight takes less than a minute — as little as 53 seconds, in fact. There’s no co-pilot, no lavatory, and only eight passengers aboard the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft. Tickets for the journey, which is made just two or three times a day, cost roughly $22. Both Westray and Papa Westray are part of the Orkney archipelago, a sparsely populated set of islands that have proved popular with adventurous travelers in search of a scenic journey that happens to include a record-setting flight.

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‘you are the one who possesses the keys to your being.

you carry the passport to your own happiness.’

-diane von furstenburg

 

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photo credit: loganair

 

Aug14

flight of the bumblebee.

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i’m the praying mantis  by the window

next to the fuzzy bumblebee in the aisle seat

each headed out on our own journeys

sharing a common space for a time

 love talking to strangers

their story never fails to be interesting 

when i wake up tomorrow

i’ll be in portugal

maybe i’ll cross paths with the flying bee again

perhaps not

everything is possible

let the adventure begin.

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‘the earth is what we all have in common.’

-wendell berry

 

 

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art credit: Flight of the Bumblebee by Hawaiian-born Canadian author/illustrator, Eric Fan.

Oct12

crash-landing.

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plane crash in the park

i may have been one of the first on the scene

it appears no living thing

was harmed in this accident

but things are just a  little bit sadder in the sandbox without it.

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 “any landing you can walk away from is a good one”.
(penned by gerald r. massey in 1944 after the crash-landing of his B-17 while serving as a photographer.)

Mar29

confidence?

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that moment when you see your pilot

looking a bit world weary

after taking a spin

on the last chance 

wheel of fortune

before boarding the plane. 

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“confidence cannot find a place wherein to rest in safety.”

-virgil

Mar9

great expectations.

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(united airlines 1st class – 747 flight in the 70s)

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after booking an upcoming flight

i may have a few misplaced hopes and expectations

that this will be my experience in the air

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“let your dreams outgrow the shoes of your expectations.”

-ryunosuke satoro

Jul3

belt.

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while at the airport waiting for a flight to arrive

 the voice of a cheerful tsa agent came on the intercom:

” attention, attention, all in the terminal!

if you are walking around

with your pants falling down around your knees

come back and see us at the tsa checkpoint,

we have your belt right where you left it!

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 i figured this guy

 working a double shift this weekend

 dealing with a lot of unhappy, delayed, and cancelled customers

has a boss who’s putting out fires

or off for the log off the long holiday

 just wants to have fun and make the best of things

bravo.

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“my belt holds my pants up, but the belt loops hold my belt up.

i don’t really know what’s happening down there.

who is the real hero?”

-mitch hedberg

May6

why fly?

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why oh why does our paper fly?

we’ll try over and over and over again

until we find out why.

 

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“learning never exhausts the mind.”

-leonardo da vinci

Aug6

ticket to nowhere.

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Taiwan continues to cater to the needs of its travel-starved population by offering yet another aviation experience that doesn’t actually take you anywhere. Following up on an offer in July, in which the public was able to check in and board a grounded airplane in Taiwan’s Sonshan Airport, one airline has just upgraded the faux travel experience by offering an actual flight — to nowhere.

EVA Air, one of the biggest carriers in Taiwan, is offering the special journey on August 8 (Father’s Day in Taiwan) to help satisfy its customers’ travel itch. The trip will take around three hours, with the flight taking off from Taipei Taoyuan Airport, then circling the skies before returning to the same airport. If it’s a clear day, passengers will be able to take in views of several Taiwan attractions including Guishan Island and the scenic Huadong coastline, as well as other nearby islands.

Passengers will be flying on the “super popular” Hello Kitty Dream jet.The plane bears EVA Air’s special Sanrio-themed livery. An A330, it features many Sanrio characters including Hello Kitty, My Melody (Hello Kitty’s BFF), as well as Little Twin Stars’ Kiki and Lala. They can expect Hello Kitty in-flight amenities, free WiFi for texting and an inflight entertainment system that is usually reserved for long-haul flights. Inflight dining is another highlight of the trip, offering a choice of two main courses created by a 3-star Michelin chef.

The flight will be operated under flight number BR5288. Why? When spoken, it sounds like “I love dad” in Chinese. An economy class ticket is $180. Passengers can choose to upgrade their seats to business class for an additional $34.

International tourism has been effectively stopped in much of the world as countries shut their borders to stem outbreaks of Covid-19 and Taiwan is no exception. The island locked down its borders in March amid the growing coronavirus pandemic. Foreign nationals are still banned from visiting the island at this time.

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“you know the actor, john garfield? in one movie he walked up to this train station, the ticket booth, and the guy says, “yes, where are you going?” and he says, “i want a ticket to nowhere.” i thought, that’s it. i want the freedom to do that. i want a ticket to nowhere.”   -wayne shorter

 

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photo and story source: cnn travel

Oct15

flying high.

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flying high at our class circus.

 

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“as one, they leap, laughing,

and that is where we leave them –

mouths open, arms spread wide,

fingers splayed to take in the whole world,

bodies flying high in defiance of gravity, 

as if they will never fall.”

– libba bray

Dec8

fly.

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this crew has built their own airplane.

they are flying to australia.

it will take them “70 miles long” to get there.

i have no doubt they will arrive safely and on time. 

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“to invent an airplane is nothing. to build one is something. but to fly is everything.

-otto lilienthal