"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
10/26/2014 at 22:24 • Filed to: None
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"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
10/26/2014 at 22:24 • Filed to: None | 5
| 11 |
I'm hanging out in the absolutely massive Terminal D at Dallas Fort Worth International and I once again find myself awestruck by aviation
I flew from West Palm Beach Florida to here, and I'll be boarding an Airbus A319 to Wichita in about an hour. Usually my awe is directed at the massive distances covered in a short time frame, but honestly this is a pretty long travel day for not a lot of distance (it's going to be 8 hours or so by the time I get home)
No, this time it's the scale that's blowing me away. Aviation tends to be one of the most under appreciated industries around. I'm a little biased, but I certainly feel like there's more negative opinion towards aviation than positive: people complain about security, cramped seats, delayed flights, etc.
But if you take a step back and soak it all in the massive scale of commercial travel is mind boggling. Millions of people flying millions of miles out of enormous facilities operating by gigantic workforces. Airports have full service restaurants, internal transportation, dedicated communication systems. The operation is nuts.
I've probably lost most of you by now, so I'll sum it up. Ultimately the point I'm trying to make is modern airports are more impressive than the aircraft themselves. I still find it hard to believe how far we've come with air travel in less than 100 years, but when you consider that the infrastructure didn't exist back then either it's nothing short of awe inspiring.
As with all these other aviation appreciation posts I've made I'll end it with a request: next time you want to complain about a 10 minute flight delay take a minute and appreciate how incredible it is that you're there at all.
Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius
> Jayhawk Jake
10/26/2014 at 22:27 |
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Eight miles a day. You could see your old camp fire.
Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ
> Jayhawk Jake
10/26/2014 at 22:29 |
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Well said. (Whoever) Post up next to a major airport on a clear night and watch how many planes are lined up at once, then think about the logistics involved. Kind of crazy.
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Jayhawk Jake
> Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius
10/26/2014 at 22:30 |
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Exactly. Hell, I even noted that my travel today is slow as hell by modern standards. I left my grandparents' house at 3:30 and I won't be home until the equivalent of 1AM or so.
Vi517, JDX Racing
> Jayhawk Jake
10/26/2014 at 22:33 |
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Not specifically commercial aviation related, but the X-47B absolutely blows my mind. 110 years after the Wright brothers' first flight, a large hunk of metal can land itself, without human input, onto an even bigger hunk of metal floating in the middle of the ocean. Crazy stuff.
Dunnik
> Jayhawk Jake
10/26/2014 at 22:35 |
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It used to take six weeks to cross the Atlantic, and there was a pretty decent chance you wouldn't survive the journey.
Today it can take six hours, and there is an extremely good chance you will survive the journey.
BoulderZ
> Jayhawk Jake
10/26/2014 at 22:40 |
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This. I always fly with an iPod. Not to drown out screaming kids, but so that I don't have to listen to the whiners. Reminded me of this great piece:
03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST
> Jayhawk Jake
10/26/2014 at 22:51 |
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It's even crazier when you see what goes on in ATC. It's amazing how it all works.
I love going to DFW, there's so much there. Unfortunately I'm going to Dallas Love this year so I won't get to see that massive operation. I also really wanted to see the Qantas A380. A few of the routes to land go right over my house but the Qantas jet comes from the west, so I never see it. But seeing 777's fly overhead at 4K feet is pretty awesome.
ttyymmnn
> Jayhawk Jake
10/26/2014 at 22:55 |
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Did you take the elevated train all the way around the terminal? I wish I could do that without buying a ticket, cause I'd go to DFW just for that.
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ttyymmnn
> Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius
10/26/2014 at 22:56 |
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Eight miles? Really? Might as well walk. Of course, you couldn't carry very much.
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Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius
> ttyymmnn
10/26/2014 at 23:06 |
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Somewhere out in western Kansas or Nebraska was a hamlet called Dead Horse. At which you could find many dead horses. And abandon pianos. The things people can't live without.
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Jayhawk Jake
> ttyymmnn
10/27/2014 at 00:23 |
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I took the train from C to D. It was dark though, couldn't see much. There was a Qantas A380 at D