Belgeode presents... STEELER AIR!

belgeode · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 5:19 pm Post subject:

(Why thank you Emage... and everyone else... our story continues... picking it up a notch here... fast forward to a couple weeks later)

Steeler Air- Keep your flight attendant in the upright position.

So here it is... a couple weeks later. Time has come to step up to the plate. All told we have invested about 340 million into this... more money expenditure on the way... time to start making a return on the investment. With a core of destinations such as New York, Dallas, Miami, Denver, Atlanta, Cleveland, New Orleans, Jacksonville, and soon to add LA and Frisco, it was now the time to start getting paid.

For our inaugural flight WITH passengers I had to have the entire crew together... Me and Fred, Jessica as hostess, and Tiffany and a new girl named Nikki as our first class and coach attendants respectively. So the first flight was picked... Atlanta to Dallas. May as well make the moneymen happy.

Could not pick a better day... cloudy and hazy in Atlanta... and Dallas called for weather also. Not to mention the traffic... ugh. Have I told you all how much I hate Atlanta traffic? I swear.... ugh.

So we get to the threshhold, and make our call for takeoff... and eventually we will leave the land of Delta behind in favor of.... the OTHER land of Delta.

Ok I was never nervous before... wait I lie... I was nervous on the first flight of the 777... but I am nervous now. Not ONLY do I have to guide us to a safe altitude IN WEATHER... but I have 124 people on board that will be critiquing me and fred every step of the way. If we mess this up, I may as well go back to flying Cessnas.

So far so good... Atlanta is a memory, and we are cruising to altitude. As I let Fred take over I look over our manifest... 124 passengers... about 10,000 lbs in cargo and food & fuel. Well under the limits... I think I spent a little extra on food though, but I have decided ALL my passengers will have filet mignon, NOT honey roasted peanuts. It is a gamble I hope will pay off.

Out of the clouds, It dawns on me... I really love this. Seriously... I could do this the rest of my life. Even dealing with the little kids that want to see the cockpit before takeoff.

As I beam inside with the thought of flying satisfaction, Tiffany lets out a yelp. Ok... what now... I get up and go in the cabin. Between the galley and first class I see the drink cart... and Nikki with her mouth agape... and Tiffany practically under it. WTF?

Ok what happened? Apparently Nikki in her zeal for serving coach decided to bypass Tiffany and first class... umm there is only ONE corridor and it is barely big enough for one cart. Result... Tiffany on her butt right before the curtain. Ok look, I think yall need to realize something here. This is for broke. No drama... get back to work.

Sheesh... Jessica meanwhile is in the back of the cabin finishing up food delivery... oblivious to the tomfoolery going on up front. Ok when we land I am gonna need to have a talk to my flight crew... this is not acceptable here.

Ok with our flight attendant back in the upright position, we continue on with the flight. I go back up front... shortly afterwards to be interrupted by Nikki... coming in apologizing profusely for running over Tiffany. It's ok already!!! Just don't make it happen again!

Fred chimes in to cut the girls some slack... we are all nervous here. It's our first flight with passengers... we have no idea what our investors will think after reading the exit polls... yes for the next 4 weeks we have to have all passengers conduct an exit poll... He's right I will give him that... But I do not have to let him know it.

Texas... looks the same as last time... cloudy.

Hopefully today I can actually find the runway... I got a lot riding on this flight here. Not to mention my future airplane purchases and employee hiring... I am already hearing rumors of Air Canada wanting to lease us a 757 in return for flights to Toronto and a spot in Pittsburgh at the Steeler Air gates.... of which we managed to snag 5.

Well now comes the moment of truth... time to transition from cruise to descent... I would be lying if I said I was not a little bit nervous. So far my crew has held it together, and I have had no complaints from the masses... so we are good... now all I gotta do is land this sucker.

Fred does the final checks... and it is my turn to show him up. I dunno if he told y'all about the friendly landing rivalry we have... Now I am gonna show him how it is done.

Dammit... Now I owe him 20 bucks... I'll get him next time. We have a few more flights before I turn him loose in his own 737. Which reminds me, I gotta ask the Delta guys about that one... apparently they acquired a Continental that they want to sell to me.

So far I am impressed with the company... and apparently so are our passengers as I could hear applause through the cockpit bulkhead. Cool! Now comes the fun part... waiting for a gate. We just happened to arrive just after supper... and it is packed...

I mean PACKED...

I mean really packed... like as in 15 minutes holding on the taxiway packed...

That one was in case you did not believe me...

Thank God I discovered the built in CD player in this 737... I can actually play music to pass the time so the passengers are placated as we make our way to the gate.

Finally!

We are at the gate... amid handshakes and thankyous from a grateful passenger base... everyone with full bellies were delighted to fly with us... and it is proof to me that I am doing the right thing... Steeler Air has a lot to prove to get as big as Delta... but we are definitely on the right path...

Even if occasionally we have to put our flight attendants on their butts...

But what a beautiful feeling it is to hear "Thank you for a great flight" from a passenger.
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US AIR TALES- Stories of one man's virtual life as a pilot

VegasFlyer · Chief Captain Joined: Jul 14, 2005 Posts: 2112

Wonderful story and astonishing shots Belgeode!!! Great job, man! Thumbs Up!

SpiderWings · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 8:24 pm Post subject:

I like #6 particularly well. And the cockpit view banking into Dallas..... that one almost makes me feel being in the air with you. Love the top-down shot of the packed airport to... interesting shot to look around in for a bit. And your great story continues.

Cheeks · Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 9:08 am Post subject:

wonderful stories belgeode, very entertaining and also i love the screenshots.
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AO001 · Trainee Joined: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 86 Location: KSNA

very nice! What DFW do you use there?
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Will
"now, bring me that horizon..."

belgeode · Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 10:05 pm Post subject:

FRF KDFW.... that is what it is... Frame Rate Friendly. Same for the KPIT I use too.

And thanks all! I got a couple long flights coming and the introduction of a new plane... make that 2 new planes... ha ha.
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US AIR TALES- Stories of one man's virtual life as a pilot

Cheeks · Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 6:44 am Post subject:

Welshflyer · Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 1:25 am Post subject:

"Thank you for a great flight"! Very Happy

Brilliant, great shots and a great storyline, just make sure nobody gives you a crate full of snakes now! Very Happy

PS you don't happen to have Tiffanys number do you? Embarassed

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VegasFlyer · Chief Captain Joined: Jul 14, 2005 Posts: 2112

belgeode · Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 5:45 pm Post subject:

hahahaha Welsh... yeah I'll hook you right up. Gotta warn you, she falls in love easy...

Steeler Air- Some Canadian Bacon... eh?

Several flights later I am really starting to flesh out a good crew... and a good reputation for Steeler Air. So far the exit polls have us rated around 75% overall rating... and rising. One lazy Sunday afternoon I get the call from my finance guy.... in Toronto?!?! What is he doing there? He asks me to fly up in the private jet to Pearson Int'l.

OK so I am here... now what. Apparently Air Canada was serious! They want to sell us (or lease... I could not tell which those confusing Canadians meant) a 757. The deal... they get to use Steeler Air gates in Pittsburgh for the flights they wanna set up to the Steel town. But there is a bonus...

Along with the plane... comes a PILOT! A fiesty young lady by the name of Lolo, who seemed interested in being based in Pittsburgh instead of Toronto. My first impressions of her were... interesting. She seemed a little rough around the edges... and to me acted more like a diva than a pilot... but hey... we'll see how she does left seating this puppy to Pittsburgh.

I sign on the dotted line with the Air Canada execs, and Miss Lolo and I proceed to take our new prize home. In the cockpit I am greeted with the strangest sight I have ever seen... a pair of fuzzy dice hanging from the ceiling?!?! As I go to grab them Lolo snaps at me... "DON'T TOUCH THOSE!!! They gimme good luck!"

Ooooo k then... Now I am beginning to see why Air Canada threw her in with the deal..... what have I just gotten myself into?

Ok so here's the deal... she says... I gonna ALLOW you to be my Boss as long as you do things my way. I never fly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays... I will only fly evening flights, cause I need my beauty rest in the morning... You arrange to have my bank account direct deposit set up... oh and I want a gift certificate to Saks fifth avenue as a flight bonus. And I must be home EVERY weekend!

Ummm... I was not aware this was a negotiation... what do I get out of the deal?

She laughs at me.... DUH!!! You get ME! No one flies a 757 better with more on times, and less maintenance needed than ME.

I try to ignore the traffic that is awfully close as I breathe a hesitant... uhhh yeah... deal... just fly safely and you will be well compensated. Somehow I picture the Air Canada execs back at Pearson ROLLING on the floor laughing at the stupid Yankee...

It does not take me long before I notice on the GPS that the predetermined flight plan is no where on screen... Umm Miss Delgado is it? Where are we going?

SHUSH!! She replies... this is a shortcut.

OH..... MY..... GAWD..... help me, I think. I am going to die I just know it.

Look, I tell her... Let's get one thing straight... here in the USA we are governed by the FAA... they will not hesitate to find ways to shut me down if we disobey federal regulation... now that may not be worth much to you... but I promise you... I am not the most passive person when ppl mess with what I love.

Look man... don't worry... check it out... We're already here. I filed clearance before we left... I just didn't bother to change the GPS... I just painted my nails before we took off...

As we landed at KPIT, I could not help but thinking... Whomever I get to copilot with this girl had better have the constitution of a saint. But she was right about one thing.... she got us there in record time... and one of the SMOOTHEST landings I have ever seen!

Right on the centerline... I don't even think Fred OR myself have done that in a while. Ok so I may need to work on her attitude... but she certainly has skills...

OK just pull us up over there at gate 115, that is our official offices, next to those US Airs...

Want me to wash the windows too massa? She says with a smirk...

Ummmm... no Lolo, that won't be necessary today. Just park the plane.... PLEASE!

I finally get a chance to skim over her flight log as we pull up to the Steeler Air / US Air offices...

Holy crap... she's got enough hours here to be a captain... and flown just about everything from a Piper to an Airbus A380?!?! Whoa...

Let me ask you something Miss Delgado... it says here you have basically got enough flight time to practically OWN your own airlines... WHY are you flying with me?

She puts the parking brake on... turns off both engines... then turns to me...

Well... you seem like a really big dork with more money than brains... and I bet your flying could probably use some improvement... but you know what...

I kinda like you.... you remind me of my daddy.

.....

.....

Umm... I am thinking this is the part where I should feel flattered....

The next Wednesday... FSRepaint has done their job... "Spirit of Ben Roethlisberger" is born of the old Air Canada...

Flight crew have been assigned... and she is ready and rearing to go on her first flight as ST07LR.... only one problem...

It's Wednesday... Lolo does not fly on Wednesdays....

... sigh.
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US AIR TALES- Stories of one man's virtual life as a pilot

comeau88 · Trainee Joined: Feb 01, 2005 Posts: 25 Location: KBUR

I love your zest for a good story.

Well done... I really do enjoy reviewing your flights.
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Welshflyer · Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 12:35 am Post subject:

Brilliant, just brilliant Very Happy

oooohhh did the fuzzy dice make me laugh, i'd just taken a mouthful of beer and now i'm cleaning it off the screen Very Happy

(not for the first time).
Don't bother with Tiffanys number cos the wife said i'm not allowed to call her Sad

. She's funny like that Shocked

!
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Cheeks · Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 2:15 am Post subject:

Cheeks · Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 2:16 am Post subject:

BTW the 757 looks really good in steeler air colours Very Happy

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VegasFlyer · Chief Captain Joined: Jul 14, 2005 Posts: 2112

WOW, Belgeode! First of all the story is astonishing. Repaint is flawless. I like your 757 much more than 777. Shots are also perfect. All in all a great job there Belgeode! I really enjoyed viewing the screnies and reading the story. Thumbs Up!

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