Project 2

Way back in September, I took a 1x2 plane that touched down in Little Rock. The flight itself was delightfully uneventful — those tiny planes get to skip the \heartfelt\ update from Jeff Smisek "and [his] 80,000 coworkers".

After landing, all 30 of us aboard the plane shuffled out of most-delightfully-sized airport I've seen, but not before I checked in to gate 11, of course — this airport isn't going to mayor itself!

I've come to expect personality, conversation, and, well, danger out of late-night airport cab runs. Little Rock's James, just entering his 53rd year, gleefully delivered on 2 of 3, albeit silently for far too long as I dug deeper and deeper into the details of my destination.

James	Where to?
Me	The DoubleTree
	*awkward pausation*
Me	...in Little Rock
	*no response or movement*
Me	...downtown
	*continued awkward pausation*
Me	...on Markham Street
James	MmmHmmm. I should hope so. Only one we got.

I could tell early this place was going to be memorable.

NOTE While sarcasm has recently gotten a font, it isn't available everywhere, hence \heartfelt\

TIP Interested in my battle for the mayorship of the Little Rock Airport Burger King? Follow me on Foursquare

Recycled Air: Episode 3 [Options]

The aircraft is often listed along with the flight when booking trips; this information meant almost nothing to me early on. Now that I've picked up a fair amount of aircraft knowledge, I've learned its importance -- each plane has benefits and drawbacks. Fear not, blogosphere, that knowledge transfer is about to begin (in alphabetical order!).

United Airlines Boeing 767-300 by Deanster1983, on Flickr

Airbus A320

The only Airbus I've been on, and it just so happens I take it about 50% of the time between Chicago and LA. The A320 is a narrow-body, featuring three seats on each side of the aisle in the economy classes (3-3).

Exciting because the television monitors are flat screens that automatically open and close

Worrysome because overhead storage is lacking. Slowing down after landing has significantly more interior rattling than a 757 or 767.

Boeing 757

The 757 is a common plane along my standard 1,800 mile route. Like it's Airbus competitor above, this jet is also a 3-3 narrow-body.

Exciting because the overhead storage compartments fit a relatively large number of bags. I don't have to worry about checking a bag at the gate when this aircraft is sitting at the terminal.

Worrysome because the tube-television monitors are positioned in the middle of the aisle often, providing several reasons to duck while walking through the plane for taller folks.

Boeing 767

My favorite vehicle for medium-long distances. This wide-body aircraft is arranged with two aisles in 2-3-2 fashion.

Exciting because there are four aisle seats and two window seats -- six of the seven seats in a row are actually desirable.

Worrysome because the overhead bins sized a bit weird; they only fit a standard carry-on if placed sideways, cutting down on room. The seats between both aisles require standing up to turn off the blasting air vents.

CRJ 700

Exciting because the first time is a novel experience? If you're flying from Detroit with premier status (25,000 miles), getting upgraded is easy. The one time I took this regional jet we had 21 seats open, though that's more of an airport feature.

Worrysome because overhead storage is almost non-existent. I have a smaller-than-average carry-on that scraped on all sides when going into the overhead bin. This plane also seems easily thrown around in the wind.

Fun Fact My favorite way to get around is high-speed rail.