LATAM Airlines at Washington Dulles International Airport

Yesterday, LATAM Airlines began non-stop service from Lima, Peru, to Washington, DC, with the inaugural flight landing at Dulles on a stormy afternoon.  Currently, LAN Airlines and TAM Airlines operate as independent air carriers under LATAM Airlines Group, but in the coming months will merge and rebrand together to form LATAM Airlines.

The aircraft arriving from Peru, landed on R/W 19R due to a quickly approaching storm cell a few miles off of the airport.  After battling a significant crosswind, the first LAN flight to Dulles arrived with the thunderstorm brewing behind it.  Guests were shuttled to the gate to witness the ceremonial water arch before heading inside for the ribbon cutting ceremony... and of course, cake: an airline tradition!

Amy and Brandon: Married April 2nd, 2016

On a cool, Spring day, Amy and Brandon, who I first met last Summer at Rachel and Andrew's wedding, tied the knot in beautifully rural Walkersville, Maryland.  Their wedding day started out looking like it would be rainy, but the clouds parted during the ceremony and let the blue sky shine through.

SOARING - A Short Film by J. David Buerk

Recently I accompanied my friend Ellen up to Connecticut to help her buy a new car - a metallic green Nissan Xterra.  In this case, one of only two green Xterras for sale on the East Coast.  After buying the car, we convoyed back down to Blairstown, New Jersey, a small township roughly 60 miles West of New York City.  Blairstown is home to Blair Academy, a prep school, and Blairstown Airport, a single runway public use airfield that is a base for Jersey Ridge Soaring, a glider business owned by Ellen's parents.

It's long been a dream of mine to get a pilots license and learn to fly an aircraft recreationally.  I flew twice that day; my first flight was scenic, and the second was an actual flight lesson where I was on the stick most of the flight - my first time actually flying an aircraft!

Without further ado, I present to you a short film I assembled from the bits of footage I gathered that day.

For months Ellen has been begging me to come and try flying in a glider, and for months I've told her, "aircraft are supposed to have engines." I've been in small aircraft plenty of times; mostly helicopters, but even a hot air balloon, which of course isn't powered.  If anything, I finally realized gliders are safer in that you can actually steer them.

My first flight was scenic, encompassing the photos and video footage you see here.  My second flight, after gaining just 500AGL, I was told, "Ok, follow the tow plane!"  Basically as soon as we were off the ground I was given control of the aircraft.  There were only two instances where it was a bit too much and I gave back the controls (beyond departure and landing); once while getting kicked around during towing, and once when a thermal became a bit too strong for my (lack of) skill level.

I'd managed to find and get centered in a 400ft/min thermal, gaining over 1,000 feet in altitude, before the updraft mixed with the crosswind was getting too dicey for my own inexperienced comfort at the controls.  That's a pretty solid thermal to latch onto, and a far cry from the first flight, which hardly had any thermal activity, lending itself to a short, ~40min flight.  The second flight was a little under an hour long.  What threw me off the most during my stick time was the lack of feedback through the stick, as well as how much movement it had available; at some points it felt as if my legs were in the way of the stick.  Also, there was the slight delay for inputs which also befuddled.  I found it interesting that the gliders' airspeed is in MPH instead of knots.  Both flights we were towed up to 2,500ft before releasing, and reached a max altitude of ~3,500ft on the second flight.

Glider aircraft are also called sailplanes because of their similarity to sailing a sailboat; wind currents are your friend, but you must know how to use them.  Flying in the sailplane feels like flying in a sky kayak.

I skipped over it, but immediately after buying Ellen's truck, we all got dinner at a Texas Roadhouse in Connecticut - Alyssa had driven over from Woonsocket, Rhode Island to catch dinner with me and my friends (you should have come flying with us!).  After dinner, we departed for Blairstown for a weekend flying, which you just read about.

Gliders are definitely something I will be doing again, though I find it ironic that I still have not been up in a single-engine airplane.  I can't wait to get more flight time in!

ANA's Star Wars BB8 777 at Dulles

A short time ago, at an airport near, near DC...

Episode IAD
DISCOVERY AT DULLES

It is a time of celebration.  All Nippon Airways has been building up its fleet on planet Earth.  With three new jets, ANA has set out on a mission to unite Star Wars fans across the galaxy.

ANA has sent its most daring crew on a mission to Washington, DC.  Piloting a 777-381ER with droid BB-8, the crew unites a group of allies gathered on the runway welcoming their guests.

With daily service between WASHINGTON, DC and TOKYO, All Nippon Airways continues to connect opposite sides of Earth.  After a short visit, BB-8 races home aboard his 777, offering passengers Star Wars themed accoutrements, before heading to the next special appearance destination...

I wanted the "waving" photos to resemble the farewell photos from the 25th Anniversary Flight event in 2011; several of my photos from that event made it into USA Today.

As an aside, here is a photo of me on R/W 1C / 19C's hold-short with my "big lens."  That is smoke from the ARFF burn facility in the distance - in other words, a controlled fire at a training facility during an exercise.  Thanks again to Airport Operations for getting me around the airfield quickly and safely to make these photos possible!

Emirates A380

Yesterday at Washington Dulles International Airport, Emirates formally welcomed daily service between Washington, DC and Dubai on its new flagship aircraft, the A380, which replaced the 777-300ER.  Events throughout the morning were broadcast live on WJLA7 / NewsChannel8.

This was the second event for Emirates at Dulles I've been on hand to take part in since they began service in 2012.

On hand to introduce the new aircraft and additional services was Rob Gurney, North American Senior Vice President, Emirates, and Christopher U. Browne, Vice President and Airport Manager, Washington Dulles International Airport.

On-board Emirates' new A380 aircraft, first and business class passengers enjoy lie-flat bed seating, and have access to the onboard lounge, featuring a full bar and lounge seating.  First class passengers enjoy the luxury of private suites stocked with a variety of refreshments, beauty products, productivity kits, entertainment options including personal iPads, and access to one of the A380's two Shower Spas.

On the lower deck, all economy passengers have access to ICE: Emirates' award winning free in-flight entertainment system offering more than 2,000 television, film, music, and game channels, as well as complimentary Wi-Fi.  Children also benefit with their own busy bags, including coloring books, toys, and stuffed animals.