\triggered\ Haven't flown since 1986. Never will again. Too many Navy helo rides involving winching up and down to rolling & pitching decks & whirling blades of death, a zillion G cat shot and a COD flight that nearly crashed took the thrill out of flying. Replaced it with stark terror. Never suffered the indignities of gratuitous groping by Mitarbeiter der Flughafensicherheit (TSA) except that one time I had to escort my two minor grandsons to the loading gate for a flight home to Oregon. All eyes seemed to be on me as if I were The Great White Whale and they were just so many Ahab's wanting to harpoon me. The only thing metallic I had on me was car keys, a few gold crowns, some silver fillings, trace amounts of copper and lead and the eyelets in my sneakers. I tripped no alarms. Even so, I could tell some of the Agents were indulging in lewd meat gazing hoping they could wand, poke and prod me. Though I got through it unscathed it was still a Clockwork Orange experience for me. I'm gonna get my DNR wrist bracelet amended to also read "DNLF" (Do Not Life Flight).
And you, Old NFO, how many flight hours do you have doing SpecOps missions during the Cold War without the unwanted intimacies of TSA before strapping in for a 10 hour mission? How does it feel, Lieutenant, to get treated like Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab or Richard Reid now? \triggered\
Well, then so far, so good, Tom. But we're talking TSA here. The odds are that you just haven't encountered the Biden hires yet. The purple hair, 3" lacquered nails, corn-rowed, 350 lbs Orcs, of dubious gender dressed in a tight-fitting Spandex TSA SWAT uniforms yet. Flying is a crap shoot. 50-50...you land safety or you die in a fiery crash. You get legally sodomized or you skate through with minor humiliations. Nope. If I ever fly again it'll be against my will on a one-way helicopter ride and a 30 second free fall. You're probably on the same list, Tom. Be safe.
Most of my days of air travel were pre-TSA. After that, it was a deciding factor in the drive/fly calculation. Drive won most of the time; the last trip was Buffalo, NY-Spokane, WA & back.
Only because I failed to plan a well acted psychological meltdown in an aircraft over the pending flight. The Company would have let me drive after that. Now, that I'm retired, commercial flight has moved further down the list of travel options.
Its saying a lot when an old buddy of mine; an ex-USAF Strategic Air Command B-52 pilot, chooses to travel Amtrak. I'll take his advice.
Former Navy here. I am used to long, slow transits. While driving is becoming more onerous with age it is still quicker than that escort transit from Panama to Midway Island at 14kts. No more 800 miles a day driving for me. It's 500 and a stop to eat, swim in a pool and sleep for me. Not in a hurry anymore.
Glad you survived the trip! Hope to see you at a con next year.
\triggered\ Haven't flown since 1986. Never will again. Too many Navy helo rides involving winching up and down to rolling & pitching decks & whirling blades of death, a zillion G cat shot and a COD flight that nearly crashed took the thrill out of flying. Replaced it with stark terror. Never suffered the indignities of gratuitous groping by Mitarbeiter der Flughafensicherheit (TSA) except that one time I had to escort my two minor grandsons to the loading gate for a flight home to Oregon. All eyes seemed to be on me as if I were The Great White Whale and they were just so many Ahab's wanting to harpoon me. The only thing metallic I had on me was car keys, a few gold crowns, some silver fillings, trace amounts of copper and lead and the eyelets in my sneakers. I tripped no alarms. Even so, I could tell some of the Agents were indulging in lewd meat gazing hoping they could wand, poke and prod me. Though I got through it unscathed it was still a Clockwork Orange experience for me. I'm gonna get my DNR wrist bracelet amended to also read "DNLF" (Do Not Life Flight).
And you, Old NFO, how many flight hours do you have doing SpecOps missions during the Cold War without the unwanted intimacies of TSA before strapping in for a 10 hour mission? How does it feel, Lieutenant, to get treated like Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab or Richard Reid now? \triggered\
Ummmm… something over 7500… and over 6 million airline miles, TWA, American, United. And yes, TSA sucks!!!
That's why I wore undies with a colorful print. Disney characters were always a crowd pleaser!
I dunno, Tom. Sounds like that'd just draw more attention. Lime green Speedo's...eyes get averted PDQ, sort of like a flash bang.
TSA agents did not repeat the request.
Well, then so far, so good, Tom. But we're talking TSA here. The odds are that you just haven't encountered the Biden hires yet. The purple hair, 3" lacquered nails, corn-rowed, 350 lbs Orcs, of dubious gender dressed in a tight-fitting Spandex TSA SWAT uniforms yet. Flying is a crap shoot. 50-50...you land safety or you die in a fiery crash. You get legally sodomized or you skate through with minor humiliations. Nope. If I ever fly again it'll be against my will on a one-way helicopter ride and a 30 second free fall. You're probably on the same list, Tom. Be safe.
Most of my days of air travel were pre-TSA. After that, it was a deciding factor in the drive/fly calculation. Drive won most of the time; the last trip was Buffalo, NY-Spokane, WA & back.
Only because I failed to plan a well acted psychological meltdown in an aircraft over the pending flight. The Company would have let me drive after that. Now, that I'm retired, commercial flight has moved further down the list of travel options.
Its saying a lot when an old buddy of mine; an ex-USAF Strategic Air Command B-52 pilot, chooses to travel Amtrak. I'll take his advice.
Former Navy here. I am used to long, slow transits. While driving is becoming more onerous with age it is still quicker than that escort transit from Panama to Midway Island at 14kts. No more 800 miles a day driving for me. It's 500 and a stop to eat, swim in a pool and sleep for me. Not in a hurry anymore.
Since I'm not fully recovered from the back issue, driving is pretty much out until at least next year... sigh