Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » [GMCnet] Non-GMC but good - airport screening statistics
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| Re: [GMCnet] Non-GMC but good - airport screening statistics [message #110796 is a reply to message #110774] |
Tue, 04 January 2011 13:59   |
GeorgeRud
Messages: 1380
Registered: February 2007
Location: Chicago, IL
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As I have to fly to New Mexico tomorrow, I appreciate the humor! The only way to make it through airports these days is with a lot of humor, as there certainly is no joy or excitement in flying anymore. Growing up, I remember the anticipation of actually going on an airplane, and how wonderous it all seemed. Now, it's just a hassle that has to be endured if you're on a tight schedule.
George Rudawsky
Chicago, IL
75 Palm Beach
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| Re: [GMCnet] Non-GMC but good - airport screening statistics [message #110803 is a reply to message #110796] |
Tue, 04 January 2011 16:31 |
midlf
Messages: 2212
Registered: July 2007
Location: SE Wisc. (Palmyra)
Karma: 1
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| GeorgeRud wrote on Tue, 04 January 2011 13:59 |
As I have to fly to New Mexico tomorrow, I appreciate the humor! The only way to make it through airports these days is with a lot of humor, as there certainly is no joy or excitement in flying anymore. Growing up, I remember the anticipation of actually going on an airplane, and how wonderous it all seemed. Now, it's just a hassle that has to be endured if you're on a tight schedule.
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Ain't that the truth these days. My dad used to fly a lot in the late 50's and early 60's. He had some VERY negative comments about flying in the late 90's. He died in 2000 so I did not get to hear what he would of said about flying now.
One trip he was on was running late. He told the Stewardess he was afraid he was going to miss his next plane and wanted to know if there was anything that could be done. When they landed they stopped on the taxiway, a stairway was rolled up, he got off and the stairway was moved to another plane on the taxiway, he got in, they slammed the door and off it went. Think that is ever gonna happen today!!
Steve Southworth
1974 Glacier TZE064V100150 (for workin on)
1975 Transmode TZE365V100394 (parts & spares)
Palmyra WI
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| Re: [GMCnet] Non-GMC but good - airport screening statistics [message #110805 is a reply to message #110803] |
Tue, 04 January 2011 16:45 |
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hnielsen2
Messages: 1434
Registered: February 2004
Location: Alpine CA
Karma: 0
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Steve;
Love the story about your dad.
Thanks for sharing
Howard
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Southworth" <midlf@centurytel.net>
Non-GMC but good - airport screening statistics
>
>
> GeorgeRud wrote on Tue, 04 January 2011 13:59
>> As I have to fly to New Mexico tomorrow, I appreciate the humor! The
>> only way to make it through airports these days is with a lot of humor,
>> as there certainly is no joy or excitement in flying anymore. Growing
>> up, I remember the anticipation of actually going on an airplane, and how
>> wonderous it all seemed. Now, it's just a hassle that has to be endured
>> if you're on a tight schedule.
>
>
> Ain't that the truth these days. My dad used to fly a lot in the late
> 50's and early 60's. He had some VERY negative comments about flying in
> the late 90's. He died in 2000 so I did not get to hear what he would of
> said about flying now.
>
> One trip he was on was running late. He told the Stewardess he was afraid
> he was going to miss his next plane and wanted to know if there was
> anything that could be done. When they landed they stopped on the
> taxiway, a stairway was rolled up, he got off and the stairway was moved
> to another plane on the taxiway, he got in, they slammed the door and off
> it went. Think that is ever gonna happen today!! NO WAY
>
> --
> Steve Southworth
> 1974 Glacier TZE064V100150
> Palmyra WI
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All is well with my Lord
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| Re: [GMCnet] Non-GMC but good - airport screening statistics [message #110841 is a reply to message #110774] |
Tue, 04 January 2011 21:09 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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I spent the last 25 years of my career on the road. It was commercial flying for trips longer than 800 miles and personal flying for trips 150 to 800 miles. On average I spent 3 weeks out of 4 away from home. At one time for trips of Chicago to Washington, Chicago to Raleigh, and Chicago to Denver, I use to carry open tickets with me and just show up or phone in at the last minute for an open seat.
In the last almost 12 years since my retirement I can can count the number of commercial flying round trips that I have taken on one hand.
I had this discussion just last week with a ex-commercial airline pilot at the airport. He is taking his wife and kids to Colorado Springs by car (a 2 day, one way trip) rather that put up with all of the hassle of flying commercially with them.
To show how times have changed, In the early 70's my brother asked me to pick up his girlfriend at Chicago Midway airport who would be arriving on a United flight. I called United at Midway and got permission to use one of their United gates. Then I flew over and parked at a gate next to where her flight was due to arrive. About 1/2 hour later her flight arrived and she simply got off it, walked over to my plane, got in and we left. She did not check any luggage so that was not an issue upon her arrival.
CAN YOU IMAGINE DOING THAT TODAY?
My choices for travel now (in order of preference) are:
1. Drive myself in my car or GMC.
2. Fly myself in my airplane.
3. Ride the train (usually Amtrak).
4. Fly a commercial airline.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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| Re: [GMCnet] Non-GMC but good - airport screening statistics [message #110871 is a reply to message #110774] |
Wed, 05 January 2011 05:17 |
Steven Ferguson
Messages: 3447
Registered: May 2006
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Hmmmm,
Seems a lot cheaper that a visit to the Dr. A vacation covered by medical
insurance is an interesting thought.
On Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 9:32 AM, Byron Songer
<bsonger@songerconsulting.net>wrote:
> Update on year to date statistics on airport screening from the Department
> of Homeland Security after implementing new procedures.
>
> Terrorist Plots Discovered: 0
>
> Transvestites: 133
>
> Hernias: 1,485
>
> Hemorrhoid Cases: 3,172
>
> Enlarged Prostates: 8,249
>
> Breast Implants: 59,350
>
> Natural Blondes: 3
>
> Byron Songer
> 1978 Royale by Coachmen
> Louisville, KY
> Personal - http://web.me.com/bnsonger
> Eastern States - http://www.gmceast.com
>
>
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--
Steve Ferguson
Sierra Vista, AZ
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| Re: [GMCnet] Non-GMC but good - airport screening statistics [message #110985 is a reply to message #110871] |
Wed, 05 January 2011 21:38 |
gmcrv1
Messages: 839
Registered: August 2007
Location: Memphis
Karma: -1
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Back in the day, my brother worked at the American Airlines Flight Academy
in Dallas in crew qualifications, so the family enjoyed "pass riding". Pay
a small fee and taxes and we would fly first class from Newark to Honolulu
for $50. Late 1960's. One time my 70 something year old Mom was pass
riding to a family wedding in Memphis. She had a connecting flight in
Raleigh/Durham from Newark and then onto Memphis. The Memphis leg was
cancelled. She was not about to miss this wedding. She found the next
flight to Memphis was on USAir. You know how much it cost to buy a ticket
with zero advance booking? She went through her pocketbook and came up with
over $300 in cash to pay for a one-way ticket explaining that she had to get
to Memphis for the wedding.
They took her money, put her on the plane and closed the cabin door.
Moments later the pilot announced there would be a brief delay but that
they would get to Memphis in time for "Grandma" to make the wedding. The
delay was when the cabin door was opened and the USAir Passenger Service
Manager walked over to my Mom's seat and told her "Mrs. Eckert, we can't
take your money - enjoy the trip!" And handed her a ticket envelope with
her cash in it.
Yeah, I can see that happening today...
Tom Eckert N2VWN
73 Glacier
Oakland, TN
On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 5:17 AM, Steven Ferguson <botiemad11@gmail.com>wrote:
> Hmmmm,
> Seems a lot cheaper that a visit to the Dr. A vacation covered by medical
> insurance is an interesting thought.
>
> On Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 9:32 AM, Byron Songer
> <bsonger@songerconsulting.net>wrote:
>
> > Update on year to date statistics on airport screening from the
> Department
> > of Homeland Security after implementing new procedures.
> >
> > Terrorist Plots Discovered: 0
> >
> > Transvestites: 133
> >
> > Hernias: 1,485
> >
> > Hemorrhoid Cases: 3,172
> >
> > Enlarged Prostates: 8,249
> >
> > Breast Implants: 59,350
> >
> > Natural Blondes: 3
> >
> > Byron Songer
> > 1978 Royale by Coachmen
> > Louisville, KY
> > Personal - http://web.me.com/bnsonger
> > Eastern States - http://www.gmceast.com
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > List Information and Subscription Options:
> > http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Steve Ferguson
> Sierra Vista, AZ
> _______________________________________________
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>
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| Re: [GMCnet] Non-GMC but good - airport screening statistics [message #111262 is a reply to message #110985] |
Fri, 07 January 2011 18:57 |
stick miller
Messages: 1036
Registered: March 2010
Location: Americus, Georgia
Karma: 0
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As some of you know I write a column for the local newspaper. I'm not a very patient person, so flying and I don't mix very well. Following is a preview of this Sunday's column.
Railroaded!
Our Christmas usually includes a train trip to visit my in-laws in Virginia. This year the trip was a bit different. We had snow. Factor snow into any equation that includes southern drivers and things are going to change. Not in all my 62 years can I remember snow on Christmas day, but in Atlanta it was falling from the sky like sheets of wet Kleenex.
So we decided to be proactive. We stopped by the station, bought our tickets and checked our luggage. That left nothing for departure time but boarding. We had a few hours so we went to see my daughter and her boyfriend just a few miles up the road.
We had a great time, but we lingered too long. When we arrived back at the station, the gate was being locked. The train was still sitting on the tracks, but no amount of begging and pleading would open that gate. Government bureaucracy at its best! “Do the right thing, buddy,” I said. “It’s Christmas.”
“You’ll have to travel another day,” was his only retort. Jerk!
Well, I wasn’t travelling another day. I was going to Virginia that night and there was no way to stop me. I figured I could scale the fence and risk getting shot or I could race the train 60 miles to its first stop. I chose the latter, wiser, but only slightly safer route.
I had 50 minutes to go 60 miles. It was snowing like the North Pole and the streets were like glass. A quick call to my daughter produced specific directions to the next station and an admonition from her boyfriend that there was “no way” we would beat the train.
Don’t ever tell a desperate man into his fourth hour driving a Volkswagen in a snowstorm that there is “no way.” We flew like reindeer over the new fallen snow. As we approached the station, my bride was instructed to stop the train at any cost. I knew I couldn’t drive another mile without a sled dog.
I leapt from the car with presents and luggage in tow. Gasping for breath, I boarded the train in triumph. There, in my assigned seat, I was overcome with an incredible sense of euphoria. I was the MAN! I had beaten the train and the screwy bureaucratic government system. What a feeling! I called everyone I knew, rolled over and slept like a baby.
Our return trip was to be on the 29th. “Our” trip was not to be. My bride stayed to be with her mom during some rescheduled surgery and I came home alone.
To say my assigned seat mate was large and unusual would be grossly understating the facts. I’m going out on a limb here but, I’m guessing human and more specifically, probably male. He was not as hairy as he was bristly. I tried to be nice, but he did not speak. I prefer the aisle seat. Apparently, he preferred both seats. I like to stretch. He preferred expansion and with each breath seemed to grow more voluminous. Like a monkey in the clutches of a boa constrictor, I felt my world growing smaller with each breath.
And the noises! He was either asleep or in a trance. I couldn’t tell if he was in pain or if he was just snoring. The noises became louder and louder and I found myself in fear of some sort of human explosion. Choosing the path of least resistance, I slithered over the top of the back of my seat and landed squarely in the lap of a small child. I made apologies, retrieved my things and vowed I’d spend the night in the baggage car, if necessary. An understanding porter moved me to a completely empty seat. I was assured I would have that seat for the duration of the trip, but I kept one eye open just to make sure.
As I was leaving the parking lot a stranger approached my car and asked for a ride. She was fiftyish with nice clothes and she was coming home early from a visit to a daughter. Her husband had been rushed to CCU and she was trying to see him. I thought about the jerk at the Amtrak Station, threw caution to the wind and gave her a ride.
As delightful as she was, it didn’t take long for her to let me know that she was a Jehovah’s Witness. Leave it to me to pick up a hitchhiking Jehovah’s Witness! I prepared for the worst, but the worst never came. Only at the end of our ride did she offer me a pamphlet, which I graciously declined.
So I end this story with a few lessons learned: Good triumphs over evil; Amtrak is always going to be a bureaucratic mess; Volkswagens will go faster than you think; it feels good to do something well; it feels bad to sit next to a large bristly person; and most importantly, always, always arrive early.
After all, you just might have a train to catch.
Stick Miller
'78 Royale - "White Trash" - she left me for another man
'76 Eleganza - "Cousin Eddie" Sold
'84 Bluebird Wanderlodge - "Past Tents"
Americus, GA
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| Re: [GMCnet] Non-GMC but good - airport screening statistics [message #111269 is a reply to message #111262] |
Fri, 07 January 2011 19:07 |
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USAussie
Messages: 15912
Registered: July 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Karma: 6
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Senior Member |
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Stick,
Just be glad you weren't on a 14 hour flight from San Francisco to Sydney on
a chock a block full aircraft!
Fortunately that has never happened to me but it has happened on a shorter
flight.
I once watched a French TV program where the "overweight" people demanded
being "given" two seats for free!
Regards,
Rob M.
USAussie - Downunder
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
-----Original Message-----
From: gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org
[mailto:gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org] On Behalf Of Stick Miller
Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2011 11:57 AM
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Non-GMC but good - airport screening statistics
As some of you know I write a column for the local newspaper. I'm not a very
patient person, so flying and I don't mix very well. Following is a preview
of this Sunday's column.
--
Stick (I used to be skinny) Miller
'78 Royale
Americus, Georgia
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=35133
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Regards,
Rob M. (USAussie)
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
'75 Avion - AUS - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
'75 Avion - USA - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
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