Diary of 6 Days

A snapshot of 6 days.

Day 1 ( Sunday 10:35L) - Sitting on the tarmac buckled in and ready to go. Door closed and ready for push-back. Push-back begins and **VIOLENT BANG!!** (feels like we just collided with a tractor trailer). American pilot sitting next me and I look at each other and simultaneously say..."Well, THAT didn't sound good...at all! A few people in the back scream as we get slammed around. Then we're just sitting there. About 5 minutes later the pilot comes on and says we've had a "maintenance issue" and will be going back to the gate. The "maintenance issue" was trying to push the aircraft back without removing the chocks. Push-back tractor pushed the aircraft about 20 feet with the chocks still under the wheels, just sliding backwards, until they grabbed. Landing gear rolled up (and almost over) the chocks when the shear pins in the tow bar broke, launching us forward into the push-back tractor. About 40 minutes later, damage assessment is aircraft was not damaged too badly and we should be good to go.

Four and a half ours later we're on the ground in Miami. Only problem is there's no gate available because we're late. So we sit there for about 45 minutes. Looking out the window I see the connecting flight I'm supposed to be on taxi by. S#!! Major FUBAR, now I'm stuck in Miami with no later company flights. It's now 17:20L Miami time. They wind up arranging to accommodate me on a LATAM flight, but it doesn't leave until 01:35L in the morning. Nine hours waiting in Miami airport.

Day 2 (Monday 01:35L) - Push-back and taxi without incident. Take off and wheels up, we're on our way to Peru. Finally.

Six hours later we touch down in Lima Peru. Local time is about 06:30L. Race through Peru Immigrations and Customs hoping to find my ride (which I'd had to rearrange the night before from Miami). Peru traffic is like no other; it's like a demolition derby on mind altering drugs. If I'm lucky I'll only be a half an hour late to my 07:30L meeting. Takes an hour and a half to go 6 miles. No rest for the wicked.

Twelve hours later I see, for the first time, the inside of my hotel room. It's been 39 hours since I've seen a bed. Lights out.

Day 3 (Tuesday 04:40L) S-S & S, back at it. Solid meetings from 7am to 7pm (no lunch). Thank gawd for breakfast.

Day 4 - 5 (Wed & Thur) - Rinse and repeat. All meetings are all-out battles. No sleep Thursday night, got a flight to catch in the early AM. Only time to pack and grab a bite to eat.

Day 6 (01:30L Friday) - Back on the airplane. Wheels up. Time to go home.



Day 6 (Friday 08:14L) Clear Customs in Dallas and catch a flight back to Denver. Just an hour and a half drive and I'll be home at last.

Got home to one of the cows standing in the front yard. Great, just what I wanted to go do right now...herd cattle! Got them back in. Finally got inside, looked at my calendar and had a conference call to go to. Really??? I don't even remember half of it. Grabbed some sleep for a few hours and thought I might post this wonderful adventure.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Lol..
Welcome back, bet it was the dogs that let out the cattle. I'm headed to bed since it's 4:11am here. I suggest you do the same.

BTW, why travel for a meeting when there is conference video calling. Seems a lot better than what you went through G'Zus.

a reply to: Bigburgh

Because this client is what I call "needy". They have to see you in person, or else you don't exist. That, and I needed some time at a whiteboard to explain some things. Plus, all their telecom in the country is horrible, so there's like a 2 second lag in voice comms, which makes conference calls all but impossible.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I remember when i had to deal with so much stupid things in life that it was the center of my universe and had to tell someone about it day by day!

a reply to: Kaifan

Consider it a sleep aide.

DBL

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: Kaifan

Consider it a sleep aide.

You are doing well

Sometimes, when you destroy those things as soon as they come in, you get to tell a different story afterwards. It's all inside you in the end

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

It's the little things like that, I see the importance of what you're stating. Hopefully it wasn't a waste of time and you got through to his/her their heads.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
That sounds like an eventful trip. Speaking of trips:

Peru traffic is like no other; it's like a demolition derby on mind altering drugs.

That made me laugh so hard. It's the imagery. You have a knack of painting a picture with just a few words, like your Ward stories.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
A snapshot of 6 days.

Day 1 ( Sunday 10:35L) - Sitting on the tarmac buckled in and ready to go. Door closed and ready for push-back. Push-back begins and **VIOLENT BANG!!** (feels like we just collided with a tractor trailer). American pilot sitting next me and I look at each other and simultaneously say..."Well, THAT didn't sound good...at all! A few people in the back scream as we get slammed around. Then we're just sitting there. About 5 minutes later the pilot comes on and says we've had a "maintenance issue" and will be going back to the gate. The "maintenance issue" was trying to push the aircraft back without removing the chocks. Push-back tractor pushed the aircraft about 20 feet with the chocks still under the wheels, just sliding backwards, until they grabbed. Landing gear rolled up (and almost over) the chocks when the shear pins in the tow bar broke, launching us forward into the push-back tractor. About 40 minutes later, damage assessment is aircraft was not damaged too badly and we should be good to go.

Four and a half ours later we're on the ground in Miami. Only problem is there's no gate available because we're late. So we sit there for about 45 minutes. Looking out the window I see the connecting flight I'm supposed to be on taxi by. S#!! Major FUBAR, now I'm stuck in Miami with no later company flights. It's now 17:20L Miami time. They wind up arranging to accommodate me on a LATAM flight, but it doesn't leave until 01:35L in the morning. Nine hours waiting in Miami airport.

Day 2 (Monday 01:35L) - Push-back and taxi without incident. Take off and wheels up, we're on our way to Peru. Finally.

Six hours later we touch down in Lima Peru. Local time is about 06:30L. Race through Peru Immigrations and Customs hoping to find my ride (which I'd had to rearrange the night before from Miami). Peru traffic is like no other; it's like a demolition derby on mind altering drugs. If I'm lucky I'll only be a half an hour late to my 07:30L meeting. Takes an hour and a half to go 6 miles. No rest for the wicked.

Twelve hours later I see, for the first time, the inside of my hotel room. It's been 39 hours since I've seen a bed. Lights out.

Day 3 (Tuesday 04:40L) S-S & S, back at it. Solid meetings from 7am to 7pm (no lunch). Thank gawd for breakfast.

Day 4 - 5 (Wed & Thur) - Rinse and repeat. All meetings are all-out battles. No sleep Thursday night, got a flight to catch in the early AM. Only time to pack and grab a bite to eat.

Day 6 (01:30L Friday) - Back on the airplane. Wheels up. Time to go home.

Day 6 (Friday 08:14L) Clear Customs in Dallas and catch a flight back to Denver. Just an hour and a half drive and I'll be home at last.

Got home to one of the cows standing in the front yard. Great, just what I wanted to go do right now...herd cattle! Got them back in. Finally got inside, looked at my calendar and had a conference call to go to. Really??? I don't even remember half of it. Grabbed some sleep for a few hours and thought I might post this wonderful adventure.

Was going to make a joke about in 10 years from now, you won't have to worry about flying....but this is not a political post.

I would like to see Peru....you said that you didn't have much time, but other than the driving, what is it like down there?

a reply to: theatreboy

There are two clear classes, the 'haves' and the 'have nots', and there are a whole lot more of 'have nots'.

Lima is on the ocean, and it's summer time there now so it's HOT! And humid! Yet, the Peruvian coast is pretty much desert outside of Lima.