It's really just an excuse...

Sorry for the silence over the weekend. Friday around noon-ish, my phone rang for a pop up trip. The conversation went something like:

Me: hello?
Dispatch: I've got a pop up trip to Wichita ASAP.
Me: Okay.... When do we get back by the way?
D: 4 a.m.

So, off I toddle. I grabbed the first bag I saw on my way out the door, which fortunately was my "long trip" bag. You'll understand why that was fortunate in a sec.

After I fight my way through lunch traffic to the airport and get the airplane staged for fueling, I finally struck me as strange that we were spending so much time in Wichita. This is when the trip started getting weird. The response I got was something along the lines of "didn't I mention it, you're picking up in Wichita and going on the Phoenix. Then back to Wichita and part 91 it home. (By the way, "part 91" is pilot speak for we're exceeding your duty day, but we get to use this excuse to make you do it.) Oh, and by the way, you're still on the trip Saturday, but because you're mandatory 10 hour rest period is getting in the way, just do a late show then and try to get everything ready in 15 minutes instead of 1.5 hours. Kthxby.

At this point, I run a mental check of what's in the suitcase. I've got my shaving kit. I'm relatively okay still.

But it goes on and gets better.

When we get to Wichita, dispatch calls and says the customer has changed his mind and wants to overnight in Phoenix and hop over to Las Vegas with a return on Sunday. At this point I realize I don't have an extra uniform in my bag, it got used on the last pop-up-out-and-back 3 day trip. Okay, that's why febreze is a pilots best friend.

When the customer finally showed up, an hour and a bit late, he had another change. Instead of just hopping from Phoenix to Las Vegas, he has to fly back to Wichita and then back west to Las Vegas the next day.

I'm so glad I got up early that day...

Anyway, Friday ended around 4 a.m. and then with just the legal minimum rest we flew out to Vegas for a quick meeting and a 12 hour sit then flew back to Wichita and home.

3 days on a out and back. Not bad. My record is still 10 days on a half hour hop. That trip was... a trip.

But, anyhoo, that's my excuse for not posting all weekend. You see I don't normally grab my laptop on a quick out and back. It's just too much hassle. I may change that though.

What really gets to me is I missed International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Is it too late for an Aaarrrrgggghhhh?