May 10, 2006

BLI Airport

Scored the private flight from Bellingham (BLI) International to Orange County via my friend and pilot (and veteran Mt. Baker shredder) Travis Holland, his employer Paul Akers from FASTCAP, INC, as well as their art director, Jennifer Martin. Lifting off at approx. 5 pm, we make the flight to the Orange County airport in four hours. No parking, no security hassles, no overbooking, no delays, and no waiting for luggage. Happiness is a warm rental car, about twenty paces from your final resting point, and a deeply discounted hotel. Thanks, Paul and Trav. The craft itself is a six-seater Piper Jetprop turbo, with an 1150 mile range and a top cruising speed of 260 knots (300mph). The culture of private air travel is rad in and of itself: an interesting amalgam of flight junkies, Fortune 500 types, and interlopers like me. Being the only unshaven one in the executive airports with a faded Supreme shirt, Volcom jeans, and screaming yellow running shoes, earns a few looks, but its largely a casual crowd. It's hard to describe the sensation of ripping along through the air in a Porsche 911 of the skies compared to Air Greyhound. Everything is way, way bigger. Cloud banks become an alpenglow heaven, Yosemite and Half-Dome are real and amazing -- rather than indiscernible landforms 40,000 feet below.

By all means, everyone should fly private at some point in their lives for the experience. And with gridlock and gas prices what they are, I'm looking into flight lessons. Plus, at some point soon enough, they'll be running biodeisel air fuel. And you never have to give up your pocketknife. How cool is that?

Special thanks to Matty Swanson for showing the crew around OAKLEY Paul and Jen were both stoked and impressed with 1 Icon.