The last few days before my vacation started flew by rapidly, and the Independence Day weekend was spent cleaning up and finishing packing for my trip back to the mainland. Five weeks of normal Stateside living!
MONDAY, 5 JULY 2010 Continental Micronesia (CS/CMI 956) KWA-MAJ-HNL
Boeing 737-824W (ETOPS) N14249 ('Air Mike')
ROUTING: KWA-OREEO-MAJ, then MAJ-R584-MANRE-R584-CHOKO-OPACA-OPACA4 (Decoded: Kwajalein, direct to Majuro via reporting point OREEO, then Majuro, via Route R584 through reporting points MANRE, CHOKO and OPACA, using the Honolulu OPACA4 standard instrument arrival.)
The Kwaj air terminal is ancient (originally built in 1957) and reminds one of flying out of a third world terminal. It's slated to be replaced, but like any military construction process... there never is enough money to go around. Took off on time at around 17:50 Kwaj time for the brief stopover in Majuro (MAJ/PKMJ) an hour later.
Air Mike 956 is the eastbound "Island Hopper", originating in Guam (GUM/PGUM), then to Chuuk (Truk) (TKK/PTKK), Pohnpei (PNI/PTPN), Kosrae (KSA/PTSA), Kwajalein (KWA/PKWA), Majuro (MAJ/PKMJ) before making the long hop to Honolulu (HNL/PHNL). After a brief, rainy stop in Majuro for a security sweep after allowing passengers terminating in Majuro to exit the aircraft, we took off for the 4-1/2 hour flight to Honolulu over a dark, featureless Pacific Ocean. (The Island Hopper used to stop at Johnston Island before it closed down; once a restricted military installation like Kwaj, it's now a wildlife sanctuary.) Arrived in Honolulu at around 02:00 Honolulu time. Landed on HNL Runway 8L.
5 JULY 2010 United Airlines (UA/UAL) 72 HNL-SFO
Boeing 767-322 N673UA
ROUTING: HNL MKK4 CLUTS R465 CUNDU R465 CINNY TIPP TOE VISUAL 28L SFO
(Decoded: Honolulu, using the MOLOKAI4 standard instrument departure via Route R465 through reporting points CLUTS, CUNDU and CINNY before handoff to the SFO TIPP TOE VISUAL 28L approach.)
After clearing U.S. Immigration and Customs in Honolulu, I had to wait in a deserted airport terminal until the USDA agricultural inspection station opened at 5 am (all baggage to the mainland must be screened for prohibited fruits, vegetables and plants). Past the security checkpoint and schlepped my ass to the Diamond Head concourse. Bought a one-time pass for the United Red Carpet Club and killed a little time and had some coffee and bagels before boarding the flight to SFO.
Took off from the Reef Runway (8R/26L) for another 4-1/2 hours of featureless Pacific Ocean. Eventually, the west coast of California appeared and we flew over Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ/KNUQ) on final approach to SFO. (It's easy to spot Moffett Field - it has some of the largest hangars in the world, once used to house dirigibles.) San Francisco International has one of the trickiest landing approaches; compounded by close-in parallel runways and fickle Bay Area weather.
5 JULY 2010 United Express (UA/UAL) 6425 (operated by SkyWest) SFO-LAS
Canadair CRJ-700 N795SK
ROUTING: SFO PORTE3 CZQ BIH J92 BTY SUNST2 LAS
(Decoded: San Francisco via the PORTE3 standard instrument departure via the Clovis VORTAC (Fresno, California) through the Bishop, California VOR via Airway J92 to the Beatty, Nevada, VORTAC to the SUNST2 standard instrument arrival to Las Vegas.)
After an hour's layover in SFO (nice terminal!) we took off to the north and looped around the peninsula before heading southwest over the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas and the desert before landing on LAS Runway 7R (first time for me). After 24 hours, five time zones and losing a day crossing the International Date Line I finally made it to Las Vegas! Met my mother and younger brother at the baggage claim, then made a beeline for a cold beer at my brother's favorite watering hole, Money Plays. Arrived home but didn't get to sleep until very late (or was it early Kwaj time?)
And now to enjoy my vacation! I'll post when I can.
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