Post by Dennis the menace on Feb 21, 2020 16:22:22 GMT -5
Hi all,
Tom and I have been improving the old Southwest scenery (Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico). We have been updating it (its over 10 years old now) with new scenery items, and many new custom buildings and objects. In the old scenery, most of the New Mexico airports were left out, those are now finished (we just didn't have as much information available back then as we do now). The only thing left to do is the small airports of Arizona and Utah, and then it will be uploaded. Also, I do believe that Tom has done a rework of the old Las Vegas scenery, bringing it up to current standards. So look for these coming soon.
Before I start on those smaller airports, I thought I'd take a quick break from scenery and fly to Miami. I seldom fly on Northwest Orient, so I decided to fly Northwest's flight 710, using a Lockheed Electra L-188C departing Minneapolis, with a stop at Chicago, and then on to Miami. From Chicago we will fly over Peotone Illinois, then over Scotland Indiana, then over Chattanooga Tennessee, then on to Atlanta and Albany Georgia, and finally over Cross City and Fort Meyers Florida. From there its straight on in to Miami. It ought to be a routine, pleasant flight, weather cooperating. Now that the de-icing problems on all the airplanes have been fixed, I have no fear of ice!
Its March 17th, 1960, and here's a nice shot of N 121US sitting at the gate ready to load. A Stratocruiser and DC-4 "clubliner" sit in the background. A Western DC-6B has just taken off for Denver Stapleton, and a Northwest DC-6A sits over at the old Northwest hangar. The original 1940s terminal is the background to the right, with a 1950s supplementary "temporary" terminal just to its left.
We'll board our Electra (N 121US was Northwest's first Electra, and at just seven months old, its practically new) to Miami at concourse "B", the Northwest concourse. Looking over at concourse "A" you can see North Central DC-3s and a Convair 340, Braniff DC-3s and a Convair 340, and a couple Capital Viscounts. This is also where Western, Eastern and Ozark parks. Charters and supplemental carriers are relegated to the old terminal. Air National Guard is in the background.
Its just about time for departure. We have several Stratocruisers and Electras around us. The passengers have left the new, mid-century modern terminal and are now safely aboard. I can just make out the brand new mid-century "SuperAmerica" gas station, and in the far background is the new Northwest hangar, with repair shops and maintenance offices just behind it. So now, on goes the no-smoking sign, the doors are secured, and engines started. I can almost smell that fresh Caribbean air and feel those warm breezes! However not everyone will feel that way. Several people will deplane at Chicago, and insist that Northwest reschedule them on a different flight. Some passengers report that on the flight from Minneapolis to Chicago, the plane suffered from severe vibrations. A flight attendant said it was enough to rattle equipment. One passenger said it "made her teeth vibrate". Still other passengers reported hearing "creaks, groans and popping sounds coming from within the fuselage, seemingly underneath the floor. Several reported the plane had an unusually hard landing at Midway. The First Officer wrote in the log, "Gee, this thing sure does trim funny..., its almost as if it has a mind of its own".
Cheers!
