Position: Over KAMA (Amarillo)
Altitude: 33,000 feet
Groundspeed: 554 mph (482 kts)
Equipment: A321
Pax-on-Board: 183 + 4 jumpers
Destination: KBOS
Airborne...
Earlier,
my dispatcher was nervously clearing her throat while describing the
weather north of Amarillo, extending all the way to Casper. She told me
about thunderstorms with tops in excess of 65,000 feet. We have eyes on
them now and she was not kidding. They are not at 65,000 feet anymore; I
wag them at only 55,000 feet in the cooling night atmosphere.
These
level 6 aircraft killers punched through the tropopause with ease and
exploded into the stratosphere. It is not unheard of for aircraft to
inadvertently fly through hail columns twenty miles away from these
monsters. I have chosen to fly south and upwind of the storm line.
We
are in a 321 stretch Fi-Fi with every seat full, including jumpseats.
The two pilots in the cockpit jumpseats are buddies of mine, one going
home after a four day trip and the other being positioned for a flight
later in the day. The three of us belong to a small band of misfit,
politically incorrect, grumpy old captains who have formed a Lufbery
Circle at work, helping each other with family matters, scheduling
conflicts, alibis, etc.
To run with this
pre-geezer gang, one must have thick skin. These two have been harassing
me since they sat down in the cockpit. They have been telling the
co-pilot outrageous stories of my (alleged) involvement in past
incidents on the Line. Thankfully, we are ninety minutes into the flight
and they are getting sleepy and talking less; important in case we have
a statute of limitations problem here.
The
wing tanks and center tanks remain mostly full, being replenished from
the aft center fuselage tanks. We are step climbing tonight, currently
at 33,000 feet waiting for fuel weight to decrease. Fifty miles
northeast of our track, huge thunderstorms with tops at least 20,000
feet above our cruise altitude. The lightning is continuous and bright, a
sure sign of very dangerous storms.
Industrial
strength flying is the name of the game tonight. No exotic destinations
on this trip; just hardcore east coast airports with fast talking
controllers, extended taxi times, and short overnights.
Life on the Line continues.... Over the Texas panhandle.
