Okay. Whew. Didn’t hit those houses.
Plane on the typical low approach over a residential area in San Diego. About to land at Lindbergh Field, the busiest single-runway commercial airport in the US.
Yeah. You heard me. Single runway. It’s gross, I tell you. Freaks me out. The planes take off AND land in the same direction, almost always from east to west (depending on the winds, though.) The approach is considered very steep. And as you’re landing, there’s a building — or what I call a “disaster waiting to happen” — right at the end of the runway. So the pilot’s gotta dodge this thing, a very important parking garage, you see, before you’re all safe and sound on the ground. On the plus side, I guess, you get to fly over Balboa Park, with glimpses of our zoo (which really is amaaazing) and the Old Globe Theatre, a replica of Shakespeare’s Old Globe. You’ll also fly directly over The Starlight Theatre, an outdoor amphitheatre that stages musicals in the park every summer.
We used to go to Starlight all the time when I was a kid and I was always fascinated by the whole rigmarole the cast had to go through when the planes flew over — because, basically, the show completely stops and waits for the plane to pass. There’s a kind of “stoplight” in the orchestra pit that turns yellow signalling to the actors: “plane is approaching, get ready to stop.” When the light turns red, it’s full stop onstage. Everyone freezes. They have to; the planes are just too low and too loud. Freezes during musical numbers can be especially nervewracking, for actors and audience alike. I once saw an actress freeze in this rather tilted one-legged pose during a dance in a production of Kismet. And she held that damn pose second …. after second …. after second … waiting for that light to finally turn green. I remember sitting there, fretting about it: What’s gonna happen to her? Is she gonna fall? Is she gonna fall? She’s kinda wobbly. Uh-oh! Uh-ohhh! Whew! Green light.
Anyhoo ….
I took this from the freeway. This plane is about 30 seconds from landing. Wouldn’t you just love to live in those buildings?
Also of note: That car seems to be driving itself. Or the driver’s head just looks like a headrest.
“Soo … this guy you set me up with, uhm, what does he look like?”
“Okay, well, his head looks sorta like a head rest, but he’s got a great personality.”
Uhm, peeps, my mind is a million places at once these days.
I flew in/out of San Diego a couple of times and it is quite an experience! About as good as John Wayne in Anaheim where the cut the engines due to noise restrictions.
I flew into John Wayne/Orange County/Two Other Names last year. I don’t remember that, but interesting!
Hubby used to live VERY close to the airport. We had to pause the conversation if he was too close to the windows or outside. ROOOOOAAAAAAR.
Bean There Done That!
When we lived in SD I used to marvel at that. Then I was on one of those planes two years ago… YIKES!
And I think I was behind that car last night. It was either the headrest-head or a five year old driving. Not sure.
Brian,
Or a tiny little old person, hunched over the wheel.
No, you guys.
I’m pretty sure it’s a person with a headrest head.
My parents had a family friend who was a pilot (now retired), and always said he absolutely hated flying into San Diego…that building you spoke of! Yikes!