Event Review: Alaska Aviation Geek Night
“Life is good,” I thought to myself as I glanced out towards the endless blue horizon. From 20,000 feet in the air, it’s easy to enjoy life, even if it’s in the cockpit of a Boeing 737. Looking out, I knew it wouldn’t be long til we’d be back down on solid earth. “Enjoy it,” I thought. I quickly scanned the horizon and below us, all I could see was beautiful Puget Sound. Deep blue and calm. Against the green surrounding the Sound, the contrast was beautiful. Off in the distance, Mount Rainier was coming within view and I knew it was time to start our descent into Seattle. I nodded to my co-pilot. “Good job.” I’m always happy to touch down safely on the other side.
“Ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking…”
Surprised?
Okay, so I may be exaggerating little a bit. And by a “bit,” what I mean is “a lot.” But I did get to fly, albeit not at 20,000 feet. Try 20.
Let me explain.
Last night, Alaska Airlines put on their first ever “Aviation Geek Night.” They invited 15 of their Twitter followers out to their Flight Operations Facility in Seatac to come check out what it’s like to be part of their flight crew. Throughout the night, we had an opportunity to do a variety of things from sliding down an airplane escape, to putting out a fire, to even playing in their $30 million flight simulator. Sound like a fun time? I thought so too!
Entering Aviation Geek Night, the part I was most excited about, like everyone else, was the flight simulator. And for good reason, too; the simulator is built exactly like the interior of a real Boeing 737’s cockpit and it’s extremely rare that it’s ever accessible to the public. Alaska Airlines uses the simulators to train new pilots in a wide variety of situations. From birds to bad weather, the simulator is able to recreate nearly any situation that may occur in real life.
With us in the simulator was retired Alaska Airlines Captain Bill Morgan, a cagey veteran of life in the sky. He showed us the “crash course” of life in the cockpit all in about 15 minutes, which is impressive considering all of the knobs, switches, buttons, flashing lights, and about a million other things vying for your attention. It was just a small taste of what it would be like to be a real pilot, but it was intense!
After our run through of all panels and screens, we buckled up and were off in the air. First stop, Washington, D.C.
Captain Bill started us out in auto-pilot for the first few minutes just so that we could get used to feeling the simulator move, which was probably a good idea. My first thought as we got going was that I couldn’t believe how realistic it was, even down to the engine noise you hear in the cabin. The attention to detail was amazing.
First up to fly was my co-pilot, Harriet Baskas. Harriet right off the bat was a natural bird in the sky as she kept us steady and up in the air, which for me—a man who doesn’t like to fight gravity—was great. I especially enjoyed riding in the simulator with her because when it comes to flying and travel, she knows her stuff. It was no surprise then when I learned she has her own blog called “Stuck at the Airport,” where she writes about consumer travel. But as much as I enjoyed watching Harriet fly, I couldn’t wait for my chance to pilot that bird!
Next up? Captain Kenji flying over the two-oh-six.
Right off the bat, let me tell you, moving from contented viewer to pilot is a VERY different experience. It was awesome to feel the entire simulator shift to every subtle push or pull in any given direction. It really didn’t take much to get the entire aircraft moving in one direction. And boy, did the simulator feel real… well, at least I imagine that’s what it would feel like anyways. Soon thereafter, we landed safely at Seatac and Harriet steered us to our gate.
So far in my piloting career, I’m 1-0 and heading for retirement.
Right after we got out of the simulator, I could see a small sense of relief in Harriet’s eyes. She later told me that she was starting to feel nauseous from the experience. Too real? I say too awesome! 
Besides playing with the flight simulator, we were also able to to learn about airplane emergency procedures from longtime in-flight crew members (aka flight attendants), Megan, Claudia, and Clinton. They took us through several procedures, including putting out a fire, opening an escape hatch, and sliding down the chute and the wing. It was a great experience because everyone thinks they know how they’re going to do during an emergency, but it’s a lot different when you actually have to do it. I couldn’t believe it when everyone in our group struggled to put out the fire; I guess my sideways Reservoir Dogs extinguisher technique left a lot to be desired.
All in all, Alaska Airlines’ Aviation Geek Night was a complete blast. From the flight simulator to the emergency procedures training, it gave me great insight as to what it’s like to be a team member at Alaska Airlines. I had no clue about all the training each person has to go through, and as a customer, that’s nice to know.
But as much fun as the flight simulator and the rest of the night was, for me, I left most impressed with the actual employees of Alaska Airlines. Everyone, from their in-flight crew members to their corporate team members, were all extremely personable and friendly. We spent a lot of time talking with them and I appreciated that they were so open with us.
A few folks in particular who were a lot of fun were, Megan, Claudia, and Clinton, Alaska’s in-flight crew. They were absolutely hysterical, especially when they let Brian M. Westbrook do his pre-flight emergency procedures walkthrough.
A big thank you goes out to everyone at Alaska Airlines for putting on Aviation Geek Night. I had a complete blast.
So, I have a question… When’s the next one??
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
-
dakini_3
