An Italian Dinner and an Unexpected Stop

Our passengers had already left, and we were still in JFK Airport! Yesterday’s flight was incredible and not as nerve-wracking as I had expected.

The line guys had never seen a Phenom 300, which isn’t uncommon for us. Often times, we turn heads when pulling onto the ramp. Even the big Gulfstream pilots want to come peek inside our airplane because it is so new and gorgeous and awesome.

So we I stayed until the line guys had fueled us, just in case. I am usually with the airplane when it gets fueled…but especially with people who may not know what they’re doing!

Hi, New York City! I wish that I had time to explore you today!

Man, the irony. As I write this post, I’m prepping to head into New York City from the other side in Teterboro! Am I spoiled or what?!

So the three lines guys (and gal) pulled the truck up and started to fuel using Gladys’ single-point fueling panel. And then they asked how much we needed. And, after doing the math, I guessed around 675 gallons.

And then they got a little quiet. Their truck was almost empty and only had about five-hundred gallons left. Awkward!

They had another truck standing by, but we emptied their first one! Yikes!

After the minor refueling drama, we headed to grab a quick bite for dinner. Our plan for the night was to enjoy a fast dinner, then get in Gladys and fly her as far west as we could. El Capitan had friends to meet in Colorado Springs, so that was the goal.

To be honest, I was dreading such a long flight after such a long day already. But he had friends to meet, so my sleep-deprivation concern wasn’t a concern that we both shared.

I already jinxed us mentioned how easy it was to land at JFK, despite my worries before the flight. But getting off the airport and trying to find our dinner location would have been impossible without GPS!

Honestly, how did I ever survive without it?!

We went to Gino’s, recommended to us by the FBO customer representative. It only took about fifteen minutes to get there from the airport. Rush hour traffic is awful anywhere, but especially just outside of Brooklyn, New York!

This place had an Italian version of chips and salsa by bringing us bruschetta and garlic toast before we ordered. I like this idea and, thus, think that all places should do it!

This was a few days before my healthy transformation had taken place, but you can see that from my dinner selection. Healthy people don’t order fettuccine alfredo!

We got lost a few times trying to get back to the FBO after dinner. There were just too many wrong signs telling us wrong things.

I promise is was the signs and not two pilots who are skilled in the art of navigation.

Soon, we were off. And I enjoyed some gorgeous views of Manhattan as we took to the skies! We flew through some icing clouds and then broke out on top. Obviously not enough to see up there, since I didn’t take any pictures!

If you look closely, you’ll notice that this is not Colorado Springs.

Just kidding. It’s cold and snowy here, too, so how could you possibly know that we didn’t fly over four hours to get there?

About half an hour into our flight, we got a call on the airplane phone. It’s like the Bat Phone, but way cooler.

Our boss was letting us know that plans had possibly changed. The folks that we had just dropped off for a departure out of JFK may need a ride home tomorrow instead. Some of their plans had fallen through, and they were trying to reschedule other items on their trip to avoid going at all.

So he asked us to land fairly close, in case we had to turn around to pick them up tomorrow and bring them home with us. Exciting, huh?

So we checked the map, and not too far in front of us was Columbus, Ohio.

We landed there, surprising everyone and us at the same time. It was drizzly and foggy and nasty weather, but we were soon safely on the ground and wrapping up Gladys for a quick (and unplanned) night on the ramp in Ohio.

I felt so spontaneous!

This guy headed inside while I put some covers on Gladys. She always likes to be warm and protected, too. Because of the forecasted rain/snow, and because we weren’t sure how early we would need to leave the next morning, we had them put her inside the warm hangar for the night.

Have you ever paid for deicing fluid? It’s way cheaper to pay for a night in the hangar instead!

Unfortunately, their deal with the local Hyatt was sold out. That’s what happens at 10:00 PM! But $89 for a night sounded just perfect to me!

Our only option left was this Marriott. I was OK with getting some more Marriott points (especially when a few weeks later those points almost paid for an entire week at Disneyland!), but it was more than I prefer to pay.

However, it did feel awfully nice to be out of the cold rain!

So I crawled into bed, secretly grateful that we weren’t still flying another three hours to Colorado for the night. I was exhausted!

By around eleven the next morning, we had received the news. They were on their way  with their original plans and didn’t need a ride home from us after all! So we headed back to the airport to borrow a crew car to grab some lunch before our four-hour flight home.

I can handle that! Especially after a good night’s sleep!

How about some macaroni and cheese for lunch? It’s good…I promise!