So Much More To Me

by Split Scimitar

Where I Set My Sights

An alarm set for 6:45 is beaten by 40 minutes. Into the shower, I spare enough time to review the flight plan before submitting it with plenty of time to spare.

KSEA HAROB6.HQM LATAY SEDAR A331 ZEMOM AUNTI BITTA ONOHI.KAYAK6 PHKO

In no time at all, I head to SeaTac to preflight. Thankfully, the ground power unit is plugged in, so I don’t have to turn on the APU or wait for someone to plug it in.

Exterior lights check, no known anomalies demanding immediate attention or otherwise rendering the aircraft unairworthy. Check all surfaces for ice, insect nests, and the like. No issues there, I eventually put my flashlight away as the slowly rising sun starts to shine on the aircraft. A couple spots of water appear, but I’m not concerned about them, as they’re in areas protected by preventative icing equipment. Control surfaces appear free, since I can’t actually check them by hand like I would with a light GA aircraft.

Doors L1, L2, and R1 are open during the inspection, but the latter two are only to air the cabin out. A quick run up the aisle to arm the other doors, ending with L2 and R1’s arming then is my signal to head back into the building.

I decide to clean up a little bit by brushing my teeth, rinsing my face, and even bothering with a little bit of mouthwash just to keep from offending. After I head to the front of the building, I wait for my passengers to arrive.

As soon as our first passenger, Fluttershy, arrives, I take her bag and back out each SUV so that I can load bags in accordance with travel groups. Two Q5’s should hold bags for four people each, but in hindsight, I should’ve used 4Runners or Tacomas, the latter especially would work nicely, seeing as they’re a Seattle-based group, operating a group of Tacomas, and we’re flying out of SeaTac, Seattle–Tacoma? Anyone, anyone? Just me? Okay.

Nevertheless, when Fluttershy places her bag in the boot, we both head to the terminal and wait for the next passengers to show up.

The next passengers to arrive actually both show up right behind each other. Fluttershy greets them ahead of me. The first passenger to make his way towards the terminal, at risk of sounding like a bully, does look like someone who was a nerd in his school days, complete with tape on his glasses.

“Microchips, this is Max, our pilot.”

“Hello.” I respond offering my hand.

“Hi there.” Microchips responds with a shake. “Microchips. I am exactly as I look. I’m in charge of data collection for this expedition.”

“Welcome! Glad you’re with us.” I add as we walk into the terminal.

“I’ll go get Sandalwood.” Fluttershy says, leaving me to escort Microchips onto the ramp.

“So, uh… what kind of aircraft are we on?”

“We are on an Airbus A321neo.”

“Ooh. A quiet ride they are.”

“Indeed, and we’re in luck, more or less. This ship flew for Hawaiian. In fact, this is Hawaiian’s first neo.”

“Cool!” “Maile? What’s Maile?”

“Maile is a vine that is traditionally used in lei making.”

“Oh, okay! My buddy Sandalwood would know about that. He actually followed me here. He works with understanding the interactions that make ecosystems ecosystems.”

“Oh wow, that’s really cool.” I respond as we reach the parked Q5’s.

“Do you care who you ride with?”

“Not really.”

“Okay. Well, Fluttershy’s baggage is in this car,” I say pointing towards the appropriate car, “so if you wanted to ride with her, I could just put yours in, see?”

“Sure. Um, I’ll go ahead and start the other car then. I’m sure Sandalwood and I will at least want to ride together.”

“No problem.” I say loading his bag onboard and following him up the air stair.

“Open seating, please sit anywhere. Fluttershy hasn’t marked her territory yet, so you’re the first one on.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll be back soon.” I say as I head back to the terminal to receive the other passenger.

“Whoa dude!” A very hippieish man greets me, “smooth stripes, man!” In reference to the uniform I’m wearing.

“Split Scimitar, but I just go by Max.”

“Rad! I’m Sandalwood.”

“Pleasure. I hear you’re one of our ecosystem specialists.”

“I am. I’ve always been interested in how plants and animals react together as part of the big picture. Gotta understand nature to be one with nature, ya feel me?”

“I feel ya! Is this all your baggage?” I ask pointing towards his single suitcase, the smallest of the 3 I’ve seen today.

“It is. I pride myself on packing light.”

“Same here.”

“Well, I also do plan on picking up some souvenir t-shirts.”

“Very nice.” I say as we head onto the ramp. “Before I show you aboard, can I assume you want to ride with Microchips?”

“Yeah, dude. Gotta journey with my best bud!”

“No problem. Do you want to ride with Fluttershy?”

“Sure.”

“Alrighty then, that puts 3 of 4 in one car.” I say as I play a little bit of Tetris, glad his suitcase is smaller than the others.

By the time I reach Sandalwood in the cabin, he’s already seated next to Microchips. Checking in with a thumbs-up, I head back to the terminal and find Fluttershy talking with two others.

“Good morning!” I greet the three of them with a chipper tone.

“Hi Max,” Fluttershy answers for the three of us. “Sorry, we were just catching up.”

“No worries. Our target departure is 10:00.”

“Max, meet Rose Heart and Roseluck.”

Roseluck speaks first. “Hi. Roseluck. I’m a florist.”

Rose Heart then responds in kind, “Hi. Rose Heart. I’m not a florist.”

Surprised by their copycat responses, I feign shock, which makes all three of them laugh.

“I love flora.” Roseluck adds. “Arrangements are my specialty.”

”Nice. I love airplanes. Airliners are my specialty.”

“I also like flora, but tulips are more my thing.” Rose Heart says.

“Really?”

“Yes, they’re more colorful.”

“Sure. I can understand that.”

“Can we board?” Roseluck then asks.

“Absolutely! I’m in no rush, since we have plenty of time before our target.”

“Let’s go then!” Rose Heart responds as I take the two of them airside.

“Alright, you two are set here.” I say after loading their suitcases. “Follow me onboard.”

When all three of us get into the cabin, I say, “welcome aboard. Open seating here, please find a seat and get comfortable, we’ll be on our way shortly.”

Just as I walk in, Fluttershy points three more passengers in my direction.

“Hello.” I cordially greet them, “I’m Split Scimitar, but I just go by Max.”

“Hi there! I’m Dr. Fauna. I serve as Fluttershy’s plant-based counterpart.”

“Are you vegetarian?”

“No, I’m not. Why ask?”

“I was just wondering if your diet was entirely plant based.”

“Oh! Ha ha ha.” She chuckles lightly, seeming to appreciate the joke.

The next person to speak up is one “Wallflower Blush,” the leader of the plant squad. Following her is a friend of the group’s, Derpy, or Muffins, who is here to offer any help she can.

Leaving only Mr. and Mrs. Shy, I show the three of them to the ramp and head back to the terminal to get our last passengers.

Fluttershy is waiting impatiently for the last passengers, introducing me to her parents, Mrs. Posey Shy and Mr. Nimbus Breeze, before she calls our last passenger, even though we have eight of us here already.

“Was an extra passenger invited?” I ask.

Blushing profusely, she admits, “yes, I did. Sorry.”

“No problem at all. I was just curious. Who is the technical extra?”

“Rose Heart. She’s not joining us, but Roseluck wanted her to come with us.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Sorry! She was just a last-minute addition.”

“All good, no trouble. She just has to remember she has to find her way home, unless she is traveling home with us.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I guess we’ll have to ask.”

As I walk Fluttershy’s parents to the plane, I take their bags and make some small talk,

“How are we doing today?”

“Not bad.” Mrs. Shy responds. “I’m just so happy we can travel to Hawaii with Fluttershy.”

“Are you part of their expedition?”

“Oh, no, no. I mean we get to travel together.”

“Oh! Sure. I’m glad to be able to take you.’”

“Now, Max, sir,” Mr. Shy prods, “what are we flying?”

“We are on an Airbus A321neo.”

“Very nice.” “I used to fly on the P-8 Poseidon with NOAA.”

“You were a hurricane hunter?”

“Indeed I was.”

“Wow! Impressive. If I had known, I would’ve used one for this trip. Could even do a two-crew leg if you wanted to.”

“Oh, that’s alright. I was a weather specialist. I didn’t do any actual flying.”

“Oh, well, even so, it may have been a nice trip down memory lane.”

“Maybe, but if you wanted to do that, you’d need to outfit with all matter of weather radar and equipment.”

“Fair enough.” I laugh. “This is your provided rental car, an Audi SQ5. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Oh, and on which island or islands will you be vacationing?”

“We’ll just move around with them.” Mrs. Shy responds. “I want to spend some time on each island.”

“Okay! No worries.” I say as I close their boot and lead them to the stairs. Once in the cabin, I make sure they get seated before I say, “welcome aboard, please do get comfortable. We’re just waiting on one more, and we’ll be underway.”

Last but certainly not least is Tree Hugger, our other ecosystem and animal behavior specialist, working alongside Sandalwood in the former, and focusing more on the latter. She’s not much of a conversationalist, per Fluttershy, so after I bring them airside, I ask to unplug ground power, load up, turn on the APU, and get the aircraft running under its own power.

After I retract the air stair, I close the main door, lock and arm all 8 exits, and since everyone is seated in the first class cabin, decide to close the first class curtain.

“Alright,” I begin on the horn, “all doors locked, armed and checked, ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard this morning’s flight. Heading down to Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, approximately 5 hours, 55 minutes en route. Weather in Kona is pretty warm, with a temperature of 79°, expected to reach 83°. Winds are looking rather traditional with a slightly northeasterly flow. Overall, a pretty good day down there. Please direct your attention to the monitors in front of you for an important demonstration of the safety features of this Airbus A321neo aircraft.”

After I let the video play, I check all the cockpit instrumentation and check for any anomalies. None so far, and everything is normal, with an OAT of only 16°.

“If there are any questions, please direct them to me. All drinks are located in the forward galley. Once again, 5 hours 55 minutes to Kailua-Kona, so please sit back, relax, and enjoy this morning’s flight. Welcome aboard.”

On Signature’s Unicom, I get a page.

“N202HA, how do you read?”

“N202HA, loud and clear.”

“N202HA, advise when ready. I’ll call your startup.”

“Go ahead and tow us. All seated.”

“Roger.”

The tug then pushes us back with the assistance of a wing walker. I check over my left while the wing walker checks the right. We’re probably mated for no less than a minute before they disconnect.

“Startup your discretion.”

“Roger, thanks for the help today, N202HA.”

“No problem, have a great flight!”

CPDLC: KUSA.

LOGON TO: KSEA.
TAIL NO: N202HA

LOGON: SENDING…
~~
LOGON: ACCEPTED

ATC COMM ESTABLISHED

ACT CTR: KSEA

>ATC INDEX
>>CLEARANCE

Request
>SEND
SENDING…

Status: OPEN…
~~
Status: RESPONSE RCVD.

Request clearance.
-Response 1752Z-

Display:
<UPLINK

Cleared Route Clearance:
Free Text:
HAROB6.HQM.
Free Text:
CLIMB VIA SID.
Free Text:
CROSS HAROB AT OR ABV 12,000, DPFRQ 120.400.
Free Text:
SQUAWK 5751 CONTACT GRND WITH ATIS.

“Oh great.” I mumble to myself. “I have to look at the entire route.”

LOAD>

MOD RTE

ORIG: KSEA
DEST: PHKO
CO ROUTE: -
TAIL NO: N202HA
RUNWAY: -

VIA/TO:
DIRECT/HQM
DIRECT/LATAY
DIRECT/SEDAR
A331/ZANNG
A331/ZAGER
A331/ZINNO
A331/ZEMOM
DIRECT/AUNTI
DIRECT/BITTA
DIRECT/ONOHI
ONOHI.VECKI9/PHKO

Accept
SEND>

DEP/ARR INDEX

<DEP
HAROB6

Sids:
HAROB6<SEL>
Trans:
HQM<SEL>
Runway:
<SEL>16L

<EXEC>

Initiate engine start procedure.

2 alight and stable. Set flaps 2 for takeoff.

“Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, information Lima. 1754Z. Wind 160 at 13. Visibility 10. Sky condition: few 4,000, overcast 5,400, scattered 8,000. Temperature 3, dew point 1. Altimeter 29.91. ILS runway 16L and ILS runway 16C in use. Landing and departing runway 16L and runway 16C. Notices to Airmen: Runway 16R/34L closed. Advisory: numerous cranes lighted and flagged in various quadrants. Flow control in effect. Advise on initial contact, you have information Lima.”

“Seattle Ground, Mālama 'Āina 4, Signature, Lima, ready to taxi.”

“Mālama ‘Āina 4, Seattle Ground. Runway 16C, taxi via Q, hold short runway 34C.”

“Q short of 34C, Mālama 'Āina 4.”

Using a gentle addition of power, I head for runway 34C, and am just about to put the brakes on, when further instructions arrive.

“Mālama 'Āina 4, can you accept a back-taxi on runway 34C?”

“Affirm, Mālama 'Āina 4.”

“Roger, Mālama 'Āina 4, cleared onto runway 34C, exit at… D.”

“Cleared onto runway 34C, D exit, Mālama 'Āina 4.”

All lights on and ready to hustle across the active runway, I line up, check centerline, and do a fast taxi across the runway.

“Southwest 4224, behind the SkyWest Embraer, runway 16L, taxi via B.”

“16L, B, behind Alaska SkyWest, 4224. To the Hawaiian on 34C, Rotate!”

“What does “Mālama 'Āina” mean?” Another voice keys on frequency.

“It’s Hawaiian for “take care of the land, and it’ll take care of you.” My clients are part of a group exploring sustainability practices on the Hawaiian islands.” I respond.

“Good stuff. Which island?”

“Big Island. Kailua-Kona.”

“Bravo Zulu. Good luck to your passengers!”

“Thank you, appreciate it.”

“Mālama 'Āina 4, right D, cleared onto runway 34R, left C, runway 16C, line up and wait.”

“Alright, D, cleared onto 34R, C, line up and wait 16C, Mālama 'Āina 4.”

Quickly getting turned around in the narrow window of neither runway with an aircraft in its immediate vicinity, I scramble to 16C and configure the aircraft for takeoff, changing the FMS for a departure off 16C rather than 16L.”

“Delta 182, traffic departing prior to your arrival on the parallel runway an Airbus A321. Runway 16L, cleared to land.”

“Cleared to land 16L, Delta 182.”

“Mālama 'Āina 4, runway 16C, cleared for takeoff. Fly the HAROB Six.”

“16C, cleared for takeoff, Mālama 'Āina 4.”

80 knots.

V₁

Rotate.

V₂

Positive rate, gear up.

Flaps up.

“Mālama 'Āina 4, contact departure, Aloha!”

“Over to Departure, Mahalo and Aloha!”