I got to the airport in Flint, MI so early this morning, I was the only person in line at the TSA security checkpoint. The TSA agent handed me back my ID along with a slip of paper, said there was a problem and I needed to go talk to the airline my ticket was booked with. Unfortunately, Spirit doesn't have anybody at the airport in Flint, MI. Fortunately, I had plenty of time to get back in my car and drive to Detroit to catch my flight. There were lots of people in line there.

I'm flying back to MI in a week on Allegiant into Flint.

Same thing happened to me recently. My name was slightly misspelled on the boarding pass. My multiple forms of government ID, all front and center for TSA scrutiny? No matter. Back to the airline desk and then go through the whole damn process again!

My office is very close to IAH, and I've become the resident airport shuttle [we have a warehouse & park our cars there, rather than airport parking].
I've avoided much travel the past few years & seeing the dropoff/pickup lines makes me glad for it. IAH is undergoing some major renovation, so it's a massive mess.

My wife booked the ticket for me, so I was thinking it was just some mix up with our names until I got halfway down the stairs, realized I mixed up my flights and was at the wrong airport. It takes 3 1/2 hours to get to the airport in Flint from our place in Northern Michigan. Detroit is an extra hour.

Don't feel bad. Even pilots get it wrong sometimes. Flt 4013

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
My wife booked the ticket for me, so I was thinking it was just some mix up with our names until I got halfway down the stairs, realized I mixed up my flights and was at the wrong airport. It takes 3 1/2 hours to get to the airport in Flint from our place in Northern Michigan. Detroit is an extra hour.

If I understand this correctly, you were ticketed out of Detroit?

Yes, I fucked up and went to the wrong airport. I'm not complaining about TSA, the airlines, or anyone else. I'm laughing at myself for being a moron. We have a lot of balls in the air at the moment and I had a complete brain fart. I did a bunch of chainsaw work clearing the driveway up there the day before and I was tired.

It's a personal running joke that when I do something stupid, it's an additional reason I don't fly an airplane. Like the time I lowered the boat on the lift into the water and the next thing you know, we are all standing ankle deep in water because I forgot to put the plug in. Or the time the battery was dead and we couldn't start the boat because I forgot to take the plug out and the bilge pump drained the battery emptying all the rain water we get in Florida.

Mistakes like these aren't as funny when you're flying an airplane.

I'm sorry my post wasn't as clear as I thought it was. That should probably be reason 440, I have a hard time explaining things in a way people can understand.

Now it can be told; I'm pretty sure that the statute of limitations has expired.

Back in the 1980s, I landed on Runway 10 at Georgetown in The Bahamas. That was Roman numeral runway 10.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: V-Tail,

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Now it can be told; I'm pretty sure that the statute of limitations has expired.

Back in the 1980s, I landed on Runway 10 at Georgetown in The Bahamas. That was Roman numeral runway 10.

I may have taken off & landed using the taxiway of runway 10 [which was in many small pieces], once.
Smaller airport & likely smaller plane...

quote:

That was Roman numeral runway 10.

Oops! I take it they didn't have anything on the runway at the time, and you didn't hit anything, because you're here to tell about it. What did the tower think of that?

Forced to look up "Runway 10": "Runway X" on an airport field marking means that the runway is closed and not usable.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
I got to the airport in Flint, MI so early this morning, I was the only person in line at the TSA security checkpoint. The TSA agent handed me back my ID along with a slip of paper, said there was a problem and I needed to go talk to the airline my ticket was booked with. Unfortunately, Spirit doesn't have anybody at the airport in Flint, MI. Fortunately, I had plenty of time to get back in my car and drive to Detroit to catch my flight. There were lots of people in line there.

I'm flying back to MI in a week on Allegiant into Flint.

DTW is only an hour from Flint by car, you're likely better off flying into DTW and driving up there.

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:
DTW is only an hour from Flint by car, you're likely better off flying into DTW and driving up there.

Flint saves us 2 hours of driving on the MI end and 1 1/2 hours of driving on the FL end than Detroit. Allegiant doesn't fly everyday though. There are airports closer to us in MI, but the flights are not direct and they are a minimum of $500 each ticket more expensive.

For this latest trip, my wife and daughter flew in the day after I flew out and grabbed the minivan from where I left it in the airport parking lot. In this particular case, Detroit cost us 7 hours of driving over Pellston, but saved us $1,500 on the plane tickets.

I wish there was a better way to get the 5 of us, the dog, and our stuff there and back. With the kids' school schedules, this was the best we could do this year.

Trapper, what did you ever do about those trees down from the epic ice storm a month or 2 ago? Did you get the tractor, or just slug away with the chainsaw? Maybe you enlisted hired help.


I saw mention of all the trees broken off in the northern lower MI area. It seemed like a wide area.

To the ticket issue, not much to say about that.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

quote:

That was Roman numeral runway 10.

What did the tower think of that?

Tower? Nope. Turned out that there were two Georgetown airports; the "real" one that was out of my line of sight, just over a line of hills, and its replacement, still under construction and not open for business yet. In my defense, I had checked with the International Flight Service Station in Miami prior to departure, and I had specifically asked for NOTAMs*. They told me that they did not have any for Georgetown. When I arrived at the correct Georgetown airport, there was a NOTAM prominently displayed on the bulletin board.

---

*NOTAM: Notice To Airmen

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
Trapper, what did you ever do about those trees down from the epic ice storm a month or 2 ago? Did you get the tractor, or just slug away with the chainsaw? Maybe you enlisted hired help.


I saw mention of all the trees broken off in the northern lower MI area. It seemed like a wide area.

To the ticket issue, not much to say about that.

My 18y son, his buddy, and I did a day of chainsaw work while I was there. They're going make brush piles over the next week with the small trees and branches. I'll rent a chipper when I'm back up there with my 15yo son at the end of the month. Based on what we did the one day, I think the four of us will be able to get everything that needs to be cleared up done quickly and we'll take our time with the widow makers in the woods. Tractor will wait.

quote:

Like the time I lowered the boat on the lift into the water and the next thing you know, we are all standing ankle deep in water because I forgot to put the plug in. Or the time the battery was dead and we couldn't start the boat because I forgot to take the plug out and the bilge pump drained the battery emptying all the rain water we get in Florida.

I can offer an idea. Get one of those solar charger panels that connect via lighter type plug or rig up a pigtail to battery(ies). That should give you enough juice to keep a charge, leave the plug in, and remove one more challenge. Be sure to secure the panel with velcro or similar for wind.

(one boat guy to another, with it on lift and the plug never comes out or auto bilge off.....)

I'm not a Pilot because my depth perception SUCKS .

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:

I'm not a Pilot because my depth perception SUCKS .

You don't need depth perception. I know, because for more than fifty years (until cataract surgery / IOL lens implant), I really only used one eye. Even with normal vision, no depth perception at night.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:
I can offer an idea. Get one of those solar charger panels that connect via lighter type plug or rig up a pigtail to battery(ies). That should give you enough juice to keep a charge, leave the plug in, and remove one more challenge. Be sure to secure the panel with velcro or similar for wind.

(one boat guy to another, with it on lift and the plug never comes out or auto bilge off.....)

That's a good idea. I installed an on-board charger on that boat. It has a full cover that doesn't keep the rain out like I thought it would. The other boat was a center console skiff and the plug was easy to get at.