Tour of Duty 26th March 2019 to 5th April 2019
Part III: 4th April to 5th April

I got transport to Port Orange, FL and was dropped off by the truck. I got the keys and loaded my gear and did my inspection and mounted my placards and transporter licence plate. I phoned up dispatch and dispatch wanted me to take a screenshot of the Uber receipt to send for reimbursement. I wasn't sure how to do that and the person in dispatch told me what she thought I needed to do. Either she was wrong or I did something wrong but in any event something went VERY wrong and my smartphone totally shut off. I made several tries to restart the phone but nearly everything (including all the pictures stored on the phone) was erased. I was in a state of panic for a short time until I was able to get the GPS app back and get the app back where I keep my electronic logbook. I got a couple of other apps back and was finally good to go.

Trip: Port Orange, FL to Orlando, FL 59 paid miles
Make: 2016 Peterbilt
Model: Vacuum Truck
Transmission: Automatic
Routes: Florida 5A to Florida 421 to Interstate 95 to Interstate 4 to local highways and roads in the Orlando area
Maximum elevation: unknown but not much if any over 100 feet
Diesel price USA: 2.939$ per gallon at 7-Eleven Orlando, FL

I got underway and pulled into a nearby Wawa as I was going to take on fuel. However, the clearance on the overhead canopy looked questionable so I aborted my attempt to fuel and proceeded to the Interstate. I made a brief stop at a rest area just east of Orlando where I booked hotel room. I stayed at the same hotel I stayed at the previous night due to the truck parking situation. I parked, checked in and then did some laundry before taking a walk to get some late evening rations. I spent a long night reinstalling numerous apps to my smartphone in Orlando, FL.

Friday I was awakened early by thunder. The thunderstorm was over and gone by the time I got up and was ready to go but it felt a little warm and muggy though not as bad as I expect it would be in the middle of summer. I stopped at 7-Eleven to take on fuel. Then I continued south on Orange Blossom Trail. My GPS wanted me to turn left onto a street and I saw it was marked "no trucks" but I already committed myself but I was able to turn into the parking lot of a shopping centre and get back to Orange Blossom Trail. I reached the receiver a while later with no more difficulty other than having to stop at numerous traffic lights. I completed delivery.

After I completed delivery I talked to dispatch. Dispatch wanted me to take a truck from Cleveland, North Carolina to Flushing, New York. Flushing is located in Queens in the Big Apple. The closest major airport to Cleveland, NC is CLT. However the cost of a flight to Charlotte was exorbitant making that trip unfeasible. Southwest was sold out for the day for flights to CLT and wanted 507$ for a flight the following day. Other airlines were more expensive especially when baggage fees were factored in. As a result I ended up booking a flight home with the itinerary being MCO to LAS connecting to ONT. I checked in online. I got my bags ready then ordered transportation to MCO.

I arrived at MCO and checked my bags which weighed 40.5 and 44.5lbs. I learned the load for the first flight was booked at 164/175 and the second flight was booked at 47/143. I was able to upgrade my boarding position for the first flight from C48 to A8. I did not time how long it took to clear security as I took some time before getting in the queue. By the time I got in the queue for security the queue grew. I was not given TSA Precheck but due to time constraints I did not opt out but I still received a partial patdown. There was no additional screening of my carry on items.

Southwest #1323 MCO-LAS B-737-800 Boarding Pass A8
Seat 4A Cruising altitude 36,000 feet Estimated flying time 4:25, actual 4:44
Depart: Gate 126 Scheduled 18h05, actual 18h08 Taxi: 13 minutes
Arrive: Gate C3 Scheduled 20h20, actual 20h14 Taxi: 9 minutes

We boarded via jetway. It was announced it was 73F at LAS with broken clouds. Some bumps were expected on climb. The plane was almost full but the middle seat in my row remained empty making the longest flight so far for me this year to be more tolerable. Pushback was 3 minutes late followed by takeoff to the north. I saw downtown Orlando soon after takeoff. Almost as soon as we crossed Interstate 4 we turned left and I had another look at downtown Orlando. I saw some thunderclouds. At 0:13 we went overwater over the Gulf of Mexico and I saw the west coast of Florida north of the Tampa Bay region. Clouds increased and blocked the view below while over the Gulf. At 0:46 I got Ritz Cheese Crackers and Oreos and the other choices were pretzels and Fritos. The Captain came on the intercom at 0:49 saying the seatbelt sign was staying on so long because we were trying to navigate around thunderstorms.

We made landfall at 1:08 over the coast of Mississippi near Bay St-Louis just east of the Louisiana border. I got a cup of soda at 1:09 and I got second cup of soda at 1:33. Clouds still blocked the view below. Seatbelt sign finally went off at 1:36.I saw the clouds start to break but seatbelt sign went on at 1:48. Seatbelt sign went off again at 2:06. At 2:08 I saw through some breaks in the cloud cover below part of the DFW Metroplex. I felt a few bumps and seatbelt sign went on at 2:41. I got pretzels at 2:47. I saw part of Amarillo, TX at 2:50 through a break in the clouds. Seatbelt sign went off at 3:01 just after we entered New Mexico airspace. I got cup of ice water at 3:32 and clouds blocked the view below. Coffee was offered but I declined at 3:35. I thought I felt descent begin at 3:51.

Descent was announced at 4:10. At 4:14 it was announced there were scattered clouds at LAS and the seatbelt sign went on at the same time as I saw twilights last gleaming. I saw the lights of the Las Vegas Metro area at 4:19 and I could make out Lake Mead at 4:20. At 4:22 the Captain announced a delay vector due to an arriving VIP. It turned out that Air Force Two with Vice President Pence onboard was landing at Las Vegas. We circled around and at 4:34 it was announced we would be in Las Vegas shortly. We proceeded and lined up to land north to south. I was on the "wrong" side of the plane to see the Strip. We arrived at gate 6 minutes early and we deplaned via jetway.

I took time to recharge my phone and by the time I was done some of the eating establishments were closed. I ended up getting evening rations at Jersey Mike's and Nathan's.

Southwest #950 LAS-ONT B-737-700 Boarding Pass A59
Seat 23F Cruising altitude 28,000 feet Estimated flying time 0:38, actual 0:34
Depart: Gate C16 Scheduled 22h40, actual 22h38 Taxi: 7 minutes
Arrive: Gate 403 Scheduled 23h40, actual 23h23 Taxi: 3 minutes
Reclaim checked bags 12-13 minutes after arrival

We boarded via jetway. The plane was mostly empty and I an entire row to myself. Pushback was 2 minutes early followed by takeoff to the west. I saw the Strip immediately after takeoff. At 0:02 we turned left and I saw the 215 ring road around Las Vegas. At 0:07 I got pretzels. At 0:13 I saw the lights of Baker, CA. I thought I felt descent at 0:14. I got cup of soda at 0:18. I saw the lights of Barstow at 0:19 and felt some bumps. I saw the lights of Victorville/Hesperia/Apple Valley at 0:25. I saw clouds at 0:28. I saw the lights of San Bernardino through breaks in the clouds at 0:28 as we turned west. We went below the clouds and I saw the junction of Interstates 10 and 215 and Colton, CA at 0:29 and I was able to make out the Arrowhead Regional Medical Centre and the former headquarters of World Prophetic Ministry in Colton at 0:30. I saw Fontana at 0:31 and I saw numerous truck terminals. We crossed Interstate 15 at 0:33 and I saw the two major truckstops in Ontario at 0:34. We landed east to west and arrived at gate 17 minutes early. We deplaned via jetway. I got transport home to end this tour of duty.

NOTE 1: I learned the following day that approximately 21 minutes after my connecting flght from LAS to ONT took off, Air Force One landed at Las Vegas

NOTE 2: I got a newer Smartphone as a indirect result of the catastrophe that happened with my old smartphone. Though I did take pictures during the flight from MCO to LAS I have not been able as of yet to upload those pictures.