Tour of Duty 11th February 2020 to 9th March 2020
Part I: 11th February

I got locked into a trip from Wintersville, Ohio to Sulphur, Louisiana. Wintersville, Ohio is actually near Steubenville, Ohio and the nearest major airport is PIT Greater Pittsburgh International Airport. I considered air tickets from SNA and LAX to be very high but I found a halfway decent deal from BUR so I grabbed it.

I stayed up all night the previous night as I had an early flight and a very early departure from the house so I just pulled an all nighter. I pre-ordered the Uber to come at 4 something as I did not want to risk there being no or few drivers available at that time. The Uber came and took me to BUR and traffic moved well the whole way. I checked in and my bags weighed 47 and 42lbs. Security was not open yet so I walked around and took some pictures then I cleared security and opted out and patted down and both my Boot Bag and Briefcase got additional screening. I did not time the sequence.

Southwest #385 BUR-PHX B-737-700 Boarding Pass B48
Seat 21A Cruising altitude 29,000 feet Estimated flying time 1:10, actual 1:13
Depart: Gate A5 Scheduled 07h15, actual 07h14 Taxi/hold: 17 minutes
Arrive: Gate D5 Scheduled 09h40, actual 09h47 Taxi: 4 minutes

I boarded via rear stairs. It was announced it was cloudy and 47F at PHX and bumps were expected on climb out. Pushback was one minute early and takeoff was to the north. We turned west and I had a panoramic view of the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood Hills and Santa Monica Mountains with the Pacific Ocean farther out. We turned north and I saw the West San Fernando Valley, Santa Susana Pass, Simi Valley and then the junction of Interstate 5 and California 14 as well as the Santa Clarita Valley. At 0:06 I saw the San Andreas Fault and the California Aqueduct a view of Palmdale and the Antelope Valley. Then we turned east and I saw California 14 and Rosamond and Mojave to the distance. At 0:10 I saw Edwards Air Force Base and at 0:11 I saw Boron, CA and the Rio Tinto Mine to the north. At 0:12 I saw the old Kramer Junction and the new interchange between California 58 and US395. At 0:14 I saw Barstow, CA and vicinity.

At 0:17 I got pretzels while we were heading southeast over the Mojave Desert. At 0:28 I got cup of soda. I started seeing clouds at 0:32 and at 0:34 we crossed the Colorado River into Arizona airspace. At 0:35 it was announced the cabin would be cleaned up early due to expected bumps into PHX. I felt descent begin at 0:35 and I saw clouds increase. At 0:38 I felt bumps and clouds blocked the view below. Seatbelt sign stayed on the entire flight. At 0:49 it was announced winds were out of the east and it was 52F at PHX. Clouds broke. We crossed Arizona 85 at 0:50. I saw downtown Phoenix on final approach. We landed west to east and arrived at gate 7 minutes late. We deplaned via jetway.

Southwest #1130 PHX-PIT B-737-800 Boarding Pass C8
Seat 26F Cruising Altitude 37,000 feet Estimated flying time 3:00, actual 3:01
Depart: Gate D6 Scheduled 10h50, actual 10h49 Taxi: 11 minutes
Arrive: Gate A3 Scheduled 16h40, actual 16h29 Taxi/hold: 28 minutes
Reclaim checked bags 25 minutes after arrival

We boarded via jetway. It was announced we will get a great tailwind and it was 33F and snowing at PIT but the captain expressed hope that the snow will have stopped by the time we arrive but it is still to be cloudy. Pushback was one minute early. Takeoff was to the east. I saw junction of Interstate 10 and US60 after takeoff. I had a view of Tempe, Mesa and the East Valley at 0:01. I saw some broken clouds on initial climb. At 0:23 seatbelt sign went off. At 0:25 I got snacks: Pretzels and Fritos. Shortbread Cookies were also an option. I got cup of soda at 0:44 and clouds blocked view below. I got second cup of soda at 1:00. I felt bumps and seatbelt sign went on at 1:54. I got cup of water at 2:01. I felt descent begin at 2:28 just after entering Ohio airspace. Descent was announced at 2:41 and it was 36F and overcast with winds out of the west out of PIT. We went into the clouds at 2:55 and broke under the clouds just before landing and I saw the Ohio River on final approach. We landed to the west on a partially dry runway but I saw some snow on the ground. Because we made such good time due to the great tailwind, and we were 40 minutes early, our assigned gate was occupied so we had to wait. Finally we arrived at gate 11 minutes early. We deplaned via jetway.

I got my checked bags and phoned up hotel I had reservation and was told what door to use and after a wait I got shuttle to hotel where I checked in. After I checked in and got settled in I crossed the street and went to Sheetz where I had evening rations. I then went to Eat n Park where I got a milkshake for dessert. I spent the night in Coraopolis, PA.