Morning, Box. Today is the first day of school; oh my how glad I am that I never have to darken the door of an educational institution again as a student. :D

Speaking of the first day of school, I just sent my wife an encouraging text message, and her phone went off in the living room when it received it. :rolleyes: Guess I'll be going down there at lunch. :p

The Shore, welcome to :rolleyes:

There is an optional variant of C-130J that is longer, but the base model J is the same 92-something feet that the airframe has always been. The stretch J adds 15 feet.

The difference in the J is, as you say, quite noticeable. The obvious difference is the props, but on the inside it might as well be a new aircraft that just looks the same for the most part. When Lockheed realized that they didn't need a flight engineer anymore, they had made so much headway as far as cabling reduction and weight savings that they still allocated space, weight and power for the third seat should a customer want it, and they had enough weight and balance left over to put in a layer of ballistic armor around the pit. The C-130 stands in aviation history as one of the very few misjudgments ever made by Kelly Johnson. Lockheed showed him the designs before he took over at the Skunk Works and he said it would never sell, and if it did, the client would end up unhappy with it.

The coolest thing about newer cargo planes isn't anything related to the -130. It's that Boeing did not use a yoke for the C-17. There's a fighter-style stick up there. :D

Given the state of teh Economy, I have actually considered doing another degree (an LL.M. in Admiralty) to forestall student loan payments for another year.

It's rough all over, let me tell you. However, and I'm sure my debt pales in comparison, but that stuff is crippling when you first get out and start paying on it. Glad my wife started getting paid today, heh.

Are you using metal bowls? How about trying ceramic? I wonder if food coloring in the water would do the trick...

Starwood may have more suites to offer as upgrades to its top tier members than some of the other programs, but the others have their merits too (easier access to complimentary breakfasts, free Internet, more hotels with lounges, etc.). Having top tier in Hilton, Marriott, and SPG I see both the good and bad in all three, and honestly, it's hard for me to say one is the clear winner over the others. They all seem to have their mix of outstanding, average, and awful hotels; and they all have their benefits as well as their areas they fall behind on. If you want to go after upgrades to larger suites, and plan on staying in a lot of properties that offer them, by all means, go for SPG Platinum. Keep in mind that coming from a program like Hilton or Marriott, you'll see fewer lounges overall at full service properties, and fewer comped breakfasts, things that Marriott and Hilton both heavily promote to their top tier members. A lot of it really comes down to where you're going to be traveling, and what you value most out of a loyalty program.

I doubt the -500, -600, and -700 737s are longer than a C-130, if the -400 is the breaking point.

73S=735=736
733=73G
734=738

Of course the 739 is longer than the 734, and has no second generation equivalent, and the original 737 was shorter than the 73S (737-200).

I see the value of the Hilton status (and have Gold due to the PP card) but I've only stayed at their properties when absolutely necessary.

I'll continue to keep status with Marriott because they are usually a great alternative to SPG when prices are :rolleyes:

However, after some recent stays at various Courtyards, I'm disappointed in the brand. I used to have great experiences in Denver with them but that seems to be a thing of the past.

+1 to Olton Hall

One in one-thousand.

I did community service when I got a ticket.

Even the P-3 has more capacity (but not load - P-3 is designed to stay aloft for a long time) than a C-130.

Must've been hungry....that breakfast burrito I just ate was exceptionally good today.

Good morning Box.

I agree with everything you said, and I'm becoming somewhat disillusioned with Marriott as the level of service continues to degrade at full service properties. I've gotten a comped breakfast exactly once when it wasn't included in the room rate, and my room preferences in my profile are almost never honored, outside of high floor preference.

That said, SPG simply doesn't have the property density in most of the places I've been traveling to. Moreover, with the occasional exception, I almost always know exactly what to expect when I stay at a Marriott property, at anything from a Fairfield Inn to a JW. There are minor differences but the offering is essentially the same everywhere I go, and I like that sort of consistency.

That said, I drove by the Dallas W this past weekend and mercy, that place looked awesome. I've been tempted to get a status match to SPG plat but I don't travel enough to maintain status in two programs. I can hit gold in Marriott consistently, and occasionally hit plat, but not in both (even though SPG earning requirements are much lower). I'm still concerned when I go to the smaller towns and such that I can get a Fairfield Inn or a Springhill Suites and there isn't an SPG property for hundreds of miles.

Courtyard is in the middle of a brand refresh. Some properties are quite nice, and many are not. However, they did quickly institute the non-free breakfast at all properties I've been to in the last year, regardless of the state of renovation on everything else. For the reasons I stated above, I think I have to stick with Marriott for now.

Hilton is an interesting proposition but I am almost completely unfamiliar with their full service offerings. Hampton Inn is almost more ubiquitous than Marriott properties are, so the same point opportunities are there for me, but I don't know how it translates to elite benefits at the larger properties.

The H-model and base-model J are 97'9". The stretch-J is 112'9".

737-300: 109'7" (I was wrong, the -300 is longer too)
-400: 119'6"
-500: 101'8"
-600: 102'8"
-700/7ER: 110'4"
-800: 129'6"
-900ER: 138'2"

Good morning, Box.





Great idea. I think I'll use that next time Ifly out of C at rush hour.




Ahem, do you mean "wobbly-bonkers" :D:D



Great film. Saw it when it came out. Forrest Whitaker is fantastic. Can't remember the name of the guy who played the Doctor, but he did a great job too.




Admiralty? Is that something to do with the Navy? Lord Nelson? People you admire?