jlemon

Ah, Fresno's "hip" enclave.....and I wonder if the Sequoia Brewing Co. brewpub and restaurant is still in operation on Olive St. in the Tower District.

I believe Chateau Ste. Michelle is one of Washington state's larger wineries. Speaking of live music, a couple of months ago, a good friend of mine who is a senior manager with Helijet, the helicopter airline based at YVR, drove down to this winery with his family in order to catch Mark Knopfler and his band playing an outdoor concert there. He reported that it was an excellent show which led to yours truly and Lady K flying to ATL in order to catch MK & Band at an outdoor amphitheater in an Atlanta park. And it was an excellent performance.

I'll also have a wine tasting report following our journey in F next month on Alaska Air from PDX to SAN......

jlemon

47. Sounds like Wardair operating Airbus A310 and Boeing 747 aircraft between San Juan (SJU) and Toronto (YYZ).

Seat 2A

jrl767

47- how about WD's less numerous jets: DC-10 and A300

FATFlyer

Sequoia Brewing is still in the Tower.

But the Tower District is getting competition for local "hipness" from the new places opening in downtown in the past 3 years as part of revitalization. The city began ripping up the old Fulton Mall pedestrian area today so we will see how the area develops in coming years.

Tioga-Sequoia's Beer Garden and Peeves Public House in downtown Fresno have become popular with the hip crowd. Another brew pub is opening near Tioga-Sequoia soon. Fulton Cycle Works has expanded and added high-end Torelli bikes to its offerings. Three fitness clubs have opened in the past year to serve workers and new downtown apartments. A couple of new retail stores have opened with products that range from locally made goat milk soap to hand-dyed yarns.

Fresno State opened a new downtown off-campus art studio last year with studio space for 15 graduate students. Additionally a tech incubator restored a 50,000 sq ft building last year and the startup spaces have filled. They are talking about another incubator building in the next few years.

I like the Tower District for concerts and shows but we will see if downtown starts to gain momentum.

jlemon

Good to hear Fresno is attempting to rejuvenate its downtown area. Back in the day when I lived over in the San Luis Obispo area, we would drive up Highway 41 to the valley and would stop in Fresno for a brewpub lunch and provisions while on the way to Yosemite or Kings Canyon for backpacking trips. I also remember flying into FAT on board United B737-200s and Delta B727-200s after DL acquired Western.

jlemon

48. Well, I think Air Atlanta may have been still around at this point. If so, aircraft was probably a Boeing 727-100 with the flight continuing on from LWB to ATL.

Several other airlines also operated jet service into little Greenbrier Valley Airport at different times over the years including Piedmont with Boeing 737-200s and USAir with Fokker 100s.

WHBM

I only came through Fresno once, September 8 1994 (don't ask why I can remember), having flown up from LAX and then driven on to Yosemite. We drove around downtown on the return, but didn't see anything that encouraged getting out of the car. I said it looked very Middle America, and was instantly corrected that nowhere in California was like that. Ah, ok

Anyone like to guess what AA was flying on the route at the time ...

I think it was also the first time I ever saw a jet power back from the gate using reverse thrust. An AA MD80 headed for Dallas did it. Seems to be not allowed anywhere over here in Europe, here if there's no tractor available you swing in front of the terminal, beyond the reach of the jetway, so you can depart continuing forward. It appeared to require full reverse thrust. I still think though a Vanguard manoeuvring carefully into the old Edinburgh terminal was more decibels.

TWA ?

jlemon

Ah, yes, there wasn't too much going on in beautiful downtown Fresno back then. We'd have lunch at the brewpub in the Tower District and then hit Trader Joe's for provisions before heading up to the Sierra Nevada mountains.

LAX-FAT in 1994: perhaps this was an American Eagle flight operated by Wings West with a BAe Jetstream 31.

And the first time I witnessed an MD-80 power back from the gate was at John Wayne (SNA). The airline was the original Frontier and the airplane was departing for Denver. Of course, SNA is a noise sensitive airport....but not when you're still on the ground departing from the gate, I reckon. BTW, I have not seen a jet use this power back method in many years so perhaps it is no longer practiced on this side of the pond.

FATFlyer

When travelling to the Midwest on business trips the comment I hear is "You don't act like a Californian, you seem more normal."

AA replaces the MDs here with 737s after May 4. End of that era locally.

Seat 2A

As has been noted, the Tower District is indeed alive and well, especially this week with the Rogue Festival going on. I had a great time at the Sequoia Brewing Co. last night. The line was out the door but thankfully a seat was open at the bar where I joined a couple of ladies who'd lived in Fresno since the 70s along with a young audiologist from Louisiana who was doing his residency in Fresno. Food, beer, live music and company were all superb. I must return soon - if only for another pint of that deliciously hopped Mt. Whitney XPA.

I'm running a bit late this morning so for the record, jrl767, WHBM and JL are all correct in your responses. Well done! ^^


Sorry gang - I've no OAG with me to transcribe schedules. Let me know if you're interested in any of the above flights and I'll be happy to transcribe them when I get home. My flights home are a trio of 737s - a -700, a -900 and a -400.

Seat 2A

Awright! We're down to just four questions! Let's get these cleared off the board by tonight so that jlemon can check in with a fresh batch.

Go get 'em, boys!

BTW, since the First Batch of this set of questions was posted a month ago, this thread has garnered approximately 22,000 hits and 351 responses/posts. Give yourselves a collective pat on the back! ^^


THE TIMELINE FOR THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IS 1987

52. You’ve just won a porcupine grooming contest in Fredericksburg, Virginia! Awright!! Your prize: a pair of new gloves and a long weekend at the Hilton Rose Hall in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Unfortunately your prize doesn’t include airfare from your home in Alexandria, Virginia to Jamaica. Well, dang! Further complicating your travel plans is that your wife refuses to fly on Air Jamaica. It’s a long story… Imagine then your surprise and delight upon discovering an airline that flies nonstop between Washington Dulles and Montego Bay twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays. The southbound flight on Thursday is operated in an all economy configuration while the northbound flight on Sunday uses a different aircraft type and offers both First Class and Coach. Identify the airline and the respective aircraft it employs on each flight.
HINT: One aircraft was a 727-100, the other a 737-200.

70. You’ve just spent a week in Hawaii. It’s been fun but, with a week left in your vacation you’d like to go somewhere a bit less touristy. But only a bit. How about Tahiti? Consulting your trusty OAG, you discover not one, not two but THREE airlines that offer nonstop service between Honolulu and Papeete. Identify each airline and the respective aircraft it operated on this route.
HINT: All of the aircraft involved were built by the same manufacturer

73. Egyptair operated a one stop flight twice a week between Cairo and New York JFK. Where was the enroute stop made and what type of aircraft was used?
A N S W E R E D

81. If you were to fly into Orlando on a DC-8-61/63 operated by a foreign carrier, which airline would you be flying on and from which foreign airport would your flight have originated?
A N S W E R E D

jrl767

in the conversation about South American D8S operators into MIA upthread, it was revealed that both VIASA and VARIG had retired their Stretch 8 fleets by 1987, and I have to think that the smaller carriers that represent the answer to that question wouldn't have had a presence at MCO in addition to their MIA operation

then I thought about Aeronaves de Mexico, but I'm pretty sure they only flew the -51 and -62 series

I was composing this reply yesterday and apparently lost connectivity from my phone during upload ... I was going to guess that we were looking at Air Canada service from Toronto, but given the hint that wasn't yet posted, that's obviously incorrect

so it's wild guess time ... Icelandair, from Reykjavik

I believe United had some all-coach 737s ... I think they're too obvious a candidate, but I'll stick with this guess for now

Seat 2A

P.S. One of the wines on offer here in Cathay Pacific's lounge at SFO is from the Clif Family, Climber Limited Release 2011. It's listed as a simple "Red Wine" but has a delicious peppery finish a la the best zins. Pretty tasty for a $19.00 bottle of wine. Next great lounge - the Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas...

WHBM

Somewhere in Western Europe that was favourable to 5th freedom flights on to the USA. I'll guess first at Paris. I seem to recall that Egyptair used Orly airport there long after Charles de Gaulle opened.

For aircraft, Egyptair were pioneers (like El Al) in long-haul Transatlantic flights using 767-200s, but I think these tended to be used nonstop. Paris was probably just as important (if not more so) for freight than passengers, so I guess a 747. Probably not a daily flight, just odd days per week.