My First RTW : Leg 13

Day Five, Thursday - 05:00:

I'm groggy and jet-lagged this morning but somehow, I find my way back to JFK. Frankly, I don't even remember the cab ride. Did I even pay the guy or just throw $100 in his lap and forget the change? Once I see my plane though I feel much better. A gorgeous Sabena A340! What a great plane. The sky is clear and warm though hazy today, visibility only 5-10 miles. With full tanks I taxi out to the north end and prepare for a southbound departure. I climb briskly up to cruising altitude and engage the autopilot.

During the long flight across the pond to Brussels I set off to finish some more real-world chores. What a drag!

Coming in over the Faroe Islands I check on the weather to find overcast skies and scattered showers, but the long-range forecast for the week looks nice. Ahh, Europe. My wife and I love Europe, in reality I mean. Oh to be able to go back there again ... maybe if I spent my hours scheming up some brilliant, money making plan rather than simming we could afford to travel! For now though, this is it. Also, speaking of European things (chocolate, pastries and cars come to mind immediately) I am fast becoming a big fan of the Airbus fleet. Maybe it's just how the designers work their magic but I tell ya, they are just more pleasant to fly, smoother handling than my Boeing planes. Somehow I feel un-American and certainly un-Northwest to admit that I enjoy flying buses but ... that's the way it is. There, now I've said it - and I feel worse for it.

And speaking of smooth, the only indication I get that I've landed is when my spoilers auto-deploy. I chop the throttles and then ease in some reverse thrust, take the two-thirds exit and taxi to the terminal. It's officially Thursday evening in Brussels and I had planned on spending the night here but, how often do you get the chance to be ahead of schedule?