The Flying Dream

I love airplanes.

Let me qualify that. I love watching airplanes. I always have. I'm not so crazy about actually traveling on one.

I think it has to do with the dreams. For as long as I can remember, I've drempt about airplanes. I'm usually not on the airplane, but at times I am.

The kicker is that the planes are always in some sort of distress. They're falling out of the sky, or crashing on a runway. I'm never afraid in the dream - in fact, most of the time the planes are falling in comical ways - spinning around on one wing like a crazy cartoon.

Still, I love watching them. I'm lucky that Washington, DC has National Airport so close by. I can see planes flying relatively low every day on my way to work. It never ceases to amaze me. People ask me why I don't see them walking down the street - it's because my eyes are usually looking up at an American Airlines 737 taking off.

At a little park near National Airport called Gravelly Point you can watch planes taking off or landing (depending on the wind).

This is about as close as you come:

Which is pretty good. However, here are some views from St. Maarten - Princess Juliana airport in the Netherlands Antilles:

There's no photoshopping in the pictures above. And yes, that last one is a 747. Those can't even land at National Airport - too big.

The cheapest flight to St. Maarten is $525. I'll start saving now.