Looks like it's on the descending end of its arc to DFW from someplace northwest, maybe Salt Lake City or Seattle. It'll land just after dawn there. So glad not to have to travel that way anymore. It was a thrill the first few times. First ever jet plane ride from Houston to OKC was an exciting trip. A refurbished flying fortress came too close as we banked down toward the runway, forcing our pilot to take a hard left to avoid collision then climb and circle again for another approach. Ground control...where are you? A few years later, prolonged turbulence between Singapore and Sydney was enough of a turn off to make it feel not so thrilling anymore. I didn't hurl but came close. Then came jetting here and there for business purposes. Ugh, no fun at all.
Several days of contrail-free skies out here after 911 set me to wondering about modern air traffic. Good grief, is it all that necessary? Most of the company trips I was sent on by jet could have been handled just fine over the phone, and that was back in the days of voice-only calling. Now we have face-to-face conference calling over the internet and cell networks right there on our smartphones, if all parties have ample bandwidth. Microsoft's only promising technological development, HoloLens, will take that a giant step further unless they screw it up (like everything else they've rolled out as "product").
Ah well, it's nice now to not have to shoot through the air in pressurized tubes full of people. My only beef with jetliners now is low-fliers. One came in so low on its pre-dawn approach to Santa Fe about this time last winter I was sure I was going to hear and feel the shockwave of its impact into the side of Gascon Point. My bed was actually vibrating from its engine noise. I steeled myself to get up and call 911 and then trek west afoot to help with wilderness rescue if it did, but it didn't.
Sweet, back to blissful sleep until morning sunlight warms the yard.
