Hemisphere Adventures!
Ladies and gents, from the Flight Blog, this is Cap’n Aux speaking.
I have a little announcement to make…
Happy 10th Blogiversary!!!
It was 10 years ago this month—January, 2012—that I started this blog!
Instantly, the online aviation community welcomed me with open arms. And, thus began an amazing, globe-trotting aeronautical adventure.
I’ve met so many of you around the world, and many even in person. This, to me, has been the most amazing part of the whole blogging journey: meeting aviation enthusiasts like you!
People like bloggers Karlene Petitt, Captain Mark Berry, and Julie “Miss TWA,” who helped me get my start, to name a very, very few.
Also, many of you readers started here as starry-eyed teens, such as Karim E. and Swayne Martin, dreaming (as I did at that age) of an airline pilot career. And, now, many of you have indeed become just that—airline pilots!
For Bunny and me, we felt like a sort of aviation foster Mom and Dad, watching our precious brood grow up and take wing. It has been one of the most rewarding blessings of all.
Really, the experience here has been nothing short of amazing!
Hemisphere Adventures
10th Blogiversary
To be honest, I had NO idea what I was doing, where I was going, and what, if anything, would become of it.
But, hey,…look at us now!
I knew that I had a bunch of amazing aeronautical tales to tell the world, and that’s why we started. As for my nom de plum, “Cap’n Aux,” well…it just came to me! No other options, no debate, it just was an instant natural fit.
See, I wanted my name here to be a bit lighthearted and approachable, and not some serious, high falutin’ name like, “Captain Baron von Studmeister III.” I felt a casual, “Cap’n” type moniker would be more apropos.
Well, here we are, ten years later, and this whole crazy thing worked!
Hemisphere Adventures
Adventures of Cap'n Aux
The driving theme here at “Adventures of Cap’n Aux,” has always been, well, Adventure!
And, after our last post about my first forays “out of the nest” in my new beloved Boeing 777, I realized that I have been living by exactly that philosophy. I could have easily coasted to the finish line in my A321 after 30+ years of flying it, but hey, where’s the adventure in that?
Well, ok, it still woulda been fun, but not nearly the adventure that takes a serious stepping out of your comfort zone to accomplish.
Embarking on this new life on the international wide body side of things, I realized, my personal decisions that led me to the 777 were exactly what I have always preached to all of you here: to pursue your wildest dreams!
As I’ve said here from Day One…
Which brings us, quite nicely, to today’s post…
Hemisphere Adventures!
Southern Hemi
ABOVE: Technically, the above GIF shows, not St. Elmo’s Fire, but Static Discharge. See a good article on it, shared by Blog Buddy @wood_leo via Twitter:
https://aviationforaviators.com/2021/02/26/static-discharge-vs-st-elmos-fire/
For the second time this month, I flew to GRU (São Paolo, Brazil.)
Destinations on the 777 are somewhat limited these days, due to Covid. Some routes are temporarily discontinued, while others have been relegated to the 787 due to smaller passenger loads.
No matter, I’m loving the adventure down south!
Just down the block (100 miles or so) from Rio de Janeiro, GRU us one of South America’s largest cities.
Once again, I was blessed with a great crew, First Officer Glen and FB Angus. Another blessing on this trip: we had an extra pilot aboard who loved to document our flights, so you get some extra footage here today!
For the most part, I’ll let the pics n vids do the talking on this post, but I will say one thing: it’s amazing how quickly one adapts to new environs. Last week was my first foray into Brazil. This week, I was excited to venture out and explore more…
A Little Boy Needs Our Help!
One of our own in the airline family recently became a grandma to twins Quentin and Dante. Heartbreakingly, since then, Dante has been on emergency ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), and fighting for his life—medical bills are quickly mounting! Join me in saving sweet Dante—any amount will help!
THANK YOU!
Hemisphere Adventures
Adventures in GRU
Brazil, being mostly south of the equator and in a temperate climate zone, was enjoying mild summer temps in the 70s.
Perfect exploration weather!
After my solid morning 3-hour power nap (see our last post!), I grabbed a free bike from the hotel, which turned out, to my surprise, to be an electric moped. This helped at times with the steep roads!
I promptly hit the local park, which was—being Sunday—jammed with locals. The weather was fabulous, and fortunately I made it back before the early evening torrential downpour! Once again, the weather cleared, and I was able to head out that evening for dinner. I went to a nearby churrascaria—a steakhouse—for which Brazil is famous.
Yummmmmy!
By the way, here’s a timelapse of our GRU arrival, compliments of our resident photographer!
Hemisphere Adventures
The Return Leg
Flights are mainly planned to take advantage of prevailing winds. So, the route often varies widely. For example, last week’s flight down was relatively straight shot from DFW to GRU (a “Great Circle” route.) This week, however, we flew all the way over to MIA, and down east of Cuba and SJU—quite a difference!
Coming back this week, I got an extra treat, as the flight was planned straight over BOG (Bogota) and the Panama Canal. It made for some way cool viewing, as you can see!
Above, BOG. Below, Panama.
By the way, flights over mountainous terrain requires us to keep a close eye on “Depressurization Routes.” In the event of a rapid depressurization, we’ll have to dive down to the thicker air, around 10,000′. Obviously, we want to pick the route that keeps us away from the rocks!
Yummy Drinks, GRU style
FO Glen, who is married to a Brazilian from Rio (he met her while hiking on a layover!) introduced me to their local soft drink, Guarana Antartica. Not bad!
But, nothing beats a lovely morning cappuccino!
Hemisphere Adventures
And, for the Grand Finale...
So, what’s it like to land a Boeing 777? Well, our photographer caught me doing just that in GRU! So, as a final treat, enjoy Cap’n Aux gently kissing the earth in his new 777-200!
For my next few adventures, I’ll be flying back to merry ol’ England (LHR). I’ll be sure to bring you along with me!
Till the next post…
This is Cap'n Aux
Signing Off!
Cap'n Aux Social Links
- Email: eric@capnaux.com
- Facebook: CapnAux
- Twitter: @capnaux
- Instagram: @capnaux
- Airways Magazine Online: Capnaux
Related Links
- Ye Elde Ancient Posts from Cap’n Aux Blogspot http://capnaux.blogspot.com
- Dancing the Hemispheres https://capnaux.com/dancing-the-hemispheres/
- Maiden Voyage of the Boeing 777 https://capnaux.com/maiden-voyage-of-the-boeing-777/
- Getting Certified on the Boeing 777 https://capnaux.com/whats-it-like-to-get-certified-on-one-of-the-worlds-largest-airliners-the-boeing-777-type-rating/
- Drinking From a Firehose Part 1 https://capnaux.com/drinking-from-a-firehose-part-1/
- Fifi’s Final Flight! https://capnaux.com/fifis-final-flight/
- Cap’n Aux Books https://www.amazon.com/Eric-Auxier/e/B00971H8VW
- Cap’n Aux’s First Solo https://capnaux.com/blogging-in-formation-solo/
- End of an Aviation Era https://capnaux.com/end-of-an-aviation-era/
- A Tale of Two Upgrades https://capnaux.com/a-tale-of-two-upgrades/
- As the Turbine Turns https://capnaux.com/as-the-turbine-turns/
- The Bid Life of an Airline Pilot https://capnaux.com/the-bid-life-of-an-airline-pilot/
- An Airline Pilot Retires https://capnaux.com/an-airline-pilot-retires/
- Cap’n Aux Vimeo Page https://vimeo.com/capnaux/
- All Word on the Ramp Videos https://vimeo.com/manage/showcases/3162370/info
- Best of Videos https://vimeo.com/manage/showcases/3162373/info
- Pilots of the Caribbean https://capnaux.com/there-i-wuz-pilot-of-the-caribbean/
- Part 2: Stranded in Paradise https://capnaux.com/pilot-of-the-caribbean-part-2/
- The Airline Cockpit in 7 Steps https://capnaux.com/airline-cockpit-7-steps-updated/
- Top 10 Downers of an Airline Pilot Career https://capnaux.com/top-10-downers-of-an-airline-career/
- Top 10 Things to Never Say to a Pilot https://capnaux.com/top-things-never-to-say-to-a-pilot/
- Pilots Protest Covid Mandates https://capnaux.com/pilots-protest-covid-mandates/
- The Post-Covid Future of US Aviation https://capnaux.com/the-post-covid-future-of-u-s-aviation/
- Flying in the Age of Covid https://capnaux.com/flying-during-covid/
- Life of a Test Pilot https://capnaux.com/the-occasionally-exciting-life-of-a-test-pilot/
- WOTR Video: It’s What Pilots Do! https://capnaux.com/word-on-the-ramp-video-its-what-pilots-do/
- Confessions of a Former Airline Pilot https://capnaux.com/confessions-of-a-former-airline-pilot/
- The Making of a European Pilot https://capnaux.com/the-making-of-a-european-airline-pilot/
- Lessons From the Miracle on the Hudson https://capnaux.com/forced-landings-pilot-lessons-from-the-miracle-on-the-hudson-part-1/
