A Public Appeal: Dash-8 at LGA -- Gotta Catch'em All
Hey folks,
It's been a while since I've been in touch with many of you, so firstly I hope everyone has been in good shape and having a good time. In a nutshell, I now live in Virginia and don't usually have much time to spot in NYC anymore...but that's why I'm writing.
With the industry as desperate as it is, I managed to pick up a gig as a first officer for Piedmont Airlines (aka/dba/hashtag US Airways Express). Been here for about a year. As most of you surely know, we're the guys who fly the scary turboprops people love to hate: the deHavilland Dash-8. El Mighty Ocho!
Our slot swap with Delta is becoming more evident at La Guardia with each passing day. I've seen several changes over the last few weeks, from Delta IT people walking around to survey the computing possibilities for their airline, to furniture is being moved around, to the relocation of our crew room to a tiny cubby under one of the baggage belts. Not the least of these changes is the dramatic down-tick in schedule frequencies and, ultimately, destinations.
Last summer our presence at LGA was business as usual -- dozens of daily flights between NYC and our Philly hub, upstate New York, and points as far north as Bangor, ME and south as Norfolk, VA. At this time, March will see a steady rollback that will culminate in a final Piedmont Dash-8 schedule of FOUR daily Philadelphia round trips. That's it. A shell of its former self.
I'm writing this to you all with my experiences as a spotter in the front of my mind. I understand that, for most of us, the greater appeal is the afternoon heavy rush at JFK, or when LGA is on the Expressway Visual or runway 4 with something big and loud on the way. But now the opportunity to capture local aviation history is on the table, and I would like to make sure those of you who are interested do not miss it. Within three or four months the image of a turboprop at LGA will be very faint. And it may be gone altogether not long after that, since our Dashes are among the oldest in the world.
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Now, admittedly, I have a bit of an ulterior motive here. I've been flying the Dash into LGA very regularly since last summer but haven't coordinated with anybody for an actual picture. If the weather is nice enough for anyone to be spotting today or tomorrow, Monday/Tuesday, February 27/28, this is my schedule:
PDT4370 CHO-LGA, arriving 5:49pm
PDT4393 LGA-IAD, departing 6:29pm
PDT4386 IAD-LGA, arriving 3:43pm
PDT4412 LGA-ITH, departing 4:15pm
PDT4415 ITH-LGA, arriving 7:15pm
PDT4369 LGA-CHO, departing 7:59pm
Some of this is at night (italicized), but I'll keep an eye out for any big lenses or familiar faces wherever we go! I have vacation in the first half of March so the next trip won't be until the 16th.
All the best,
Brian
