Even though it’s now gone from the Southwest Airlines fleet, except as a retro livery on a 737 MAX 8, the Canyon Blue livery still lives on in memory. It was one of those liveries that defined the aircraft that wore it, making “737-700” and “Southwest Airlines” as synonymous as the Widget livery made “L-1011” and “Delta Air Lines”. With that in mind, I undertook a recreation of my most recent flight on WN, but with the Canyon Blue livery instead of the current Heart one.
Server: Solo
Airline: Southwest Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 737-700 (Canyon Blue)
Origin: Nashville International Airport, Nashville, Tennessee (BNA)
Destination: Hollywood Burbank Airport, Burbank, California (BUR)
Flight Number: WN262
Route: KBNA-KBUR
Seat: 13A (Economy)
Time En Route: 4 Hours 37 Minutes
Waiting to board our aircraft at Gate C25 on a remarkably warm day for November in Tennessee
Beginning our pushback. It’s going to be a completely full flight today, with all 143 seats taken. In the background, Southwest’s California One (N8653A) is taxiing out for departure to Sarasota, Florida, as WN1346.
Holding short behind another WN 737-700 as California One gets airborne
Taking off from Runway 20C. The Tennessee Air National Guard hangar, home to the 118th Wing, is in the background to the far left.
Climbout over I-65 and Brentwood, Tennessee
In cruise at 38,000 feet over eastern New Mexico. Currently, we’re working our way through Punk’s War, a novel written by former F-14 Tomcat RIO Ward “Mooch” Carroll.
In our initial descent near Apple Valley, California. Doesn’t seem like there’s many apples or apple trees, though, seeing how it’s in the Mojave Desert.
Final approach over VNY
Golden Hour arrival in Burbank, even though it’s not that late in the afternoon. As an aside note, we actually arrived in-game about 8 minutes ahead of when we actually did (4 hours 37 minutes in Infinite Flight vs. 4 hours 45 minutes with the real deal).
Deplaned at Gate A4 after a wonderful flight down memory lane