Short trip from California’s capital down the San Joaquin Valley to Burbank.
Server: Solo
Airline: Southwest Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 737-700
Origin: Sacramento International Airport, Sacramento, California (SMF)
Destination: Hollywood Burbank Airport, Burbank, California (BUR)
Flight Number: WN3579
Route: KSMF-KBUR
Seat: 9F (Economy)
Time En Route: 1 Hour 10 Minutes
Morning boarding at Sacramento Metro. Back in the 1980s when the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base just north of town was the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and flying the SR-71 Blackbird, a Blackbird flown by Maury Rosenberg (Pilot) and an unnamed Reconnaissance Systems Officer was returned to Beale from an airshow in Toronto. They had some extra gas on board and since there wasn’t any regulation that said they couldn’t shoot an approach at SMF, they got to talking with the tower and did an approach and go-around. In full afterburner. Needless to say, passengers in the terminal were spooked by noise and word got back to Beale before Rosenberg and his backseater landed. They were met in the hangar by Colonel Lonnie Liss (who passed away only a few years ago), Director of Flight Operations for the 9th SRW, who then asked, “Do we have any regulations that say we can’t make approaches at Sacramento Airport?” Upon hearing Rosenberg’s response of “No, sir,” he then said “I want one on my desk at 7 O’clock tomorrow morning.” Anyway, since this is a flight from Sacramento, I thought I might as well throw in the SR-71 Buzzing the Tower Story.
Taxiing out to Runway 17L for a southbound departure
Taking off past the parking lot at Terminal A
In cruise over the San Joaquin Valley
Descending over Fresno and Santa Paula
Landing in Burbank after just over an hour of flying
Pulling into Gate A5
Getting a shot of our jet from the ramp