NextGen Can't Come Fast Enough

Confession time...I am a Good Morning America fan.  Who doesn't love Robin Roberts and just saying George Stephanopoulos' name makes me smile.  Last week, not once, but twice, my friends at GMA told me about two near misses at large US airports.  How, in the age of GPS and technology, can this still be an issue? 

For those of you who read this, but aren't in the industry, NextGen is series of programs that will air travel faster, more efficient, more reliable and last but not least, SAFER!

Faster - With NextGen technology, airports will be able to more effectively manage higher levels of take offs and landings.  It will help pilots to fly more direct route without having to connect over radar towers.  (We all know the easiest way from point A to point B is a straight line and anyone who thinks airlines have been flying in straight lines for years is wrong.)  This program will enhance how airports manage planes on taxi and landing so that 20 minute taxi could be a thing of the past. 

Efficient - Airlines will see decreased fuel consumption because NextGen will help them to fly more direct route, thus using less fuel and decreasing the carbon footprint by flight.  Additionally, fuel continues to be a highly volatile cost for the airlines and being able to be more efficient will save them money as well as the consumer. 

Reliable - How many of you have been stuck in San Fran waiting for the fog to clear or in Chicago waiting for a snow storm to blow over.  NextGen will allow for more reliable on-time departures and arrivals because with the technology, it will allow those flights to leave on time because it's not dependent on ideal conditions. 

Safer - When my friends at GMA tell me about two reported incidents in a week of planes coming too close to each other, it screams, "We need to fix this!"  NextGen can do that for us.  It will safely and accurately monitor air-crafts and their comings and goings.  No longer will it be the responsibility of a single person with binoculars and a lookout tower.  (Okay, it's more advanced than that, but sometimes you wonder.) 

Will I stop traveling until NextGen is rolled out across the globe?  No.  Do I think about NextGen every time I board a plane?  No.  Do I think about it each time a member of my family does?  Yes!  We will talk to the folks in DC about it next month and I encourage anyone who cares to do the same when you chat with or email, or send letters to your elected politicians.  You can read more about NextGen at http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/.  Until next time, keep going! 

A Stranger No More

How many times do you sit down on a plane, or in a restaurant, or stand in a line or an elevator with a complete stranger.  You probably don’t strike up a conversation, because who does that anymore?  There are emails to read, posts to like, blogs to follow, games to play and mindless entertainment at our fingertips. 

Last week flying from Fargo to Chicago, I was ecstatic to see that the seat next to mine, 1A, was open.  Then, 3 minutes before the door closed, in walked a pilot looking to dead-head to Chicago.  Through a three minute conversation, we came to understand we were neighbors growing up, separated by 6 miles and about 15 years.  We talked about airline inventory and pricing, Icelandic cooking, funny names like Amma and Afi and how proud we are of our heritage and where we grew up.  He was a stranger no more.

Also last week, I sat across a dinner table from a stranger, a woman who came to Fargo to meet her biological son she had given up in adoption years ago.  He is the adopted son of a dear friend of mine.  She shared the amazing story of how she selected the perfect family for her son.  She shared how it felt to spend those last few hours with her child before giving him up forever.  She shared how, while knowing it would be hard, it was the best decision for everyone.  She shared how not being able to hear his voice weighed heavily on her heart for years.  She told us about getting on the plane and sobbing, thinking, “What am I doing?  Can I handle this?”  She was a stranger on a plane. 

Then, magically after agreeing to get on that plane and travel to Fargo, ND, and, after seeing her amazing 8 year old son, hugging him and watching him hit an out of the park home run at his baseball game, she was at peace.   If someone, anyone had listened to her story, they would have been able to share in this fabulous moment with her.  To her son, his family, and our family of families, she is a stranger no more. 

I was blessed by strangers twice last week and in those blessings, I keep going. 

What Hollywood is missing

Fargo is once again on the screen, TV this time, but still in the spotlight.  I have never seen the movie Fargo and haven't watched an episode of the FX series yet, but let me tell you a few things about my hometown that I think everyone should know.

People are genuinely nice.  They are not nice because they might gain from being nice, they are just nice.  This morning, three TSA people who don't know me, smiled at me and said good morning!

People are fanatical fans.  Whether you like the Bison, Fighting Sioux (they will always be the Fighting Sioux to me), Vikings, Packers, Wild, Blackhawks...the fans are loyal! 

People work hard and play hard.  We are known for our work ethic, but let's not lie, winters are long and summers short.  We play hard in both seasons.  Winter, to get through it and summer, to cherish it!

Let's talk about the winters, sure, they are cold but being the intelligent people we are, we don't go out for a morning run at -25 degrees, just like when it's 100 in Phoenix.  We use our God given smarts and respect Mother Nature.

Ok, let's move on the God.  On one street in Fargo, very close to my house there are 6 churches whose capacity averages 1200 people and every Sunday, you can bet they are all filled.  We have places of worship for all faiths and it's interesting to see how the people of all these faiths work together for each others common good. 

The western part of the state is "Living the life of the oil boom," Fargo is thriving with well educated people, lots of great jobs and new companies coming to town all the time. 

This list go on and on, but you get what I am trying to tell you.  You are welcome to come experience my a hometown and welcome to look me up when you do.  You might get to experience a day on our farm, a day on the lake, a nice evening bonfire on our patio, but when you leave, a part of Fargo will leave with you and I think that's a good thing. 

This weekend, runners from all over will descend on Fargo for the 10th annual Fargo Marathon.  I will not be running the 26.2 miles, but I will take part in the 5k and 10k. So, while running in Fargo, I keep going.