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December 20, 2014

Beth Ann in the Skies With …..

16 Comments/ 5045/ 1

1It’s been awhile since Mason City, Iowa has had air service.  A couple years ago it was convenient to be able to take a quick ride to Minneapolis to make a connecting flight to other destinations.  Delta offered connections and that was wonderful for the loyal Delta customers but as time passed the service was discontinued.  Other smaller airlines stepped in and tried to provide service but it was always a bit risky to fly out of Mason City because the service, in my experience, was a bit unreliable.

Smaller planes = inability to fly in some kinds of weather.  Mason City has its share of “some kinds of weather” and after several flights that were less than wonderful on planes that were a bit rickety and with pilots who looked to be 12 years of age I quit taking those flights.  The convenience of free parking and close proximity were not balanced out by the canceled flights and quality of aircraft that came in to service the airport.

airchoiceone

I was thrilled recently when it was announced that Air Choice One was going to begin service out of Mason City (MCW) to Chicago with several flights daily.  Chicago O’Hare is probably my least favorite airport but so many connections are made there that it makes sense that it would be the destination.  So I thought I would give it a go since I needed a one way trip to Dallas Fort Worth.

2

I was pleasantly surprised from the start to the finish of the experience.  Check in at Mason City Municipal Airport is always so easy—TSA agents are polite and thorough, speedy and efficient as there is just not a lot of traffic that comes through the airport. I was hoping for a private flight that day but “Brad” was the other passenger on our flight so I almost had a private flight.

Rudy was our pilot and assisted by a lovely young woman whose name I did not catch.  He briefed us on the safety features of the plane after we seated ourselves in the 9 passenger seat plane and as we prepared to take off I was happy to be able to relax and let Rudy do the driving flying.

3The skies were fairly clear for the first hour of the flight and I loved being able to see the ground from my perch in seat 3A.

6

The cloud cover got a bit thick and it was a bit bumpy for a few minutes but no worries—Rudy had it all under control and as I watched him fly I was impressed with his attention to looking all around the aircraft as it was flying to insure that all was well.  Finally—about 2 hours later we came out of the cloud cover and I spied Chicago.

7A really smooth landing and we were there safe and sound.

Air Choice One from Beth Ann Chiles on Vimeo.

Would I do this again?  Definitely. And I will.  Some things to consider are that you do have to walk to and from the plane (in bad weather it might be not as enjoyable as a covered jet bridge), carry on luggage has to be stowed under the plane as there are no overhead bins and you would have to check any luggage for your next flight if you have anything oversized .  None of those are deterrents for me at all but if you need any assistance in boarding it might be more difficult as you do have to climb a set of small stairs to access the plane.

8One happy customer and hopeful that they will be able to continue to provide reliable and quality service to anyone who wants to fly the friendly skies. Thanks, Air Choice One, for making my first experience with you an enjoyable one.  I hope to fly with you often.

Oh and by the way, in case you wondered why I just wanted a one way flight—the picture below shows you why.  Who doesn’t fly all the way to Texas to get a new car?  I’m telling you—my life is a bit complicated.  Fun but complicated.  new car!

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Air Choice One Mason City Municipal Airport MCW O'Hare
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16 Comments

Leave a comment
  1. Minnesota Prairie Roots
    December 20, 2014 at 09:18 am

    Yup, Rudy definitely looks older than 12. Maybe switch the numbers to 21?

    Sounds like you had a great flight and it sure beats I35, right? Traffic at Terminal 2 at MSP the other night was crazy. I think everyone landed @ 10:45 p.m.

    The car color looks really good on you.

    Have a great week, my friend.

    Reply
  2. Suzy @ The Mediterranean Dish
    December 20, 2014 at 09:28 am

    Great post, Beth Ann! You are an a dentures one, my friend.

    Reply
    1. Suzy @ The Mediterranean Dish
      December 20, 2014 at 09:29 am

      *adventurous! Darn; hate typing on my tiny phone.

      Reply
  3. donnahup
    December 20, 2014 at 10:19 am

    I can’t wait to fly with them! Those seats look so comfortable and I love your new car! Hope you have a safe drive back!

    Reply
  4. Gibber
    December 20, 2014 at 11:44 am

    Sounds like an adventure! Nice car!!

    Reply
  5. Darlene
    December 20, 2014 at 01:08 pm

    Sounds like a good flight. Love your new car!!

    Reply
  6. Dianna
    December 20, 2014 at 01:10 pm

    Sounds like smooth sailing…er… flying! And I love your new wheels! I, too, drive a burgundy car!

    Reply
  7. Rorybore
    December 21, 2014 at 02:56 pm

    I’d fly somewhere to pick up a shiny new car! mind you, it would have to be a free car. LOL
    My hometown has a small airport and we often have planes flying over our house several times a day. The military also uses it, and boy can you hear those engines fire up. Sometimes they are even doing exercises around our area and that’s fun to watch. unless it’s a night time one and you are awoken at 3 am to what sounds like WW3 going in over your head. the kids love it – they think it’s the Avengers. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Helen Brown
    December 21, 2014 at 08:51 pm

    I am do glad your trip went well and that you have your new car. Enjoy your your time with Chris.

    Reply
  9. ozzieohlonemanthinktank
    December 21, 2014 at 09:22 pm

    Glad you had such a nice flight. your new car looks really nice, Drive safely.

    Reply
  10. pattisj
    December 22, 2014 at 01:11 am

    When I saw “one-way,” I thought I’d missed the sale of the house! So happy you don’t have to drive so far to catch a plane, now.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      December 22, 2014 at 03:15 pm

      Nope–no sale yet but big news on the horizon. Stay tuned. 🙂

      Reply
  11. Pat
    December 22, 2014 at 05:58 pm

    The family who runs Air Choice One has been in aviation forever. Service and safety are what they are all about. Glad it was a great experience.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      December 23, 2014 at 07:42 am

      Hey Patsy–thanks for stopping by! It was great to hear your facts about the family that runs Air Choice One. I hope they are around for a long time!

      Reply
  12. Clear Lake, Iowa. Bigger, Better, Local - Modern Rural Living
    February 24, 2015 at 08:40 pm

    […] are right here in North Iowa for everyone to take advantage of. If you don’t believe me, ask my friend Beth Ann who has flown with them a few […]

    Reply
  13. benzeknees
    February 27, 2015 at 01:14 am

    I well know the experience of flying in a Caravan! I flew in one for about 6 hours. Unfortunately I didn’t have the best weather & trying to land at one of the northern stations in NW Ont. we had a terrific cross wind & since I was sitting behind where the co-pilot would sit (if we had one) I could see everything through the windshield as the pilot brought us into the small airfield. He angled the plane so I could see the runway better through the side window on my side of the plane than I could through the windshield! Just as I was picturing myself dropping out of the sky onto the side of the tire & flipping side over side down the runway, the pilot did a quick flip just a few feet above the runway & we were facing the runway & down in about 2 seconds! By the time I coaxed my heart out of my throat & back into my chest we were already taking off for our next destination.
    Congrats on the new car!

    Reply

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