Catching a 747 landing while eating at Proud Bird by LAX
I was super excited to be heading once again down to LAX to participate in Dorkfest and SpotLAX. Sure, a big chunk of the weekend was all about watching planes, but for me it was also about seeing old friends and making some new ones. I have to admit that I ended up missing more than one exciting aircraft because I was socializing, but that was not a bad thing (especially since we were mostly talking about airplanes anyhow).
Extra bonus… while at SEA airport I was able to spot two of Alaska’s 787s. Oh AND a 737… hot damn!
With the combined events, there was a pretty tight schedule from about 4pm Friday until around 11am Sunday. But it was fun and it was not like you had to do all the things. One of my favorite aspects of the weekend is it’s open for anyone and everyone to experience. You do not need to be media, an influencer, or work for an airline. Sure, some things you need to sign up for, but it’s not a huge challenge if you are prepared.
My AvGeek adventure started on my flight down to LAX. I noticed that seat 18A on my Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 had no seat in front of it. I opted to change my assignment to check out that extra legroom (for science!). Being 6’1”, it was nice having unlimited legroom. One downside is my tray table was in the center armrest. That would have been a pain if there was someone sitting in the seat, but luckily, it was empty. Overall, the experience felt pretty VIP (for economy anyhow).
Watching an China Eastern A330 land — feels like you could reach out and touch it!
What is Dorkfest, you might ask? It’s a fabulous event created by our friend Brett Snyder (aka Cranky Flier), where a bunch of AvGeeks get together at the In-N-Out by LAX to look at airplanes, eat some chow, win airport/airline giveaways, and be around a great group of people. Sound interesting? Here are the deets:
There is no registration required for the main shindig, but if you want to be in the raffle to win awesome aviation-themed prizes or take a possible ramp tour of LAX, you will need to pre-register for those. To learn more about Dorkfest or sign up for the extras (as of publishing, the RSVPs are not yet open), then head to the main Dorkfest page.
What is Dorkfest? An awesome, laid back event that our friend Brett Snyder (aka CrankyFlier) hosts each year. As he describes the event, it’s “where you come to the In-N-Out burger right across the street from the northern runways at LAX (9149 S Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045), grab a burger, and then watch airplanes from the park across the street while talking shop with other dorks. This isn’t an organized event in any way. There is no program. Just show up, eat burgers, and watch the variety of heavy metal coming into LAX.”
It is a great group of folks that show up each year. Even if you are one that normally doesn’t do events like this, or might be a little bit shy, know that this is a great group of people and it is easy to start up a nerdy conversation. I will be heading south again for the day from Seattle to join in on the fun. Hope you make it out and if you do, for sure say hello! (I look a lot like the guy on my Twitter profile).
What is more exciting than watching an airplane land? Watching it with about 100 other AvGeeks, of course! Last Saturday, many of us made our way to our way to the IN-N-OUT next to LAX to enjoy Dorkfest 2017, hosted by the great Brett Snyder (aka Cranky Flier).
A British Airways A380 coming in for landing
Dorks, geeks, nerds, cool dudes (or dudettes) – whatever. What you call this group does not matter. It is all about coming together to share a passion for aviation! Plus… burgers, fries, and shakes.
A bunch of awesome dorks watching airplanes land at LAX
One of the best parts of this gig, is being able to hang out with like-minded people. Those who can go on and on about airplanes and airliners and no one rolls their eyes and everyone smiles. The group that cuts a conversation half way through to watch a plane land and no one minds. If this sounds familiar, you probably should come to Dorkfest and hang out in September.
See that park below? And the IN-N-OUT? That could be you. Well, you wouldn’t be the park and restaurant, but you could be there, which is even cooler! Photo – Bernie Leighton
Brett Snyder, the guy behind Cranky Flier, has put together this event/non-event for quite a few years now. It is quite simple. 1) Show up at the IN-N-OUT by LAX anytime between 11a-1p on September 23rd. 2) Watch airplanes. Talk airplanes. Eat food at food place. No tickets, no reservations, no scheduled activities — simple. Plus, if you want to go super legit, you can also participate in the 4th Annual PHXSpotters- NYCAviation Spotters Event at LAX.
No matter what, it is going to be a grand time. A few of us from AR will be there (including myself), so hope to see you there!
