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). 

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).