I’ve decided to really plan ahead this year. It may only be June, but I’m already setting the date for the annual Crankyspotting Dorkfest at LAX on September 28. This year, it’s a two part event, and I really hope you guys enjoy this. I’m getting excited already.

Part 1 at In ‘n Out
The first part will be the usual spotting at the In ‘n Out by LAX. I’ll plan on being there from 11a to 1p, ready to watch airplanes, talk shop, and just enjoy the nice weather. (We can predict weather three months out in this part of the world.) While this will be a great event, consider it the appetizer to what I’m putting together that night.

Part 2 – Dinner on a Pan Am 747
That night, prepare yourself for a dinner service on a Pan Am flight to Europe. I’ve written about Anthony Toth here before. This is the man who recreated the nose section of a Pan Am 747 in his garage. But since my first post on him in 2009, he has done some amazing things. He rented a warehouse and re-built not only the nose section but also a small Clipper Class section behind. Oh yeah, and he put together the upper deck as well. The accuracy is incredible, and a lucky few of us are going to take it over for one night.

For this year’s Crankyspotting event, we will all have the chance to board a flight to Europe and enjoy a full dinner service delivered by Pan Am flight attendants. I’m thinking check-in will be at 6p and it will go into the evening, but we’ll get final details later. You can expect the three “Ds” at this event: drinks, dinner, and dorks. We’ll have time to look through Anthony’s extensive collection of airplane memorabilia. This is going to be an incredible night.

While there is plenty of room for everyone at In ‘n Out, our space on the 747 is unfortunately limited. At this point, it looks like we’ll have room for only 14 people in First Class (including dinner on the upper deck) and another 10 or so in Clipper Class. Keep in mind, back then Clipper was like an Economy Plus-style product. But you’ll only be there for the meal. The rest of the time can be spent roaming the aircraft. And naturally, the cost of sitting in Clipper will be less than in First.

If you aren’t entirely sure just how incredible this airplane is, I highly recommend watching the 13m50s video that shows Anthony’s journey in building this airplane. I imagine most people probably don’t realize how much attention to detail is required to do what Anthony has done.

Amazing, right? I will have more details on pricing and how we’ll fill those seats in the coming weeks. In the meantime, mark your calendar.

I’m going to be in the Metroplex soon, and that means it’s time for a little Crankyspotting while I’m in town. With all the Southwest and American folks around, I figure we should be able to get a nice turnout. So here are the details. Hope to see you all there.

Date: Saturday, January 19
Time: 10am to noon
Location: Founders Plaza on the northwest side of DFW (map)

As an added bonus, we’ll have a couple of Cranky Concierges there as well. So if you’re a client, come on down and say hello. There will be plenty of bare metal airplanes to stare at. (Sorry, Southwest people, but maybe next time we’ll do Love Field.)

Dorkfest at LAX has been a lot of fun the last couple years, so it’s now time to take this on the road. I’ll be in Phoenix for Thanksgiving and that means it’s the perfect opportunity to do a little spotting in the Valley of the Sun. But one thing that I don’t want to do is discourage people who don’t consider themselves “airline dorks” from attending. Everyone can have fun hanging out and watching airplanes go by, so a name change is in order. Instead of Dorkfest, it’s time to do a little …

Yep, Crankyspotting. Even though I really like spotting on top of the parking garages at Sky Harbor, I don’t want to do that during the peak holiday season. Those garages fill up quickly and we shouldn’t hog parking spaces if we aren’t traveling. So instead, Crankyspotting will be at Tempe Beach Park from 4p to 6p on Monday, November 19.

Tempe Beach Park just happens to be right across the street from US Airways headquarters. At that time of day, it should also be right under the arrivals path. I’ll park myself right around the tented area with picnic tables (look at the pin on this map). All you US Airways folks can ditch work early and stop by to say hello and watch some of your airplanes bring people to town for some family holiday action.

If you think you can make it, let me know in the comments or via email to cf@crankyflier.com.