Climbing out of Pearson

Me and my shadow
Toronto, ON
November 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Most people never give this particular plane much of a second thought.

It's a Dash 8, Series 400, better known as the Q400, a twin-turboprop commuter aircraft. Sometimes derisively called a puddlejumper, or a people mover, or a bus with wings. Nothing glamorous about it. Just a small-ish, short-range plane that connects smaller airports to major hubs.

But on Friday, it brought me home, as it's done so many times since we moved to London. It was an older model that first brought us to this city a lifetime ago, and later took me back to Montreal when life took one unexpected turn after another. When the universe turned tangent, this unassuming plane always got me where I needed to go.

Watching it leap into the cold, blustery sky once more, I was reminded yet again that boring and reliable beats glamorous on any given day. It's what gets the job done, and reconnects us with those who matter most, quietly and without complaint.

We can always rely on the boring and reliable things in our lives to show up, to be there, to never leave us stranded. To power through any challenges or obstacles that may be thrown in their path.

Kinda like people, right?

I guess that's why I gravitate both toward Q400s and Q400 kind of people, and why I'm the one staring out the window when everyone else has already nodded off. I wouldn't want to miss my favorite piece of flying engineering returning to the place where it does its best work. And I wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to be inspired by something so capable yet unsung.

Because heroes are all around us, and they take on many forms.

#toronto #yyz #ontario #canada #itrg #infotechlive #pearson #international #airport #dehavilland #dash8 #q400 #airplane #aviation #shadow #photography #city #travel #travelphotography #google #pixel2 #teampixel #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything