How do they manage to get wheels up in 30?

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

My partner just asked me this question: "Is the BAU operated out of an airport?" I told him that I don't think it is. He said, "Then how can they manage to get wheels up in 30?" I replied that the team all have go-bags packed so that they're ready to leave. Then he pointed out that they have to deal with traffic -- how long does it take them to get to the airport? what if one or more of them gets stuck in traffic? -- and that the pilot of the jet has to do a pre-flight inspection and file a flight plan. Is the jet on standby? I suppose someone could have alerted the pilot to be ready before Garcia even presents the case to the team.

Oh, and in case there is anyone other than me who hasn't seen this before:

Wheels up in 30: Hotch's Song. This is the "explicit" version so be aware.

Comments

[eiko82.livejournal.com]

Good questions! I always assumed that the BAU had a small private airport with a few planes that are more or less always on stand-by to fly out teams.

Also, I assumed that whenever Garcia presents a case, it's pretty much a done deal that the team will take the case. I don't think I've ever seen an episode where the team went 'Nah, not interested'. So it's possible that Hotch already knows they'll be going to that location and arranges transport beforehand.

[blue-sunflowers.livejournal.com]

Morgan has several times objected with taking a case (mainly the stalker ones IIRC), but has either been overriden or eventually come around. One time Rossi flat out told him they were taking a case he objected to.

The team has to agree to the case, but it seems they pretty much just go with the person presenting. Now that Hotch is the one who pre approves them (since JJ doesn't do it anymore) my guess is they'd argue even less. Hothlch is the boss and he's good at his job. The case would therefore by default he worth taking.

[la-loony.livejournal.com]

I never assumed that they'd actually be up in the air in those 30 minutes but that they had those 30 minutes to get their stuff and then go.

But the comments above sound plausible too, small airfields or the marine base would be close by and there wouldn't be any traffic. And then planes would definitly be on stand by in general in case the FBI needed any team to fly somewhere.

[subluxate]

My household has unanimously decided that Martin Crieff (of the BBC radio show Cabin Pressure) lives on the plane.

[gershwhen.livejournal.com]

Your household wins the Coolest Home on the Internet for that belief!!

[subluxate]

=D I'll be sure to share the news of our win with the others!

[a_blackpanther]

Headcanon accepted!

[v-airmed.livejournal.com]

How about a helicopter on standby to take them from the building to where ever the plane is? They could grab the bags they keep in their offices, go to the roof & get on the helicopter.

[vaevade.livejournal.com]

I always figured that there was a small airstrip dedicated to FBI use that they could get to on a private road or something. A good pilot and a jet as small as theirs doesn't need a lot of room. I also assumed they have pilots staffed 24 hours a day (they come and stay clocked in for rotating shifts, and their job is literally to be there in case they need to fly somewhere, with the understanding that at any time they might have to pick up and leave and be gone for several days, rather like the agents themselves), with others on call should they be needed.

[ndmzero.livejournal.com]

I'm in the DC Metro area, and I can tell you it is more likely that the team could be on their private jet and be in the air in 30 minutes (Quantico is a Marine Base and I think the FBI Academy and other offices, including the BAU (BSU) are actually on the base -- and I think the above explanation that there is a small airport on the base makes the most sense - don't know if that is accurate, but I can suspend disbelief) - the more impossible scenario is that they act like they can get to Downtown DC or anywhere with a metro in 20 minutes, regardless of the time of day -- that is flat out impossible unless they have an actual matter transporter. Quantico is about 40 miles south of DC on one of the busiest highways in America -- and no one who had a choice would live in Silver Spring (MD) and work at Quantico, which somebody on the team did for at least one season. They do a good job of getting names of places (Arlington and Fairfax - although not always the "feel" of the place named, but they really don't pay any attention to the actual geography.

[blue-sunflowers.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I'd think. Quantico is a military base, and it is pretty large IIRC. It'd have an airbase, or at least be very close to one. Even the small one by me has a what I'd term a small town "airport" (small runway and hanger). With the jet they use, they really don't need much. They showed CM's set up on Extreme Aggressor.

As to where the team lives - yeah, Reid's got a hell of a commute from Van Ness with the Metro and VRE (though I doubt he minds). And when Prentiss was living near Georgetown? I laughed, even though she's right next to the parkway.

The episode where JJ and Garcia go to Reid's "apartment" in the morning just made me roll my eyes. No way would anyone manage to do that and still get to Quantico on time - unless they either got up at an ungodly hour, were extremely late to work, or lived near Reid (which I'm pretty sure they don't).

ETA again: Quantico's air field is Turner Field (http://www.airnav.com/airport/KNYG).

[aim2misbhave.livejournal.com]

I generally agree with that - they're the FBI, they probably have arrangements to be able to get their agents on one of their jets in pretty short order. If nothing else, I'd assume that they have a helicopter ride to wherever they keep their jet.