Who Spilled The Ros� Wine On A StndAir Flight?

When we originally told you about the Standard's new seaplane service between NYC and, well...pretty much anywhere within a 300 mile radius, we admit there were still a few questions left hanging in the air. Do the seats recline? Is it a bumpy ride? Do they serve the wine in glasses or just pass around a bottle?

So we thought we'd turn your attention to an account by the man who actually rode with Balazs on the seaplane's inaugural flight. Gossip columnist Marshall Heyman was hand-picked for the debut trip (if you ever want to be invited to fancy things, start by becoming a gossip columnist for the Wall Street Journal), which apparently also included artist Marco Brambilla (remember that creepy video installation in the Standard's elevator two years ago? Yeah, that was his).

But nevermind Brambilla's nightmarish creativity. Elevators only go up and down. Heyman's ride out to Shelter Island, however, is depicted as a wonderfully sweet�if not slightly surreal�experience.

We won't bore you with all the details�like how the cabin crew offered everyone squirts of sun tan lotion while they waited outside to board�but we did find one part amusing:

"Inside was plenty of room, and the niceties were especially, well, nice. Before take off, gummi Swedish fish�the color of the plane�were distributed through the cabin. So was a red thermos that read "Ros�."
"It's a little early for this, but does anyone want any?" Mr. Balazs asked. He declined, but a few of his guests partook, one of whom immediately spilled his glass as the plane got going on the water.
"He spilled his ros�! What a disastrous weekend already," Mr. Balazs said, jokingly.

Balazs freely confessed he has no interest in actually becoming a pilot ("it doesn't hold my interest")�finally, the one job he's actually not interested in taking. In this realm, he appears content to just be a passenger. And according to Heyman, riding from Manhattan's east side to Long Island was a mostly pleasant, smooth experience (if you can overlook the sky-high price tag). Which leaves almost all our questions answered.

Do you have a StndAir experience to share? Let us know below!

[Photo: David X Prutting/BFAnyc.com]

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