I was flying back on a quick hopper from Chicago to my small regional airport. I like this route because it’s so convenient—I can leave just 30 minutes before boarding, make it through security in no time, and be on the plane with no hassle. The drive to the airport only takes about 15 minutes, and the whole process is seamless.
On the way home, I was the first passenger on the plane, but there was already a guy sitting in the seat next to mine. Surprised, I asked, “Where did you come from?” He laughed and said he was flying the plane back. At first, I thought he was joking—he was dressed in street clothes, after all—but it turns out he really was the pilot. He lives near Chicago and had picked up this return flight for overtime, hoping to make some extra cash. Since it was snowing pretty hard in Illinois, he knew there was a risk of delays, but he figured it was worth a shot.
He wasn’t wrong about the delays. We got stuck on the tarmac for an hour while they deiced the plane. The actual flight time is only 27–32 minutes, but the airline blocks off an hour and a half to account for taxiing. This time, the whole process took a bit longer. During the wait, I struck up a conversation with the pilot, and I ended up learning a lot about how the entire flight system operates—from pilot schedules to procedures.
He shared plenty of insider knowledge, like how difficult it is to sit in the back of your own plane while another pilot is at the controls. He admitted he sometimes judges the other pilots because he knows exactly what they should be doing, such as when and how to be assertive to secure a spot in line for takeoff. He also explained safety concerns, like the importance of accurate baggage weight records. Apparently, in some cases, ground crew on foreign airlines accept bribes to allow oversized or overweight luggage through. If this happens with enough bags, it can cause serious safety issues because pilots rely on precise weight calculations.
As we approached our destination, he casually remarked, “We’re not going to make this landing.” That was a little unsettling to hear, but he explained it simply meant the plane would have to circle back for another approach due to poor visibility. With the heavy snow, the copilot was responsible for visual spotting, while the main captain flew by instruments. He mentioned that if the wind is strong and the plane has to “crab” in, the copilot’s view forward can be obstructed. Sure enough, the main pilot came on the intercom and announced, “We didn’t make altitude for the first run, so we’re coming right back.”
The delay frustrated my pilot friend because it cut things close for his next flight. By the time we landed, he had just 14 minutes to clean the plane, board the next passengers, and take off again. He even had to change into his uniform in the plane’s bathroom. I offered to grab him some food, but he said he could wait the hour until his next break.
Despite the delays, it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable and interesting flights I’ve ever had. I got his number before we parted ways and told him if he ever needed anything when he was in town, I’d be happy to help. We exchanged contacts, and now I’ve got a new friend. You never know when paths will cross again, especially since I fly out of this airport all the time.
My wife laughed when I told her the story, saying, “Only you would make a pilot friend on a 37-minute flight.” I reminded her that I regularly keep in touch with people I meet on flights. The world is full of fascinating people—you just have to be open to connecting with them. Sometimes, they’re sitting right next to you.
Quote of the Day: “Pilots: because every flight needs someone who looks calm while playing the game of ‘stay in the sky.'”
Domain of the Day: LuckyPanda.com I knew the second I saw this it would be one of the top names today
Please Note: The list below contains affiliate links and/or names that have been posted for a fee. It is how we pay for our time since it is a free site. More details at bottom of page.
Dynadot
MoneyMafia.com Most bids on the board now. I have all their albums…jk Took over the name below
Domain.contact Landing pages?
ArmWrestling.com Whoah… Own an entire sport 💪🏻
Govt.info Because the government doesn’t make it easy to find info
CleverPack.com I’m making this an AI name
Learning.network Another great use of a .network
Girlfriend.info the Girlfriend.ai name gave this one a little more value
FullyGreen.com People LOVE to brag about being green
AIToolTracker.com Daily posts of new AI tools
Rag.xyz $267 renewal
Domain.fm domain podcast?
Namebin.com Some domainer will want this
Namejet
MountainFresh.com Closes today. Makes me think of water or beverages
Samba.com I think of the indoor soccer shoe and the dance
iPop.com Music, suckers, popular
Detectives.org Org works well here
GeneWorld.com Gene mutation is going to heal the world
IslandGirls.com Island Boys did well, maybe its the girls time
KingRichard.com Don’t know much about him but that he was know as the LionHeart. Ends today
Qozz.com Pronounceable
Frutto.com If you can get it under $200 good for throwing in the brandable portfolio
Atom – 4L (Now AI and IO) Auction Event
The 4L.com auction event at Atom is ending soon. Several names have met reserve and just as many are almost at reserve.
Now it is time for the .ai and .io auction event. Bidding opened up today, and the auction is another very large event. There are over 200 dot ai and 200 dot io names in the auction.
Pharma.io Drugs
Distraction.ai Nice name for a productivity ai assistant that detects and manages distractions
Galore.ai AI and IO names galore
Master.ai The reserve is probably going to be huge on this one
Consider.io Nice open vessel type of word that can do well in dot io
Miraculous.ai Miraculous is a bit of a stretch, but it sure can seem that way. Nice name.
Digestion.ai The exact type of niche uses that ai is going to be great at
Jams.io AI music generation comes to mind first
See the rest of the names here
Sedo
TheBestof.ai Interesting hack. Interesting enough it got a bid
Yoce.com CVCV with a reserve under $1000. Feel like I’ve seen this one before
XLOE.com Under $100 reserve. “Zlow”
AmazingClassroom.com Gets 3300 monthly visits
Below are at BIN and based on AI expiry auctions above these could be decent grabs
WOJ.ai The cheapest LLL.ai on Sedo at $199 BIN
MNQ.ai This one is at $200
GWL.ai $202 BIN
Zeplin.ai Interesting name at $299
Cached
Forward.tech At $500. If you would take it in words to the left of the dot then having part as the TLD should work
TheScienceNetwork.org Most bids on the Catched board
NPA.in I have no idea if LLL.in have any value. No bids tells me no for the time being
Vinto.net “beaten or defeated” in Italian A few bids
CryptoLink.org. Crypto anything right now
LuckyBot.org AI Gambling?
CoSpace.es They have coworking spaces in Spain too
Godaddy Domains With Bids
NoCommissions.com Good for marketing if this is one of your main benefits of your product
BetterFasterStronger.com Another good marketing name
Soffer.com I put this in brandable until I realized it was a very popular last name and thus many businesses use it. Getting big price
Demolition.net Solid dot net. They are definitely showing some signs of life
Driveability.com Its a word but an odd one
RightFlooring.com I’m long flooring names that I can buy and retail for $2-3K
DesignCreations.com 1999 Birthday
BestEarbuds.com Would have been good 15 years ago
Godaddy Domains With No Bids
Brandable Domains
Short Domains
Other GoDaddy Names With More Than One Bid
11111.tv
1138.cc
168cp.com
7la.com
AdventFinancial.com
AnaheimTours.com
AndThat.com
ArreDemo.org
bcmoney-mobiletv.com
Bingo33.com
boletostolucafc.com
BoneAndJointBurden.org
BrooksFurnitureOnline.com
cafaitgenre.org
cbcrealestategroup.com
chesapeakegrc.org
ChicWorld.com
chiyue.com
CoderGang.com
CollegeAgents.com
ConservationWarehouse.com
CreatOrville.com
crosswordeg.com
dailyweesa.com
DavidDavieSlaw.com
DevNetworks.com
djaerotech.com
DonnieRadio.com
DougWeAd.com
DoVisa.com
DreamDrone.com
EligibilityCalculator.com
FarmToFrank.com
fatcatcasino.com
FoalPatrol.com
FreeVia.com
galleryplanb.com
GlitterBoxNo.com
HenDoHover.com
hg350.com
hg717.com
hsbrew.co
icces.org
ijournalist.com
InspiringImpact.org
IranMedical.com
joygh5.com
kurman1kotasemarang.com
LegalOdds.com
LisaBrownForCongress.com
littlerunmo.com
LuxeBuild.com
mntransgenderhealth.org
nctcfiber.com
PickleBallBox.com
pizzapiezazz.net
PrivateTeens.com
prosx.com
qjcapital.com
revistapessoa.com
ScienceOfExpertise.com
Season-Zero.com
SevierParkFest.com
sf666.com
smiledentaldxb.com
SoftBras.com
SportsVenue.com
TellurideGallery.com
thesouthernon8th.com
trendflixx.com
TrueHeritage.com
usarentacar.com
ValetExpress.com
ViaExpo.com
ViewFromTheCenter.com
vulcansocietyfdny.org
WineAndPeace.com
Worked.net
wpyukle.net
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It’s very easy curated listed where we can pickup some jems