Travel Planning
by John McLaren
Solvers are presented with thirteen sets of mangled clues—clues that have been transformed in some way—which solvers need to untransform, answer and then transform the answer the same way.
Doing so results in each clue being answered with a five-letter “word.” The key that the flavortext is hiding (“Cuernavaca, Nunavut or Scandinavia,” “point the way”) is that these are all navigation way points or fixes—locations that pilots use to fly from place to place around the US.
Team should either use the official FAA data source (which is slow and painful) or one of the many search/mapping engines for these. Mapping out the path between fixes within each group draws a capital letter which surrounds an airport.
Sorting the airports by their IATA code—where the airports are alphabetic from A–M (“ . . .originate at Hartsfield-Jackson.” - ATL, BHM, COS etc.) provides teams with the instruction to ASK US FOR FLIER.
The full breakdown of each clue and fix in airport order is as follows:
| Order | Clue | Untransformed Clue | Answer → Fix (Transformation) | Airport | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FPLAYEDFDRFDENNISFONFERFANDFDRFERICFONFHOUSE | Played Dr. Dennis on ER and Dr. Eric on House | OMAR → FOMAR (Add F to start.) | ATL | A |
| 2 | SQUAREBETWEENCENTRALHARVARDUNIONANDKENDALL | Square between Central, Harvard, Union, and Kendall | INMAN → INMAN (No change.) | ATL | A |
| 3 | FROPPOSITEFROFFRNO | Opposite of no | YES → FRYES (Add FR to start.) | ATL | A |
| 4 | SMPSNSCHRCTRWHSRVDHSFMSSTMDHMS | Simpsons character who served his famous steamed hams | SKINNER → SKNNR (Delete vowels.) | ATL | A |
| 5 | FATSEWASSEWEIRDSEALSSETAKESEONSETHISSESONGSE | “Fat” was Weird Al’s take on this song | BAD → BADSE (Add SE to end.) | ATL | A |
| 6 | HAVEFAITHINORAFINANCIALINSTITUTION | Have faith in or a financial institution | TRUST → TRUST (No change.) | BHM | S |
| 7 | ILJGADCHBGRACTERANEGWIGGEOFZEVGS | Iliad character and wife of Zeus | HERA → HESGA (Shift third letter -1, add G after third.) | BHM | S |
| 8 | IMABELIEVERADLATTRAITOCLARKVILLERECORDIGGROUP | “I’m a Believer” and “Last Train to Clarksville” recording group | MONKEES → MOKEE (Delete all N and S.) | BHM | S |
| 9 | UINITIALSUUOFUUBLIZZARDUUENTERTAINMENTSUULARGESTUUMMORPGU | Initials of Blizzard Entertainment’s largest MMORPG | WOW → UWOWU (Surround word with U.) | BHM | S |
| 10 | ANDDREWLLOOYDWEBBBERSMUSSICALSCHHOOLOF | Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical School of | ROCK → ROCCK (Duplicate third letter.) | COS | K |
| 11 | LACKOFSUCCSSDFCNCYORNONATTANMNT | Lack of success, deficiency, or non-attainment | FAILURE → FALUR (Delete I and E.) | COS | K |
| 12 | CRUEFFESTMONTHPEREFUOT | Cruellest month per Eliot | APRIL → APRUF (Change I to U and L to F.) | COS | K |
| 13 | AABARROFFSANDDCORALLORRSIMILARRMATERIALLLYINGGBENEATHHTHEESURFACEEOFFWATERR | A bar of sand, coral, or similar material, lying beneath the surface of water | REEF → REEFF (Duplicate last letter.) | COS | K |
| 14 | UNITYDSTATYSNAVYSFIYSTWWIIMYDALOFHONOYYYCIPIYNTYDWAYD | United States Navy’s first WWII Medal of Honor recipient Edward | OHARE → OHAYY (Change R and E to Y.) | COS | K |
| 15 | ICEAGECONTINENTALDRIFTSETHANVOICEACTOR | Ice Age: Continental Drift’s Ethan voice actor | DRAKE → DRAKE (No change.) | COS | K |
| 16 | VALVASOFTWARASGAMADISTRIBUTIONPLATFORM | Valve Software’s game distribution platform | STEAM → STAAM (Change E to A) | DEN | U |
| 17 | RUEGNACOTRINTHEPRNICESSBRDIE | Rugen actor in the Princess Bride | GUEST → GUSET (Swap third and fourth letters.) | DEN | U |
| 18 | ONEHUNGREDOFTHEGEMAKGONEBRIGISHPOUGDSTEGLING | One hundred of these make one British pound sterling | PENCE → PENGE (Fourth letter G) | DEN | U |
| 19 | TTIMEEPPERIODDTTHATTIISSAASSUBDIVISIONNOOFFAANNEEPOCHH | Time period that is a subdivision of an epoch | AGE → AAGEE (Duplicate first and last letters.) | DEN | U |
| 20 | ONEIPONIPAIPGEARWHEELIP | One on a gearwheel | COG → COGIP (Add IP to end.) | ERI | S |
| 21 | THEONLYSPEAKINGONEOFTHESEVENDUFFS | The only speaking one of the Seven Duffs | SURLY → SURLY (No change.) | ERI | S |
| 22 | FIRSTNAMAOFTHAMOUNTIAFROMTHAROCKYANDBUWINKASHOW | First name of the mountie from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show | DUDLEY → DUDAY (Delete L. Change E to A.) | ERI | S |
| 23 | ANIJEOSIRENLARITITUCTERICHARAOMIFRIA94I19SONIBESLMIFI | Jean Reno’s titular character from a 1994 Besson film | LEON → ONILE (Add I to end, move second half to front.) | ERI | S |
| 24 | ASHOPPINGAAPPAFOUNDEDABYALAURENAFARLEIGH | Shopping app founded by Lauren Farleigh | DOTE → ADOTE (Add A to start.) | FLL | F |
| 25 | LATINFEMININENOMINATIVEPLURALOFNEW | Latin feminine nominative plural of “new” | NOVAE → NOVAE (No change.) | FLL | F |
| 26 | AATHINNSTRAPPUSEDDTOOTETHERRINNFALCONRYYUSUALLYYMADEEOFFLEATHERR | A thin strap used to tether in falconry, usually made of leather | JESS → JESSS (Duplicate last letter.) | FLL | F |
| 27 | EAMEZARTHURANDYUZUFNEEDTOZYNCHRONIZETHEZE | Eames, Arthur, and Yusuf need to synchronize these. | KICKS → KICKZ (Change S to Z) | FLL | F |
| 28 | XHEXECHNOLOGYJORMERLYONOWNESESDIC | The technology formerly known as ASDIC | SONAR → WONAR (Shift first letter +4.) | FLL | F |
| 29 | STABLEBUYFRUMWINTERFELLWHUSEREALNAMEISEITHERWYLISURWALDER | Stableboy from Winterfell whose real name is either Wylis or Walder | HODOR → HUDUR (Change O to U) | GSP | O |
| 30 | REPEATEDWORDINSONGTITLEONMORRISSEYSKILLUNCLE | Repeated word in song title on Morrissey’s Kill Uncle | FOUND → FOUND (No change.) | GSP | O |
| 31 | KEYNEEDEDTOTYPEOCTOTHORPEASTERISKORCARET | Key needed to type octothorpe, asterisk, or caret. | SHIFT → SHIFT (No change.) | GSP | O |
| 32 | ZAACHARYOFACHAUCKANADTAANGLED | Zachary of Chuck and Tangled | LEVI → LEAVI (Insert A after second.) | GSP | O |
| 33 | LONGESSERVINPARTNEOSCULL | Longest serving partner of Scully | MULDER → MULDE (Delete last letter.) | GSP | O |
| 34 | BRITISHCODEBREAKERBILLWHODISCOVEREDTHEDOUBLEDELTAATTACK | British codebreaker Bill who discovered the Double Delta attack | TUTTE → TUTTE (No change.) | HOU | R |
| 35 | EEOVRWHELMOOSHCKORKKMAEAAUNBLETOAARECT | Overwhelm, shock, or make unable to react | STUN → UUSTN (Double third letter, move to front.) | HOU | R |
| 36 | NICKNAMEOFGANGZTERBENJAMINZIEGEL | Nickname of gangster Benjamin Siegel | BUGSY → BUGZY (Change S to Z) | HOU | R |
| 37 | AUXXORPIXXNDELLOORBRXXHEROFMAXXO | Author Pirandello or brother of Mario | LUIGI → LUXXI (Replace third and fourth letters with X.) | HOU | R |
| 38 | WITUCOUUTRYCREUDENCECLEURWATERREVUVALSSECUNDALBUM | With Country, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s second album | BAYOU → BAYUU (Fourth letter U) | HOU | R |
| 39 | GAMSRVSWVTHPARALLLLVNSSANFRANCVSCOANDSPDBOATPARADVSVNSTALLMNTS | Game series with Parallel Lines, San Francisco, and Speedboat Paradise installments | DRIVER → DRVVR (Change I to V, delete all E) | IND | F |
| 40 | RAIIWAYLINNORALBBMSEGGENT | Railway line or album segment | TRACK → TRAAK (Change fourth letter to third.) | IND | F |
| 41 | TDRCLTHNGCMPNYFNDDBYHRVYGRSS | Outdoor clothing company founded by Harvey Gross | PENFIELD → PNFLD (Delete all vowels) | IND | F |
| 42 | AIDANSCHANACTENINGAMEOFTHNONES | Aidan’s character in Game of Thrones | PETYR → PETYN (Change R to N) | IND | F |
| 43 | NMEOTEYLLOWLNDONUDERGROUNDLNE | Name of the yellow London Underground line | CIRCLE → CRCLE (Delete second letter.) | IND | F |
| 44 | CARBEANISLDWHOCAPALISKINTON | Caribbean island whose capital is Kingston | JAMAICA → JAMCA (Delete fourth and fifth letter.) | JFK | L |
| 45 | SECONDLSTLETTERINTHENTOPHONETICLPHBET | Second last letter in the NATO phonetic alphabet | YANKEE → YNKEE (Delete A) | JFK | L |
| 46 | OLDERBROTHEROFPOPELEOXKNOWNASTHEUNFORTUNATE | Older brother of Pope Leo X known as the Unfortunate | PIERO → PIERO (No change.) | JFK | L |
| 47 | SWORUXOUXDAGGEUXHANDLUX | Sword or dagger handle | HILT → HILUX (Replace last letter with UX.) | KIC | I |
| 48 | STTANDARDMTONETARYUTNITOTFPTAPUANTEWGTUINEA | Standard monetary unit of Papua New Guinea | KINA → KTINA (Add T after first letter.) | KIC | I |
| 49 | HREHTOMHNIHHCNERF | Mother, in French | MERE → HEREM (Reverse word, add H to start) | LAS | E |
| 50 | REMOVECLOTHINGUSUALLYTOMUSIC | Remove clothing, usually to music | STRIP → STRIP (No change.) | LAS | E |
| 51 | AVIATONINCHARGNONTHNPLANENEXPRESNSPACESHIN | Aviator in charge of the Planet Express spaceship | LEELA → LEELN (Replace last letter with N) | LAS | E |
| 52 | ITALIANANCHITECTNENZOPIANOSFAMOUSLONDONWONK | Italian architect Renzo Piano’s famous London work | SHARD → SHAND (Change R to N) | LAS | E |
| 53 | TOYYSTORYSSCENTRALLHUMANNCHARACTERR | Toy Story’s central human character | ANDY → ANDYY (Double last letter.) | LAS | E |
| 54 | PARRKERRWHOCOCRREATEDSOUTHPARRK | Parker who co-created South Park | TREY → TRREY (Double any R) | LAS | E |
| 55 | PLTINUMGODENPEOXIDEORHOEYPEHAPS | Platinum, golden, peroxide, or honey perhaps | BLONDE → BLNDE (Delete third letter.) | LAS | E |
| 56 | POKEDEXNMBERTWENTYFVE | Pokédex number twenty five | PIKACHU → PKACH (Delete I and U) | MDW | R |
| 57 | GREATESLINTERNATIONALSCAVENGELHUNLTHLWORLLHALEVELSEELFOUNDELCOLLINL | Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen founder Collins | MISHA → MISHL (Last letter L) | MDW | R |
| 58 | SOOWHATTANDDGETTTHEEPARTYYSTARTEDDPERFORMINGGARTISTT | “So What” and “Get the Party Started” performing artist | PINK → PINKK (Double last letter.) | MDW | R |
| 59 | ANYONEOFLHEFLALSURFACESCULINLOAGEM | Any one of the flat surfaces cut into a gem | FACET → FACEL (Change T to L) | MDW | R |
| 60 | FIRSTMASSPRODUCEDHYBRIDVEHICLE | First mass-produced hybrid vehicle | PRIUS → PRIUS (No change.) | MDW | R |
Teams who sent in the phrase ASK US FOR FLIER would have someone from Hunt HQ come throw a paper plane at them.
Unfolding the plane reveals ten more mangled clues, each clue appearing after a set of coordinates surrounded by emoji stars. Solving these clues return ten valid fixes, one each near an airport as clued by the coordinate. The breakdown is as follows.
| Order | Clue | Transformed Clue | Answer → Fix (Transformation) | Airport | STAR | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OTITLEOOFOTHEOMICHAELOHEIZEROARTWORKOSTARTEDOINO1972 | Title of the Michael Heizer artwork started in 1972 | CITY → OCITY (Add O to start.) | PDX | OCITY TWO | C |
| 2 | TWINETOWNEOFESAINTOMEREANDEVLISSINGENE | Twin town of Saint-Omer and Vlissingen | DEAL → DEALE (Add E to end.) | DCA | DEALE THREE | A |
| 3 | FIRTSINLEFROBONJOVSSECNDGRETESTHITALBM | First single from Bon Jovi’s second greatest hits album | ALWAYS → ALWYS (Remove fourth letter.) | SFO | ALWYS TWO | L |
| 4 | FRSTWORDOFTHFRSTRCORDLABLFOUNDDBYPRNC | First word of the first record label founded by Prince | PAISLEY → PASLY (Remove I and E.) | BNA | PASLY FOUR | L |
| 5 | ANDREWSSISTERSMISTERFIVEBYFIVEHASFIFTEENOFTHESE | Andrews Sisters’ “Mister Five by Five” has fifteen of these | CHINS → CHINS (No change.) | SEA | CHINS THREE | I |
| 6 | DWANONMWYMWRNURYAWDTWYNORFWRNEDTWINGWONPIW1W7N | Deacon, May, Mercury, and Taylor formed this group in 1970 | QUEEN → QWENN (Second letter W. Fourth letter N.) | SLC | QWENN FIVE | N |
| 7 | PAIROFNILSCORESINTENNIS | Pair of nil scores in tennis | LOVES → LOVES (No change.) | ISP | LOVES TWO | O |
| 8 | MOVIECONTAININGANINFAMOUSPOTTERYWHEELSCENE | Movie containing an infamous pottery wheel scene | GHOST → GHOST (No change.) | OKC | GHOST THREE | O |
| 9 | BARRITONEROLLEOFTHEETRIIOINTURRANDOT | Baritone role of the trio in Turandot | PING → PINNG (Duplicate third letter.) | PHX | PINNG ONE | P |
| 10 | PORATEFOAGSMOINFOATUREWOTHCOOSSBONES | Pirate flag’s main feature with crossbones | SKULL → SOULL (Second letter O) | IAH | SOULL ONE | S |
Given some searching about these ten fixes, and the abundance of stars on the page should help teams discover that these are all fixes that give their name to Standard Terminal Arrival Routes—or STARs.
STARs are the default pathways that aircraft will use to arrive at various airports. Each fix will usually indicate that they are a STAR pathway, but it is always in relation to the airport. The airports are specifically given by the coordinates listed above each clue.
Using the FAA Terminal Procedures and Terminal Diagrams search engine, solvers should look up each airport and locate the given fix as a STAR for each one. STARs are always listed as a fix name and a revision number—the revision number only ever increases when the route is updated. Using the associated number with each fix as an index into the fix reveals the final phrase CALL IN OOPS.
Answer is OOPS.