Early Risers.

[iL Dottore]

57 minutes ago, AndrewC said:

...Delta = Divert Everybody's Luggage To Atlanta..... 

Gosh, that brings back memories...

What about...

BA = Bloody Awful

SABENA = Such A Bloody Experience, Never Again

TWA = Try Walking Across

AA = Absolutely Awful (and many, ruder, variations)

 

Do any of you recall any others?

[Happy Hippo]

3 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

 

As regards to the famous barrel roll, my retired pilot brother told me it's only a 1g manoeuvre so no problem for most aircraft.  

My mother's cousin said that rolling manoeuvres in both the Mosquito and Beaufighter were frowned upon unless operationally necessary, although the aircraft were more than capable of carrying out a barrel role.  Apparently they lost a few  due to engine fuel flow issues, invariably at low level and over the airfield.  Having an engine quit, even temporarily when you are inverted in the roll at low level created an asymmetric flight problem that required a lot of altitude to put right.

 

The loss of the UK's last airworthy Mosquito G-ASKH at Barton in 1996 highlighted this issue.

 

 

 

 

[Chris116]

My first taste of air travel was from LHR to JFK in December 2000 and my father and I were upgraded to first class which was very nice. Cattle class on the way home brought me down to earth! Over the following nine years I flew to USA four more times and all over Europe for long weekends. My passport came up for renewal in 2010 by which time I hated flying so I solved the problem by failing to renew it and over the past ten years I have refused to get a new passport. I hate all airports even if I am just meeting someone, give me a train any day. 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. My last flight was 18 years ago when I holidayed in Malta. I went with Air Malta, nothing particularily memoriable about them good or bad. My first commercial flight was in a Dan-Air Comet way back in 1977. I found out later that the Dan-Air Comet fleet was scrapped soon after. That flight was to Corfu just after the colonels had been kicked out and democracy re-instated. The terminal building at Corfu was then a prefab shed.  All that I can remember was that it was a bit smelly near the toilets. Another terminal that was in the throes of construction when I passed through in 1978 was Barbados which wasn't bad considering it was a building site. The airport was Canadian owned or run, there was a lot of Canadian $ invested in the country which is a favourite holiday destination for Canadians. Now onto another subject, hows this for a man cave.>>

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bored-man-discovers-120-year-21974302

Literally a cave even though its man made (or carved out). If it could be kept dry it would make a great layout room.

Edited May 6, 2020 by PhilJ W

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

It was quite relaxing travelling across the Atlantic when we last went. Plenty of room and excellent service, including proper breakfast too.

It is less windy here today, I haven’t been out though. 

Tony

[PhilJ W]

I've only flown across the Atlantic twice. Barbados as mentioned was in a Carribean Air 707, not bad but an 8 hour flight so it got a bit boring. Then in 1979 to JFK, that was in a BA 747 which was quite roomy as they didn't try to cram in so many seats. The only complaint was that they showed the same Star Trek movie on the way back as they did on the outward journey two weeks earlier. JFK was pretty awful even back then.

[iL Dottore]

Tying in this thread with the 50s/60s thread, does anyone remember when JFK was known as Idlewild? 

[AndrewC]

55 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Gosh, that brings back memories...

What about...

BA = Bloody Awful

SABENA = Such A Bloody Experience, Never Again

TWA = Try Walking Across

AA = Absolutely Awful (and many, ruder, variations)

 

Do any of you recall any others?

Pacific Western Airlines = PWA = Pray While Airborne. Please Wait Awhile. Pr*cks, W*nkers & A55holes. 

[PhilJ W]

On 05/05/2020 at 22:01, Ozexpatriate said:

You're getting into AndyY territory. Hopefully there is someone who can produce content for such an audience.

Not really, its simly a case of checking new applicants and weeding out the Nigerian princes with money to give away. Its basically films and photographs with a local interest. Theres a couple of people who are quite prolific with such films and pics and those are allowed to post unchecked and so far there has been no abuse.

Edited May 6, 2020 by PhilJ W
Fat finger syndrome.

[AndyB]

AndrewC you're not wrong about stuff getting stuck in Atlanta. I once tracked an urgent parcel - a piece of kit I'd invented and which was destined for mil trials in the US sat motionless there for a day or so. 

 

A quick phone call got the courier company talking to customs. Both guys were reservists and wanted to do their bit. 

 

[Barry O]

Dan Air.. dan dare

Britannia.. Whit Knuckle Airlines (I am ure HH can remember their trooper flights)

 

 

Baz

[Kingzance]

I never flew into Idlewild but do remember it being called that. Its name change happened after 22/11/63. A kind of reverse thing is how Cape Canaveral became Cape Kennedy and then reverted to its original name.

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, Chris116 said:

My first taste of air travel was from LHR to JFK in December 2000 and my father and I were upgraded to first class which was very nice. Cattle class on the way home brought me down to earth! Over the following nine years I flew to USA four more times and all over Europe for long weekends. My passport came up for renewal in 2010 by which time I hated flying so I solved the problem by failing to renew it and over the past ten years I have refused to get a new passport. I hate all airports even if I am just meeting someone, give me a train any day. 

My passport also expired about 10 years ago. Apparently while we were still members of the EU it was not absolutely essential for UK citizens to have a passport to visit Europe, only proof of identity. This came up on another forum recently when it was revealed that a member had travelled to Belgium a few years ago carrying only his bus pass as a means of identity. The crunch came when returning to the UK as they would not let him back into the country without a passport. Luckily for him he came from Dundee and so did one of the immigration officers who let him back in because "No one could fake that accent.".

Edited May 6, 2020 by PhilJ W

[The Lurker]

First flight - I dont remember it as I was a babe in arms. Mum and Dad took me to Italy; they travelled with friend up the road who had a son the same age as me (I think they'd met in maternity).

 

The next flight and the first I remember was to Guernsey - I would have been around 5. 

 

The next flight after that was the family move to Singapore when i was 6. Heathrow-Frankfurt-Bahrain-KL-Singapore. It was a Qantas 747 en route to Melbourne or Sydney. In those days it was a long old journey. We got off the plane at Bahrain and KL. Bahrain was scorchingly hot even at 5 in the morning, and getting off at KL was like walking into a wall. These sort of things make an impression when you're only 6.

 

We did quite a bit of flying around when we left Singapore 18 months later, but then I didn't fly for nearly 10 years; holidays were in the UK (or by ferry and overnight sleeper to the south of France).

[Erichill16]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

A number of our “leading business figures” (such as the beardy one) have turned out to be truly loathsome individuals - the pandemic has certainly opened many people’s eye as to their “lack of moral fibre” (to put it one way).

Michael O’Leary is another: worth millions, he treats both customers and staff with undisguised contempt, but what is hard to swallow is how many people use his airline. It’s shocking to realise how many people voluntarily sign up For this treatment all for the illusory benefit of a £10 plane ticket (and it never is just £10, add all the supplementary charges and the cost of getting to the obscure airfields used, and the £10 is no more).

 

In a way, his business acumen is astounding, who could have guessed that you could treat your customers with contempt, fleece them like sheep at a shearing and they would still come back for more.....

 

I suppose the moral of the story is that people will buy anything, no matter how poor the quality, if it is perceived as “cheap”

We have only used said airline once . We don’t like the reputation of the airline but on one occasion we were travelling will family and they booked the flight for us. For such an ‘outstanding business model’ I couldn’t believe they ran out of teabags at the start of a 4 hour flight. Do drink tea personally, but a bag of 250 tea bags cant cost more then a fiver and selling a cup for £2.50 could has lost out. I know it’s only ‘peanuts’ to him but crikey. SHMBO said we’re never going with them again and so it has come to pass. All for the want of a cup of tea.

regards ROBERT

[PhilJ W]

2 minutes ago, The Lurker said:

. Bahrain was scorchingly hot even at 5 in the morning, and getting off at KL was like walking into a wall. These sort of things make an impression when you're only 6.

 

 

When I got off the plane in Barbados it was like stepping into a sauna, 90 degrees F and very high humidity (mid October, end of the wet season).

[tetsudofan]

Having worked in Asia for over 30 years I've lost count of all the airlines I've travelled with. Having sailed out to Hong Kong in 1966 on the P&O Chitral my first flight was on Philippine Airlines from Hong Kong to Manila and then onto Saigon by cargo ship in 1967. Next flights were from Saigon to Dalat on a DC4 (with engine failure during take off, returned to airport for it to be repaired and then off again on the same plane) and then Saigon to Bangkok on a Cathay Pacific Convair 880 and return on a Thai International Caravelle.

 

Back in those days one-stop or non-stop flights to and from Asia were an unknown. Leaving New Delhi in 1972 and returning to the UK was by KLM DC-8 flying via Karachi (1hour 45 minutes), Kuwait (3 hours), Beirut (2h 10m), Athens (1h 55m), Frankfurt (2h 50m) and Amsterdam (1h 0m). I still have the menu card to prove it!!

 

Most exciting flight was probably on Concorde from Bahrain to Heathrow - no noise abatement controls at Bahrain, taxi to end of runway, open up and off, airspace over Beirut closed to ordinary planes, just climbed to 65,000ft and landing at Heathrow was fully automatic.

 

First flight on a 747 was Air India from Heathrow to Bombay in 1975 (flight over 7 hours so First Class), last flight on a 747 in my working life was North West from Tokyo to Hong Kong in December 1998 (Business Class, glass of champagne as the plane took off, a tear in my eye when I realised it was the end of my working life in the East).

 

Towards the end of my working life I was making three return trips a year, one trip company paid as part of salary package, another trip paid myself (both Round-the-World tickets) and another trip direct using mileage earnt on the first two trips - all on KLM/North West.

 

Between 2000 and 2005 I made a number of return trips to Japan and Hong Kong (mostly on Round-the-World tickets) and that was that, no more plane trips since then. Flying these days is not what it used to be and I have no intention of making anymore flights. One regret is that I've not been able to fly on an Airbus 380, I've flown on the fastest plane but not the largest.

 

Keith

[Coombe Barton]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

t’s shocking to realise how many people voluntarily sign up For this treatment all for the illusory benefit of a £10 plane ticket (and it never is just £10, add all the supplementary charges and the cost of getting to the obscure airfields used, and the £10 is no more).

 

[TheQ]

All the parcels have arrived,  the first via Leicester,  the second via Oldbury,  the third Snetterton direct.  They all left the factory together!! 

Oh the destructions are all In German , good job  it's actually exactly the same shed as the garden shed.. 

 

Just received an emailed version of the contract saying my pay will be cut to 90%. Please print out sign,  then scan and email back by tomorrow.  

 

The printer hasn't been used in years,  the scanner was defeated by Win 10, it was bought over 20years ago.. I've emailed back and requested snail mail versions. 

 

There is of course two classes of air travel below cattle class.. 

RAF air, 

Ancient tristars ( till 2014), all economy class to the Falklands  for about 18 hours, including a couple of hours on Ascension , dinner, a bread roll, ham in my case,  a choccy biscuit,  and one of those tiny tetra packs of juice. 

 

And if you're really unlucky,  the same trip in a Hercules... 

 

The cabin doors open on Ascension or in Dhahran / Dammam in Saudi and the air condensates in a wave rolling down the ceiling.. 

Edited May 6, 2020 by TheQ

[chrisf]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Gosh, that brings back memories...

What about...

BA = Bloody Awful

SABENA = Such A Bloody Experience, Never Again

TWA = Try Walking Across

AA = Absolutely Awful (and many, ruder, variations)

 

Do any of you recall any others?

 

LUFTHANSA = let us fondle the hostesses and not say anything

 

Chris 

[roundhouse]

3 hours ago, AndrewC said:

Moaning all from the boring borough. I'm dealing with a rather put out cat this morning as he has been locked in the office with a "special" litter tray to capture his urine. Still attempting with no luck so far. Meh. 

 

I used to really enjoy flying but the airports have taken every bit of enjoyment out of it and made it more of an event to be dreaded. I've had good and bad experiences like most people. Worst: Canada 3000 from LGW to YYC in 99. Pump failure meant only 1 working toilet for the whole 9 hour flight. It was late, cold, uncomfortable, and just a miserable experience. Worst airport YVR. It may have improved over the years but arriving at 05:00 and not even a coffee available while having to wait over 90 mins to get luggage. Despite us being the only bloody flight in the terminal at the time. Missed our connecting bus to the ferry. Worst inflight staff is a toss up between Thomas Cook and Air Canada. 

 

Nicest airports, YYC, Bahrain, and believe it or not Gatwick. I like Gatwick. Easy in and easy out. Especially the north terminal. Also it is 1/3 of the trip to LHR.

Best flight ever: Gulf Air to Bahrain. Had 5 seats and 3 rows to myself as we were flying during Ramadan. I think there were about 20 people on the flight. At the time they had a full kitchen and onboard chefs. They kept feeding and feeding and feeding. The monitors would show the direction to Mecca every few minutes. 

Delta = Divert Everybody's Luggage To Atlanta. 

Most missed airline: Wardair. Pure class. 

 

In other news this furry b*stard was caught taking liberties in the night. 

 

That's about all from here. Coffee at the ready. Enjoy the day. 

Gatwick is much better than it used to be. local online news paper says Gatwicks very survival is no in the balance but I suspect that's over egging it.

 

At 4.0am this morning there was a lot of noise under the gazebo on the patio then two foxes running up the garden setting off the sensor light but not the cameras as the batteries had gone flat overnight but now replaced.

 

Door bell just went off (it makes a lot of noise through all the Alexa devices), My third Adams radial tank, this one secondhand, delivered. Will og and swap it with the M7 that's been running but the APT-E will stay on the test circuit for a while.

[Happy Hippo]

28 minutes ago, TheQ said:

And if you're really unlucky,  the same trip in a Hercules... 

On one particular flight in a C130, one of the Biggles (complete with Wacko moustache)  slowly walked  back into business class holding two pieces of string, both of which stretched back into the cockpit.  He stopped next to a young and pretty member of the WRAC.

 

He explained that he was the pilot and needed to go to the lavatory, (a chemical contraption on the tailgate, surrounded by a curtain,) but the string wouldn't reach that far back, so she needed to hold the controls whilst he went aft.

 

He gave her some instruction on how pulling on the strings would change the aircraft's course, and she has a practice and found that the aircraft did turn when she pulled on the strings.

 

Happy that she knew what she was doing Biggles told her she had control, and sloped off to the back of the plane.

 

Once he had drawn the curtain, the aircraft started to dip and lurch from side to side: Those who'd cottoned onto the wizard jape started screaming and swearing, as this poor girl, by now absolutely white and knuckles clenched tight, wrestled valiantly with the two bits of string.

 

Biggles returned, took the strings off her and the aircraft immediately settled back into comfy (if one can call a Hercules comfy) flight mode once more.

 

Give the crew their due, it was a very well executed prank, and the young lady was duly rewarded by being invited forward, where she remained for the rest of the flight.

 

 

Edited May 6, 2020 by Happy Hippo

[TheQ]

5 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Were there directional prayer mats too?

 

How many people were able to gather to pray at once?

Mats are moveable,  they took out something like half a dozen rows at the back the full width of the aircraft, which last time I flew was a 777.

 

There is a dispensation in Islam,  you don't have to pray when traveling, so it's only the really religious that use the facility.  It's also why during evening prayer time in Saudi,  the roads are packed with cars that just happen to reach the shops and cafes as prayer time finishes .

 

 IIRC, it was  British company that invented a prayer mat with a compass in the corner that always pointed to Mecca .

 

Flying over Mecca it was interesting to watch the Mecca compass swing round as we came into land.  As a non Muslim we had to sit in the cabin window shutters down,  as we weren't supposed to be there the plane had been diverted. 

[TheQ]

1 minute ago, Happy Hippo said:

 

The plane must be empty there is an echo.. 

[Happy Hippo]

It's the two ring issue.

 

Obviously the old codger's story was so good it had to be heard twice!

 

I have used the hide facility I've just discovered!

Edited May 6, 2020 by Happy Hippo