For the aviation fans

[Long Wheel Base]

SAs new airline.

 

https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/444421/lift-beats-planey-mcplaneface-and-gravy-plane-as-name-for-south-africas-new-airline/

[Bateleur1]

You guys are depressing me.  The queen is not quite dead ... yet.  Enjoy the pics.

 

[Long Wheel Base]

You guys are depressing me.  The queen is not quite dead ... yet.  Enjoy the pics.

 

180203_D-ABYA_HAM_2004.jpg.jpg

ehbqr09e7t8z.jpg

IMG_2523.jpg.jpg

If I could "like" this post more than once I would.

[Bateleur1]

If I could "like" this post more than once I would.

 

Then you would like my wallpaper on my work computer.  It changes however every couple of hours.

 

[Lotus]

I had the privilege of sitting in the cockpit of an SAA 747 all the way from from JFK to JNB in the mid-90s.

 

Unforgettable experience, especially the final approach and landing.

 

 

[Bonus]

Remember the days when you could ask to go and see the cockpit mid flight and the stewardess would arrange it for you?

 

Did it loads of times. Doubt I'll ever get to do it again now :-(

[Long Wheel Base]

I had the privilege of sitting in the cockpit of an SAA 747 all the way from from JFK to JNB in the mid-90s.

 

Unforgettable experience, especially the final approach and landing.

Was it a -300 or -400? 

[Lotus]

Was it a -300 or -400? 

I honestly can't recall.

 

An old school friend (Rob Horn) was announced with the flight crew, so I sent a note to him. Right after dinner the air hostess told me that I was being invited to the flight deck. We chatted all night and the next morning as we passed over Angola I got up to return to my seat, but the crew said stay put. I was amazed how fast things happen once you get near Hartebeespoort. And when the wheels hit the runway the cockpit seems so high up still.

 

Side note about aviators and fancy watches. I asked Rob why he was wearing a Swatch and not a fancy chronograph. Reply: If I can't get the right time from this flight instrumentation then we're in more trouble than a Rolex can solve.

Edited November 2, 2020 by Lotus

[Warthog]

Found this. Probably old story...

 

An Airbus 380 is on its way across the Atlantic. It flies consistently at 800 km/h in 30,000 feet, when suddenly a Eurofighter with Tempo Mach 2 appears.

The pilot of the fighter jet slows down, flies alongside the Airbus and greets the pilot of the passenger plane by radio: "Airbus flight, boring flight isn’t it? Take care and have a look here!”

He rolls his jet on its back, accelerates, breaks through the sound barrier, rises rapidly to a dizzying height, only to swoop down almost to sea level in a breathtaking dive. He loops back next to the Airbus and asks, "Well, how was that?"

The Airbus pilot answers: "Very impressive, but now have a look here!"

The jet pilot watches the Airbus, but nothing happens. It continues to fly stubbornly straight, with the same speed. After five minutes, the Airbus pilot radioed, "Well, what are you saying now?"

The jet pilot asks confused: "What did you do?" The other laughs and says, "I got up, stretched my legs, went to the back of the flight to the bathroom, got a cup of coffee and a cinnamon cake.

The moral of the story is:

When you are young, speed and adrenaline seems to be great. But as you get older and wiser, comfort and peace are not to be despised either.

This is called S.O.S.: Slower, Older, Smarter.

[DJR]

 

Found this. Probably old story...

 

An Airbus 380 is on its way across the Atlantic. It flies consistently at 800 km/h in 30,000 feet, when suddenly a Eurofighter with Tempo Mach 2 appears.

The pilot of the fighter jet slows down, flies alongside the Airbus and greets the pilot of the passenger plane by radio: "Airbus flight, boring flight isn’t it? Take care and have a look here!”

He rolls his jet on its back, accelerates, breaks through the sound barrier, rises rapidly to a dizzying height, only to swoop down almost to sea level in a breathtaking dive. He loops back next to the Airbus and asks, "Well, how was that?"

The Airbus pilot answers: "Very impressive, but now have a look here!"

The jet pilot watches the Airbus, but nothing happens. It continues to fly stubbornly straight, with the same speed. After five minutes, the Airbus pilot radioed, "Well, what are you saying now?"

The jet pilot asks confused: "What did you do?" The other laughs and says, "I got up, stretched my legs, went to the back of the flight to the bathroom, got a cup of coffee and a cinnamon cake.

The moral of the story is:

When you are young, speed and adrenaline seems to be great. But as you get older and wiser, comfort and peace are not to be despised either.

This is called S.O.S.: Slower, Older, Smarter.

 

Airbus pilot should have called an air hostess to come sit on his lap...........

[Bateleur1]

Airbus pilot should have called an air hostess to come sit on his lap...........

 

Why else did you think they removed the steering column and replaced it with a joystick on the side.  Coincedence?  I think not. 

[Long Wheel Base]

I honestly can't recall.

 

An old school friend (Rob Horn) was announced with the flight crew, so I sent a note to him. Right after dinner the air hostess told me that I was being invited to the flight deck. We chatted all night and the next morning as we passed over Angola I got up to return to my seat, but the crew said stay put. I was amazed how fast things happen once you get near Hartebeespoort. And when the wheels hit the runway the cockpit seems so high up still.

 

Side note about aviators and fancy watches. I asked Rob why he was wearing a Swatch and not a fancy chronograph. Reply: If I can't get the right time from this flight instrumentation then we're in more trouble than a Rolex can solve.

That must have been an awesome experience, I am very jealous. So the -300 still had the old flight engineer deck behind the pilots on the right. A massive desk with lots of gauges and switches. The -400 did away with it thanks to technology.

[MrJacques]

https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2020-11-02-saa-technical-ceo-resigns/

[eddy]

And if the Dutch is still anything like I know them, those 747s are going to be stuck for a while.

 

Except if it is on the runway at Tenerife. Then KLM sommer takes off when the captain wants to......

[Long Wheel Base]

https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2020-11-02-saa-technical-ceo-resigns/

So we got a message from our union on Friday saying he had resigned a while back and that Friday was his last day. That was the first we had all heard of him leaving. He has been at home in Oz since March and has done very little in his short time here. Good Riddance. He got paid a lot of money and he did very little for us. When he started here he spoke a big game and came with an impressive resume, we all had hope. O well, just like all the previous EXCO members, sign an awesome contract and ride the gravy train till your bank account is so full the bank says stop putting more money into it and then resign.

[Spokey]

With regard to riding in the cockpit.

 

Years ago when on the DC8’s I was out in Morocco to pick up equipment from the filming of Prince of Persia Sands of Time. The fellow in charge of these bits and pieces was due to get across the mountains to Marrakesh for his flight back to London. Long story short, my Loadmaster suggested he just fly with us as we were returning to Manston on the south east coast, an easy train ride to London. However no spare seats. Being freight dogs we took him anyway, the Loadie sat on the cooler box and this fellow rode in the cockpit.

It was so awesome to witness his excitement as we flew overhead Manston to join for a landing toward the east. Looks so small compared to the regular Heathrow, Gatwick etc. It remains the only time I have been able to have a passenger in the cockpit for the whole flight.