Airplanes

[trinacriabob]

On 9/29/2022 at 8:08 PM, oldshurst442 said:

I like the picture. Something soothing about it.  

It's obviously a B777.  However, I don't know where that might be, with the mountain backdrop so close.  That part looks nice.  I know that the backdrop is way north of YVR (Vancouver Intnl.), so it's not YVR and I'm at a loss.

Aeroflot has been kicked out of SkyTeam.  (Act like a "team player" and you get to stay in.)

[oldshurst442]

@trinacriabob

I am humbled by your knowledge of aircraft. And our planet. You have visited many places and I am very envious of.  My strengths used to be on military aircraft. I used to know a lot about them. From WW2 fighters and bombers to modern fighter jets, fighter/bombers but my knowledge acquisition stopped somewhere in the late 1980s. I was but a casual fan in the 1990s.   Civilian aircraft was also a passion of mine at that time as well, but not as much as the military aircraft.  I havent stopped learning about airplanes, but it aint as much of a passion to me as it once was.  Cars took over. 

I appreciate your posts in this thread, and any airplane related subject you talk about. But the thing I appreciate most is your travel tales.  I absolutely love those.

Along with @Robert Hall and his travelling tales. Whether its about going to concerts in his own city or in another town or whatever.   Thank-you guys!!!

 Yeah, the caption said it was a Boeing 777-300ER

The picture was a snapshot of a video.  

 

Its impressive that you know the types of airplanes.  An enthusiast will know. 👍

Its impressive in that you keep being an enthusiast of an industry that everybody seems to be taking for granted. Similarly as you continuing to be an automotive enthusiast.

Nobody gives a shyte anymore about cars and planes.  They have become too mundane for the average moron...   And its a shame.   

 

About Aeroflot and Russian planes.  Other than the military airplanes, I was never interested in learning about their civilian stuff.   Only know, I am mildly entertaining myself with them. 

[trinacriabob]

@oldshurst442

Thank you for the kind words.  Is it okay if I laugh about part of the post?  I own being a real nerd when it comes to certain topics.  For one, I am fascinated by geography and always have been.  

One life shaping event was moving back (and forth) to Europe 2 times with my parents before I was a teenager.  That involved crossing the Atlantic on the few ships that were still doing that voyage and even crossing America on Amtrak from the West Coast to the NYC suburbs, where we stayed with relatives for a few days before boarding for the sailing.  So, by the time you are 8 years old, and you can study maps, I was able to trace the ocean crossing - seeing the ports we stopped in as well as the Azores, which you sail through - as well as the train trip across the U.S.  Every place looked different.  So did the people.  But, mostly, the scale was staggering, when you compare it to going from L.A. to Las Vegas, or even N.Y. to Miami.

My dad also contributed to this.  Before being allowed to come to the U.S., he moved to Australia, as did others from Mediterranean countries.  Australia was sort of open at the time and he got in.  He stayed 3 years.  He did not like it.  He also took the ship to and from Australia.  That trip is 3x as along as crossing the Atlantic.  You go through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and then cross the Indian Ocean along South Asia and then down to Australia.  I heard about all this and saw photos from these journeys.  I'm glad he didn't like Australia!  I much preferred growing up in the U.S.

Cars and planes were such an evolving "art form" when growing up.  Both had a lot of personality and kitsch that's lacking today.  Yes, there was less worry about the environment, sustainability, and global warming.  So, ignoring that, cars were going for new styling frontiers, crazier interiors, and bigger engines.  And I loved following all that, and even sketching it up at times.  The same was true for planes.  We lived about 6 miles from the international airport and I would ride my bike there, just to be at the airport and look at all the planes and even the different airport buildings.  The 747 kept getting updated and better.  The L.A. Times would always have big ads for the different airlines and their gimmicks, including a Hawaiian styled lounge in the coach section from the West Coast to Honolulu on certain Continental 747s!  How cool is that?  I would tear out some of these newspaper ads and keep them.  You were very likely to fly from L.A. and S.F. to N.Y. or Chicago on 747s.  In fact, it was fun to look at their schedules and find those odd trips where the transcontinental trip had another leg on it so, just maybe, you could fly on a jumbo jet somewhere close, like to San Francisco for 45 minutes.  But kids and teens couldn't take trips like that, unless you convinced your parents to go, too.

The above is absolutely hilarious by today's standards but, when you're a kid, you took it for granted.  This is on a Continental 747 ... in "coach."  Today, losing this many coach seats to a "lounge" would never pencil and you'd be attracting the bar flies.  But, maybe that would be better than having people on planes being hostile to flight attendants and each other.  We didn't hear much about that when I was a kid.

The above is American Airline's rendition of the 747 coach lounge.  This is nuts, including facing sideways and backwards.  That lady looks like Jill St. John.

The above is upstairs in first class, again on a Continental 747 ... another kitsch laugh riot.

"Those were the days" because I don't think that, despite so much progress, QOL is much better in the last decade or so.

@Robert Hall also has interesting stories and I like hearing about the compare-contrast between living in the Desert Southwest and the Rocky Mountain states, especially since both have pipelines of people going to and from California.  And, along with many others, how people originally from the Eastern Time Zone headed the call to "go West" and what that was like.  

Stories about immigration and transplantation fascinate me.  I'm all ears for those.

[trinacriabob]

Also, had to mention to @oldshurst442 that you've done some things that impress me, and probably others:   you've been very active in raising 2 teenage children, you have a business, neither of which I have done, and, while bilingualism is common in Quebec, and in Canada, you probably speak three languages:  English, French, and Greek ... each being on different roots.

[oldshurst442]

On 10/4/2022 at 12:13 PM, trinacriabob said:

Also, had to mention to @oldshurst442 that you've done some things that impress me, and probably others:   you've been very active in raising 2 teenage children, you have a business, neither of which I have done, and, while bilingualism is common in Quebec, and in Canada, you probably speak three languages:  English, French, and Greek ... each being on different roots.

 

You know the crazy thing?

Although I do speak French and English, and  many Francophones and Anglos speak both languages as well, I do speak a third.  Greek. 

THE crazy thing is that many many fellow ethnic Quebecois also speak a 3rd language (their native tongue whatever that may be. Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Hungarian, Polish...you get the idea)  which in my neck of the woods, does NOT make me that special.     I knew from an early age that Montreal, despite the English/French political and cultural struggle, I knew that Montreal was/is a true blue cosmopolitan city. 

When someone picks up a language at a young age, its easier. A lot easier.  In my case, my first language that I spoke was Greek. My mom didnt speak a word of French and only understood a little English.  She was a stay at home mom immigrated to Canada in 1967 at the age of 31.  Therefore, my first words were Greek.  Not just my first words, I spoke Greek and nothing else.  I did have a hard time speaking English by the time I went to kindergarden.   But by listening to English(American) TV (Sesame Street and some Canadian kids shows like Mr. Dressup...), English was never  that far away from me communicating with the (English)locals.  (I did go to English school...long story as to why that was.  Laws protecting Anglos and my dad being Greek but born in Montreal going to English school when he was young...and that is even a longer story as to why he went to English school in Quebec...)  French was learnt by reading THE French newspaper.  Le Journal de Montreal.  My dad bought the Montreal Gazette on Saturdays (for reasons that every Anglo Montrealer does did ) and he bought the Journal de Montreal on Sundays (for reasons that EVERY Montrealer does did) and so he taught me French by reading the sports spection in French. Hockey games were listened to in both languages and baseball in English. And so that is how I Iearned to speak, read and write all three languages.  I did go to Greek school on Saturdays.  I did have  French language skills to speak to the other half of the locals while learning how to play hockey on the streets.  By the time I got to highschool, all three languages were read, written and spoken with no problems.  

French

 

Greek

 

English

 

Canadian

[trinacriabob]

On 10/14/2022 at 6:57 PM, oldshurst442 said:

Although I do speak French and English, and  many Francophones and Anglos speak both languages as well, I do speak a third.  Greek. 

THE crazy thing is that many many fellow ethnic Quebecois also speak a 3rd language (their native tongue whatever that may be. Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Hungarian, Polish...you get the idea)  which in my neck of the woods, does NOT make me that special.     I knew from an early age that Montreal, despite the English/French political and cultural struggle, I knew that Montreal was/is a true blue cosmopolitan city. 

When someone picks up a language at a young age, its easier. A lot easier.  In my case, my first language that I spoke was Greek. 

I know.  I definitely know.  Trilingual Montrealers and Quebecois are common.  It also ensures a global mindset instead of a hick one.  I'm not a fan of hicks and narrow-minded thinking.

I didn't speak English until I went to school because we spoke Italian at home.  My parents spoke accented English their whole lives.  They're no longer alive.  They could handle what they needed to handle, for the most part.  I only spoke Italian with them.  However, once I became a teenager, I would usually intervene in their dealings with realtors, merchants, and auto repair places in English to make sure they were not taken advantage of.  I did it reflexively.

- - - - 

What I really wanted to say ...

I saw an article which didn't really surprise me,  but made me happy.  Lufthansa is bringing some of its Airbus 380 fleet back on-line.  For whatever reason, it will be based in Munich (MUC) and not Frankfurt (FRA), which is their main and larger hub.  They will obviously also operate their Boeing 747-8s.

Soon, 2 of 3 of the big European carriers will be operating the Airbus 380.  What Air France will do remains to be seen.

Details: Lufthansa Airbus A380 Returning In 2023 - One Mile at a Time

Also, along with Swiss, Lufthansa is operating the smaller Airbus 340 quad, which I really like.  It looks like Lufthansa will keep the newer Airbus 340-600s going, but be retiring the Airbus 340-300s and, according to some other article, replace those with Boeing 787 Dreamliners they will order.  That way, they'll get the seating capacity of the Airbus 340-300, but in a newer and much more economical machine.

Having the airplane manufacturer, airline, and travel industry point toward returning to new and previous highs is a very upbeat thing in my book.

[oldshurst442]

 

[oldshurst442]

 

[trinacriabob]

Happy Sunday ...

Indeed ... I found this clip of the maiden flight.

[oldshurst442]

Above is the Airbus A380's maiden flight 

My post brings us the last Boeng 747 roll-out

 

[David]

1 hour ago, oldshurst442 said:

Above is the Airbus A380's maiden flight 

My post brings us the last Boeng 747 roll-out

 

Be interesting to see what Boeing replaces the 747 with as their new focused freight plane.

[oldshurst442]

On 12/7/2022 at 10:02 PM, David said:

Be interesting to see what Boeing replaces the 747 with as their new focused freight plane.

 

[oldshurst442]

[oldshurst442]

[oldshurst442]

[oldshurst442]

 

[oldshurst442]

 

[oldshurst442]

[trinacriabob]

17 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

Stunning photo.  It has the SkyTeam badge up front, but it's hard to figure out which airline in the alliance is the operator.

[oldshurst442]

Edited January 7, 2023 by oldshurst442

[oldshurst442]

 

[oldshurst442]

 

[oldshurst442]

 

Quote

 

67,223,592 views Oct 13, 2022 #shorts #airplane #atc

17-Year-Old Student Pilot Lands Plane without Landing Gear #shorts #airplane #atc The footage shown in this video is not in any way associated with this incident!

 

 

 

The footage not being the same as the audio really doesnt matter. Both situations are a testament to how awesome all three folks involved are.   The footage pilot,  the 17 year old pilot and her instuctor.  

 

 

[oldshurst442]

[oldshurst442]

[oldshurst442]

Edited February 23, 2023 by oldshurst442

[oldshurst442]

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

 

[oldshurst442]

The video of Airforce One in Ottawa, welcome to our country Mr. President...it took you long enough...

Anyway,  looking at the vdio of the Boeing airplane JUST by itself...AND...looking at the airplane AS Airforce One...BOTH are MAJESTIC the way the video is shown to us.  

I LOVE IT!!!    

1. As THE Boeing 747

2. As Airforce One

 

 

 

[ccap41]

Speaking of airplanes (obviously, in this thread), has anybody wanted the new Netflix documentary on the MH370 disappearance? It'd very interesting and I'd suggest a watch. 

Edited March 24, 2023 by ccap41

[David]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

Speaking of airplanes (obviously, in this thread), has anybody wanted the new Netflix documentary on the MH370 disappearance? It'd very interesting and I'd suggest a watch. 

That movie did two things very well, pointed out a ton of unanswered questions and opened the gates of hell to Conspiracy theorist who have gone off the deep end on what really happened.

Agree, a very well-done documentary on a mystery that I question will ever be solved in our lifetime. Much like the crazy Bermuda Triangle plane/ship disappearances.

[oldshurst442]

2 hours ago, ccap41 said:

Speaking of airplanes (obviously, in this thread), has anybody wanted the new Netflix documentary on the MH370 disappearance? It'd very interesting and I'd suggest a watch. 

Thanx for sugeesting it.  I didnt know a movie (documentary) of this tragedy existed. And yes I am very interested to get informed more of what may ior may not have have happened. 

57 minutes ago, David said:

That movie did two things very well, pointed out a ton of unanswered questions and opened the gates of hell to Conspiracy theorist who have gone off the deep end on what really happened.

Agree, a very well-done documentary on a mystery that I question will ever be solved in our lifetime. Much like the crazy Bermuda Triangle plane/ship disappearances.

 

Fortunetaly, I have stayed waaaaay clear of the lunacy.  There are only a couple of scenarios that I think happened in my mind. Ill share.

1. Accident. Pilot error or catatrophic failure and the airplane just fell into the water.  I am aware of some of the details of the mysterious ways it lost contact.

2. Missile strike.   From whom?   Well...I am not the one to indulge in conspiracy theories,  but a missile strike is a very possible reality espiecially with all the murky details but its the whom part that is more murkier than anything else.   The way world politics have been since the beginning of the 2000s, many a rogue politicians and governments and factions have appeared and it could be any a myriad of those kinds of loons...  

3. Not knowing anything more about the details than just the basics, I also feel like it could be pilot suicide that sent hundreds to their deaths.  It has happened before  and the mysterious ways of loss of contact is consistant enough with a pilot suicide. 

But these are  just MY conspiracy theories.   

[Robert Hall]

Watched the MH 370 documentary a few nights ago.  Very interesting story, still so much unknown about the why and what happened....

[David]

@oldshurst442 An old Boomer lady, friend of my wife that I call Crazy Mary since Mary is a huge Facebook Conspiracy theorist believes that the plane has been hijacked for a future attack on some other country and the people are being reprogrammed as I type to make terrorist attacks around the world.

She is also one that believes everyone that got vaccinated has been chipped and is under the control of Bill Gates. 

As to why I call Mary, Crazy Mary.

When I asked her about the debris they found in the ocean, she told me that it was Chinese who dropped it to divert attention from what really happened.

[oldshurst442]

[David]

I have always liked the oddball planes and I find the Cirrus SF50 personal plane very interesting.

The other plane I have always liked is the Piaggio Aero P180 Aanti II

Here I attribute my desire to these planes due to the engineering work done to put the engine nose at the back of the plane.

[oldshurst442]

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

[trinacriabob]

On 3/24/2023 at 10:00 AM, ccap41 said:

Speaking of airplanes (obviously, in this thread), has anybody wanted the new Netflix documentary on the MH370 disappearance? It'd very interesting and I'd suggest a watch. 

This is now on my list of things to do.  I find it hard to believe that, on an impact like that, a big 777(-200) didn't throw out pieces of metal and parts that could have been found and traced.  Or is it possible for it to slice through the ocean surface without much breakage? 

I don't remember how that one played out, but when the Air France jet (an A-330) bound from Rio de Janeiro to Paris several years ago went down in the ocean, I believe it left visible wreckage.

[David]

4 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

This is now on my list of things to do.  I find it hard to believe that, on an impact like that, a big 777(-200) didn't throw out pieces of metal and parts that could have been found and traced.  Or is it possible for it to slice through the ocean surface without much breakage? 

I don't remember how that one played out, but when the Air France jet (an A-330) bound from Rio de Janeiro to Paris several years ago went down in the ocean, I believe it left visible wreckage.

This is part of the mystery as a few things have been found in the deep south of the Indian ocean moving towards Australia but otherwise the plane just disappeared and so the Conspiracy theorist have gone nuts on what really happened.

It was a good watch, some very valid points made.

[trinacriabob]

Some recent enough real life experiences

- - - - -

A-330

The eastbound crossing aboard Finnair (partner of AA) and changing planes in Helsinki of all places ... great airline

The 2-4-2 seating of the A-330 cabin

The plane seen after getting off in Helsinki and inside the terminal

Here's their newish A-350, with the curved winglets and raccoon paint around the front window

- - - - - 

A-380!

The westbound crossing aboard British Airways (partner of AA) and changing planes in LHR, which is a crazy place ... mixed opinion of this airline

I think this one was leaving LHR before us for Miami International

"Land of the Giants:"  If I'm higher than the pilot on that other A-380, that means I'm upstairs, but in economy at the very back

This is 2-4-2 economy because of the domed shape on the upper level; sitting upstairs at a window is not that great because the separation between the window at the inside and the exterior has a huge angled gap, so the views aren't that great ... I prefer the 747

With the sloped sides where they couldn't fit another seat, you get this extra bin beside you upstairs

I snuck down the stairs to main level economy before they put up the dog and toddler gate

Then, they put up the gate to curb any childlike enthusiasm for exploring

A nice way to deplane to remember the flight and the majesty of this super-jumbo

[ccap41]

15 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

This is now on my list of things to do.  I find it hard to believe that, on an impact like that, a big 777(-200) didn't throw out pieces of metal and parts that could have been found and traced.  Or is it possible for it to slice through the ocean surface without much breakage? 

I don't remember how that one played out, but when the Air France jet (an A-330) bound from Rio de Janeiro to Paris several years ago went down in the ocean, I believe it left visible wreckage.

That's pretty much what it is all about. There just wasn't anything found, no crash site, no anything really. There were later small pieces found floating ashore but, I won't spoilt anything for you. 

[trinacriabob]

Okay, those trip photos were from last year (outbound and return).

- - - - -

Earlier this year, I checked another aircraft off the bucket list.  I had to check the free mileage ticket calendar, find the segment with an Airbus 340(-300) that Swiss (partner of United) uses, and book it by just paying about $75 in taxes.  The folks at Swiss and the plane were great!

The 340-300 (better proportions than the larger 600) parked at the gate.  The smaller engines on this smaller version of the 340 are cool.

The girl in the aisle probably wondered what I'm doing.  (It's mostly males that photograph airplanes, so she probably can't relate.)  This is the economy cabin:  2-4-2 seating

If you see an engine that far out on a wing from your seat, you know you're on a "quad."

Clean and green Switzerland, and the landing in Zurich (to transfer) will be happening in about a minute or two.

- - - - -

The return was on a domestic 787.

Remaining on the bucket list - let's see if I can do it all in a year - are the rare 767-400,  the biggest 777 (the 300ER) and the newer Airbus 350.

Part of the fun for me is also how you get there.

[oldshurst442]

[oldshurst442]

[David]

3 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

That makes me want to

[oldshurst442]

[oldshurst442]

[oldshurst442]

[oldshurst442]