May 8, 20187 yr In rare happenstance, we have almost limitless options on our next trip in with Star Alliance. The total trip time, layover time, arrival time, price, all are equally suitable. From Swiss, Austrian, Lufthansa, Brussels, and LOT, we have A330, A340, A350, B767, B747, B787. Never tried B787 but its LOT which isn't said to be the best. LH has B747 for nose+upperdeck seating, but Lufthansa said to not be the best J class. Curious about A350 but it's also LH. Fallbacks are the the Swiss or Austrian options which we already know well... Preferences?
May 8, 20187 yr Last time I flew Lufthansa was in J back in 2006, think it was ORD-FRA on my way to India...was an A340 and perfectly serviceable. However I’m sure their hard product has drastically changed. All my experience since then in a premium cabin has been OneWorld in BA, AA, JAL, or CX so I’m no help...however this being the airplane fanatic thread, flying upper deck in a 747 from HKG-LAX on CX was an aviation highlight I’ll never forget even if it was their old coffin herringbone seat. Going up the stairs, the feeling of your own private cabin, how being so far from the center of roll leads to more dramatic banking movements, very quiet, etc. I’ve also sat in regional J in the nose of JAL between NRT and MNL..was weird with that closet at the front, but you can almost see forward from the first row so that’s cool...Honestly I’d go 747 upper deck if feasible, as they won’t be around forever plus I’m assuming it’s the new 748 so should be fresh. If I couldn’t get upper deck then I’d explore my other options and make a choice based on hard product, lounge access, schedule and bird...in that order.
May 8, 20187 yr Yeah I'm thinking the same thing. My last upper deck was also CX, and the opportunities are dwindling. Nose is out - the woman said NO in case there will be a crash... (i couldnt even make this up.) LH wont accrue any miles for me to Turkish, but i already secured re-qual so its no big deal. Only other difference is getting into EWR or JFK which seems a coin-flip.
May 8, 20187 yr Speaking of AA...remember to check those award booking status, kids! Had to call AAdvantage several times to get our Phuket trip in J changed from ‘on request’ to ‘ticketed’. Initial booking agent made some goof on the return where my cc wasn’t charged right, it woulda stayed in ‘on request’ forever, leaving a nasty surprise trying to get home, if I hadn’t stayed on top of it...our transpac leg on the return is via CX, which often takes a day or two to ticket, so I’d been watching closely. Can’t wait to see if there are any differences in the seats on the 77W between AA and CX.
May 9, 20187 yr The upper deck on the 747 is just magical. It's so small and intimate up there--it really can't be beat. By the way--that Gate 2 at AUS (pictured on the last page with the BA 744 at it) has the longest jetway known to man. It's insane.
May 10, 20187 yr Guy in club just got his commercial. I was updating his credentials and asked about his new medical, said he is still 3rd class. Without diving into 61 or 62 (I think?) Is that even possible to fly commercial with a 3? Seems like no fucking way to me. 2 minimum. In his defense he just wanted to grab the 182 and go to OKC tomorrow.
May 10, 20187 yr Never mind figured it out, grabbed The Bible and now know. Our insurance doesn't allow outside members to hire planes and crew. All good.
May 10, 20187 yr The upper deck on the 747 is just magical. It's so small and intimate up there--it really can't be beat. By the way--that Gate 2 at AUS (pictured on the last page with the BA 744 at it) has the longest jetway known to man. It's insane.My wife and I are flying our LAX-HKG leg on AAs 77W in business, in their mini-cabin between F and the rest of J. It’s only two rows and we are in the first with a bulkhead in front of us. I’m hoping for an experience somewhat like the upper deck on a 744...will see, at least we turn left from the L2 door. My guy says this will be our last trip to Asia so trying to make it count. I’ve flown to the Philippines twice, India twice, Bali and Malaysia all in J so I’m spoiled rotten.
May 10, 20187 yr We got the 747-800 , so it's a the larger 8-deep upper deck rather than the 5.5-deep 747-400 (which was also an option). Also a daytime flight so dont care much for seat comfort. On the way back found availability on the mini cabin on Swiss a330 , will be good for sleeping.
May 13, 20187 yr 2 hours ago, Southland said: oops... Asiana A330 wingtip runs into tail of Turkish A321 that'll buff right out.
May 14, 20187 yr 2 hours ago, Southland said: oops... Asiana A330 wingtip runs into tail of Turkish A321 I hope they left a note on the windscreen
May 16, 20187 yr The 747 isn't dead yet - resurgence in demand for the cargo versions: http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/boeing-747s-are-back-from-the-dead/ar-AAxlJMs?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=HPCDHP
May 16, 20187 yr On 5/13/2018 at 5:43 PM, Southland said: oops... Asiana A330 wingtip runs into tail of Turkish A321 Asiana has trouble driving airplanes. Whodathunkit?
May 17, 20187 yr Why was the ass of that A321 sticking into the alley so far? A330 driver obviously responsible for wingtip clearance
May 18, 20187 yr On 5/17/2018 at 8:19 AM, Homercles said: Why was the ass of that A321 sticking into the alley so far? A330 driver obviously responsible for wingtip clearance It looks like they’re missing marshallers unless it’s one of the automated, self parking setups. Btw, Cubana dumped a 737 in Havana today. Edited May 18, 20187 yr by Bobby_Batronic
May 19, 20187 yr Asiana has trouble driving airplanes. Whodathunkit?They have a lot of accidents or am I missing a slight here?
May 19, 20187 yr This guys video has some more detailed stills worth seeing: And yes Asiana...who can forget crashing a perfectly good T7 in severe-clear on a visual to SFO because they weren’t watching their speeds
May 20, 20187 yr On 5/18/2018 at 11:33 PM, markstanco said: On 5/16/2018 at 4:41 PM, Bobby_Batronic said: Asiana has trouble driving airplanes. Whodathunkit? They have a lot of accidents or am I missing a slight here? 777 crash at SFO on a perfect weather day by getting too slow and none of the check pilots onboard saying a word to the senior captain ring any bells?
June 6, 20187 yr Musta have used autoland. That or popped the side window and put it down Sopwith Camel style.
June 6, 20187 yr On 6/5/2018 at 4:27 PM, Longhornmaniac8 said: First Class on Lufthansa didn't disappoint at all. cant believe they let you board with those shoes on
June 7, 20187 yr 6 hours ago, 52-80 said: cant believe they let you board with those shoes on Hah, I was going to wear my Oxfords, but then I decided not to bring them because of security. Opted for something easier on and off.
June 24, 20187 yr Who was at fault on the helicopter vs airplane? Seems like a weird spot to land a helicopter.
June 24, 20187 yr Haven't read the NTSB report (if available yet) but obviously a lack of radio use or misunderstanding of intentions. Helicopters use runways for some odd reason. Maneuvering I guess. Heli pilots are always right, fixed wing pilots are always wrong. Dont your forget your place, boy.
June 26, 20187 yr The NVA types didn't think so in 'Nam, and my cousin found out the hard way in his Huey gunship in 1970: https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/K10553.HTM After the Army finally recovered his & the crew's remains weeks later, they couldn't tell if his cause of death was gunshot, shrapnel, burns, or extreme RPG trauma. Guess it didn't matter which. They ded. I forgot how many choppers we lost over there.... 1,800? 3,000? Bell did a booming business back then. Edited June 26, 20187 yr by Armybrat
June 26, 20187 yr On 6/24/2018 at 9:56 AM, markstanco said: Haven't read the NTSB report (if available yet) but obviously a lack of radio use or misunderstanding of intentions. Helicopters use runways for some odd reason. Maneuvering I guess. Heli pilots are always right, fixed wing pilots are always wrong. Dont your forget your place, boy. Every time I've flown in a helicopter we took off and landed from the ramp avoiding the runways like the plague. We also fly opposite traffic patterns from the fixed wings in order to avoid exactly what happened in the video. Lastly, we've always yielded to to fixed wing traffic (it's a lot easier to go in reverse in a rotor than a fixed)
June 27, 20187 yr That's an interesting look at it, I dont believe there is anything in FAR 91 on right of way for fixed wing vs helicopter but it's been years since I looked. I know a balloon has FU go around me right of way rules. Converging planes, it's easy, go right.
June 27, 20187 yr 42 minutes ago, markstanco said: That's an interesting look at it, I dont believe there is anything in FAR 91 on right of way for fixed wing vs helicopter but it's been years since I looked. I know a balloon has FU go around me right of way rules. Converging planes, it's easy, go right. You are correct. 91.113 doesn't say anything about different categories of powered aircraft (e.g. airplanes and helicopters).
June 27, 20187 yr Preliminary report says that helicopter was making correct radio calls but airplane calls were not heard by a third party. My guess is right of way goes to the party who made a radio call. Helo was doing flight training with an instructor, so you gotta believe they made their calls.
June 27, 20187 yr Not trying to go CR, but is there any truth to this column about the ATC training program? https://townhall.com/columnists/walterewilliams/2018/06/27/diversity-and-inclusion-harm-ii-n2494161
June 28, 20187 yr 10 hours ago, Armybrat said: Not trying to go CR, but is there any truth to this column about the ATC training program? https://townhall.com/columnists/walterewilliams/2018/06/27/diversity-and-inclusion-harm-ii-n2494161 Mr. Williams appears to have been picked up a quite a few conservative web publications' respective opinion columns. Give this a good read, including the tabbed section at the bottom. Compare it to the opinion piece you linked. I can't quote him, but he suggested at some point that the FAA opened up hiring off the street (again, maybe not exact language, but somewhere near the bottom). I got the feeling reading the FAA's page on the subject that it was interested in diversity reflected across the people employed by the FAA, but it did not say anything that said the FAA was throwing caution to the wind and hiring up all the crackheads either, many of our experience in the TSA lines notwithstanding. Truth is, I honestly don't know, but am wary generally. The official statement is probably your best bet though. Happy reading. https://www.faa.gov/jobs/diversity_inclusion/ Edited June 28, 20187 yr by dcbc
June 28, 20187 yr Anyone flown boutique air? We might pick a quick hop from Albuquerque to Carlsbad in November.
June 28, 20187 yr From the looks of it, it's going to be a matter of this and who happens to be flying it. But the odds are in your favor. In all seriousness, looks nice.
June 28, 20187 yr So I just booked tix to OSH for this year. I can only squeeze in the second weekend because of limited vacay days. But I’m pretty excited. The Mrs. and Chad Jr. are coming with so I probably won’t make the rounds as much as the posts from the old place. That said, there have been a couple of remarkable restos this year I’d like to see in addition to poking around all the newest stuff. Watch this space...
June 28, 20187 yr Saw a blub on the news about Boeing developing a hypersonic airliner for the next decade. I thought the Concorde's financial flop was enough to discourage any more such attempts at faster air travel.
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