Aviation never ceases to amaze me

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Grandad
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Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by Grandad »

I am tracking my #2 grandson and his girlfriend who are en route back to Heathrow from a two week holiday in Thailand. The tracker tells me that their aircraft is a Boeing 777-300ER which I could not resist checking out.
This version of the 777 has an extended range of more than 8,000 miles with 396 passengers. Take off weight is just over 230 tonnes and it burns 7.8 tonnes of fuel per hour at around 500mph. All this with just two engines.
These figures simply amaze me and I have to wonder what early aviators like the Wright brothers would think if they knew how far their inventions had gone.
Just a trivial thought on a miserable Saturday afternoon.... :lol:


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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Aviation is truly amazing. I marvel at all the different types and find helicopters (never been in one) very interesting too.
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by Grandad »

We tracked them through the day and they landed 21 minutes ahead of time. Pretty good after a 12 hour flight. I texted Grandson to welcome them home. He replied, Long Flight but a fabulous holiday. I know what he means, Thailand.....somewhere else ;) :up
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

There are destinations I'd love to go to but the flights are just killers in terms of hours you've got to sit.

Good the Grandson is back home safe and sound :up
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by Ruby Slippers »

I have found that the downside of long flights is taking at least two days each end to get over them! Fortunately, the couple of times I've travelled to Australia (20+ hours) we have been there for 4-5 weeks at a time, which allows breathing space. I don't think I would go for a fortnight though. I'm not as young as I used to be! :D
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by Grandad »

I agree RS, it doesn't matter which direction you fly, your body clock is still disrupted. I have never flown as far as Australia although my brother does it for three months twice a year. Not for me.
The longest I have flown was from Jakarta in Indonesia, 13 hours if I remember correctly. But that was on business. When we have traveled together to the far east we have always broken the journey for a few days in Cairo or Dubai. That really sorts out that horrible travel tiredness of a longer haul and makes an enjoyable break halfway.
A very memorable flight for me was from Seoul to Heathrow. That 747 flight came over northern Scandinavia and I blabbed my way into the cockpit when we were at the furthest point north and the sun was rising. Beautiful view! This was the cockpit, the First Officer was a lady, and why not? :up
1822

I know it is not allowed now but over the years I have spent an hour or so in the cockpit on many flights. I have always loved flying ever since my first flight in 1949 in one of these, from Yeovilton Naval Air Base, when a young Sea Cadet.
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by Ruby Slippers »

Grandad, I was definitely long in the tooth when I took my first ever flight - and that was to Egypt. :lol: DH was scared to fly but wouldn't admit to it, so made all the excuses imaginable to avoid it, but I waited nearly 30 years and then said enough was enough! I called his bluff, went on holiday to Egypt with my friend, and DH never thought I would actually get on the plane. Guess what? I darned well did!!! It took another couple of years before I managed to persuade him to get on one but once he did, we couldn't keep him off a plane! :lol: Unfortunately, bad health and family affairs have stopped us going anywhere for the past 12 years. :( Like you, planes fascinate me. :up
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I love to get to various destinations but I really don't like the time it takes to travel in a plane sitting beside sometimes annoying people (worse having somebody sitting behind you constantly bumping your seat). On the other hand I've met a few interesting people I've talked to an passed the time with but usually not. I definitely try and sleep most flights away and always bring my Kindle for reading. I never minded when Airlines would show a good show but now most of them are cut to bare bones and do nothing extra for passengers at all.

I like flying Alaska Airlines. The seats are comfortable and I do like pulling the head rests out (American Airlines has even taken those out).

I find all the different type of Airplanes interesting particularly jets. The sophistication of the instruments is beyond anything I can comprehend.

I'd love to tour Asia and Australia but crossing the Pacific is easily 14+ hour flight. Not too sure how to break up that much travel over the ocean.
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by bigken »

I have to agree with what you all have been saying. We have been lucky over the last few years while on our trips to the far east and flown on the 777, 787 dreamliner, A380, A330 , all excellent aircraft, specially travelling upstairs on the A380. Yep LLL the flying times can put you off, but the entertainment systems they have in the seats sure make the time pass quicker,

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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by Grandad »

@bigken
We know you are much traveled BK but to have flown upstairs on an A380, WOW!
That is a dream of mine yet to be fulfilled. I have flown upstairs on a 747 but that compartment only holds about 20 in Club World. You access it via a spiral staircase, very smart :up
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I have never flown on a plane that has had an upstairs.
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by Grandad »

LLL, are you up very early or to bed very late. Odd time to see you posting?

The Airbus A380 carries up to about 620 passengers, economy on the upper deck, business and first on the lower deck. But there is a configuration where almost 1000 passengers can be accommodated in a single class.
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Am sitting at the Ferry terminal...waiting ... but once on it will be Zzzzz time again
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by Mad Dilys »

How long does the crossing take LLL?
Smile! It confuses people
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by Grandad »

Daughter and SiL are coming to dinner on Friday evening so that we can finalise some details for our Christmas getaway. The main thing is to book assistance at airports. Leaving from Gatwick and returning to Heathrow will probably mean a very long walk so we will get assistance. Innsbruck is a much smaller airport and we may not need it but we will mark it as assistance needed, you can always decline.
The assistance we got in April on our Emirates trip was really very good. The airports seem to have done a lot to accommodate passengers with mobility problems :up
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Crossing is 2.5hours, 35 or so minutes to the border and the crossing early morning is usually fast.
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by bigken »

what crossing is that lll

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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

From mid Vancouver Island to the Mainland,British Columbia Canada. Border is Blaine Washington, USA
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Re: Aviation never ceases to amaze me

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

What also never ceases to amaze me is that people get into super fast moving tubes that zoom and zip through the air at super sonic speeds! ;) Particularly in the good old days when airplane travel was in its infancy although I guess a trans-atlantic crossing might make zooming through the air in a plane look good.
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