Little snow fun coming in to Toronto. Headed over to, and now landed in, Pittsburgh PA. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Coming home! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Not much to see in the sky. boarded in toronto with some rain and landed in northern Ontario (sudbury) in snow. They are cling for 20 to 35cm of snow today. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Concorde at LHR. Criminal that such a beautiful and capable airplane spends its days chained to its perch. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Agreed. It remains the one airplane that even the most 'jaded' and 'cynical' regular traveller always takes a peek at whenever seen. That it first flew nearly *50* years back is staggering to me. Cheers, Ian
Thanks. I was very fortunate at having flown her a couple of times. To take off in London at just gone 11am and arrive at JFK at 0930, to sip coffee at 1350 mph and 56K feet up, was remarkable enough. But it was only when I was allowed on to the flight deck (back in the good old days) and spoke with the pilots that I realised the scale of the design. They simply loved flying her, she was a Ferrari compared to the commercial trucks of the sky, they would wax lyrical describing what she could do - if allowed. And there was a strip of rubber in the cockpit wall which would expand 9 inches to allow for skin heat expansion lol. And when you saw her up close like when boarding, she was so beautiful, almost surreal like a paper dart. Yes, 50 years ago, hard to believe, and depressing today we seem to have gone backwards. With the tech available now goodness knows how much better Concorde 2 could have been.
I'm still kicking myself for not using my miles to fly her at least once. I was almost commuting SFO -> LHR for years & had plenty of miles. Trouble was, it meant going SFO -> JFK (on American IIRC) then switching terminals to get to her. Anyone who's switched terminals there knows what a PITA that can be.... So I'd upgrade to first (a pretty nice experience) and tell myself 'next time'. Cool! And certainly agree that with modern tech a Concorde 2 would be stunning. Big problem was her ban on overflying the USA supersonicly - The $ routes (& even bigger time savings of course) were into LAX, SFO and the like. I had a cousin who was a trolley dolly on her for a while, and she was never short of liquor.... They had to 'throw out ' any open bottles and restock with fresh to try & ensure they never ran out while not going overweight...... I too heard about the expansion joints - Wasn't there one below the toilet area at the back too? I vaguely recall tales of folks taking a dump and literally watching the 'gap' get bigger! A truly magnificent triumph of engineering. Cheers, Ian
I think the last regular airliner designed to go fast was the 727. All since that airplane have focused on flying at less cost.
I have a 1960 Eastern timetable that shows DC-8 time from New York to San Juan at 3:15, exactly half of what their DC-6s took. Today the same trip is more like 4 hours, in part because time is built in for ground delays, but also as suggested, the airplanes fly slower to use less fuel.
Flew down to Linden in my Diamond from KCDW to snap some pics for a friend, then got my first helicopter lesson, lots of fun. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Convair 990-- designed to be the fastest airliner in the world, at that time. The type certificate is available, along with a few airframes! Controller.com | CONVAIR 990A For Sale
One intact 880 left sans engines, and one complete 990. About 10-15 years ago a 880 was made airworthy to fly from Mojave to NJ to be a fire training airframe for the FAA. So to make one flyable is doable, or at least someone thought it was worthwhile for just 1 flight. Given that we see connies at airhows why not an 880, it is the most beautiful of the early jetliners..
Beginning a day of never been on types. First up, CLT-DTW - Boeing 717. Next up, DTW-PEK. Fluffy sunrise! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
13 hrs DTW-PEK on this A330-200. First time on type. Was impressed by how quiet it is. Shockinly quiet. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Finally!! Took my check ride on Friday (April 22) and PASSED!!! I am now a legally licensed pilot! The DPE told me I could go anywhere in the world now (provided I get clearance into Class B - lol). So, going on the premise that it is better to ask forgiveness rather than permission, my Very First Flight was to my friend's hangar for an ice cold drink - Diet Coke! When my instructor called to ask me where I was and how it went, I told him I passed and I was having a cold soda before returning. Pictures: It really happened! And my friend got one of me flying! YAY!!!!!! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
