Am i the only person here interested in Heavy Aviation Metal?

[Buzzard]

Filton has Alpha Foxtrot. It also had prototype G-BBDG but thats now at Farnborough.

Delta Golf is now at the Brooklands Museum.  They do an aircraft tour and simulator rides, using the only Concorde one ever made, led by ex BA pilots.  Stuff my plan for a ride in a BA 767, I fancy a 31 left departure from JFK (the one with an immediate left turn to avoid an area of housing).

Nigel

[Buzzard]

Personally I prefer a bit of classic Russian heavy metal. There aren't many places I won't go to fly on it!

Would that be 3 IL18s and an IL76?

When I were a nipper I remember seeing Tu-104s at Gatwick, I've got some slides somewhere.  Then there were Tu-134s, Tu-154s and if you were lucky an IL-62.  Tarom, amongst other airlines, used to send in IL-18s.

I also recall getting blown away by an Aeroflot Yak 40 as it started it's departure roll.  I never did find the lens caps off my binoculars!

Happy days,

Nigel

[47475]

It would indeed.

I would love to have seen a Tu-104 (and 114 & 124) in action but am a bit too young for that. They must have been amazing days at LGW.

I am happy to have flown on the Tu-134, 154, An-24, An-26, IL-18, IL-62 and IL-76 though.

[steve836]

I remember seeing a Vulcan, used for a test bed for the engine for Concorde at St. Faith's aerodrome (now Norwich Airport) it came in low and the pilot throttled back on his main engines 'til he was nearly stalling then cut in the concorde engine and shot skywards leaving a circle of burning grass beside the runway. Awesome!

[Buzzard]

It would indeed.

Nice.

I would love to have seen a Tu-104 (and 114 & 124) in action but am a bit too young for that. They must have been amazing days at LGW.

They were. 

Long gone are the days when you could pull off the side of the road next to "the fence" about halfway along the runway.  You could sit there all do with the sun behind you and not miss a thing.  The view's gone now as someone decided to plant a load of trees.

If you were brave there was a crash gate on the northern side which was right next to the main taxiway.  Parking there, if it still exists, wouldn't be allowed these days.

I'll see if I can dig out the slides and a scanner.

Nigel

[DesertHound]

Hey 47475 ... I see you're in Abu Dhabi! Fantastic! I thought I was the only lonely soul in these parts. I'll drop you a PM!

Thanks for the locations guys.

Dan

[DesertHound]

Also really pleased to see we have some plane enthusiasts amongst us N Gaugers ... Rock On!   

[Agrippa]

With all the talk about airliners reminds me of a flight I was making from Glasgow to Geneva
with a change at Manchester or Birmingham . At Glasgow we boarded the plane down the long
gangway which joined the plane's door  and you couldn't see the plane itself. When the plane
moved away from the terminal to take off one of the passengers looking out of the window
shouted "Christ ! It's got propellers!"

BTW , my first flight when I was about 10-11 was a pleasure flight in a DH Dragon Rapide,
a twin engined wood and canvas biplane airliner , not heavy metal but real Biggles stuff.
I've always fancied a flight in a Ju 52 as in "Where Eagles Dare" . There was one doing
pleasure flights over the Alps from Zurich a while back.

"

[joe cassidy]

The A340's are a beautiful machine - especially the A340-500. You're correct in that the A340-200/300 shares the same wing as the A330's. The A340-500's/600's have a different wing and also a number of system differences. My understanding is that the longer range versions of the 777, coupled with the increase in extended twin ops (ETOPS) ranges, put paid to the A340's from a fuel perspective (cost). The 777 is a very economical aircraft and the A340 cannot quite match it. Once the 777's could fly point to point over extended areas without airports, there wasn't the requirement for the four engine aircraft anymore. Cargo capacity on the 777 is also, I believe, superior.

As far as I know you'd have to be a pretty important customer to get Airbus to build you an A340 these days. I think they did close down production of them and stopped marketing it (well, like you said Richard, it's a shared wing with the A330, but it was still an allocation of resources that Airbus needed elsewhere) and I believe it's not an option to buy one anymore.

I've had the privilege of flying nearly all of the current Airbus family, A319/320/321, A330-200, A340-300, A340-500 and now transitioning to the A380. They are all beautiful machines in their own right, but if I had to pick one (so far) it would have to be the A340-500. First flight on the A380 is next month, but from the simulator training so far, she's shaping up to be even better.

Speaking as a passenger, for me the A340 was not as good as the 747 and the 777 because the fuselage was narrower and I felt more claustrophobic.

As for the 380 the Air France version disappointed me because the seats, decoration, etc. are no different from their older aircraft so you don't feel 'special' in their 380. Emirates have made an effort to differentiate their 380 from smaller planes but it seems that they chose the cabin fittings from the Ikea kitchen range !

Best regards,


Joe

[Paul B]

BTW , my first flight when I was about 10-11 was a pleasure flight in a DH Dragon Rapide,
a twin engined wood and canvas biplane airliner , not heavy metal but real Biggles stuff.
I've always fancied a flight in a Ju 52 as in "Where Eagles Dare" . There was one doing
pleasure flights over the Alps from Zurich a while back.

They do pleasure flights in DH Dragon Rapide's at Duxford Air Museum in Cambridgeshire - I went on one a few years ago, and it was a great experience, especially when the pilot was doing tight turns, and it felt like I was looking straight out of the window,  straight down at the ground!! Would love to have lived in the days when they used them for commercial flights! 

Agree about the Ju52 though - either one of those or the Ford Trimotor, or even a DC3 - anything classic! 

[DesertHound]

Joe

I think most people would agree with you there. The 777 has a spacious cabin, as does the 747. This is really brought into contrast if you've flown in a 777 and an A340 within a short period of time.

Your comments re the Air France A380 are interesting. As for the other A380 operator you mention, I'm afraid I'm going to have to stay  but you guys feel free to go ahead and air your opinions 

Cheers

Dan

[steve836]

SWMBO used to commute from Libya in a DC3 when her dad was in the army based in Tripoli

[Buzzard]

Shame about the A300 for the museum. They're getting pretty rare these days. I thought Airbus would have kept one for the local museum! A few cargo (and pax) ones around though.

On the cargo front EAT Leipzig have 19 but they are getting old, ranging from 12 to 23 years.  The odd one gets into LHR, there's supposed to be one today.

As for the pax version they're more like hens teeth.  Iran Air have a bakers dozen of them and occasionally one makes it to the UK.

Talking of Iran Air they seem to still have a serviceable B747SP.  Given the difficulty they had obtaining spares from the US in the bad old days I do find this strange.  Only 15 active SPs left, a shame as I always liked them.  Anyone remember Pan Am?

Nigel

[DesertHound]

Ah - Iran Air ... interesting fleet they have. I haven't been up there for a couple of years but a trip up to Tehran (not far from us) always makes for an interesting look at the fleet. Yup, seen the "SP" and the old 747's. Also some A320's, A300's and the like. Mahan Air is the other airline in Iran - they also have 747's (-200s/-300's) I think.

It's a fascinating apron.

Dan

[47475]

Iran Air only use their A300-600s and A310-300s to Europe, including Heathrow.

They have one remaining B747-SP and a couple of B747-200s. The older A300s (B2 & B4 variants) are usually only used on Domestic and Gulf sectors. They also have A320s and a number of leased Ukrainian-registered MD-80s.

The B747-SP is doing a farewell sightseeing flight out of Tehran later this month, which I will be on provided I get my visa. Of the four -SPs that Iran Air operated, the last one operating happens to be the only one I have not flown already, so all being well I will be able to say I flew on all of their -SPs.