Best flight - Worst flight
Best- first solo off aerotow. 2000 ft above the west country with an ear to ear grin.
Worst. Internal flight from Warsaw to Gdansk in some Antonov rust bucket. At relatively low level as one door wouldn't shut. On arrival skidded off a snowy runway and ended in a drainage ditch. Long walk to the terminal followed by a lot of vodka and apple juice.
Worst. Internal flight from Warsaw to Gdansk in some Antonov rust bucket. At relatively low level as one door wouldn't shut. On arrival skidded off a snowy runway and ended in a drainage ditch. Long walk to the terminal followed by a lot of vodka and apple juice.
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Best Flight Worst flight
Best : returning home after a 3 month leave relief in Sierra Leone.1978.
Hitched a ride on a KLM DC-8 FNA AMS.Very friendly crew who were on
the last leg of a long South American trip and all had had a good time....
Meal up front rest of time on jump seat.Still got the Deft houses giveaways.
Worst.Abandoned take off LHR 1969 Pan Am 747.One engine blew prior to
rotate.9 hour delay.Arrived JFK 2200 their time.Still it was freebie !
Hitched a ride on a KLM DC-8 FNA AMS.Very friendly crew who were on
the last leg of a long South American trip and all had had a good time....
Meal up front rest of time on jump seat.Still got the Deft houses giveaways.
Worst.Abandoned take off LHR 1969 Pan Am 747.One engine blew prior to
rotate.9 hour delay.Arrived JFK 2200 their time.Still it was freebie !
Join Date: May 1999
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Plenty of good flights:-
First solo (in a Chippy)
First commercial flight in command (TP)
First commercial flight in command (jet) (and all, well most, subsequent flights)
Pax on Concorde G-BOAD BAH-LHR.
Pax on many VC10 flights (BOAC, EAA, Ghana, Air Malawi)
The most memorably unpleasant series of flights were all on the same route and occurred before I became a professional pilot. My job at that time took me frequently to Africa and Nigeria in particular where I would spend up to two weeks before I could escape to relative civilisation in NBO. My schedule was arranged in such a way that I was able depart LOS for NBO on a Friday afternoon on the east-about PanAm round-the-world service (PA001?). The route always seemed to pass close to some of the most enormous Central African CBs, complete with thunderstorms and associated turbulence. The cabin crew would have us lower the blinds but not before we had seen the rather frightening amount of flex on the 707's wings. A few drinks and gritted teeth saw us through the worst of it to a pleasant weekend in Nairobi.
First solo (in a Chippy)
First commercial flight in command (TP)
First commercial flight in command (jet) (and all, well most, subsequent flights)
Pax on Concorde G-BOAD BAH-LHR.
Pax on many VC10 flights (BOAC, EAA, Ghana, Air Malawi)
The most memorably unpleasant series of flights were all on the same route and occurred before I became a professional pilot. My job at that time took me frequently to Africa and Nigeria in particular where I would spend up to two weeks before I could escape to relative civilisation in NBO. My schedule was arranged in such a way that I was able depart LOS for NBO on a Friday afternoon on the east-about PanAm round-the-world service (PA001?). The route always seemed to pass close to some of the most enormous Central African CBs, complete with thunderstorms and associated turbulence. The cabin crew would have us lower the blinds but not before we had seen the rather frightening amount of flex on the 707's wings. A few drinks and gritted teeth saw us through the worst of it to a pleasant weekend in Nairobi.
Last edited by olympus; 9th Aug 2015 at 11:54.
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Location: London, Monte Carlo and Bermuda (I wish!)
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Rough and smooth
A packed Virgin 747-400 LAX to LHR corker some years ago in severe weather. She was late in and we sat there watching disembarkation. Many of the pax looked white and shaken and some had to be helped off. When we loaded further delay due to door locking problem. Captain and crew were great but warned it was going to be a rough ride back. We soon found out what it was like to be inside an electrical storm at night and what the word turbulence meant. Pax were crying. No hot food served, only drink. Everything shaking and rattling, little white bags everywhere, but we got through and there was very loud applause all round when we touched down. A great credit to plane and crew, all real aviation professionals.
Contrast - a magic carpet ride in a Thai Airbus A340 last year from BKK to LHR. Hardly a tremor on the whole flight and two seats all to myself. The stuff of dreams.
Contrast - a magic carpet ride in a Thai Airbus A340 last year from BKK to LHR. Hardly a tremor on the whole flight and two seats all to myself. The stuff of dreams.
