TAA and the DC-9
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In my first company of employment as a charter pilot, I had the pleasure of flying a captain into Brissy to fly one of the last Ansett DC-9's out. I parked on the Ansett apron at the old Brisbane aerodrome and we walked from the Cherokee to the DC-9 and up the back ramp, down the aisle to the cockpit. Security was of no concern. I sat in the left seat and it was a big deal to an impressionable kid. The captain was reminiscent that it was the end of the last pilots' aircraft, the importance of which was lost on me in my youthful exuberance.
Looking back from a rapidly advancing age of automation and deskilling, aircraft flown almost exclusively on autopilot, air traffic control practices that put aircraft on rails in the sky and an ever widening gulf between the experiences of general aviation and the application to large airline operations, the DC-9 (and the F-27) represented all the reasons I chose flying for a career. It's a different kid that takes up flying for a career these days.
Time to listen to Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides, Now".
We're losing something from aviation with all the automation and regulations. It's like eating fast food at a plastic dining table. It's just not the same as the individuality expressed in a home cooked meal and a wooden table. Too late to reverse the trend, even if we wanted to, but it's nice to reminisce.
Looking back from a rapidly advancing age of automation and deskilling, aircraft flown almost exclusively on autopilot, air traffic control practices that put aircraft on rails in the sky and an ever widening gulf between the experiences of general aviation and the application to large airline operations, the DC-9 (and the F-27) represented all the reasons I chose flying for a career. It's a different kid that takes up flying for a career these days.
Time to listen to Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides, Now".
We're losing something from aviation with all the automation and regulations. It's like eating fast food at a plastic dining table. It's just not the same as the individuality expressed in a home cooked meal and a wooden table. Too late to reverse the trend, even if we wanted to, but it's nice to reminisce.
Last edited by Lodown; 2nd Feb 2009 at 17:14.
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sixtiesrelic
I'm pretty sure it was the other way 'round. Ansett flew with the flight engineer for a short time and TAA didn't fly at all for a few days. When the flight engineer was strapped in he couldn't reach the pedals... that's the story that ran around El Toro caga (or pek pek bilong bullamacau) Towers in Franklin Street!
TAA had three for a very short time when the kerfuffle about flight engineers was on, while AnsettANA blokes went on strike if my memory serves.
I was young then and nowhere old enough to be in great big planes, but I remember being told by one of the cramped blokes who reckoned three was too many.
I was young then and nowhere old enough to be in great big planes, but I remember being told by one of the cramped blokes who reckoned three was too many.
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Lodown, those manuals taste like crap, regardless at what sort of table you are sitting at! Thank God I flew when you didn't need a manual to tell you how to take a p#ss, when F/Os didnt bring their muesli with them, or ring their personal trainer on arrival, when we loved nothing more than the sound of axel engines, when we didn't give a sh#t how much black crap we left behind us, when we put the throttles hard forward and left them there, when we didn't freak out when the clacker went off, (she was built to last), when you could have a laugh with the hosties (sorry flt attendants) and tell some jokes without being a sexual pervert, when little kids could come up to the flight deck, and they could sit on your knee and look out the window for Santa, without you being accused of being a molester, when you could have a crew party in the Capt's room and have a drink and a good time without fearing that some warped mind didn't accuse you of "taking advantage of me" (in a room full of people)???? as happened to a still flying mate not long ago, and the aircraft were cranky buggers, but a delight to fly, and never to be trusted, and us old blokes learnt our trade from tough hard Captains, many who were bomber command pilots (and survived) who were sometimes frightening to a young bloke, as some had war (mental) problems, especially those that had been POWs, but could they fly, and they were hard as nails on you, but later on always bought you a beer, I would not swap a minute of it for todays flying, as much as I admire the new technology, I am happy to pass it on to the next generation of pilots, and so on, and when I go to that bar in the sky, I hope to God there is a 9 parked outside, because I have flown 40 types according to my logs, but she is my favourite. Amen.
Thread Starter
First officers with personal trainers, gees the bloke must be a metrosexua! Next he telling you what moisturiser he uses!
I thought that's why you had Flight Attendants, to fill in time on the layovers.
Just think Teresa Green you flew the DC-9, you drove a Ford or Holden to work probably a V8, no mobile phone, no group hugs, the skipper was the boss, no DVD's, no Plasma, sex was safe and one day you would move onto the B727.
I thought that's why you had Flight Attendants, to fill in time on the layovers.
Just think Teresa Green you flew the DC-9, you drove a Ford or Holden to work probably a V8, no mobile phone, no group hugs, the skipper was the boss, no DVD's, no Plasma, sex was safe and one day you would move onto the B727.
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Another great thread...a book needs to be written on these kind of subjects. How about you guys, teresa green et al get together and do it? There would be allot of guys around who would of loved to have flown in the Golden era of jets in Australia. To have a book dedicated to it written by the guys that flew them would be fantastic
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Excellent idea about a book. Any author interested would have an endless supply of fascinating stories &,no doubt,hundreds of photos. All the contributers have the time & enthusiasm to recall the golden age of airliners in Australia.
.. thank you for reminding me of the utter joy of skimmimg along just feet above the top of smooooth stratocu, best done into and out of Melbourne
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Stationair8, I think I drove a beat up old EK holden station wagon for a airport car, the only people who had AIDS were Generals, I never bothered to lock the house up at night, my kids got thumped if they were rude or ill mannered, the dog didn't have to spend her life on a lead, and the F/O was more likely to eat a hot dog for breakfast than muesli, and was too busy chasing women to bother with a personal trainer, and yes I did go on the 727 (a lovely aircraft, but not the 9) but nice having a F/E to tell you during the night how to fix the toaster/car/boat/whatever, a good and fullfilling life until the dreaded (dare I say it) 89, (forget I said that) we won't damage a great topic and so many great postings. Anybody who feels like writing the story, a good place to start would be the TAA/AN gathering in New Farm BNE this OCT, from there you will get stories from Pilots, Traffic Officers (remember them)? Flight Attendants, Engineers, Load Masters etc, there are some great early videos especially out of New Guinea, will post date when known.
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Scud skimming
Yeah. The good old days. Take off on 27 ML. Into the cloud. Get the FE to open the cockpit door while accelerating to 350 Kts. (yeah - a REAL jet). Roll into the turn to SBG. Burst out of the flat cloud tops with 4000 FPM plus around 4000' into the brilliant rising sunlight with 30 degrees or so bank (Heh heh)!. Roll back to HDG and get FE to close the door. Sigh. Yeah.
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Wiley, one of my most memorable flights was in New Guinea, on a Twotter, single pilot ops, taking six police boys to Buna, when the peace was shattered by a exploding head door, followed by a police boy flat on his back who came straight up the aisle and stopped at my feet. He was in severe pain, and was passing out every so often, he couldn't talk, so all I could think was snake. Not the first time they had got on the aircraft, so I told the other boys who were quite frightened not to go near the head, and called for assistance on landing, and then the ground engineer and I (holding axe) carefully went into the head, nothing, so wondered if the thing had gone down the bowl, but no sign, so had a good look around but could see nothing, then I saw the battery lid was open on one side and it was wet, and realised the poor bugger had taken a p#ss it had gone onto the battery, and he got a charge straight up the ol$ fell@, well it made the eyes water on both the engineer and me, and we decided a beer was in order. I went and checked on him at the bush hospital, and that was exactly what happened. Was always careful to check the twotters battery cover after that.
Bob Binning former QF cabin crew and ex Ansett F27/Dc9/B727 Captain authored a book called "What a way to fly" in 1987. I can recall one story in the book when Bob operated a Dc9 HBA-MEL Casino Charter arriving in MEL in the early hours of the morning. The passengers were in a jovial mood and Bob and crew dressed in Lounge Suits deplaned from the a/c with bottles of Champagne much to the surprise of ground crew meeting the a/c.
Last edited by B772; 4th Feb 2009 at 01:23.
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The biannual TAA Ansett PNG get together
Treesa and others... 17th October.
[email protected] gets you the announcement.
THIS year we need to see more Ansett deros. Let 'em know about it if you know any.
There's chicks who used to wear the green miniskirt, whipping themselves up into plannin' a trip to Brissy for it.
They're the greatest get togethers because it's similar people from a small timespan.
[email protected] gets you the announcement.
THIS year we need to see more Ansett deros. Let 'em know about it if you know any.
There's chicks who used to wear the green miniskirt, whipping themselves up into plannin' a trip to Brissy for it.
They're the greatest get togethers because it's similar people from a small timespan.
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Thanks sixties, the last one was a beauty, but just a note, if from out of town, book a hotel close by, as we waited for one and a half hours for a cab and finally got one at 0100, or take a car and have a non drinker driver (good luck on that one!!) Book in soon as Jan Hutton says its filling up very quickly. Still a few bomber command pilots around including Peter Kausman, who is coming from TSV, so some interesting people to talk to. So if your old man flew in the 60s to the end of the 80s, he will have a rollocking good time, let him know.
Thread Starter
Likewise seated in the last row of the DC-9, going into Melbourne on a summers morning and skimming along the top of the cloud and then a gentle turn to the left, and out to the right a B727 climbing out of 34.