Favorite Experiences in Aviation
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Flying from the NW of Melbourne shortly after the new NAS was introduced bound for EN via ML, expected "Remain OCTA" but was surprisingly cleared direct before transferred from Radar to Arrivals then ML Tower and ended up being vectored down to 500' directly over the International Terminal before being setup for a final on Rwy17 I believe. 
Figured the controller was bored and wanted to give us a bit of a buzz, HE CERTAINLY SUCCEEDED!! And if he is out there reading this I owe you a lot of beer!!
Only problem... No bloody camera!
Figured the controller was bored and wanted to give us a bit of a buzz, HE CERTAINLY SUCCEEDED!! And if he is out there reading this I owe you a lot of beer!!
Only problem... No bloody camera!
Clear to land,
I take it that the other pilot would be doing the radio work at the moment if you want the call heard
Don
I take it that the other pilot would be doing the radio work at the moment if you want the call heard
Don
- the astonishing climb rate of RWF (C152) on my first solo!
- mega side-slipping G-BBYB over the hedge at Headcorn during my tailwheel endorsement.
- finishing the last rivet on the horizontal stablizer of my RV-8 (12,328 to go...!)
- mega side-slipping G-BBYB over the hedge at Headcorn during my tailwheel endorsement.
- finishing the last rivet on the horizontal stablizer of my RV-8 (12,328 to go...!)
Join Date: Sep 2007
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In my short career thusfar:
-Being sent to Cairns to pick up the company C206 and transport it back to Dar-whine. Got delayed by 24 hours so 'unfortunately' had to catch up with a mate over a few bevvies.
-Dodging some massive thunderies a couple of weeks ago with the 206's strikefinder lit up like christmas in the big city and somehow punching through a wall of red and black radar returns, VFR.
-Flying into Kununurra from the south in the 210, getting smashed by turbulence in the 40 deg heat but loving the awesome views of Lake Argyle and the town itself.
-Flying forthe Funflight Charity one weekend with a senior member of the ADF (a helo pilot no less) as a passenger and having them scream with delight as we cracked a 45 deg turn at 600' over Stokes Hill Wharf (600m horizontally from it of course)
-Flying RNAV and ILS approaches into Darwin and various other places using the G1000 system with coupled autopilot. Wow.
And most of all, the people, places and things I've seen, met and done through my short time in this incredible industry. Sure, it's tough as hell, but I still catch myself muttering 'I can't believe I get paid to do this' from time to time. No doubt it will have been beaten out of me in a few years time.
-Being sent to Cairns to pick up the company C206 and transport it back to Dar-whine. Got delayed by 24 hours so 'unfortunately' had to catch up with a mate over a few bevvies.
-Dodging some massive thunderies a couple of weeks ago with the 206's strikefinder lit up like christmas in the big city and somehow punching through a wall of red and black radar returns, VFR.
-Flying into Kununurra from the south in the 210, getting smashed by turbulence in the 40 deg heat but loving the awesome views of Lake Argyle and the town itself.
-Flying forthe Funflight Charity one weekend with a senior member of the ADF (a helo pilot no less) as a passenger and having them scream with delight as we cracked a 45 deg turn at 600' over Stokes Hill Wharf (600m horizontally from it of course
)-Flying RNAV and ILS approaches into Darwin and various other places using the G1000 system with coupled autopilot. Wow.
And most of all, the people, places and things I've seen, met and done through my short time in this incredible industry. Sure, it's tough as hell, but I still catch myself muttering 'I can't believe I get paid to do this' from time to time. No doubt it will have been beaten out of me in a few years time.
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Aus, or USA, or UK or EU, or possibly somehwere in Asia.
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Maybe not my most memorable, but very memorable all the same:
Sitting at 9000 ft or so, smooth as gless in the evening, and having the sun setting exactly under one wing tip whlst at the same moment having the moon rising exactly under the other wing tip, a very special moment that I thought I would never see again, then Bugger me dead, the exact same thing a few years later. one time was northbound and no cloud in FW NSW, the other was southbound and over a magnificent grey/white layer of cloud (can't remember where). almost got a sore neck from looking from one wing tip to the other, the lower edge of the both orbs were both touching the horizon at the same instant. there is no way that a picture could ever capture the moment in time, you just had to be there. I was solo both times, this even made it more special.
Lots of other special moments, especially in South America and Asia, but nothing like the special little instant of perfect symmetry that these two events provided.
HD
Sitting at 9000 ft or so, smooth as gless in the evening, and having the sun setting exactly under one wing tip whlst at the same moment having the moon rising exactly under the other wing tip, a very special moment that I thought I would never see again, then Bugger me dead, the exact same thing a few years later. one time was northbound and no cloud in FW NSW, the other was southbound and over a magnificent grey/white layer of cloud (can't remember where). almost got a sore neck from looking from one wing tip to the other, the lower edge of the both orbs were both touching the horizon at the same instant. there is no way that a picture could ever capture the moment in time, you just had to be there. I was solo both times, this even made it more special.
Lots of other special moments, especially in South America and Asia, but nothing like the special little instant of perfect symmetry that these two events provided.
HD
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as a new pilot (post GFPT, pre PPL) it was yesterday on my first ever flight out at the coast. Heading north from Moruya to Wollongong watching the surf hitting the beaches was fantastic.
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Great thread
My few in no particular order:
First solo (why does the instructor want me to stop over there for, what? really?)
CPL Test Pass
IFR Test Pass
Final ATPL subject pass
First Charter in a beautiful 210 (remember to put the gear down, remember to put the gear down, remember to put the gear down)
Dodging thunderstorms, Gove to Darwin at night in a Lance
Sunrise over Kakadu plus numerous other NT experiences with great mates
Airline phone call
Checked to line (yeah it did happen, so there you detractor from the past)
And today coming into Brisbane from the north for runway 32, at 3000 feet for a while just above the cloud at 220 knots - magic carpet ride.
My few in no particular order:
First solo (why does the instructor want me to stop over there for, what? really?)
CPL Test Pass
IFR Test Pass
Final ATPL subject pass
First Charter in a beautiful 210 (remember to put the gear down, remember to put the gear down, remember to put the gear down)
Dodging thunderstorms, Gove to Darwin at night in a Lance
Sunrise over Kakadu plus numerous other NT experiences with great mates
Airline phone call
Checked to line (yeah it did happen, so there you detractor from the past)
And today coming into Brisbane from the north for runway 32, at 3000 feet for a while just above the cloud at 220 knots - magic carpet ride.
PPRuNe Handmaiden
Seeing a fantastic moonrise departing Sydney northbound in a Dash 8.
Flying to Kununurra from Alice Springs in a Partmafia with no pax. Great flight. KFC was the catering.
Nailing a XW (+18kt) landing at London City. (18 kt doesn't sound like much but it's reasonable at City)
Landing at London Heathrow.
First landing at Moscow (any one of them). Now dread the place.
Any arrival into Samedan (LSZS) or Sion (LSGS) in winter. Simply glorious.
Flying to Kununurra from Alice Springs in a Partmafia with no pax. Great flight. KFC was the catering.
Nailing a XW (+18kt) landing at London City. (18 kt doesn't sound like much but it's reasonable at City)
Landing at London Heathrow.
First landing at Moscow (any one of them). Now dread the place.
Any arrival into Samedan (LSZS) or Sion (LSGS) in winter. Simply glorious.
Bugsmasherdriverandjediknite
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Far to many to mention all of them, but some of the memorable ones would be
Ferrying a C172 from YPJT to Manila (Philippines)
Ferrying a C172 from YPJT to Goroka (PNG)
First Turbine (C208)
First solo in a Helicopter.
being sent out Solo in a R22 to do confined area landings and take offs.
My first flight in my first owned aircraft after restoring her to flying condition after many years of being parked up.
Doing my first Darwin to YLEO entirely in the dark.
Taking a foreign Air force general for a lap in a C172 as a trade for a crawl over anything in his compound, then him being that thrilled he took me out to dinner at the swankiest place I have ever been in a third world country.
Landing a small GA aircraft at the main international airport in Manila with a 747 landing in front of me and a 767 directly behind and a couple of other heavies stacked on the approach behind him.
Oh, it just goes on. For the ****ty remuneration we get for doing the job, it sure can be fun at times and almost worth it.
Ferrying a C172 from YPJT to Manila (Philippines)
Ferrying a C172 from YPJT to Goroka (PNG)
First Turbine (C208)
First solo in a Helicopter.
being sent out Solo in a R22 to do confined area landings and take offs.
My first flight in my first owned aircraft after restoring her to flying condition after many years of being parked up.
Doing my first Darwin to YLEO entirely in the dark.
Taking a foreign Air force general for a lap in a C172 as a trade for a crawl over anything in his compound, then him being that thrilled he took me out to dinner at the swankiest place I have ever been in a third world country.
Landing a small GA aircraft at the main international airport in Manila with a 747 landing in front of me and a 767 directly behind and a couple of other heavies stacked on the approach behind him.
Oh, it just goes on. For the ****ty remuneration we get for doing the job, it sure can be fun at times and almost worth it.
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Taxiing to China
2 weeks ago, (as pax), Katmandu to Lhasa (Tibet), had great views of Everest and Lotse.
The Lhasa strip is 4000 m long - for a reason. It is at 12,000 ft, where the air density is 68% of sea level. Lungs, aircraft engines and wings all suffer.
On departure I thought our A319 would never get airborne and was taxiing to Chengdu. The takeoff roll took 55 seconds! Usually 35-40 sec. I imagined the copilot saying "V1....wait for it... V2...wait for it...wait for it... ROTATE!"
If the strip was rotated to the vertical, it would just reach sea level.
With thin air and rare cloud, solar energy is reliable - each house has a solar kettle, while half the ploughs are still pulled by yaks.
The Lhasa strip is 4000 m long - for a reason. It is at 12,000 ft, where the air density is 68% of sea level. Lungs, aircraft engines and wings all suffer.
On departure I thought our A319 would never get airborne and was taxiing to Chengdu. The takeoff roll took 55 seconds! Usually 35-40 sec. I imagined the copilot saying "V1....wait for it... V2...wait for it...wait for it... ROTATE!"
If the strip was rotated to the vertical, it would just reach sea level.
With thin air and rare cloud, solar energy is reliable - each house has a solar kettle, while half the ploughs are still pulled by yaks.
Memories
Short Solent journey as a (nearly) 5 year old and a very young gentleman by the name of Kilgour (IIRC) showing me the flight deck.
Wandering at 1000' AGL in a DC-3 in the LH seat, complete with open window over the hills of Georgia.
Guest of Boeing in their 247 for an hour over Seattle with one of the most senior tech crews imaginable - followed later by a nose turret landing in the B-17.
Jump seat in Concorde for a Heathrow departure.
Carrier landing in a FG-1 (complete with change of underpants)!
Being part of aviation in the years when there was mutual respect by all who participated (yep - even for the lawyers) before the MBA crowd took over.
I often think that I was screwed from that first cockpit visit - nothing else was going to come close as a career, but also a realisation that the industry is NOT just about tech and cabin crew for those who have the passion but not the full suite of faculties to become king of the heap in the majors.
Would do it all again.
Wandering at 1000' AGL in a DC-3 in the LH seat, complete with open window over the hills of Georgia.
Guest of Boeing in their 247 for an hour over Seattle with one of the most senior tech crews imaginable - followed later by a nose turret landing in the B-17.
Jump seat in Concorde for a Heathrow departure.
Carrier landing in a FG-1 (complete with change of underpants)!
Being part of aviation in the years when there was mutual respect by all who participated (yep - even for the lawyers) before the MBA crowd took over.
I often think that I was screwed from that first cockpit visit - nothing else was going to come close as a career, but also a realisation that the industry is NOT just about tech and cabin crew for those who have the passion but not the full suite of faculties to become king of the heap in the majors.
Would do it all again.
Last edited by plainmaker; 22nd Nov 2009 at 23:11. Reason: typo
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Being at Lilydale Airshow in 79 when VH-BOB (P51D) did a slow roll directly over the crowd at 50'.
The hairs on the back of my head still stand up whenever I think about it.
The hairs on the back of my head still stand up whenever I think about it.
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A flight in a 247 and a Concorde plainmaker?! Each one of those is enough to be a life long highlight!
First smooth landing in a tail dragger rates pretty highly for me...
And seeing some amazing planes flying in the US; B-29, 2x B-17, 3x B-25, Wildcat, original Blériot...
First smooth landing in a tail dragger rates pretty highly for me...
And seeing some amazing planes flying in the US; B-29, 2x B-17, 3x B-25, Wildcat, original Blériot...
Last edited by Aerozepplin; 25th Nov 2009 at 04:50.
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I haven't had a very long run at it yet but I think even when I have had a full career the first time I took Mum flying will be up there with all the beautiful sunsets and people that I will meet.
After more than a year spreading my wings and gaining my PPL, I took her up in a Robin/Alpha just after I'd completed my Aerobatics rating. Her emotions went from absolute beaming pride to sheer terror as soon as we broke away from the calm flying to pulling a few light G maneouvers and later on moving into fully developed 2000 foot drop spins. Her face just after the flight and her white as snow knuckles as she was gripping the seat in sheer terror while we were flying will stay with me forever.
After more than a year spreading my wings and gaining my PPL, I took her up in a Robin/Alpha just after I'd completed my Aerobatics rating. Her emotions went from absolute beaming pride to sheer terror as soon as we broke away from the calm flying to pulling a few light G maneouvers and later on moving into fully developed 2000 foot drop spins. Her face just after the flight and her white as snow knuckles as she was gripping the seat in sheer terror while we were flying will stay with me forever.
