I've just discovered that some of my posts in 2000 are still on this forum, although the threads are long since locked. I was 'justapax' then, I had to choose a new username as I couldn't remember what email address I had 24 years ago. There were comments back then along the lines of 'do we really need to encourage Pax & SLF in the *professional* pilots rumour network?' from professional pilots. 24 years later - plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

I was hoping back then to be able to fly in a Connie, the first aircraft I ever flew in (boy was it *noisy*). At that time there were no airworthy Connies and I hoped to buy one, they were going for scrap value. Then I discovered their thirst for fuel. Well, in 2024, you can actually fly in a Connie, you just have to go to Australia to do so. I'm saving up my pennies for the airfare. I'll never get the chance to fly in the other aircraft I flew in as a child, such as the Caravelle, Vickers Viscount, Vickers Vanguard, Comet 4B and VC10, as AFAIK there are no airworthy examples left of any of these. But the Connie flies on.

I spent most of the intervening 24 years having cancer, and having various bits of me cut out, followed by chemotherapy, repeat and resume. Does anyone else have as long a pause between their last post on pprune.org and resuming?

Hello Justa... and welcome back. That is a long gap but great that you found your way back (and were able to). We are fortunate that the archive has survived the change of ownership and - yes - some topics do come round the loop. Some of us then sit back and watch the newcomers views and see if they have changed.

Indeed - look a the "Future Aircraft Carrier " thread started by WE Branch Fanatic on 10th Apr 2006 and he still manages at least a page a week on the benefits of carrieraviation :ok:

Yes A56. You could say that 'WE' is known to the Mods ...

The Independent
After the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, negotiators in Brussels acquiesced to our insistence that we should be “third-country nationals”. Brexit means British travellers face much higher hurdles for any trip to the EU and wider Schengen Area.

On arrival at a Schengen frontier, each British passport must be examined and stamped. Officials need to ensure the traveller has not spent too much time in the EU recently (a maximum of 90 days in any 180 days).

They must also be satisfied that the traveller has sufficient financial resources and will return to the UK (or continue to a non-EU country) after a short visit.

Each European Union nation can choose its own subsistence criteria for admitting British travellers – and also impose requirements on accommodation. Spain requires anyone staying with friends or family to obtain a Carta de Invitación (Letter of Invitation). The process can take weeks, and the official document costs over £70. But without it you may be turned away at the border.

My very first flight was on a Caravelle, in the late 1960s. Sat in the last row at the back which was windowless and very loud, presumably because the Rolls Royce engine was bolted on where the window should have been.

Same with the VC10. I remember being in the toilets at the back. You could have murdered a dozen people with a hatchet and no one would have heard.

If you had a dozen people in the toilets of a VC10, there wouldn't have been room to swing a hatchet.

Even though the engines were at the back, I remember VC10s as being quite loud, and they seemed to have lower pressurisation than other aircraft of the era.

Has anyone flown in the Ilyushin Il-62, which was so similar that there have been mutterings of 'stolen blueprints'? Air Koryo still has one flying.

Flew in Il-62s often in the 70s and early 80s. All I recall is curtained windows and unpleasant hostesses.

I flew in IL-62 in 1977. I was down back area. Most vivid memory was how cold it was in rear of cabin, and how hot in front area.
Cabin crew not seen after takeoff.
Also noted an anti CofG tipping extra leg/prop extended at rear of aircraft as we disembarked.

When I was a kid, we went to Spain on holiday aboard one of my all time favourites, Trident. Dad always chose the seats that were facing each other cos he said it was easier to keep an eye on myself and my sisters. Mother was always terrified of flying so sat in one of the rear facing seats as she thought it would be better not to see where she was going. On the way home we had the same sort of seating with souvenir donkeys and sombreros on the spare seats.

I don't think any other aircraft had the facing seat setup, but probably wrong on that.

As I recall, there was an experiment to see pax reaction to aft facing seats. The reason being that - in an impact, people are better protected because the head will be thrown up and into the headrest. With forward facing, you have to prevent that by gripping knees etc.

In December 1975 I was on a Trident LHR-HAM (an ex BEA unit, of course) and they had a number of rear facing seats at the front of the cabin. I was asked if I would sit in one and fill in a questionnaire at the end of the flight. I did and said it was fine, which it was.

As I further recall, pax rejected the rear-facing seat for various reasons. Despite the fact that, on busses you might sight sideways to direction of travel and on trains you might be in a rearward facing seat!!

In all RAF transport aircraft set for troop carrying they ONLY have rear facing seats for safety.

BinnieLass
The Comet had a similar set of seats.

Cheers
Mr Mac

‘Kiss and fly’ airport charges continue to increase as drivers pay £7 to stop for a minute
The RAC, which carried out the study, said it is ‘bordering on the ridiculous’

The Independent

This should be no surprise. People want to imagine they are getting a low priced flight, irrespective of carrier.

I went on a British Eagle Britannia fitted throughout with rear facing seats. I believe it was a requirement of the MoD at the time for trooping contracts.

I have this recollection that Southwest had a row of rear facing seats in their very early 737-200s.

Dan Air1-11 definitely did - we had them on my first ever IT charter flight - MAN-MAH July 1986

Some may have alrerady experienced this as reported in The Independent. Start date is slightly confusing.

Thought it had never gone away!! Still packing little liquids into the right-sized sealable clear plastic bag!!!