What do you do during long haul flights?
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Joined: Oct 2006
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From: justaroundtheblock
I'm flying a320 and i find a 3-4 hour flight sometimes boring. Which leaves me wondering - how bout those flying the widebodies on long haul? Do you get bored as I do? What do you do up there to while your time away? Do you bring laptops with you? Magazines?.....

Joined: Dec 2000
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From: on the golf course (Covid permitting)
Well personally, I switch the lower EICAS or sometimes the Nav Display, to Channel 8 to watch a film, not forgetting to lower the volume of the nav radios, cos otherwise I find it difficult to concentrate on the dialogue in the film.
I don't let my co-pilot watch the same film of course, cos that would be silly, and of course if I use my nav display to watch the film, I make sure he uses his Primary Flight Display; to do otherwise would be stupid and result in poor flight path monitoring.
It does get boring however towards the end of some months when I find I've already watched all the films available, on those occasions I either go to First Class and sit down and watch a different film that they have on there or just put the seat back and get some kip and let my co-pilot watch the films ( I think that is what he does, but I have a suspicion that he also gets some sleep - it's difficult staying awake all night by yourself).
Toodle pip.
I don't let my co-pilot watch the same film of course, cos that would be silly, and of course if I use my nav display to watch the film, I make sure he uses his Primary Flight Display; to do otherwise would be stupid and result in poor flight path monitoring.
It does get boring however towards the end of some months when I find I've already watched all the films available, on those occasions I either go to First Class and sit down and watch a different film that they have on there or just put the seat back and get some kip and let my co-pilot watch the films ( I think that is what he does, but I have a suspicion that he also gets some sleep - it's difficult staying awake all night by yourself).
Toodle pip.

Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 171
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From: Manchester, England
Make sure our nav is ok, GPS etc... every so often. then look forward to a coktail or two. Also next div airport, weather, fuel on board, coffee, it goes on... ETOPS div, weather, coffee... you get the point
Joined: Jul 1999
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From: Europe
It was better on the CRT screens. Those newfangled LCD's aren't nearly as good. Mind you, as all movies are made to wide-screen format, the cockpit is not the best place to watch them.
In any case, I prefer to practice my tap dancing and then soak my feet afterwards. Sometimes, if I am lucky, a hostie will rub my feet.
In any case, I prefer to practice my tap dancing and then soak my feet afterwards. Sometimes, if I am lucky, a hostie will rub my feet.
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: No one's home...
...same thing the other two guys do.. sleep.
Joined: Sep 2000
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From: Camelot
Well, personally I'm not really into movies - more of a theater guy.
Once the service is finished down the back I like to dim the cockpit lights and get 2 (or sometimes 3) of the girls to put on a private show. Naturally to "keep it real" we play some retro porn tunes through the Bose surround cockpit speaker system.
In the mean time in the Captain's bunk (easily of equal comfort & standard as any 5 star Hilton or Sheraton), under soft lighting and relaxing music, the relief crew perpare for their impending arduous stint up at the sharp end by settling into a full body massage.
Once the service is finished down the back I like to dim the cockpit lights and get 2 (or sometimes 3) of the girls to put on a private show. Naturally to "keep it real" we play some retro porn tunes through the Bose surround cockpit speaker system.
In the mean time in the Captain's bunk (easily of equal comfort & standard as any 5 star Hilton or Sheraton), under soft lighting and relaxing music, the relief crew perpare for their impending arduous stint up at the sharp end by settling into a full body massage.
Warning Toxic!
Disgusted of Tunbridge
Disgusted of Tunbridge
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,011
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From: Hampshire, UK
Not only do you Airbus guys have a nice table in front of you to eat off, but they give you that pole at the back of the flight deck for the late night pole dancing display. Us Boeing bods are dead jealous of that, let me tell you. At least the bunk door stops them swinging all the way around the pole! So you lot haven't got everything.
As for the movies on the Nav display, it's not good enough. If you put them on letterbox fashion, the screen is only 3 cm deep, which means you are watching Cameron Diaz on a 70 line display. Do you find 16:9 better?
As for the movies on the Nav display, it's not good enough. If you put them on letterbox fashion, the screen is only 3 cm deep, which means you are watching Cameron Diaz on a 70 line display. Do you find 16:9 better?
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 755
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From: Europe-the sunshine side
Well,our beancounters didn't buy the on screen movie option on the ND,so we had to buy ourselfs from Dubai and install in the cockpit the 7.5 inch DVD/Tv tuner ,in place of the EFB,which we won't use.Of course we use the cockpit AC outlets,and we also managed to get the sound through the cockpit speakers system.
We have a system delivered by B ,which decreeses the movie sound when we are called by ATC,by automatically recognizing the callsign we entered in FMC.
About lap dance,well the bus beat us on that with their table
I think I'll suggest to the bosses to do a custom design table to be put on the chair arm rest,maybe will do the trick..
You can see now the reason for some delays,or holding at arrival,due to the fact that the movie will autoswitch off at GS capture,and sometimes we arrive too soon,and the film it's not over yet.So..
And yes,weare expecting soon the FAA aproval for the new ,improved 7.1 sound system made by Honeywell...top of the art.
We have a system delivered by B ,which decreeses the movie sound when we are called by ATC,by automatically recognizing the callsign we entered in FMC.
About lap dance,well the bus beat us on that with their table
I think I'll suggest to the bosses to do a custom design table to be put on the chair arm rest,maybe will do the trick..
You can see now the reason for some delays,or holding at arrival,due to the fact that the movie will autoswitch off at GS capture,and sometimes we arrive too soon,and the film it's not over yet.So..
And yes,weare expecting soon the FAA aproval for the new ,improved 7.1 sound system made by Honeywell...top of the art.
Joined: Jul 2000
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From: Smogsville
Our company has just taken the IGTW (Airbus) or TWLE (3rd party) mod on the Bus, that way you can follow up on the pole dance with a semi private lap dance, and we're facing the correct way which is what the company was worried about.
(IGTW - Increased more up Gross weight, pull out unfold Table Weight limitation restriction modification revision adjustment, or IMUGWPOUTWLRMRA)
(TWLE - Table Weight Limitation Enhancement).
alexban we also have the auto HOLD movie not over function.
(IGTW - Increased more up Gross weight, pull out unfold Table Weight limitation restriction modification revision adjustment, or IMUGWPOUTWLRMRA)
(TWLE - Table Weight Limitation Enhancement).
alexban we also have the auto HOLD movie not over function.
Last edited by SMOC; 31st December 2006 at 09:38.
Warning Toxic!
Disgusted of Tunbridge
Disgusted of Tunbridge
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,011
Likes: 1
From: Hampshire, UK
Ha! There's a Boeing mod for rotating the pilots seats to face backwards. You Airbus guys don't have that!
Trouble is you are facing circuit breaker panels 6" away. They didn't think of that.
Trouble is you are facing circuit breaker panels 6" away. They didn't think of that.
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 29
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From: Germany
We also have the modification of the aft-facing pilot seats on our B 737.
For table-dance it works pretty good if you put down the jump-seat without raising the back-rest. It gives her some more room to turn around.



