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It's good to make new friends!

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A few months ago I started attending some classes and after a while struck up some new friendships. Eventually we get around to asking our new acquaintances what they do for a living. One of my new friends casually say's "I'm a pilot". Now since I am a pilot myself I ask the question that probably most non aviation enthusiast would not ask; "What do you fly?" to which he relies "737".

After exhanging a couple of flying stories he extended me and a couple of other fellow enthusiast an invitation for a tour of one of the 737-800 he fly's when its in maintenance hanger.

Well having a busy schedule with work and family it been a couple of months since the invitation, but today was the day.

He took a couple of us and his nephew to what he had initially planned to be a detailed tour of a MAX 8 (he fly's those too) but given recent events they are keeping those under wraps.

He spend a hour and half walking us around the aircraft and points out everything of interest in great detail. And the pièce de résistance I go to spend about 15mins in the left seat. All the CDU's where fired up thanks to the maintenance guys hooking up ground power for our tour.

There was only one disappointment for me. The windows in the flight deck are only about half the height of the windows in the NGX. It ruined the immersion for me! I complained to friend about it and funnily enough he told me to get stuffed. That's the same answer you get from PMDG these days when you ask them about same issue.

Oh well, there is always the Zibo Mod! 😁:ph34r:

Edited by Guest

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Did you complain or simply note a fact?  Usually when invited on a tour like that it is wise not to complain about the 'baby'...in this case his airplane.  

If invited to friend's house to see their new baby you don't say, "What a big nose he has."  That's a turnoff.  Just be polite and keep the criticisms to yourself.

Noel

 


The tires are worn.  The shocks are shot.  The steering is wobbly.  But the engine still runs fine.

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Guest

You clearly have no sense of homour at all. Luckily he does. I cant image that you could have a more apropos signature! 😛

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Point Taken...

Noel


The tires are worn.  The shocks are shot.  The steering is wobbly.  But the engine still runs fine.

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Guest
1 hour ago, birdguy said:

Point Taken...

Noel

No problem brother. We all have our moments. My reaction could have been nicer. I am sorry if I offended you. 😁

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4 hours ago, Avidean said:

There was only one disappointment for me. The windows in the flight deck are only about half the height of the windows in the NGX. It ruined the immersion for me! I complained to friend about it and funnily enough he told me to get stuffed. That's the same answer you get from PMDG these days when you ask them about same issue.

The first time (and only time) I stepped foot in the flight deck of the Boeing 737-800, I was surprised at how small the windows were. My truck, a Kenworth T680, has bigger windows than even a Boeing 737-800. I wonder how the pilots can even see anything.


Captain Kevin

nGsKmfi.jpg

Air Kevin 124 heavy, wind calm, runway 4 left, cleared for take-off.

Live streams of my flights here.

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My fav windows on aircraft are on the Embraer 17x/19x series and the Boeing 787, or maybe it is just the nose design.  I do not know it is more aerodynamic but it looks that way.  That is why I also loved the Cardinal, the old Navion, and the Rockwell Commander because of the nose design, and finally the Epic 1000 single engine propjet.  Such aircraft look like they are doing the mach numbers on the ground.  I also loved the L1011's windows, only aircraft on this list I have flown on IRL.

I still remember when I was flying home from my first trip to Europe on a DC8-63 in '77, we had to make two fuel stops, one in Shannon and one in Gander, we were flying to JFK from Vienna, via Munich, our origin.  Our pilot explained to us while we waited to take off out of Gander that we were delayed a bit "While those guys in their Rockwells wind up their propellers". 

Being the fifteen year old aviation geek I was at the time, and the only one out of 250+ students not drunk, since we were allowed to drink beer until we hit US airspace, I laughed at the joke, having only had one beer on that flight while we were midway across the Atlantic and I was eating a wonderful Pastrami Cheese sandwich.  Unlike the movie "The Langloliers" food has always tasted wonderful to me on aircraft and pre and post flight, it overcomes jet lag wonderfully, lol, along with sugar free flavored waters.....

One of my poor student buddies was busted by US Customs after we begged her not to put liquor bottles in her suitcase.  They did not punish the poor gal, the bottles had been broken by the baggage handlers since we had no turbulence on the flight and smooth landings on our 3800 mile plus journey from Munich.

John

 

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Well  John: Since you brought up food, i remember  a flight i took where powdered eggs, and sausage were served. not the greatest, but my stomach was singing a different tune . Coffee wasn't bad at all. This flight took place back in the 70's right before they started using metal detectors.Try getting  a meal like that in coach today. I haven't flown since 1995, and after what i'm seeing now, my flying days are over.I'll just stick to X Plane  LOL!!!!

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1 hour ago, Paul Deluca said:

Well  John: Since you brought up food, i remember  a flight i took where powdered eggs, and sausage were served. not the greatest, but my stomach was singing a different tune . Coffee wasn't bad at all. This flight took place back in the 70's right before they started using metal detectors.Try getting  a meal like that in coach today. I haven't flown since 1995, and after what i'm seeing now, my flying days are over.I'll just stick to X Plane  LOL!!!!

My favorite light meal on an airline was on Venezula's Avensa airline, we were flying a 737-300 from JFK to Caracas to connect with a 727 going to Margarita Island.  Me and my partner had flown in on a red eye from SFO the night before, a non-stop United flight, to commence a three week business trip in Margarita. 

The breakfast, or brunch they served on that flight was delicious, the best food I ever remember on an airline, even better than food I have had in first class when I have traveled in those accommodations, as I would do on about one out of every twenty trips due to the miles I flew.  It was a well done omelette, and I am not normally an egg eater, but it had such a wonderful combo of spices and flavors all done to exquisite South American perfection. 

It was my first taste of Latin America in my entire life aside from Taco Bell, lol, and it is why I eventually married a small but beautiful petite Latina from Mexico who I met four years later on a business trip in Zacatecas Mexico.  And she worked for Mexicana, and when my outraged partner asked why he could not get a first class seat my instant soulmate at that moment sealed our relationship and future offspring by fluttering her IATA trained eyelashes and spewing out Mexicana's mantra "On Mexicana, E.....very seat is first class...." 

RIP, Mexicana airlines and the 727's that carried me and my wife back and forth on our dates, 1500 miles apart, until we married.  All for free, she even got me thru International customs with an airline employee pass so I could kiss her goodbye after her first visit to see my folks in Napa.  She is assistant to a school superintendent in the Phoenix school system, where she has worked in education as a teacher, translator and admin for the past 25 years since I brought her to the US. 

She also wrote the bilingual opening exhibits for the Arizona Science Center pro bono with my assistance because I was once a science major on entry into college.  We were invited to the governor's ball upon its grand opening but I, being corporate WAN admin for Doubletree hotels worldwide at that time, was on call that evening because my back up needed a day off, so we passed, we dissed the Guv Nuh' LOL....

John

 

 

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Back to the food topic: That breakfast was on an American Airlines [LGA] 727-200  back in the days when they owned Skychefs.  My last flight back in 95 was on board  America West 757. I loved every bit of that flight because of the plane. That flight was from Phoenix to  JFK New York. It was packed. No seats The ultimate for me was flying in the Dash-7  Henson Airlines.I miss the days of kicking back with a cup  of coffee, and a smoke.

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Speaking of food...I had a really good air meal back in 1990, American Airlines from STL to CUN.   Some sort of pasta, nice and steaming.  Thems were the days.  Now when I fly SWA I end up with a box of Plane Cookies (tm) and a Coke.

As for window size...I think MD-10/DC-10 windows are pretty large, or at least they look large to me.  I've never sat in the flight deck of one of those to compare to a 737's arrow slits though.


Rhett

7800X3D ♣ 32 GB G.Skill TridentZ  Gigabyte 4090  Crucial P5 Plus 2TB 

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Hello Mace: The airlines are crying  poormouth with food service. I am no expert with inflight catering,but it seems there is a good markup with it. Sad when a flier goes from a small meal[box lunch], or the meal you described, to cookies, and a soft drink. I grew up in the days of those nice meals, and listening to those comforting airline commercials.Go on YouTube, and listen to Astrud Gilberto singing , fly Eastern  number one to the sun. One of my favorites.

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Interesting! Last week I sat in a Diamond Star DA 40 and was shocked at how little I could see and such poor visibility. The top of the panel was just about eye level and I couldn't see the engine cowling at all. I'm 5ft 7in by the way. It was a plane used for training and the instructor showed it to me and let me sit in it. Like Aivdean...I told him about the poor visibility...but I told him I had it as simulator and that's all I knew about it and how the two differ from each other. I did mention the seats in the sim can be adjusted where the DA40 seats can't be...you'd need a cushion. There's a Redbird Simulator where his school is and we went for a quick flight which was way cool. I didn't think about it until I read this post but I maybe shouldn't have mentioned the lack of visibility and might call him and apologize just to be on the safe side and to let him know I hope I didn't come across as rude. I was sincere when we talked about the view in a positive way and told him I was going to change my seating positions in the planes I fly from now on...to match the real ones.

I've been to a few other airports since then and sat in a couple other aircraft and while not as bad as the DA40...generally speaking the views aren't as good as you'd think they'd be. I always thought it would be something like sitting in a car but it's nothing close to that. Basically it's all panel and the view will vary depending on how tall you are and if the seats are adjustable...but they're all close to your face. In the videos you see on you-tube the cameras are usually in the back seat or held high giving an unrealistic pilot view. Another thing I'd like to mention...there's not much room in these smaller planes...you're touching shoulders...you'd be amazed at how little space there is...puts a whole new meaning on the word cramped. Last but not least...it's all good!

Edited by Will273
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