The A340 Part 14 - To Mexico and back

[iwebber]

Following on from my previous post (here), I'm in Munich and about to fly another one of Lufty's 16 A340-600's. This time we're off to Mexico, a few reasons, the T2G rendition is good, it's a hot and high airfield that's surrounded by mountains and often has thunderstorms and it also connects nicely to Iberia's network...

DLH520 leaves at 10:20pm and arrives just after 3am.

It's already dark as we load up at the gate, SODE working it's magic and connecting a jetway nicely to 2L.

Taxiing onto the departure runway.

Climbing out over Munich.

Leaving Germany behind.

After many hours of darkness we start our descent into Mexico City (still in darkness, gotta love winter), CBs visible in the near distance.

Wing view of the suburbs of Mexico City, quite a bit of flap out already considering how far out we are, because of the high density altitude (both hot AND high) it helps to be one flap stage ahead of where you are usually. TAS is so much higher than IAS up here, energy levels (kinetic mainly) can catch you out at this point so it pays to be conservative and bring it in gently.

The Wilco widebody airbuses seem to adopt this quite alarming nose down attitude on final approach, I think it's due to the final stage of flap causing an uncontrolled balloon off the glideslope and the AP stuffing the nose down to try and regain it. In reality it would never do this.

Taxiing in having used most of the runway.

Parked up amongst the local traffic.

Iberia still have 17 A340-600's that they use for a variety of routes, MMMX being one of them. This aircraft is EC-LEV, named Isaac Albeniz is a 642X which means it's the HGW (High Gross Weight) version.

This route back from MEX to MAD is the earlier of the 2 daily flights they do. IBE6400 leaves just before midday and arrives 6:30am.

Parked at the gate with the city in the background.

Taxiing out for departure looking across at Terminal 2 on the south side.

Wing views shortly after departure, T2G did a good job on the airport vicinity.

Turning on the SID with the city and mountains(hills?) in the background.

Showing off the cloud shadows...

Flying across the Atlantic at night, nothing really happened until the sun came up.

Approaching the Iberian Peninsula there's quite a few build ups.

Approaching LEMD.

Taxiing in.

Parked up at Terminal 4S, this is an older LEMD (from Aerosoft) so fixed jetways, GSX just pulled up steps...

Next flight will be one of Iberia's South American routes, specifically down to EZE (SAEZ Buenos Aires)

 

[Guest John_Cillis]

Nice posts, I used to fly in and out of Mexico City quite a bit when I was working in Zacatecas and Huatulco, then dating my fiance who gave me free tickets there via her airline, Mexicana.  My Mom always insisted because of my business travel I would marry someone who worked for an airline, and she and my dad loved saying "I told you so".  My fiance and I were married almost 40 years to the day of my parents wedding anniversary, in the same month and like them we had a civil service.  My daughter was born 5 years to the day of my fiance's first date with me as well. 

Lots of serendipity in my life, my fiance and I met quite by accident because I was told to go to Zacatecas airport to get my ticket changed so I could fly direct from Zacatecas to Hualtulco at the suggestion of my client in Zacatecas--they were worried if I flew home to SFO as scheduled then back to Mexico City and Hualtulco the next morning, I would be exhausted and they had grown quite fond of me since we used to drink beer and play pool after I had quit working, also I had been sick while working there. 

Instead of going to the airport I told my office travel agent I had seen a Mexicana office in downtown Zacatecas.  Me and my employee who had also agreed to stay with my client went there.  He started flirting with my fiance to be when to her astonishment I said "Will you shut up!  She is the first beautiful woman in Zacatecas I have met who speaks English!"....  For the first time while we were in Mexico he did not know what to say to a girl there, and I won her heart.....

John