Flight Deck Action from Viking Aviation Photo

AVSIM Commercial Aircraft Documentary Review

VIKING AVIATION PHOTO - FLIGHT DECK ACTION

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Publisher: VIKING AVIATION PHOTO

Description: Aviation Documentary

Format: DVD

Reviewed by: Marlon Carter

Introduction

Today we are going to take a look at a new series of Aviation DVDs that are on the market from Viking Aviation Photo. What is Viking Aviation Photo? Well they produce professional photos and videos to the aviation industry, publishers, news media and aviation enthusiasts worldwide.

Viking Aviation Photo thus far have released several DVDs which are similar to the DVDs we have seen from Just Planes. The fact that I say they are similar must also mean that there are aspects of these DVDs that make them different.

I have the pleasure of reviewing 3 of the DVDs produced by Tommy Mogren and I have to say I was blown away by the superb editing and overall presentation of these DVDs. Let’s look at the highlights.

AIR AUSTRAL 777-300

This DVD started off with clips of Reunion Island which is the home base for Air Austral. During [imgleft]http://www.avsim.com/pages/0412/Viking/T_photo1.jpg[/imgleft]these clips I was blown away by the scenic beauty of the island and it paved the way for what was to come in the rest of this DVD.

Before the actual flight presentation began there was a map view graphical presentation of the flight to follow which was Paris to Reunion Island. During the flight presentation some of the highlights were the clear view of the cockpit preparations (also available in French as a bonus), tour of the flight crew rest area, cockpit presentations, and a brief interview with the captain on his career history.

The highlights of the final moments of this trip also included a beautiful view from the cockpit during sunrise as the 777-300 setup for its arrival at Reunion. After landing at Reunion, I was very pleased that there wasn’t an instant jump into the return leg of the trip to Paris. During the short break viewers are shown various clips of Reunion Airport and a beautiful shot of an Air Austral 777 landing at Reunion.

After the flight crew boards the aircraft its now off to Paris. This time the B777 departs Reunion at night for its 10 hour flight which included many highlights. Some of these highlights featured a cabin service presentation, discussions by the Captain on the differences between the 777-200 and 300 variants, tour of the flight attendants rest area, shots of the mood lighting in the cabin and an amazing early morning approach into Paris.

Our final leg of this DVD takes us back to Reunion. While I honestly thought that this trip might now be as exciting as the first, I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining it was. Some of the highlights included a beautiful sunrise from the cockpit, interesting background information on the pilots and the company and a beautiful view of Reunion on final approach. Needless to say it became ever apparent that the B777 seems to be one of the most graceful aircraft to fly since nearly every landing was so smooth it was almost unnoticeable.

In conclusion, this is a fantastic DVD and one I would definitely recommend. The camera angles and very meticulous editing makes this a masterpiece.

Addition Information: http://www.vikingavi...ral-b777-300er/

IRAN AIR 727-200

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Starting off with a majestic video clip of the city of Tehran, I was instantly intrigued with the way this DVD would turn out. Our first trip would take us from Tehran to Bandar onboard the nearly 40-year-old B727 (which honestly didn’t look very old since it was so well maintained.)

During the early morning hours we join the crew as they commence start up procedures and make their way to the runway for takeoff. Some of the highlights included discussions with the captain on the flight details, his career history and weather conditions at Bandar and finally a very smooth landing at Bandar airport. The return leg featured a walk around presentation of the 727 by the flight engineer, clips of the 727 departing Bandar, a brief cockpit presentation on the return flight, cabin service presentation and more.

The final flight takes us from Shiraz to Tehran. This flight takes place at night so it didn’t afford the opportunity to see a lot of the terrain of Iran as with the previous flights. However, it did provide a lovely view of Shiraz at night and a lovely night time approach into Tehran.

While this DVD was short (2hrs 10min) it was enjoyable and I think it will definitely appeal to anyone who loves the B727. To date, this is by far the best B727 video I have seen in terms of cockpit camera position and editing.

Addition Information: http://www.vikingavi...n-air-b727-200/

KENYA AIRWAYS 737-800

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The first flight presentation for Kenya Airways 737-800 takes us on a round trip from Nairobi to Johannesburg. We start off with the flight crew preparing for their departure by performing their various cockpit setup procedures. After departing Nairobi the Captain nicely took the opportunity to talk about the flight details such as routing and weather, along with his career history and the B737-800.

By far the biggest highlight of this roundtrip was the very thorough cockpit presentation which continued into the return leg of the trip back to Nairobi.

Our final series of flights takes us from Nairobi to Bangui, Douala and then back to Nairobi. Some of the highlights include a clear view of engine start up procedures, cabin service presentation and some amazing views while on approach to Bangui and Douala. The most significant of approaches was the approach into Douala which experiences frequent thunderstorms. With the heavy rain and visibility down to near minimums might be a challenge to novice pilots; the FO in command of the aircraft did a fantastic job in landing the 737.

The final highlight of this DVD was the return flight to Nairobi from Douala. This flight was filmed from the cabin and it provided a lovely wing view for the entire flight. After departing in heavy rain the weather cleared up along the route to Nairobi and it provided some amazing views for the remainder of the trip. The smooth night time landing at Nairobi was a fitting end to this fantastic DVD.

To anyone who loves the 737-800 this one is a keeper. I can definitely see myself viewing this DVD many times over in the future.

Addition Information: http://www.vikingavi...rways-b737-800/

Summary / Closing Remarks

These new DVDs were very entertaining. I was blown away by the meticulous editing done by Tommy Mogren and anyone who views these DVDs can see that he takes pride in his work. The camera angles, precise editing and interviews with the pilots made these DVDs well worth the 24.99 Euro (Approx $33.50 USD) price tag.

I would definitely recommend you have a look at some of the DVDs he has to offer. Shipping from Sweden was surprisingly fast and I was definitely satisfied with the DVD casing. My only wish is that we see more added to the list soon!