Just Planes WorldAirRoutes Turkish Airlines B777-300

Staff Reviewer Marlon Carter takes a look at a DVD from Just Planes in collaboration with WorldAirRoutes that revisits Turkish Airlines for what he can only describe as one of the best Boeing 777 videos around. Fly with the crew and watch them operate from Istanbul to Tokyo.

Turkish Airlines 777-300



Highlights

We start off our round trip flight to Tokyo with a briefing by the Cabin Crew in Istanbul. Moments later, our pilots join the crew to continue their briefing for the long 10 hour flight ahead. The briefing was quite interesting as it entailed a lot of information on the flight ahead and the weather to be expected during the approach into Narita. Following this briefing, the pilots themselves discuss their routing and weather information prior to boarding the aircraft. This segment of the DVD may be of interest to anyone wanting to better acquaint themselves with flight planning procedures for long haul flights. Apart from having a glimpse into the operations of Turkish Airlines, it also shows the thorough preparation that is involved in order to conduct a safe long haul flight.

Joining the crew in the cockpit, the Capt and First Officer walks us through their cockpit preparations starting off with the performance and charts information in the EFB. After the cockpit preparations are complete, it’s now time to take to the runway for our departure. The 777-300 is a very large aircraft so it was no surprise that the pilots choose to taxi using the cameras. The late evening was quite eventful as the crew took measures to avoid bad weather in the area. The departure was also very scenic as the 777 climbed its way to through the cloudy skies of Turkey.

About 35 minutes into the flight, we have a presentation by the cabin crew. One of the most interesting portions of this segment was the presentation by the onboard chef! Very few airlines have an onboard chef and he does a fine job at presenting some of the fascinating meals served onboard Turkish Airlines. I should warn you however that it would be unwise to view this portion of the DVD on an empty stomach. The video clips of these meals are very tempting and it is far from what you would expect for airline food. I have to agree with the chef when says that the only difference between a fine dining restaurant and Turkish Airlines is that you are flying! The final highlight for me was the interview with the passengers onboard. I think this is the first time we have seen interaction with the passengers on a Just Planes DVD and the comments were all in favor of Turkish Airlines being among the best airlines in the world.

Going back to the cockpit, the Captain walks us through the routing that our flight has taken thus far and the remaining areas we will be flying over. During the remaining moments of the flight the First Officer gives a cockpit overview focusing on the Navigation display. The crew also shares some interesting information on RVSM procedures while flying in Chinese airspace which many of you virtual pilots will find interesting. The highlight of the approach into Narita was undoubtedly the missed approach due to extreme winds and wind shear alerts. The second landing attempt was successful but judging from the video it was not by any means a smooth approach.

On our return trip to Istanbul, the First Officer is now in command of the aircraft and during low workload periods of the flight he takes the time to talk to the viewers about the routing and he also gives a very captivating presentation on the aircraft systems. Some of the systems covered in this presentation are the Electronic Checklist and a very extensive description of the overhead panel. The First Officer goes into great detail regarding each system on the overhead panel and I think that anyone who is a flight simulator enthusiast or simply a fan of the 777 will absolutely love this segment! The approach and landing was uneventful and it brought to a close a wonderful 12 hour experience flying from Narita to Istanbul. My overall impression of this DVD is that it is the best 777 DVD out there and one you can’t afford to miss out on.

Turkish Airlines on a whole was well presented and one can’t help but admire how friendly and professional the entire flight crew was during the filming of this DVD. Prior to this DVD I was only familiar with Turkish Airlines from TV commercials, but now I have a new appreciation for the product offered by this airline and I am sure you will too. We can only hope that Turkish Airlines will continue to open its doors to aviation enthusiast worldwide which will truly make it an airline that is “Globally Yours.”

Additional Information

Summary/Closing Remarks

I am always impressed with the new formats of Just Planes DVDs and this one is no exception. This DVD also comes in Blu-Ray format and at a price of $30.00 it is well worth it. Turkish Airlines is presented as an intriguing airline with potential to be the among the best in the world. We hope that Turkish Airlines will continue to open its doors so that we all can enjoy their services from not only the comforts of our homes but eventually enjoy them in person.

What I Like About the DVD

• Great scenery
• Creative editing and camera views
• Features very unique destinations and aircrafts
• HD and widescreen format
• Fantastic Airline and Flight Crew.

What I Don't Like About the DVD

• Nothing....