Friday again! Time passes fast… This time in “The lighter side” I would like to recount something that came to me on along flight with plenty of time to get bored with the on-demand movies and games. The only thing left was the in-seat telephone. Contemplating the little hand-set with its shimmering, welcoming lights so… Continue reading In-seat telephones – more than you think
Category: The lighter side
Light stories about delivery flights and other happenings
Night in the cockpit – Shooting star
It is Friday again and as usual, we bring you something from the lighter side. Have you ever had the opportunity to sit in a darkened cockpit in the middle of the night, over the ocean with clear skies? The view is nothing short of breath-taking. There are stars above you, in front of you… Continue reading Night in the cockpit – Shooting star
Impressions – time-warp in the departure hall
Those who travel a lot, and most of us aviation types do, know the feeling. Waiting in the departure hall for you connection, for your delayed flight, for zillions of other reasons. You can of course work, eat, buy presents but whatever you do, time always seems to slow to a crawl. Time is relative…… Continue reading Impressions – time-warp in the departure hall
Help for computer dummies…
I got this cartoon from the ATC training folks back when computers still had floppy disks. Some parts shown are obsolate, some are missing… where would the USB connector fit here? But the general idea is still sound…
Precision Approach Path Indicator – PAPI
PAPI is no big news these days but when it was new, it moved someone to create this cartoon…
Visiting an office with a view
Familiarization flight with Transavia One of the countless drawbacks of 9/11, a few of you may have realized, is that even for air traffic controllers it has become increasingly difficult to visit a cockpit of an airliner, indeed most of the airlines adopted a closed cockpit door policy. I used to take every opportunity to… Continue reading Visiting an office with a view
Dream factories…
If someone said to you: Airports are dream factories. Would you believe it? If your reply is “yes”, you are like me, deeply in love with aviation and you do not need to read on. But if you respond with an unimaginative NO, read further and let me prove you wrong.
Ferry flight fun
Pilots and controllers come in all shapes and sizes. I have seen quite a few of them who started as controllers than became pilots and many of those who started their carrier as pilots but for some reason ended up in a tower or in front of the radar scope. But you hardly see people… Continue reading Ferry flight fun
Built-in obsolescence
I have often wondered what it must feel like to buy yourself an aircraft. Not a small propeller bird but something bigger, like a Gulfstream or a Boeing Business Jet. While thinking big, why not a 747? One of the attractive aspects of buying a big aircraft is the fact that they stay current for such a long time!