Plane Spotting - The Quiz

[Ricardo]

At that time I did a Luton- Accapulco with monarch on a 757 charter. Nightmare 29 inch seat pitch went on for ever. Also a few Britannia via Bangor Maine with Brittania also painful. Used to see a lot of Britannia planes at Phuket in winter times in late 90's leased out to Swedish companies. Shared hotel with the crew for a week Amarai Coral Beach in Phuket. Good trip for the crew.

Monarch were also doing the Maldives via Bahrain on a narrow-body B757 way back, and later did Kerala on narrow-body too I believe, one used what one had in the fleet !

The Britannia B767-200ERs to Australia/NZ had a couple of rows of seats taken out, for the winter, and upgraded-catering, so the early newspaper-reviews were quite reasonable, as I recall. I think we were the first airline to be allowed by the Aussie-government, to fly holiday-charters to there, Quantas can't have been too keen ! I believe TUI/Thomson-Airways still do charters to Phuket nowadays, out of the UK & Scandinavia, and was parked next to one (flying for Britannia-Scandinavia at Abu Dhabi ?) several years ago, when Etihad were still cheap between Bangkok & LGW.

Which was personally interesting, as I had moved to Britannia from working for TNT in Scandinavia, and had been suggesting to the board that we should look at buying/starting a Scandinavian-subsidiary, to generate more winter-flying. Europe was just opening-up then, and I knew from first-hand that lots of Scandinavians took charter-flights to winter-sun destinations, a couple-of-hours longer each-way than ex-UK flights would have generated good extra off-season flying !

They rejected my ideas, also a marketing-guy's & my's proposal to develop the nascent LTN-Belfast 25-quid-a-seat shuttle, which had been wildly successful in its first year, and their few 'scheduled' (really 20% scheduled / 80% charter) routes, so I moved on to other things.

It all eventually happened, except by then TUI had bought Britannia, and EasyJet/Ryanair had developed the low-cost shuttle idea, but the key development IMO was the arrival of the www, enabling web-based booking-systems to replace expensive manned telephone-reservations centres.

Funny old thing, life !

[lubbkis]

At that time I did a Luton- Accapulco with monarch on a 757 charter. Nightmare 29 inch seat pitch went on for ever. Also a few Britannia via Bangor Maine with Brittania also painful. Used to see a lot of Britannia planes at Phuket in winter times in late 90's leased out to Swedish companies. Shared hotel with the crew for a week Amarai Coral Beach in Phuket. Good trip for the crew.

Monarch were also doing the Maldives via Bahrain on a narrow-body B757 way back, and later did Kerala on narrow-body too I believe, one used what one had in the fleet !

The Britannia B767-200ERs to Australia/NZ had a couple of rows of seats taken out, for the winter, and upgraded-catering, so the early newspaper-reviews were quite reasonable, as I recall. I think we were the first airline to be allowed by the Aussie-government, to fly holiday-charters to there, Quantas can't have been too keen ! I believe TUI/Thomson-Airways still do charters to Phuket nowadays, out of the UK & Scandinavia, and was parked next to one (flying for Britannia-Scandinavia at Abu Dhabi ?) several years ago, when Etihad were still cheap between Bangkok & LGW.

Which was personally interesting, as I had moved to Britannia from working for TNT in Scandinavia, and had been suggesting to the board that we should look at buying/starting a Scandinavian-subsidiary, to generate more winter-flying. Europe was just opening-up then, and I knew from first-hand that lots of Scandinavians took charter-flights to winter-sun destinations, a couple-of-hours longer each-way than ex-UK flights would have generated good extra off-season flying !

They rejected my ideas, also a marketing-guy's & my's proposal to develop the nascent LTN-Belfast 25-quid-a-seat shuttle, which had been wildly successful in its first year, and their few 'scheduled' (really 20% scheduled / 80% charter) routes, so I moved on to other things.

It all eventually happened, except by then TUI had bought Britannia, and EasyJet/Ryanair had developed the low-cost shuttle idea, but the key development IMO was the arrival of the www, enabling web-based booking-systems to replace expensive manned telephone-reservations centres.

Funny old thing, life !

Indeed, the movement of the booking activity to the customer is analogous to IKEA's ability to get their customers to complete the manufacturing process by designing easy assemble systems in flat packs. There was a long, well documented war with airline booking systems; Apollo, Sabre and iPARs, but mostly in the "line", High Charging Carrier, business.

I remember Clarksons (late 70s?) going bust about the time that they were trying to develop a package tour booking system. That was in the day of the High Street Travel Agent which was followed by the Teletext, then the call centre (remember when Easyjet had their phone number along the fuselage) till the internet got commercialised and Sir Tim B-L showed how "anyone can fly" - a web page.

On a personal note, I did the weekly Monarch flight to Banjul about 10 years ago. I had a Gambian administrator at the time. Weeks before I monitored their arrivals at LGW via Teletext (always about 3 hours adrift of schedule). Check-in was hilarious as everyone except me was wildly over the baggage limit - the flight was used as as a cargo line by the Gambian entrepreneurs. I "flew" the Microsoft Flight Simulator to Banjul and worked out that you need to see the bend in the river before turning for the approach. Useful in case the Monarch pilot had a heart attack. 555. No I've never flown anything.

The rep at the best resort in the Gambia had been in Thailand with "Wings" in the 60s about the time I back-packed (by train) from a British Overseas Air Charters VC10 in KL to Thai International Airways DC9, BKK-SIN. Then back to blighty on VC10 from Paya Lebar.

[Ricardo]

In those days every big package-holiday company had its own high-street travel-agency, and an in-house charter-airline, to sell the holidays and do most of the flying, farming out the balance to BCal (Pandemonium Scareways) or Dan-Air (Dan Dare) and others.

The Gambia-run was famous, for people trying to take home washing-machines & the like, and expecting not to have to pay extra !

And we worry nowadays about a few kgs of extra carry-on luggage, it does make me laugh, rather.

I flew ScanAir (SAS's charter-airline) ARN-BJL on an elderly DC8 in the late-80s, the Banjul airport-building was so basic, that it hardly existed ! We stopped to refuel at TFS, on the way back (the shortish-runway at BJL meant no high-load take-offs), and then sat on the ground for hours waiting for a take-off slot, the local air-traffic people were having a go-slow so we were packed-in & steaming, all the doors open for ventilation, and no drinks.

Apologies to David, for taking his thread off-course, but is does bring back the memories !

[Rimmer]

C-117 (DC-3)

I don't know where it is, but I would love to mount a few chrome polls in between the rows of seats and some ice buckets for some beer

Nope its not a C117 and its technically not a DC 3 either, Its a C47 and they were parked just off the Chonburi Bypass, but probably long gone now. I tried to buy the engine throttle controls but someone had already had them out

[Terry Newman]

I have to concede to the C47, beaten at the post.

[Dancealot]

Travelling from Chon buri to BKK

I am left clueless...

[David48]

...

# 017

Try for the ...

• Airline
  

• Make and Model
  

Something a little different ...

[lubbkis]

...

# 017

Try for the ...

• Airline
  

• Make and Model
  

Something a little different ...

Singapore Airlines 747

[SeaVisionBurma]

You do realise this was answered on the 27th by Terry Newman straight after it was posted?

SQ B744

[lubbkis]

You do realise this was answered on the 27th by Terry Newman straight after it was posted yesterday?

SQ B744

I thought it was next up in the quiz. I now see it was previously posted.

Anyway, if it's any compensation here is a similar shot of BA's moon service.

[David48]

You do realise this was answered on the 27th by Terry Newman straight after it was posted yesterday?

SQ B744

Nope ... I read the chrome pole comment and thought it referred to Rimmer's post.

Thanks for pointing that out.

.

[SeaVisionBurma]

No problems - saves a flurry of news reports (SCANDAL! - THE THAI VISA GREAT PLANE SPOTTING QUIZ RESULT MIX-UP OF 2013)

Carry on

[David48]

SQ B744

Gezz, how many chrome poles could you get into that I wonder?

(Just not THAI)

Apologies to Terry Newman ... I totally missed your correct answer ... a double

I was hoping to test the skills by having a Cargo plane in there ... but you guys are too good!

Have to also say I have been distracted for a few days as if you have seen the recent disaster that befell QLD in Australia with the recent ex-cyclone ... that came right over my house ... thankfully (almost) everything is OK.

.

[lubbkis]

No problems - saves a flurry of news reports (SCANDAL! - THE THAI VISA GREAT PLANE SPOTTING QUIZ RESULT MIX-UP OF 2013)

Carry on

555 from reading ThaiVisa I know there are slightly worse scandals happen in Thailand.

[Terry Newman]

Yes,very multi talented. I can answer 2 in 1 post, and some how mix in SQ hosties, chrome poles and the gorgeous DC3 . I wouldn't mind mixing them together, shaken or stirred

I just had a look and David, not pretty. Here is an interesting link, sorry about the 30 sec add. Looks like the slash and burn Gov cuts that were in a media a year or so ago in QLD have come home to roost on the first natural disaster. Good Luck.

Check this out. http://media.brisbanetimes.com.au/selections/sea-foam-blankets-sunshine-coast-3988360.html?&exc_from=strap

[David48]

Mate ... that's a great clip.

Have sent it to my gf (in Thailand) as we stayed there on Holidays recently and I'm sure she would believe the vision.

[David48]

Actually, I have to make a 2nd apology to tw25rw.

I was compling the list of Aircraft spotted, and I didn't notice that he spotted the S7 Airline and plane first here.

So humble apologies there also ...

.

[David48]

.

Thai Visa #

Airline

Plane

Model

Airport

Link

001

Thai Airlines

Boeing

747-4D7

Chiang Mai

http://www.thaivisa....z/#entry5965849

002

Bangkok Airways

Airbus

A319-132

Koh Samui

http://www.thaivisa....z/#entry5968712

004

Utair

Boeing

757-2Q8

Novosibirsk

http://www.thaivisa....25#entry5970775

005

Thai Airlines

Airbus

A380-841

Hong Kong

http://www.thaivisa....75#entry5974345

006

Finnair

Airbus

A330-302X

Helsinki

http://www.thaivisa....00#entry5976853

007

Bangkok Airways

Airbus

A320-232

Phnom Penh

http://www.thaivisa....00#entry5979845

008

Korean Airlines

Boeing

737-8Q8

Seoul

http://www.thaivisa....25#entry5982517

009

Druk Air

Airbus

A319-115

Paro

http://www.thaivisa....50#entry5994979

010

Eva Air

Boeing

777-35EER

Taipei

http://www.thaivisa....50#entry5998616

011

Lao Central Airlines

Boeing

737-4Y0 (B734)

http://www.thaivisa....75#entry6003859

012

Transaero

Boeing

767-3P6ER

http://www.thaivisa....75#entry6010170

013

IndiGo

Airbus

A320-232*

Mumbai

http://www.thaivisa....75#entry6018691

014

Kan Airways

Cessna

C208B

http://www.thaivisa....00#entry6020513

014a

S7 Airlines

Boeing

767-33A (B763)

http://www.thaivisa....25#entry6028564

.

[David48]

Saw this over in the World News Forum ... china-test-flies-heavy-air-force-freight-plane

.

[Terry Newman]

Is NKP the Korat base? What is PSP?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/2054402087/

[David48]

Sure ... there lot's of clips on various fighters taking off.

I just liked this because of the 'rawness' of the footage of it.

BTW ... takoff not till about the 3 min mark.

.

[Dancealot]

Love them Russians.. Impressive footage.

[David48]

# 018

Try for the ...

• Airline
  

• Make and Model
  

Something a little different ...

This is different because it's a video ...

Taken while fishing on the pond.

Flew 'right overhead' (as I say during the clip).

So low it filled the screen of the camera.

... and filmed by my lady while I paddled the boat.

The movie is a bit dodgy in parts, but remember the situation of the camera on maximum zoom, we are in a small boat, she's filming, I'm trying to paddle AND watch the event ... thus 'rocking the boat'.

She's a treasure that lady of mine ... ... couldn't have done any of this without her support ... and her camera!

BTW ... Mr RabC, if you don't mind ... you are precluded from answering this ...

.

[lubbkis]

# 018

Try for the ...

• Airline
  

• Make and Model
  

Something a little different ...

This is different because it's a video ...

Taken while fishing on the pond.

Flew 'right overhead' (as I say during the clip).

So low it filled the screen of the camera.

... and filmed by my lady while I paddled the boat.

The movie is a bit dodgy in parts, but remember the situation of the camera on maximum zoom, we are in a small boat, she's filming, I'm trying to paddle AND watch the event ... thus 'rocking the boat'.

She's a treasure that lady of mine ... ... couldn't have done any of this without her support ... and her camera!

BTW ... Mr RabC, if you don't mind ... you are precluded from answering this ...

.

Could be an Eva A330 ?

[Tywais]

Could be an Eva A330 ?

Specifically looks like an Eva A330-300 due to the fuselage length. But could be the perspective else a A330-200

[SeaVisionBurma]

Could be an Eva A330 ?

Specifically looks like an Eva A330-300 due to the fuselage length. But could be the perspective else a A330-200

Does look like a -300....

[lubbkis]

Gosh. Your lady can row that boat. This was takken in Tokyo Bay, the approach to Haneda.

Not the same flight though, or even aircraft model.

[David48]

Let's settle for a Eva A330 ... and discuss the variences over the odd pint ...

Ha Ha Ha ... we posted at the same time

.

[David48]

I don't know for sure because I was genuinely in the middle of a pond.

Doing this ...

.

[David48]

# 019

Try for the ...

• Airline
  

• And ... if you can ... Make and Model
  

Really easy * ...

and

*trying to attract a wider audience ... ... not everyone is a dedicated 'spotter'