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Crossing the Nth Sea
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 9:51 pm
by Kiya
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 11:03 pm
by Horus
Enjoy your freetime while you can Kiya
It's just amazing just how good those mobile phone cameras are.

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 4:06 am
by LovelyLadyLux
Beautiful photo!
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:06 am
by Grandad
And how lovely the light is up there.....no polution.

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 1:44 pm
by Kiya
Thanks guys

I did ask Roy if he could take a pic above the clouds for me if possible, happy he remembered

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 2:40 pm
by Grandad
I hope more have got some 'above the clouds' pictures to post. I absolutely love flying and being above the clouds.
This was my first ever such shot in 1958 en route to Italy on our first 'foreign holiday'

It is horribly grainy and taken on a cheap Boots camera. The aircraft was one of those beautiful Vickers Viscounts, an aircraft that had the most amazing safety record during its time. I had a very small personal interest in those aircraft because a few years earlier, as an apprentice, I had worked on nosewheel and main undercarriage parts for them.
A more recent shot, May this year returning from Luxor, is above the clouds with the sun setting out of sight. Easyjet Airbus A320 this time.....
And finally one of those shots you just can't get these days. When flying on business I would always try to get on the flight deck and did on many occasions around the world. This is the Captain and First Officer on a KLM 747 flying home from Seoul in 1996. They wouldn't let me take over but it wasn't necessary because that big bird (no, not the First Officer ) flew all the way home on auto

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:10 pm
by Horus
Smashing pictures Grandad

and as a frequent flyer myself I would often ask to visit the cockpit, but that was back in the days before the religious and fanatical zealots ruined even this little priveledge. Back then if you asked, they would often come and take you to the flightdeck once things were quiet, I have some fond memories, but alas no pictures. I do have one or two taken above the clouds somewhere if I can find them.

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 5:17 pm
by Kiya
Fantastic pics Grandad

I also love flying & always book window seats so I can watch from above the clouds .....not that we are seeing much most of the time, it never fails to amaze me sitting in any plane you would think we're not moving much at all when actual fact going at around 500 mls...... ????????
Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 6:52 pm
by LovelyLadyLux
Terrific photos Grandad. I'd hang onto the cockpit one it'll go down as a piece of historic trivia!
I don't think in all my trips I've ever taken a photo during a flight....hmmmm........not sure why not either as I'm usually snapping away at anything and everything!

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 10:33 pm
by Grandad
Having mentioned the Vickers Viscount and flying in one over 50 years ago I was prompted to Google and read about the aircraft. My recollection was that it had an excellent flying record. Well, reading its accident history that was obviously not the case, quite the contrary in fact.
I mentioned that in my late teens I worked on parts of the undercarriage of that marque. The first accident report I read said that the accident was caused by an undercarriage collapse on landing.......I will keep my mouth shut in future.
On the plus side, of the 445 built there is still one remaining in airworthy condition. They were in service in various guises from 1948 for over 60 years so they couldn't have been that bad.
