www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26378027
Wont see it here - too much light pollution
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Mrs B had picked this up from some science (teaching?) site. Nothing visible here but Northern horizon is Daventry towards Rugby then Coventry - like Z land, too much light pollution.
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We can see bright objects and star fields on clear nights, but anything like the Northern Lights are going to be rendered invisible barring flukes by the London megalopolis and its background glare along the northern horizon.
I've never seen the Aurora Borealis. But the southern skies in Oz were fabulous, identified the greater and lesser Magellanic clouds with naked eye... can't think of a naked-eye nebula in our skies. Tiny ones perhaps when it's clear, if you know where to look.
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On the subject of light pollution, I can never understand why more of an effort isn't made to reduce it on a cost-saving and CO2 emissions basis. Not all the lights are low-energy! Same with shops pumping warm air out of their always-open doors.
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>> Not all the lights are low-energy!
They've replaced a lot of the street lights around us recently. Presumably they're low(-er) energy, but the most obvious thing is they're white instead of yellow. A bit disconcerting coming out of our drive at night - keep thinking the patch of white light down the road is from an approaching car.
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>>>On the subject of light pollution, I can never understand why more of an effort isn't made to reduce it on a cost-saving and CO2 emissions basis.
Yep there is rarely any need for a house to have 300-500w halogen lamps around the place.
Next door has 5 x 500w sensor lights round his side path and patio area. They come on for about 5mins every time someone walks round there. Thankfully all are on the opp side to our place but I'm amazed folks the other side haven't asked him to cut down a bit.
Our lights on the side of the garage above the front path are 2 x 40w with shades so the light only shines on the path and not over other folks property.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Fri 28 Feb 14 at 11:42
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When I was 7, I was on a flight to Canada, my first ever flight and my first foreign trip of any kind. I was sat in the window seat of a jumbo as we approached Ottawa (or was it Montreal?). My adult cousin who was accompanying me started getting animated and remarking how beautiful were the Northern Lights that night, and trying to make sure I experienced it. I thought she was talking about the street lights of the city below, I'd never seen anything like that, and was suitably impressed. Missed the real show entirely. Thinking about it now, Montreal and Ottawa seem an awfully long way south for the Northern Lights to be visible. Perhaps I was flying over some other settlement further north as the plane arced in from the Iceland/Greenland direction, but it's hard to imagine where that might have been. It's pretty thinly populated up there.
I have seen them once properly, on the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebridies, but I think it was quite a limited display compared to many photos I've seen.
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>> Thinking about it now, Montreal and Ottawa seem an awfully long way south for the Northern Lights to be visible.
A few years back I was on a night flight from Toronto to Heathrow.
The Northern lights were spectacular.
I went up on the flight deck to view them, on display apparently all around the aircraft.
I returned to my seat and while most were fast asleep I put cushions around my head to block out the cabin lights and just carried on watching the show.
I then got a dig in the ribs. A flight crew member was coming through the cabin inviting anyone awake to visit the flight deck to view the show as the crew had never seen the lights so good.
Well done BA but how things have changed.
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I trust you kept your trusty side arm well concealed?
I have been 'up there' twice, but a complete no no now I believe. Shame really.
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>> I trust you kept your trusty side arm well concealed?
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>> I have been 'up there' twice, but a complete no no now I believe. Shame
>> really.
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Not everyone has them locked up, no entry, behind a strong room door.
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>> I trust you kept your trusty side arm well concealed?
>>
>> I have been 'up there' twice, but a complete no no now I believe. Shame
>> really.
It's a No No while a/c is 'live' but still possible on the ground. Took over 40mins to disembark the Biman DC10 at Brum last weekend due to flight deck visits, photoshots etc.
www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/250141/
Flight deck shot towards end.
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>> It's a No No while a/c is 'live'
I was on a monach flight last month with people in and out of the cockpit, not a lot granted. Various others allow people up front.
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>> I was on a monach flight last month with people in and out of the
>> cockpit, not a lot granted. Various others allow people up front.
Curious, I'd understood flight deck had to be secured chocks/chocks post 9/11. There's even supposed to have been trouble with authorities when rock stars on a private charter had been allowed on the FD - and I'm not thinking of Dickinson/Maiden.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Fri 28 Feb 14 at 22:49
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>> Curious, I'd understood flight deck had to be secured chocks/chocks post 9/11. There's even supposed
>> to have been trouble with authorities when rock stars on a private charter had been
>> allowed on the FD - and I'm not thinking of Dickinson/Maiden.
>>
Yes no doubt some will get their knickers in a twist about people going into the flight. Usually the 'murcans, but if people are sensible it's not a drama.
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I see Monarch are retiring their last A300 next month. Last pax example operating in Europe.
Enthusiasts flight to operate LGW>BHX on afternoon of 13/04/14.
blog.monarch.co.uk/tickets-available-for-the-last-commercial-flight-of-monarch-airlines-airbus-a300-605r/
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Not sure there would be that much demand, not really iconic. Would that many spotters be really interested?
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>> Not sure there would be that much demand, not really iconic. Would that many spotters
>> be really interested?
Interesting question Sooty. What counts as iconic?
Concorde clearly was and I'd say same of Viscount, DC-3/6/7 and Constellation. The DC-10 wouldn't be on my pantheon or that of many other enthusiasts but Biman did nearly a dozen flights, albeit only selling window & aisle seats.
At £75 basic (£100 for a window) I think they'll fill it pretty easily.
At other end of the capacity scale I hope to see the SA Twin Pioneer fly again. Missed chance to go pax on it at Coventry a few years ago as crew faffed about instead of sticking to schedule and weather closed in.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sat 1 Mar 14 at 10:26
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>> >> Not sure there would be that much demand, not really iconic. Would that many
>> spotters
>> >> be really interested?
>>
>> Interesting question Sooty. What counts as iconic?
>
I wouldn't say it was. First big airbus but that's it. A bucket and spade holiday jet.
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Bucket and spade in UK but also mainstay on short/medium range trunk routes for Air France, Lufthansa, Iberia etc. BCAL flew the smaller A310.
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Nothing iconic about it - pile of poo.
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It doesn't pass my iconic test either. Doesn't mean I'd not go along for the trip, particularly as it's a type I've never flown on.
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That's sort of what I mean, it's much of a muchness with other similar aircraft. You'd be hard pushed to tell the difference when inside.
If your into older stuff Brompt, have you been in a Dakota? There was a pax trip, got down real low over the countryside, over Lincoln cathedral. Good stuff.
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When I was a child and flying with my parents it was de rigeur to try and get into the cockpit. I recall doing it on Dart Heralds, Avro 748s, Viscounts, even a Comet 4B ex LHR to Venice.
I would be amazed if any passengers are allowed onto the flight deck now. The last time I did so was late '97 when returning on Air NZ Christchurch to Singapore. Cannot remember the exact details but I mentioned where I lived to a cabin crew member, and she knew that the pilots mother lived there. Anyway, I was invited to the flight deck and spent 4 or 5 hours chatting away as I knew his Mum. They even brought my food to me! Unfortunately I had to return to my seat for landing at Changri.
I'm off to Seattle tomorrow with Delta and will have to content myself with watching three or more films.
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In the early/mid 90s I regularly managed to sit in on the jump seat for various european flights. Including landings and and takeoffs. The only time I was refused a request was for a landing at Gibraltar. Unfortunately coming back from Paris on one occasion I only managed 20 minutes of level flight because somebody had already 'booked' the landing at City Airport. The pilot said that if I ever had the opportunity, a landing at City was a 'must' experience, " it is steep, it is short, and you only ever get one chance. Just like and aircraft carrier!"
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>> The pilot said that if I ever had the opportunity, a landing at City was a 'must' experience, " it is steep, it is short, and you only ever get one chance. Just like and aircraft carrier!"
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Sounds to me like a very good reason for not flying in and out of London City Airport....
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>> Sounds to me like a very good reason for not flying in and out of
>> London City Airport....
Steep/short is certainly true. The glideslope is something like 5 degrees compared with a normal 3 and the runway short. Operation is limited to aircraft types approved for the process and pilots specially trianed in the procedure.
The one chance bit is overegging - 'go around' remains an option.
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I have been fortunate in having experienced several visits to the cockpit.
I experienced landing at the old Hong Kong airport at night. A unique feature on approach was the absence of all flashing lights on adverts below. This was to allow the flight to more easily follow the line of bright white strobe on the centre of the approach path during its far from straight approach.
I have only experience a couple of take offs up front. One was for safety reasons ( a faulty seat)
On one flight SWMBO and I were in the cabin while our two offspring were up front for a landing. We collected them from the skipper at the exit door.
I have never experienced a go around and only one return to departure airport after a technical problem.
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Seen the Northern Lights down South? - Bromptonaut
