First Time Flyer

[VAT]

Hi,

I am 50 years old and never flown except for once from Syd to Procerpine in 1986.

So I have to fly to London via Qantas on Saturday and I am flying 747 400 Longreach.

I am getting more nervous as each day passes, this is a long trip and I am in economy and fear I will feel very cramped, although only 5'8.

Anyway my real concern is the plane, can I tell if its old or was the one where the gas bottle exploded or ran off the runway in Bankok. THese 747s are reliable but old.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Alanslegal]

THese 747s are reliable but old.

That's a good enough reason not to be worried at all

As with most flights, just bring a couple of magazines,books,ipod etc to keep yourself entertained for those times you aren't sleeping ... but otherwise have a pleasant trip!

 

[simongr]

At 5' 8" I think you will be fine in economy (unless you are also 120KGs). Just take books or catch up on movies

 

[VAT]

Thanks for the good wishes.
Is it possible to know how old the plane I am flying would be.

 

[JetLagged]

VAT - welcome to AFF.

Look forward to a whol;e new experience and enjoy it - Qantas has one of the best safety records of any airline - they have NEVER lost a plane and boy, they are determined that they will never have cause to!

 

[nlagalle]

Thanks for the good wishes.
Is it possible to know how old the plane I am flying would be.

You won't know until you see the rego of the aircraft, then you could look it up. I wouldn't worry however about the age.

FYI the oldest 747-400 entered the fleet in 1989, the newest in 2003.

Nick

 

[Sprucegoose]

VAT,

You are in very good hands. Are you aware of the liquids rule? Your biggest problem will most probably be the different time zones creating jet lag.

I also put my local time down next to my destinations and start acting 'locally' as soon as practicable.

See your doctor get some sleeping help as well. I use stillnox, however there is a comprehensive thread here on the subject.

hope all goes well for you.

spruce

 

[Must...Fly!]

G'day VAT, welcome to AFF!

There is no way to see which plane will be operating your service (for the public anyway...even if you knew someone at Qantas, chances are the rego will change before Friday).

You've joined a forum full of people who love flying and do it a lot, or at least as much as they can afford to, so in that respect I think you might be alone!

But let me give you some reassuring words;

You won't be the first, nor the last to jump on a Qantas jet for the first time as an older person. If you're stressed, consider letting the crew know as they might be able to keep an eye on you. Even let your check-in agent know, they may be able to sit you in an exit near a staff member who can explain things as they happen during take off and landing - eg turbulence, landing gear sounds, etc, things that will sound foreign to you and not right.

Don't drink much alcohol before the flight. Two reasons...one, people often making the mistake of drinking way too much due to nerves - do this, and you might not fly at all. Second, enjoy the experience as much as you can. If you can just take a deep breath and get on with it, I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Lastly, all I have to say is don't worry yourself with what plane will be taking you to London. You can't do anything about it and will just stress you out during the flight. Every plane in the Qantas fleet is serviced and maintained to a high degree, higher than most in fact. Their safety record is testament to that fact. Don't believe every media story you see. They're currently in Qantas beat-up mode, and have been for 2 or 3 years. None of us have any idea why. Some here fly more than twice a week and have never had a problem, so don't worry yourself one bit - you will get there safe.

Best of luck with the travelling, I hope you have a good time!

 

[VAT]

VAT,

You are in very good hands. Are you aware of the liquids rule?
See your doctor get some sleeping help as well. I use stillnox, however there is a comprehensive thread here on the subject.

hope all goes well for you.

spruce

Cheers
I was thinking of Valium, just one to steady the nerves.

I guess I have seen to many air crash investigators LOL. Seriously though I have done some searches about QANTAS 747s and they have really got a pasting over the past few years with some incidents.

THe one where the bottle exploded, well I take my hat off to the skill of the pilot. But you think the older the plane, the more stress on parts and the hazards this could cause.

I think its something I will need to go through as I really want to see another country.

 

[simongr]

Thanks for the good wishes.
Is it possible to know how old the plane I am flying would be.

I wouldn't worry about it. Older planes have been regularly serviced by Qantas. In fact my experience has been that old planes work and new A380s leave you stranded for 24 hours at Singapore...

 

[Sprucegoose]

Cheers
I was thinking of Valium, just one to steady the nerves.

I guess I have seen to many air crash investigators LOL. Seriously though I have done some searches about QANTAS 747s and they have really got a pasting over the past few years with some incidents.

THe one where the bottle exploded, well I take my hat off to the skill of the pilot. But you think the older the plane, the more stress on parts and the hazards this could cause.

I think its something I will need to go through as I really want to see another country.

No hull losses nor loss of life, speaks for itself. Suggest you dont take Valium before you board, the last post contained some very good advice, let them know your concerns etc.

what are your flight details?

 

[Must...Fly!]

I guess I have seen to many air crash investigators LOL..

Some of us watch them before flying...Ok, well I do at least

 

[Hvr]

Some of us watch them before flying...Ok, well I do at least

Strewth some of us watch it whilst flying.

To the OP, enjoy the flight and hopefully you will have a great trip.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Strewth some of us watch it whilst flying.

I prefer to watch a movie...wouldn't want to disturb the people around me anyway if they glanced over to my laptop screen and saw a plane hurtling to the ground

 

[Hvr]

Was doing ADL-SYD after OzFest so I didn't have long and thought it would be fitting given where I had come from.

 

[mannej]

VAT,

It seems to me that you are worried about what plane you will be one. If it settles your nerves, the plane involved (VH-OJK) in the exploding Oxygen Bottle incident has been retired, so won't be involved in taking you to LHR or back.

I have traveled on planes that have been involved in previous incidents, and if it wasn't for searching the rego after the flight, I would have been none the wiser.

As others have stated QF have very high safety standards, and have very highly trained professional pilots. Contrary to reports in the media, I do not have issues with my safety when traveling on QF, and nor should you.

 

[BensAdventures]

Hey VAT,

My parents just took their first international flight last week to London and they are over 60, and had a great trip. They were a little tired when they landed, but got a decent sleep between Singapore and London. They too were in Economy and concerned, but now they want to travel the world! Have a great trip!

 

[serfty]

... If it settles your nerves, the plane involved (VH-OJK) in the exploding Oxygen Bottle incident has been retired, so won't be involved in taking you to LHR or back ....

Exactly, it was retired late last year:

Qantas VH-OJK (Boeing 747) - Airfleets

 

[NYCguy]

Another vote for not taking any sleeping or "anti-anxiety" pills on a long flight, in my opinion it just makes jet-lag worse, and the last thing you want when you arrive is to negotiate LHR with a benzo hangover. Just stay up as late as you can when you arrive, sleep when you're completely tired, and try to talk yourself out of any anxieties onboard (it requires deep-breathing, positive visualisations and a good dose willpower).

 

[coco50]

Having done a lot of overseas travel I can honestly say that neither my wife nor I have ever been jet lagged. RTW two years ago we flew west all the way with a stopover of 4 days in SIN and then night flight to LHR. For the first time we took a sleeping pill (prescribed by our doctor) and woke up about an hour out of Heathrow as resh as daisies. Usually we like to arrive at our destination in the evening but this is not always possible. Another tip for beating jet lag is to set your watch to the time of your arrival port when you embark.

As for problems with the A/C - travel on the ground is far more dangerous than up there - and if anything bad happens up there well - its been a good time anyway!