First Time Flyer

[Alanslegal]

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!

It's not what happens up there that scares me, but its the coming down :shock:

 

[Andyzx]

Hi VAT, welcome to FF

As mentioned it will be impossible to provide exact information on your flight and plane. All QF planes are serviced and well maintained and forget about what the media say, I have this from a non Qantas engineer.
I have assumed that you are flying from Sydney. The listing below is for the main planes that fly that route based on the recent history for those flights
Looking at QF1 they have mostly use OJF and OJG on Saturdays, QF31 is more random, so can't be a lot of help, although they have flown A380's for parts of May so you might be lucky. Having said all this, May and early June use of aircraft are still in flux repositioning due to the mid May ash over Europe. Print this off if you can and then you may be able to tell when you are walkign down the ramp to the plane.

Try to enjoy the experiance, dont take the drugs you will miss the experiance but have them just in case. Try stay awake to Sinapore or Bangkok and sleep on the second leg. Talk to the staff they really go out of their way to help people as they want you back again.

As my late father said on his trip back from LHR, the plane (747) was too damm quiet, he couldn't tell what was going on, but he was a rear gunner on a WW2 bomber...

Cheers Andy

Rego, approx Date entered service and name. I think I have these right
VH-OJL-23/07/91 City of Ballarat
VH-OJM-17/09/91 Gosford
VH-OJN-07/11/91 City of Dubbo
VH-OJO-21/05/92 City of Toowoomba
VH-OJP-26/06/92 City of Albury
VH-OJQ-18/09/92 Mandurah
VH-OJR-15/10/92 City of Bathurst
VH-OJT-26/10/99 Fraser Island
VH-OJU-24/01/00 Lord Howe Island
VH-OJF-06/04/90 City of Perth
VH-OJG 15/08/90 City of Hobart

 

[VAT]

Rego, approx Date entered service and name. I think I have these right
VH-OJL-23/07/91 City of Ballarat
VH-OJM-17/09/91 Gosford
VH-OJN-07/11/91 City of Dubbo
VH-OJO-21/05/92 City of Toowoomba
VH-OJP-26/06/92 City of Albury
VH-OJQ-18/09/92 Mandurah
VH-OJR-15/10/92 City of Bathurst
VH-OJT-26/10/99 Fraser Island
VH-OJU-24/01/00 Lord Howe Island
VH-OJF-06/04/90 City of Perth
VH-OJG 15/08/90 City of Hobart

Thanka again sincerely to everyone who has responded and you encouraging words.

Wow, some of these 747's that could be flying to London are 20 years old. I must say I find that scary. I suppose they are maintained well as you have all said. I didnt think they flew aircraft that were that old, in the case of Qantas.

I cant help thinking that:

1 that is a lot of take offs and landings and stress for the plane.

2 I reckon most people dont even bother to know what year the plane they are flying is, they just get on and go.

Unfortunately in my case I just find it overwhelming. So much so that people at work have been commenting that I really look ver very stressed. Why, I dont know its a really big step for me and yet I ride a motorbike without too much fear (most times). Maybe its just my nature.

 

[kamchatsky]

Thanka again sincerely to everyone who has responded and you encouraging words.

Wow, some of these 747's that could be flying to London are 20 years old. I must say I find that scary. I suppose they are maintained well as you have all said. I didnt think they flew aircraft that were that old, in the case of Qantas.

I cant help thinking that:

1 that is a lot of take offs and landings and stress for the plane.

2 I reckon most people dont even bother to know what year the plane they are flying is, they just get on and go.

Unfortunately in my case I just find it overwhelming. So much so that people at work have been commenting that I really look ver very stressed. Why, I dont know its a really big step for me and yet I ride a motorbike without too much fear (most times). Maybe its just my nature.

Actually despite what u see on the news, statistically flying planes is safer than catching any automobile. There is higher chance of accident on the road then on the air.

Whilst there are lots of stress on plane takeoff and landings, airplanes are DESIGNED for these stresses. That's why an aeroplane is so expensive, compared to cars. They are also designed to last a long time, unlike cars.

For planes, they have to go through A LOT OF CHECKS by authorities before they are even allowed on the air. You would not believe the amount of computerised sensors fitted on the plane these days.

What you need to do is to watch movies in front of your seat whilst on air. They can actually take a lot of time and stress of you. Enjoy the Qantas service, it is better than a lot of airlines around the world (ranked 7th overall in Skytrax award this year).

 

[PaulC83]

Wow, some of these 747's that could be flying to London are 20 years old. I must say I find that scary. I suppose they are maintained well as you have all said. I didnt think they flew aircraft that were that old, in the case of Qantas.

Hi There,

I understand your anxiety as I have a very close friend who has the same issues with flying, and he still hasn't been able to overcome it, but I wish you luck and all you can do is try, as others have mentioned making it aware to the FAs means they can help you through the process.

On the topic of a 20 year old aircraft, one of the great things about the aviation industry is that they are highly regulated in their requirements to be able to be cleared for take-off. They have service sheets just like a car, but instead they are done on hours operated, and unlike a car the airline cannot choose not to do the maintenance (without breaking safety rules), so a part that has X hours of life is replaced at X hours, and an audit trail is kept (they also have strict rules about checks and double checks when this is done to eliminate poor workmanship). Also there are numerous pre-flight checks, and literally faulty seatbelts or even faulty lamps can delay a plane from taking off (they also have quite good indicator systems to alert them to this). I was delayed out of Melbourne once because there was a discrepancy in the paperwork regarding the seatbelts, thats how strict it gets.

Of course all of this still doesn't mean something won't happen, or that there are old components on those planes, but it is more than likely that the critical parts (major engine components etc.) are possibly newer/just as new as some as the more current aircraft, and even the interiors seem to under-go a face lift quite often these days!

 

[mannej]

There are airlines out there with a/c much younger than QF that I would not fly on.

The reason why people do not check the age of a/c before they fly is that it is not a worry to them, and it shouldn't be.

I remember a stats lecturer pointing out that age is not really a big factor in accidents like this, and if you did analyse it deeper, that there is a spread of new and old in the stats. Age does not make a/c unsafe if they are maintained (just like cars).

It seems to me that your nerves are getting the better of your thoughts (which is very normal). The best thing to do is to is to stay calm, use the IFE or read a book to keep your mind from wandering and enjoy the flight. The less you think about it the better you will be at staying calm.

And remember that you have already stated that you believe that these 747's are reliable, so don't let your mind play too many tricks on you

 

[PaulC83]

I remember a stats lecturer pointing out that age is not really a big factor in accidents like this, and if you did analyse it deeper, that there is a spread of new and old in the stats. Age does not make a/c unsafe if they are maintained (just like cars).

Slightly OT but in engineering we call it the Bathtub curve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[mannej]

Slightly OT but in engineering we call it the Bathtub curve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You learn something new everyday.

Thanks PaulC83

 

[julesten]

Hi Vat

I have flown on many many flights and still get a little nervous about how such alarge aircraft and get into the sky. I now take a window seat and just watch the whole thing. I love to take photo's so have many from take off to landing even Ayres Rock on one flight.

Like everyone else has said have a champayne for your first trip take a good book and watch a movie or two.

Enjoy you lucky one.

 

[VAT]

It seems to me that your nerves are getting the better of your thoughts (which is very normal). The best thing to do is to is to stay calm, use the IFE or read a book to keep your mind from wandering and enjoy the flight. The less you think about it the better you will be at staying calm.

Yes my nerves are getting the better of me. I went to the doctor today and let her know about the anxiety I was going through. She reckons a Valium on the second half of the trip might be an idea.

The other thing is that planes look narrow inside, so is it easy or possible to go for a walk in the aisles ? Is this OK or is there some protocol about doing this ?

 

[julesten]

You will not be the only one walking around the cabin alot do this. But as a passenger most don't like it at night when the cabin lights are dimmed.

The plane may look narrow from the outside but it sure is a big bird when you get on it.

I much preferr to travel on the Big top as there seems to be less bumps guess due to the size. Not a big fan of the airbus.

You have got me all excited about my trip in 3 weeks only a short trip to Vietnam but I have 10 flights in 14 days so that will keep me on my metal

 

[nlagalle]

Yes my nerves are getting the better of me. I went to the doctor today and let her know about the anxiety I was going through. She reckons a Valium on the second half of the trip might be an idea.

The other thing is that planes look narrow inside, so is it easy or possible to go for a walk in the aisles ? Is this OK or is there some protocol about doing this ?

Vat,

Although 20 years sounds old, as long as it passes all the major checks everything is fine. I'd be more worried about a car accident going to the airport!

Yes the aisles are narrow, but easy to walk around. and provided the seat belt sign is off "you are free to move around the cabin" as they say. In fact it recommended on long flights to keep the circulation going.

Cheers,

Nick