The totally off-topic thread

[medhead]

There was a plane passing overhead Geelong yesterday late morning at high altitude (with contrail). Any guesses what that was (....paging Markis10..... to the white courtesy phone......)

CHEMTRAILS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Sent from the Throne

 

[Nigelinoz]

Speaking of things passing overhead I would love to have seen this-

Space shuttle Discovery takes victory lap

Space shuttle Discovery takes victory lap - Technology - NZ Herald News


Gotta love the picture
Cheers
N'oz
Edited to add: Some good video of the takeoff too at the Huffington Post site-
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/17/space-shuttle-discovery-final-takeoff_n_1431131.html

 

[markis10]

Speaking of things passing overhead I would love to have seen this-

Space shuttle Discovery takes victory lap

Space shuttle Discovery takes victory lap - Technology - NZ Herald News


Gotta love the picture .
Cheers
N'oz

Did you see the landing video I posted

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....news/discovery-takes-one-last-ride-38610.html

 

[Nigelinoz]

No I missed that,thanks for the link ,I will check it out.
Cheers
N'oz

 

[markis10]

Wicked wobble on landing!

 

[docjames]

Thanks Markis10 - I wondered about routing and that's all I could think of (unless it was an antartic flight but they've finished for the year).

Last time I flew SYD-HRE it drove me crazy that I had to fly up to SYD, connect, then fly straight over the top of MEL. I wish VA had tried MEL-JNB instead of SYD-JNB.

 

[drmikki]

Speaking of wibble wobble, on landing into PER this morning the CSM made the announcement "Well, after that fabulous landing, we are now in Perth..." For the life of me, I can't work out whether or not he was being sarcastic or serious! It was a fairly average landing TBH, not the smoothest ever but certainly not terrible - no bounces etc.

Other oddities of the past month of travels:
- For the first time EVER (yes, I know... lucky!) my bag didn't make it to a destination with me, thanks to a 3 hour delay leaving DXB for HKG when "one of the engines has a problem" on pushback which turned a 3.5 hour lounging layover into an "escorted by ground staff thru security to the gate of the connecting flight". Excellent service from SHA ground staff and CX - bag ended up with First tags, on the next flight, delivered to hotel at midnight and I got $100 compensation (although had to prompt this).

- Yesterday on my indirect travels (SYD-BNE-MEL) I ended up in the same seat for both legs... with the same plane and same crew. Poor FA got rather confused when she offered me a newspaper on the second flight and had an overwhelming sense of deja vu! QF staff were wonderful and offered me pillow/blanket/anything I wanted once they realised how much flying I'd done (Started in SHA...)

- BNE flight departure was delayed by fire alarm in the terminal. No actual problem, but interesting to hear that they stop boarding/disembarking/unloading passengers whilst things were investigated. Oddly, they seemed to continue allowing people through security into the terminal whilst the alarm continued.

Finally a pic from my travels - as some of you may have heard, I was part of the medical team for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, an endurance rally which is part of the FIA/FIM world championships. Given the terrain involved, much of the medical/search and rescue is done by helicopter. This was my first time in a chopper (I was very sad to be told there are no FF points!) and I was lucky enough to not only ride, but also got to sit up front and sit out with my feet on the skids :mrgreen: Unfortunately I suspect this means I may need to go and learn how to fly a chopper now!

Still sorting through the chopper pictures but here's one of the terrain on the day I was the ground doc:


For the more keen-eyed amongst you, yes, there are 2 separate vehicles marooned on the crests of dunes, and no, none of them were competitors. In fact there was a third vehicle marooned in a dune 'bowl' behind the camera also, which meant 2 of the 3 'rescue' vehicles were stuck at this point in time. And where was I? Up the top of the dune taking pics and p***ing myself laughing!

Nice to be back home, although off to Taree in 2 days (46 hours away from an airport....) Came home to find a note on the door letting me know we have foster kittens in the house - nothing quite like being greeted by the whirlwind of 5 week old kittens They've tired themselves out now and are sound asleep on my leg:

 

[drron]

Thanks Markis10 - I wondered about routing and that's all I could think of (unless it was an antartic flight but they've finished for the year).

Last time I flew SYD-HRE it drove me crazy that I had to fly up to SYD, connect, then fly straight over the top of MEL. I wish VA had tried MEL-JNB instead of SYD-JNB.

But VA did fly MEL-JNB from ~ Aug09-Aug10.

 

[QF WP]

Lol. You or the plane... "was too high".

Sent from my GT-I9100 using AustFreqFly

It of course . Was just a silver tube glinting in the sun with a contrail behind.

 

[markis10]

I know everyone deserves their day in court but seriously, this seems to be a waste of resources !

Barrister faces court over 79c theft Crime and Court News | goldcoast.com.au | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

 

[Nigelinoz]

I know everyone deserves their day in court but seriously, this seems to be a waste of resources !

Barrister faces court over 79c theft Crime and Court News | goldcoast.com.au | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

I tend to agree but I guess at least it shows that the guy has a conscience,maybe he wants to move to Queensland and was frightened that
it may affect his ability to practice in Queensland if it came out and he hadn't owned up to it.
Cheers
N'oz

 

[Mal]

I tend to agree but I guess at least it shows that the guy has a conscience,maybe he wants to move to Queensland and was frightened that
it may affect his ability to practice in Queensland if it came out and he hadn't owned up to it.
Cheers
N'oz

Yep i think that could be an overriding reason.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using AustFreqFly

 

[docjames]

But VA did fly MEL-JNB from ~ Aug09-Aug10.

I dont remember this.

 

[drron]

My surrogate family definitely used this route.

 

[JohnK]

Was there anyone important at the BNE Sofitel yesterday. Lots of screaming young girls running around and police block off Turbot St at Edward St....

 

[Ewing]

Was there anyone important at the BNE Sofitel yesterday. Lots of screaming young girls running around and police block off Turbot St at Edward St....

Probably that boyband 'one direction' (dont worry, I hadn't heard of them either until they turned up in Sydney last week)


Sent from my LT26i using AustFreqFly

 

[JohnK]

And their target market is young girls? Can't be that important.

I read something about them in Mx yesterday and had no idea what or who they were but someone mentioned their name today.

 

[Simo]

Yep,

I had to sit on the train with heaps of them come back up to Sunny Coast after BNE drinks tonight

 

[Flashback]

BE1900, only a plane a mother could love (or an engineer with a penchant for adding more leading edges than thought possible to a plane). AirNZ tried to make her a bit slimmer a few years back by removing some of those add on aerodynamic bits Amazing photo: Emergency landing in New Zealand | Upgrade: Travel Better

If memory serves me right thats the plane type for my charter from CKY-NZE.

 

[Mal]

Was there anyone important at the BNE Sofitel yesterday. Lots of screaming young girls running around and police block off Turbot St at Edward St....

Yes. I walked past. I'm important!

(And 'One Direction' is the correct answer.... and Didn't you hear the screams tonight around 11.30 when I assume the band arrived back at their hotel?)