On Fri, 05 Sep 2014 19:02:56 -0500 Recliner wrote :
The thing that gets me is taking off in a propeller plane. They always seem
to be slow to get off the ground, making me wonder if it'll ever take off,
but then rise up anyway. They often have nice big windows, too.

Perhaps my hairiest flight was in a small single-engined sight-seeing plane
over the Grand Canyon, where I occupied the co-pilot's seat. The pilot
could see me taking pics, so he went out of his way to bank steeply as we
manoeuvred over the Canyon, so I got the best possible shots. The rising
air was bumpy, so I felt the need to hang on, but not to any of the moving
dual controls in front of me. It was one of those exhilarating flights
which you simultaneously want to go on forever, and to end immediately.

I did the same, save that it was a four seater with two of us tourists. The
other guy had a video camera so I gallantly let him have the back seat where
he could film from either side and I took the co-pilot's seat. No sooner had
we taken off than I started remembering those films where the pilot has a
heart attack and someone who has never flown a plane before has to take the
controls .... No need to worry though: he was an off duty airline pilot
making some extra money.

--
Tony B

On 2014-09-05 23:24:06 +0000, Recliner said:

Yes, I really like T5 and BA. Enjoy your flight!

Indeed, T5 has taken Heathrow off my avoid list. I hope the new
terminal is as good, I hear plenty to suggest it is. So just T4 to
avoid now.

Cheers.

Neil
--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the @ to reply.

On Sat, 6 Sep 2014 11:05:44 +0100, Neil Williams
wrote:

On 2014-09-05 23:24:06 +0000, Recliner said:

Yes, I really like T5 and BA. Enjoy your flight!

Indeed, T5 has taken Heathrow off my avoid list. I hope the new
terminal is as good, I hear plenty to suggest it is. So just T4 to
avoid now.

Yes, T4 is really awful now, much worse than when it was BA's main
terminal. Finding the right executive lounge is hard, too.

I flew Sri Lankan earlier this year, and they don't have their own
lounge, but share the Gulf Air lounge. Needless to say, the breakfast
on offer missed out some of the usual components, and though booze was
available, you couldn't help yourself.

On 06/09/2014 11:05, Neil Williams wrote:

On 2014-09-05 23:24:06 +0000, Recliner said:

Yes, I really like T5 and BA. Enjoy your flight!

Indeed, T5 has taken Heathrow off my avoid list. I hope the new
terminal is as good, I hear plenty to suggest it is. So just T4 to
avoid now.

Blimey, you've changed your tune pretty radically! Not so long ago you
seemed to consider Heathrow as one of the gates of hell.

On 03/09/2014 00:23, Recliner wrote:

wrote:
[...]
They aren't being very rational then. The time to Gatwick from central
London is as good as that to Heathrow, especially if you don't pay the
extortionate fares on Heathrow Express.

Many Heathrow passengers come from locations other than Central London. I
live in West London, and Heathrow is far more convenient than any other
airport. Gatwick is only good for people near Victoria or Thameslink
stations.

Ever heard of a small station called Clapham Junction? Or noticed all
those railway lines in south London that can get one to East Croydon?
etc etc...

On 02/09/2014 12:08, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 11:50:51 on Tue, 2 Sep
2014, Someone Somewhere remarked:
I haven't looked at the schedules but I can well believe every London
airport has several flights a day to particular european destinations
that could easily be consolidated into less "movements" in larger,
more efficient, planes if that were the case.

Heathrow/Gatwick don't have flights to very many European destinations.
That market is dominated by low-cost airlines from other airports.

I did say "particular" and I did say "every London airport" not just
Gatwick and Heathrow. I can imagine that flights to Amsterdam for
example are pretty much available from every London airport (not
counting piddling ones like Southend)

wrote in message
...
On Fri, 05 Sep 2014 15:26:20 +0100
Recliner wrote:
I think that people like Boltar, with a fear of flying, rationalise it

Who said anything about a fear of flying? Though it is the most miserable
and
unpleasent way to travel long distance this side of a NEx bus.

by asserting that flying is a bad idea for everyone. That way, they
don't feel they're losing out so much.

Its a bad idea for the enviroment.

As someone who:

Rarely has a car, usually travelling by bus/train/walk/bike

Keeps the thermostat down low so as not to over heat the house

always takes my own reusable bags to the supermarket

Puts everything possible in the recycling bag

never disposes of material things until they have worn out

and never in my life have I thrown away a food item because I let it get out
of date/go stale

I have a problem with someone else deciding what particular things I have to
do to make my contribution to saving the planet

tim

Someone Somewhere wrote:
On 02/09/2014 12:08, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 11:50:51 on Tue, 2 Sep
2014, Someone Somewhere remarked:
I haven't looked at the schedules but I can well believe every London
airport has several flights a day to particular european destinations
that could easily be consolidated into less "movements" in larger,
more efficient, planes if that were the case.

Heathrow/Gatwick don't have flights to very many European destinations.
That market is dominated by low-cost airlines from other airports.

I did say "particular" and I did say "every London airport" not just
Gatwick and Heathrow. I can imagine that flights to Amsterdam for
example are pretty much available from every London airport (not counting
piddling ones like Southend)

Why not count Southend? easyJet has direct SEN-AMS flights.

On 06/09/2014 16:46, Recliner wrote:
Someone Somewhere wrote:
On 02/09/2014 12:08, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 11:50:51 on Tue, 2 Sep
2014, Someone Somewhere remarked:
I haven't looked at the schedules but I can well believe every London
airport has several flights a day to particular european destinations
that could easily be consolidated into less "movements" in larger,
more efficient, planes if that were the case.

Heathrow/Gatwick don't have flights to very many European destinations.
That market is dominated by low-cost airlines from other airports.

I did say "particular" and I did say "every London airport" not just
Gatwick and Heathrow. I can imagine that flights to Amsterdam for
example are pretty much available from every London airport (not counting
piddling ones like Southend)

Why not count Southend? easyJet has direct SEN-AMS flights.

Ok - didn't realise that and when I was last there didn't notice them.
Happy to include it then!

In article , (Mizter T) wrote:

On 03/09/2014 00:23, Recliner wrote:

wrote:
[...]
They aren't being very rational then. The time to Gatwick from central
London is as good as that to Heathrow, especially if you don't pay the
extortionate fares on Heathrow Express.

Many Heathrow passengers come from locations other than Central London.
I live in West London, and Heathrow is far more convenient than any
other airport. Gatwick is only good for people near Victoria or
Thameslink stations.

Ever heard of a small station called Clapham Junction? Or noticed all
those railway lines in south London that can get one to East Croydon?
etc etc...

It's a specialised form of myopia, seeing London only through the tube map.

--
Colin Rosenstiel