flying over to dads' erm.. house?

Moach

Crazy dude with a rocket
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he lives on a boat!
currently off the coast of Turks 'n Caicos Islands - where i shall join the fun later today!

i've never been aboard thus far... my sister did thrice already, so on i went for my turn at what's promptly become my family's most popular vacation spot :thumbup:

right now i'm stationed at the KMIA airport hotel (which has a pretty awesome breakfast) waiting out the mother of all layovers - from touchdown yesterday 6pm to wheels up today at 12:55 (if no delays)


planes keep shrinking as i go along - the first leg was a 777-200 - had never flown in one 'til yesterday -- it was the smoothest flight (and one of the best landings) i have ever experienced - Kudos to cap'n Johnson of American Airlines!


todays fun: a b757 (variant soon to be discovered) across the ~1:30 hour leg to providenciales intl. (IATA PLS, ICAO MBPV)

and then, to the best fun of the week - a Beechcraft Super King Air later this afternoon connecting MBPV to MBGT (grand turk island) where dad is moored


yes - i've already flight-simmed this one! though i have yet to find what sort of procedures those guys would use... the MBPV GTK SID flies right over grand turk at FL210! can't be fully IFR then, i guess... :p

well, i guess well see....


later (when i get a proper link, that is - wifi is mighty dodgy on a boat) i'll post the awesome approach and landing video i managed to shoot when i arrived here yesterday


now - to loot the duty free! :cheers:
 

MaverickSawyer

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Couple of things to watch for on the ramp (if you haven't gone wheels up yet):
-Cargo bay doors are hydraulic actuated and open outwards and up.
-Ground Power socket is aft of the nose gear on the copilot's side. You may see the ramp workers use a step ladder or a tug bumper to reach it: it's over 6 feet off the ground. (I'm 6'1", and I had issues with them :p)
-The engines can vary, but if it's Pratt & Whitney, expect to see oil stains on the tarmac beneath the engines: they drip after shutdown. Reportedly, this is the sign of a healthy PW engine. :p
-If you're on a 757-300, you may board from the SECOND door on the pilot's side, not the first. I know that's the way Delta does it, and that's the only experience I have with 757s.
-Although you may not see it, many 757s have a "magic carpet" loading system for their baggage holds. It's a big conveyor belt in the hold that you stack the bags on, then slide it back, add more bags, etc. Makes it easier to laod, since you don't have to heave the bags down the hold! :lol:
 

Moach

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well, i've arrived now!


in the end the Beechcraft King Air was not the aircraft used for the last flight (unlike it said on the website) - instead, the not-less-awesome EMB120 Brasilia was used, and i can only say - turboprops are FUN!

i did see the king air parked on the lot next to the ramp - it must have been down for maintenance or something ::)


the 757 was a great flight as well -
it was funny, after an unexpectedly rough visual (and thuswise manual) approach followed by a remarkably smooth touchdown, we were deboarding and there was the pilot seeing us out of the airplane.
i told him "great landing, cap'n" - and he merrily replied "thanks! i was lucky!"

the attendant beside him gave him the most amazed look - it was hilarious!
 
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