Polls Archives - Golf Hotel Whiskey

Videos: Skydiving cats and dogs

Pet owners will do just about everything with their pets, with some going so far as to take their pets skydiving – which should come as a surprise because not too long ago, the fur was flying over this Swedish ad for pet insurance showing skydiving cats:

Of course and as the following CNN segment from Jeanne Moos about the “controversial” ad reveals, the cats were not actually skydiving as some viewers had thought as everything was filmed in a studio (e.g. the cats were blown by fans to give them their slightly grumpy windblown look):

But before you think that nobody in their right mind would actually try skydiving with their pet cat, think again as Jeanne mentioned someone did try it and there is a video on YouTube to prove it:

That video seems to be an exception to the rule (as well as commonsense given how cats usually don’t like noisy places, like inside of airplanes!) that skydiving and cats do not mix. Nevertheless, a quick search of YouTube reveals several skydiving dogs, including Crasha, Big Arnold, Mindy (this video noted the world record holding skydiving dog has 73 jumps and counting) and a Pug named Bugsy.

It should be noted that dogs have been parachuted into war zones and for Artic rescue missions since at least the World War II era as this final video reveals (although their lands do appear rather hard):

With the above videos in mind, we would love to hear your thoughts about skydiving with a pet e.g. Would you ever consider doing it and more importantly, should it even be allowed?

Coventry Airport’s DC-6 Diner

If you are looking for a unique dining experience along with delicious food, airports and commercial flights probably aren’t at the top of the list, but the DC-6 Diner could be an exception to that rule. Opened in early 2011, the DC-6 Diner is located inside a 1950s DC-6 aircraft that was featured in James Bond’s Casino Royale and then transformed into a 40-seater restaurant at the Coventry Airport:

Naturally a unique venue requires equally unique menu names with the grilled menu options being named after various aircraft (e.g. the Spitfire hanger steak, Dam Buster 16oz T bone steak, Concorde 8oz aged fillet steak etc.) while American burgers are named after American celebrities (e.g. the “Monroe some like it hot” chargrilled burger with chill; “Straight shootin’ John Wayne” chargrilled burger with tomato, red onion, lettuce and pickle; the “James Dean Rebel Without a Cause” butterfly chicken with tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise etc.). There is also a “little aviators” or kids menu and a takeout menu.

It should also be mentioned that during the daytime, the DC-6 Diner’s website says it’s the perfect place for lunch, private business meetings, corporate hospitality or a simply tea and coffee while during the evening, the place becomes a more “intimate” restaurant.

Otherwise and the unique venue aside, what’s going to matter the most is whether or not the food and/or the service flies high or crash lands for you with John Lanchester, a Guardian restaurant critic, completely trashing the restaurant in an October 2011 review while most of the reviewers on TripAdvisor have rated the place as either “very good” or “excellent” albeit there are a number of not so good reviews as well (because everyone is a restaurant critic these days…).

With that in mind, we would like to ask any of our readers: Have you ever stopped at the DC-6 Diner at the Coventry Airport for some food or drink? If so, tell us what you thought of the food and the service in the comments section.

Is Airplane Repo on the Discovery Channel fake?

We have written a couple of times about the airplane repo business (see Risky business: Being an airplane repo man and Meet an airplane repo man) plus the Discovery Channel has even created a reality TV series called Airplane Repo where repo men chase multi-million dollar jets across America. However, just how real is the Discovery Channel’s Airplane Repo show?

That was the subject of a recent thread on the Airline Pilot Forum with a moderator under the pseudonym UAL T38 Phlyer pointing out:

And somehow, they always have time to mount belly-cameras—-more than one—-on these airplanes they are in a ‘hurry’ to takeoff with. On a Canadair, I assume they used more than duct-tape.

He or she then added:

I saw it the other night (surfing through it). They took a Cessna from a ranch in Texas. A ranch-hand gave chase to one of the guys on the ground. The guy who took the plane buzzed him repeatedly to drive him off.
Now, unless this was done with the full blessing of the FAA (under the auspices of an ‘air show’), only a dunce would allow video of such an event to actually be broadcast.

UAL T38 Phlyer concluded it was “staged, mindless spectacle for the uninformed” while rightside02 added:

Totally staged and a joke, I would guess about 14 percent of what you see is really true. The rest is drama for ratings, which I understand, the public wants drama.
Next new show, jersey shore cast gets the ppl and does the repos themselves !

Someone then posted a question to ask what happened to a reality show where they had a variety of people competing in flight training for some sort of prize, but then someone answered that the show only lasted about two episodes – no doubt because it could not compete with the Jersey Shore.

Finally, TheFly posted:

Just saw an episode where they “repod” a Beech Jet 400. There’s was a cut scene from inside the cockpit just as V1 is called, the attitude indicator is in a 60 degree bank and around a 15 degree nose down pitch. Engines probably weren’t event running.
Fake.

Taking all of the above comments into consideration, we would like to ask you our readers whether or not you have seen an episode of Airplane Repo. If so, what’s your verdict? Real, fake or just plain entertaining?!!!

An airline pilot needs help: About his big gut…

Someone calling himself jsfBoat, who we presume to be an airline pilot, has recently posted an interesting “problem” he is having with his gut (as in his belly or abdominal fat…) on the Airline Pilot Forum:

My gut is getting progressively bigger, and no matter what health changes I try to make its only change is for the bigger. It’s not huge, but I am starting to get a lot of comments about it. I’m 5’11” and 165 lbs, no means fat by the standards, but I do want to get rid of it.

jsfBoat then noted his typical routine which may not be all that different from the routine of many other airline pilots:

I have 4-5 day trips, early shows with late finishes, and even though I pack snacks and some meals for these trips, I usually end up eating after 10pm when I’m finally done and most times skip meals and eat bigger meals. A lot of 14-15 hour duty days, so not much opportunity for exercise during the trip….. “I’ve been sweating for the last 12 hours, want to take a shower and put on dry clothes before I have to wake up in 7 hours”

Naturally, the post has attracted a fairly sizable number of responses (more than thirty and counting) with some giving better suggestions than others.

There was plenty of advice (both good and conflicting) over what jsfBoat should eat and drink plus a couple of jokers suggested that he take up smoking. However, the best point regarding what to eat or drink probably came from JamesNoBrakes who made the observation that one should eat relative to what one burns “but people are so used to cramming their mouths with food that they have a hard time comprehending that you do not need 5 pancakes, 4 slices of bacon, 3 pieces of toast and hash-browns to sit in a chair for 4-5 hours.”

There was also good advice for how an airline pilot can go about getting some basic exercise, such as:

Parking the farthest at a parking lot.
Taking the stairs at hotels and airports.
Traveling with a jump rope and have several HIT fitness and crossfit routines to do when there is no access to a gym.

Finally, a couple of commenters recommended the MyFitnessPal app to track everything you eat and burn working out. Most foods, including restaurant and packaged foods, are in the app’s database and all you have to do is scan the bar code of just about all packaged foods to get their calorie count.

Taking the above into consideration, we would like to ask any airline pilot readers: What do you do to stay reasonably fit and healthy when you are not in the cockpit?

Modifying your Cessna into a better aircraft

If you are thinking of modifying your Cessna for the better, a lengthy article by Bill Walker for General Aviation News is a must read filled with useful ideas and tips. In Bill’s experience, most of the changes people make to their aircraft generally involve safety, power/performance, appearance or some combination of these and then he outlined some of the following changes he made to his Cessna 172:

Adding Shoulder Harnesses. Bill’s first modification was rather minor as it involved replacing the original lap belts with shoulder harnesses incorporating a lap belt. He mentioned Hooker Harnesses and B.A.S. Inc. for other pilots looking to do the same.
Changing the Engine. Bill’s 172 left the factory with a Continental O-300 145-hp 6 cylinder but now he flies with a 180-hp Lycoming 0-360 A1A and a Hartzell constant speed propeller. If you are thinking of doing an engine change, Bill devoted several paragraphs mentioning names of those who offer various types of conversions in the USA.
Adding a Westach Carburetor Temperature Gauge. Bill mentioned the addition of a Westach carburetor temperature gauge through Aircraft Spruce was useful as it provides instant feedback on any possible carb icing.
Installing a Baggage Door and Door Organizer. Since early Skyhawks did not have a baggage door, Bill purchased a used door from Wentworth Aircraft. He added that a nice addition for 172, 182 and early model 210 aircraft is a baggage door organizer which he ordered one from Denton Enterprises in Nampa, Idaho. The organizer screws inside the door and provides room for a couple of quarts of oil and plenty of small items.

The above were just some of the modifications Bill made to his aircraft with two other major modifications being the conversion of the aircraft to conventional gear and the addition of bigger tires.

Its worth mentioning that Bill’s article noted the starting point for all modifications for American pilots would be the Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) for aircraft make and model listed by the FAA (the list can be viewed online here). In addition, UK based pilots and aircraft owners should check with the Civil Aviation Authority’s Approval of Modifications and Repairs for CAA Regulated Aircraft page as a starting reference point.

Finally, we would like to ask you our readers: Have you modified your Cessna? If so, what were the modifications you made and where did you have these modifications done?

What is the real cost of flight training and flying?

If you are wondering what the real costs of flight training or flying as a general aviation pilot are, a would-be student pilot nicknamed aggieflyer has asked a great question on the Ask a Flight Instructor website about what those costs would be:

I know to get a private pilot certification cost anywhere from 5k to 9k.
What I am trying to figure out is the real cost of flying a plane after I get my certification. I see online where Cessena rents for $100-$125/hr WET.
What are other cost associated with flying everytime? Do i need to buy insurance coverage when I fly, what are added cost? do i need to pay landing fees at airports I land? Do i need to be a flying club member? Any FAA fees? Additional passenger charges etc

John D. Collins responded by writing that he owns a Bonanza which costs him the following:

Maintenance: $3,000
Insurance: $1,200
Hagar Taxes: $1,100
Hangar Condo Fees: $600
Fuel: $4,500 (Assuming $6 per gallon x 15 gallons per flight hour x 50 hours per year)

His total flying costs comes to $10,400 per year or $210 per hour, but he estimated that a C172 would be half that value. He also commented about airport and FBO fees and that most general aviation pilots learn to avoid those that have them (not difficult to do in the USA) or minimize their exposure to them.

Jim F. then posted that a student pilot should expect the cost of flight training to be much closer to $10,000 than to $5,000.

Renting a 172: At Least $120 an Hour (Potentially less for a 150/152, Cub or Tail-wheel)
Renter’s Insurance (Even if You Don’t Have Much Assets): $250
Equipment (e.g. Headsets, Charts, Books etc.): $1,000
Charts: Annual Updates
Gas (As In To and From the Airport) etc.: Varies

Jim suggested adding a few dollars or if you end up doing a significant amount of flying, adding $5 to $10 to the hourly rental charge to anticipate all of the other costs you will incur as a general aviation pilot.

Bob Watson added that the cost of a flight instructor will also need to be included in a flight training cost calculation. In the Pacific Northwest where he lives, a flight instructor will cost $40 to $70 an hour and you will need to assume 20 to 30 hours of instruction in an aircraft plus 10 to 15 hours of instruction both before and after a flight – adding around $2,000 to the cost of flight training.

Finally, Brian commented that you will first need to determine if you are the type of person who learns quickly. If so, then you should assume 50 to 80 flight hours for training plus roughly the same amount of ground time and you will need to find out what a flight instructor charges per hour. Multiplying those figures will equal your total flight training costs.

With the above flight training and flying costs in mind that are more appropriate for the States, we would love to ask any UK or Europe based readers: What were your flight training costs and what are your annual flying costs?