5/09/2008– The Weekly Round Up : Cathay Pacific's Flight Simulator : Airline Jargon 101 : WiFi In The Sky : Coolgorilla's French App :Why Are We Here?

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

5/09/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : Travel Planning For Natural Disasters : Cathay Pacific's Flight Simulator : Airline Jargon 101 : WiFi In The Sky : SWA Goes Cashless : Coolgorilla's French App : WiFi Worldwide : Why Are We Sitting Here?

This week the residents of New Orleans are lucky that Hurricane Gustav passed by their city. With Hurricane Gustav rapidly approaching New Orleans, this week started off with some travel planning basics for travel to, or departing, an area that is expected to be hit with a natural disaster. While this information may not be of general use to travelers, it should be helpful to journalists and first responders planning their travels to future hurricanes, floods and spreading wildfires. For some basic information on the disaster travel logistics check out :
30/08/2008 – Travel Planning & Natural Disasters

Have you ever wanted look out the cockpit window of a Boeing 747-400 as it enters it's final approach and landing on one of the most 'intense' runways in the world? Cathay Pacific Airways' new interactive website puts you in the simulator with the airline's flight crew as they practice their skills. Be sure to watch the simulator landing at Hong Kong's famed Kai Tak airport here: 1/09/2008 – Cathay Pacific Lets You Experience Landing At Some Of The World's Greatest Airports

Airlines and Airports have a language all their own. Often times flyers hear terminology announced over the loud speakers both on the ground and in the air that are unfamiliar to them. This week was Part 1 of 'airport jargon,' which will hopefully clarify those confusing announcements. To find out what words you've been confused about visit this entry: 2/09/2008 – Airline & Airport Terminology Glossary 101

Since Boeing Connexion was discontinued on international carriers there has been a void in the world of WiFi-in-the-Sky. American Airlines has begun to fill this void on select routes with American Airlines GoGo, soon to be followed by Delta Airlines and Virgin America. You can find out where you can fly and surf the web here: 2/09/2008 – American Airlines Puts WiFi In The Sky

No one likes fumbling for cash while sitting in a cramped seat, even fewer people enjoy seeking out an ATM machine and paying ATM fees, in an airport before a flight. This coming week Southwest Airlines joins other airlines in becoming a cashless airline. Next SWA flight? Skip the ATM and bring the plastic! Want more info? Visit here: 3/09/2008 – Southwest Airlines Moves To Cashless In-flight Sales Only

This week's iPhone 'App' of the Week? Coolgorilla's Talking French Phrasebook (I wrote up French as I have used it, but I have also now played with German and Spanish and they also seem great!). Want a great language translator on your iPhone? Check this one out here: 3/09/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Coolgorilla's Talking French Phrasebook

Need to work or just send an e-mail home on the road? Why pay for it when you can get two hours per day free from Starbucks? The Starbucks Card Rewards program now offers 2 hours of free wifi per day.......the cost? FREE! OK, you do need to use the card at least once a month, so grab a multigrain bagel with some low-fat cream cheese once a month and log on for free for the rest of month. You can find more details in this post: 4/09/2008 – Free WiFi Worldwide (well sort of)

Have you ever been at an airport where there are known 'ground stops' or heavy delays, yet the airline boards your flight anyway? Ever get annoyed boarding your flight only to have your aircraft sit at the gate for 45 minutes while you're advised of the delays by the Captain? Yea, we've all been there, in fact, that is how I spent nearly an hour of my afternoon. To see the airline point of view, not that I agree with in anyway, check here: 5/09/2008 – Airline Courtesy To Its Passengers During Delays?

Next week be sure to check for an updated No Jet Lag Workshops web site! The workshops for this coming winter have been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances in my health and an instability in airfares. I have selected new dates, verified the new fares (which are comparable to the original fares). With my healthy greatly improved and the new information in place, I will be re-introducing the Round-the-World Workshop and the EuroWorkshop this week!

That's it for this week!

Happy Flying!

Cathay Pacific Lets You Experience Landing At Some Of The World's Greatest Airports

Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

1/09/2008 – Cathay Pacific Lets You Experience Landing At Some Of The World's Greatest Airports

Have you ever wondered what it looked like to peer out of the cockpit of a Boeing 777-300 as it approached New York's JFK airport? Have you ever wanted to look out the cockpit window of a Boeing 747-400 as it approached one of the steepest and most dangerous airports in the world (Hong Kong's old Kai Tak airport)? Well now you can.........sort of.

Cathay Pacific Airways (CX) has recently added an interesting online experience for visitors to its interactive web site. This feature allows you to go into a flight simulator with CX's Captains and First Officers as they train for landings in the Boeing 747-400 and 777-300 simulators.

While it is fun to watch to the arrivals through the simulator cockpit window at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok Airport (HKG), New York's JFK (JFK), Sydney's Kingsford Smith International (SYD), London Heathrow (LHR) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the real thrill is to be able to watch both day time and night time approaches into the now abandoned Hong Kong Kai Tak International Airport.

Why is watching the approach from a pilots point of view into the old Kai Tak International Airport so thrilling? Because the approach into this airport was amazing, world famous and appeared to be a controlled "suicide dive” towards the airport.

The end of Runway 13 (the end most aircraft landed from) had a slight problem with direct approaches, the heavily populated area of Western Kowloon, the crowded Victoria Harbour and the minor inconvenience of a Mountain Range (who builds a runway in the middle of a busy international harbour and facing a mountain range? I have no idea).

Pilots would need to fly fairly low looking for a red-and-white 'checker-board' sign facing up at them from the ground then make a very steep right turn less than 2 miles from the runway, followed by a final right turn at an altitude of less than 700 feet.

Sounds challenging, right? Now add in the normal inconsistent cross-winds coming down off a mountain range into a large busy shipping harbour and you might get the idea of why watching landings at the old Kai Tak Airport were SPECTACULAR!

So want to experience landing at Kai Tak for yourself from the front seat of a Boeing 747-400 on a steep downward approach?

Check out the Cathay Pacific Experience here: www.cathaypacific.aero/index_en.html

When watching the video watch the incredible steep turn in the approach guidance lights on the ground!

Happy Flying!

--Click Below To View An Actual Approach into Kai Tak Airport--