One Guillaume can hide another?
For once, I'm not the one behind this avgeek routing, even though the idea had been on my mind for some time. Akivi sends us a message: F-OITN and I can only answer in the affirmative. All that's left is to tie it all together with another exceptional avgeek flight and sausage the whole thing with another discovery, and we'd be delighted. Of course, things don't always go according to plan, so we'll need a little spice - an essential ingredient in the okapi sauce - to make this routing a memorable one.
A word about ticket purchase before we get to the heart of the matter: it's as easy as can be, online. No crazy fees (around 50 euros) and it's done in minutes. However, it's impossible to register online - we'll see about that when we get there.
london calling
Not having lived in London for ages, I had to get to Gatwick by one means or another, and as there would be three of us on this pre-routing flight, only our wallets would dictate our choice of reason: an ordinary flight with easyJet, at dawn. Fortunately, we were picked up by the most classic of cabs, just outside Paris, and driven to the plains of Mesnil Amelot at a time that decency will not dictate.
Once we arrived at Gatwick, I left my companions outside for a nicotine barbecue. We agreed to meet in the check-in area a little later.
It's a far cry from the crowds this airport usually sees.
Will we really be lucky today? Bodyclock cabin dimming? I hope the windows aren't forced dark.
Avgeek moment par excellence, photographing the right spot of the day.
Any ideas on how to make this an exceptional flight? We'll pass.
We've got plenty of time - the gate's not yet displayed.
the full english
Welcome to London!
Granted, we're not really in London, and what's more, we're not staying, but the So British moment begins at the airport. So true that after our dawn flight with easyJet, we needed some energy.
It's a good thing the Brexit didn't chase away all the immigrants, as our Polish waitress can testify… The prices though!… charging for toasted bread. Where's the perfidy going?
The view is included in the price, fortunately.
let's fly!!!
Well, we're going to fly for sure, but first, a little spotting if possible. We'll have to go to the end of the pier.
On the way, a bit of free press.
And then, finally, some very local metal with the invader from the East in the background.
And not much else to get your teeth into. There are a few departures to Caribbean islands, but the planes are impossible to see because the view is so obstructed.
We might as well retrace our steps to the boarding gate. Boarding will start soon. No doubt about the destination.
A poor view, but a view nonetheless. No nasty surprises this morning, the bird is here.
The Dreamliner sends a DREAM?
The welcome was correct, and getting to our seats easy. This flight won't be full, and that's just as well. The cabin looks good, much better than the 787 Scoot I took between Athens and Berlin. Watch out for row 38, which has no window. What jokers those Seattle engineers are…
Before departure, time for an oil change (no, I'm not a giraffe or a Viking, let alone a gibbon).
Then it's back to my seat while the rest of the passengers settle in and we're offered upgrades at the front via microphone.
Speaking of settling in, these seats are much more comfortable than those on the Singapore low-cost I'd reported.
Come on, I'll add a photo to show off our plane and the airline of the day.
The row all to myself… this flight will be comfortable for the passenger if not profitable for the airline.
Seat spacing is decent for a flight of this duration. If the flight is as long as some of my legs, it's likely to be tight.
Well, that's not all, but why don't we get going?
It's crowded!
A bit of a wait. It's all jamming up, and not just on the M25… we might as well take the opportunity to present the F-OITN moment. The buses option has been purchased, thank goodness!
the norse experience
Flash presentation of the IFE. No moving map, too bad.
Content freely available, but in limited quantities.
And for the hungry of the day, the BoB offer at rather reasonable prices for a Scandinavian company…
Except for the alcohol, which is overpriced.
Finally, we can push off and get underway.
Land of greyness.
We taxi to the runway in use today.
We roll out on one of the two runways, the one parallel to the one in service.
There's a bit of a wait before we can line up. The CoB informs us that only landings are taking place at the moment.
Authorized and take-off in the process. With only one runway, the pace is brisk.
As our Dreamliner takes off, we can already say that it's mission accomplished.
Bye bye Gatwick!
No geovision, I told you.
And hop! Let's take advantage of the exceptional comfort offered by this very sparsely-filled cabin.
I'm king of the world for a few moments with this improvised lie-flat. It doesn't take much to be happy in the hold.
And if you add a little local foam to the mix, I'd say all's well.
Cheers to all!
I'll add the solid stuff, a good BLT, a British classic bought at Gatwick.
Enjoy life!
After a few exchanges with my playmates, we arrive on the Norwegian coast. The cabin is quickly prepared for landing, and the descent is without turbulence.
velkommen til Oslo
Only a few minutes left to fly over increasingly snowy landscapes.
A short final.
And landing half an hour late. Nothing serious as far as we're concerned, our next flights have plenty of time to spare.
A quick taxi and we come to the contact point.
I'm really not angry about having booked this company.
Nordic Playstation.
and now?
Well, here we are. And what are my companions doing? They're shooting up avgeek. Quite a drug, believe me! Well, I'm kidding, but so am I :-D
Isn't that right, my druggie friends?
It's a beautiful machine (if you exclude the portholes, which can end up in the wrong hands). And the weather was just right.
That's all for now. More in the next issue.
As usual, thanks for reading. Don't hesitate to comment or criticize (but not too much either, don't exaggerate). If you liked it, put a Like underneath, otherwise put two!
See you soon for new flights.
✈
