NZFF

My wife and I have just spent 10-days in the South Island doing a bit of touring and ultimately ending up at my brothers wedding in Waimate. We had three hops and of course I snapped a couple of pics along the way. NZHN to NZAA in a B1900D, NZAA to NZQN in a B737 and finally NZCH to NZHN in an ATR.

Click on any pic to see more info, other resolutions (click the "all sizes link" when you get to the page) or to leave a comment. Hope you like 'em

B1900D Cockpit - enroute from NZHN to NZAA


Arriving at the glorious NZAA domestic terminal


Great Barrier Airlines Trislander arrives


ZK-PBG and ZK-FRE taxiing at NZAA


Neat livery on the Air Vanuatu B737-800 YJ-AV1


Our B737 ready for boarding


Arrival in NZQN - what, no air-bridge?


A Great view of NZQN from up on the Kelvin Heights hill


Our ATR ZK-MCX in the foreground at NZCH


Row-5 view of the ATR ready for startup


Passing over Marlborough sounds

Awesome Dino, its quite fun sitting right up the front of the 1900D. I once sat in row 1 and was given a headset to plug in and listen to the ATC/Cockpit talk.

benwynn wrote:

QUOTE (benwynn @ Jan 13 2009, 07:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Awesome Dino, its quite fun sitting right up the front of the 1900D. I once sat in row 1 and was given a headset to plug in and listen to the ATC/Cockpit talk.

You lucky buga, I'd have to do that sneakily and pretend the headset was my new iPod one or the missus would disown me

Hahaha, im not sure how kindly they would take to you plugging your own in. It was special for me I guess as they new I was a guest (Air NZ flew me up from Blenheim to Auckland)

Nice pictures Looks like you had a fun break.
I take my own headset up in the Beech but check with the pilots before the flight. I have never been refused to

Nice photos! And about airbridge... thats usual practise in small airports, in Russia i even saw 763er were boarding with 2 boarding bridges(usually for 737|320 they use 1, lowcosts(aka WizzAir in Ukraine) require 2 for 320, and 2 for 767). Probably in Kiev once 747 were boarding without airbridge , cuz it was 2 jumbos, and if in one gate is 747, second can be used only by 320|737(Kiev has only 2 airbridges)

When the family and I flew back CDG, Paris to home 3 years back, we had to board our Korean Air 747-4 from the tarmac, I think terminale 3, all pax were bused 50 metres from the terminal to the boarding stairs across the ramp as no room at an air bridge, and this is BIG airport in Western Europe

d3fai13r wrote:

QUOTE (d3fai13r @ Jan 13 2009, 08:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Probably in Kiev once 747 were boarding without airbridge

Jeepers, that'd be a fair old climb, you'd want a seat about half-way up to have a wee rest

sorry about my english, but i mean that boarding were without airbridge, pax were transport by buses and after use usual boarding bridge, and not that you have in Auckland, with cover that protects you from rain, but undercovered. About that i have real life story, when i went to Ukraine in Dec2007 i put all of my winter clothes to checked baggage and was travelling in jeans and t-shirt, and in Frankfurt i realise that i have troubles, because in FRA we also were boarding from tarmac, and when i arrive in Kiev(-10 snowing) and im in only one tshirt, where LH said that they forgot my baggage in FRA(after 15 hours transfer!!!)... But i made some noise, and they said that they are going to put my bag to MUC, and after with evening flight my bag arrived to me. After that i promised myself that im not going flying with that stupid greedy airlines

I remember having to catch a bus across the tarmac at LAX to board a ANZ 747, but I can't be sure whether it was via airstairs or if we went inside a satellite terminal building and then through an airbridge...

Yeah from what I've heardit's fairly common in Europe. When we arrived in Rome on our MH 777 we went down airstairs and were walked to buses then bussed to the terminal.

Great Pics Dino! I just flew to/from Wanaka a week ago. Great views from the air at this time of year.

Yea, used the buses a few times at KLAX as well, albeit for smaller commuter aircraft. Waiting room > Bus > Stairs.

Neat pics Dino, I especially like the one overlooking NZQN from Kelvin Heights, and of the Marlborough Sounds.

Alex

Alex wrote:

QUOTE (Alex @ Jan 14 2009, 07:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yea, used the buses a few times at KLAX as well, albeit for smaller commuter aircraft. Waiting room > Bus > Stairs.

I had a country-bumpkin horror story the 1st time I had to transit at KLAX. Got off my international and made my way to what I thought was the departure lounge for a flight down to San Diego. The time came close to the scheduled departure and there was no announcement, so I walk up to the desk and ask whats happeneing, the bemused staff member informed me "You have to catch the shuttle out to the departure building".

Great, I'd missed the flight but got put on standby once I got out onto the tarmac departure building and was on the next flight south, which was about 15mins later

Alex wrote:

QUOTE (Alex @ Jan 14 2009, 07:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Neat pics Dino, I especially like the one overlooking NZQN from Kelvin Heights, and of the Marlborough Sounds.

Thanx Alex, yeah they're both great spots

I love airstairs.
If you remember a video I posted after my last vietnam trip of an A330 landing in Da Nang, well the airport was small (smaller than Hamilton) and we parked in the furthest out stand. No Airbridges whatsoever at this airport (huge runway though) and security was a little relaxed so I walked under the wing while I waited for parents... we boarded a bus and into the very very cramped arrivals hall to await our luggage.

Anyway deeknow what did you make of the new NZQN terminal?

Kelburn wrote:

QUOTE (Kelburn @ Jan 14 2009, 11:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Anyway deeknow what did you make of the new NZQN terminal?

I've only flown there once before, and a long time ago, so to be honest I couldnt really remember what the old terminal was like, plus the place was really busy with a Qantas flight and an ANZ Airbus (international) coming and goin so was people watching more than building watchin The whole baggage pickup area around to the left did seem to be new to me tho?

Love the one from Deer Park Heights. It's one of my most favourite places in the world (Yes, in the world), the panoramas from up there are stunning

HercFeend wrote:

QUOTE (HercFeend @ Jan 15 2009, 08:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Love the one from Deer Park Heights. It's one of my most favourite places in the world (Yes, in the world), the panoramas from up there are stunning

It really is magic up there, and to think we almost didnt go up there because of the $20/per car entry fee. Totally worth it, especially for nerdy plane spotters like you guys !!! I've got a video on youtube of the panorama if anyone wants to get an idea of what you can see, and I only videod 180deg of rotation, as Herc suggests you really do get the whole 360deg panorama.

What sort of camera do you use Dino? Just thinking again those shots look pretty good.

Alex

Cool photos, really like that last one.

Alex wrote:

QUOTE (Alex @ Jan 15 2009, 11:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What sort of camera do you use Dino? Just thinking again those shots look pretty good.

Thanx Alex. Actually its a pretty modest mid sized Sony thing, an DSC-H2, there's a review of it here:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyh2/

Had it for a few years, good manly size without being bulky like an SLR, good access to decent
manual sliders and controls, feels solid (I've dropped it loads of times) and hasnt missed a
beat. I'm a Nikon fan and had many of their SLRs but to be honest I like the convenience of
these compact things, esp when I mostly only use my pics for use on the web.

PS - the one looking down over the airport was actually taken on my phone, a Nokia N95,
it has a 5 megapixel camera, not bad for a phone

Dean