757 gets a 7

I'm a plane spotter.

No, I don't wear an anorak (it's more like a wind breaker) and write down
the registration numbers or anything like that. But I do look up every time
I hear an airliner passing over. GA planes and fighters are fine, but to me
there's something special about a jet airliner. They're tough and
practical -- they really are "airbuses" in the true sense -- and yet at the
same time they can't help but be graceful, even elegant to watch.

There's an airforce base not far from where I live in Auckland, New Zealand.
It houses their transport squadron. Recently they replaced two aging Boeing
727s with a couple or relatively new Boeing 757-200s.

Apart from Paul Allen's 757 that popped in occasionally for the Americas
Cup, 757s were never seen here until we got these two about a year ago. So
anyway, I'd heard that there was going to be a reunion of old squadron
members at the base this weekend. There was no mention of an associated
airshow, but I went along and camped out (sat in my car) just outside the
fence -- just in case.

Finally, as luck has it, I could see all the old codgers emerge from the
main hanger and watch as a 757 and a couple of Hercs started up and taxied
out to show off. Even the choreography of the taxi and takeoff was
impressive; that special kind of precision you only see now in the military.

They re-appeared and buzzed the airfield really low in a tight formation,
then split up and showed off individually. The Hercs were great, don't get
me wrong, but the 757 really rocked. It did about seven passes in all, slow
and dirty; fast and sleek; rejected landing; zoom climb, you name it.

I'm sure that they were operating well within its design limits, all the
same, I never knew that a Boeing could be flicked about like that! I caught
a lot of it using the movie mode on my digital camera. It's the first time
I've really used that feature, and I'm quite impressed; nowhere near as good
as a proper video camera but it beat taking stills due to the sound, which
is really half the experience.

So for a Boeing nerd like me, this was bliss. The pilots must have had the
time of their lives. Makes me wish I'd faked the colorblind test all those
years ago. Never mind. Today I fired up Microsoft Flight Simulator, chose
runway 03 at Whenuapai and my RNZAF 757 and flew roughly (and I mean
roughly) the same routine. I chucked that plane about far more than I ever
have in the past, trying to emulate the videos; hats off to those guys and
their plane.

In flightsim I also moved the tower view to the location of my car and the
playback was SO much like the video, but much smoother, framerate-wise. What
a great app.

It was a sad day when they sold off the old 727s for scrap; I always rated
the 727 a ten on the coolness scale -- what with those wildly swept and
clean wings, the speed, and the T tail. But I'm rapidly very warming to the
757...

I'll give it a seven.

On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 17:46:21 +1300, "Andrew Burke"
wrote:

I'm a plane spotter.

No, I don't wear an anorak (it's more like a wind breaker) and write down
the registration numbers or anything like that. But I do look up every time
I hear an airliner passing over. GA planes and fighters are fine, but to me
there's something special about a jet airliner. They're tough and
practical -- they really are "airbuses" in the true sense -- and yet at the
same time they can't help but be graceful, even elegant to watch.

There's an airforce base not far from where I live in Auckland, New Zealand.
It houses their transport squadron. Recently they replaced two aging Boeing
727s with a couple or relatively new Boeing 757-200s.

Apart from Paul Allen's 757 that popped in occasionally for the Americas
Cup, 757s were never seen here until we got these two about a year ago. So
anyway, I'd heard that there was going to be a reunion of old squadron
members at the base this weekend. There was no mention of an associated
airshow, but I went along and camped out (sat in my car) just outside the
fence -- just in case.

Finally, as luck has it, I could see all the old codgers emerge from the
main hanger and watch as a 757 and a couple of Hercs started up and taxied
out to show off. Even the choreography of the taxi and takeoff was
impressive; that special kind of precision you only see now in the military.

They re-appeared and buzzed the airfield really low in a tight formation,
then split up and showed off individually. The Hercs were great, don't get
me wrong, but the 757 really rocked. It did about seven passes in all, slow
and dirty; fast and sleek; rejected landing; zoom climb, you name it.

I'm sure that they were operating well within its design limits, all the
same, I never knew that a Boeing could be flicked about like that! I caught
a lot of it using the movie mode on my digital camera. It's the first time
I've really used that feature, and I'm quite impressed; nowhere near as good
as a proper video camera but it beat taking stills due to the sound, which
is really half the experience.

So for a Boeing nerd like me, this was bliss. The pilots must have had the
time of their lives. Makes me wish I'd faked the colorblind test all those
years ago. Never mind. Today I fired up Microsoft Flight Simulator, chose
runway 03 at Whenuapai and my RNZAF 757 and flew roughly (and I mean
roughly) the same routine. I chucked that plane about far more than I ever
have in the past, trying to emulate the videos; hats off to those guys and
their plane.

In flightsim I also moved the tower view to the location of my car and the
playback was SO much like the video, but much smoother, framerate-wise. What
a great app.

It was a sad day when they sold off the old 727s for scrap; I always rated
the 727 a ten on the coolness scale -- what with those wildly swept and
clean wings, the speed, and the T tail. But I'm rapidly very warming to the
757...

I'll give it a seven.



Hey, thanks for posting this!

Steve.

I would love to see your video clips posted to alt.binaries
multimedia.aviation if wasn't too much trouble for you!!

In article ,
"Andrew Koenig" wrote:

"Andrew Burke" wrote in message
...

It was a sad day when they sold off the old 727s for scrap; I always rated
the 727 a ten on the coolness scale -- what with those wildly swept and
clean wings, the speed, and the T tail. But I'm rapidly very warming to
the
757...

Maybe this will help warm you to it mo

I once talked to a 757 pilot who told me that compared to the 727, the 757
is about 5% slower, burns about the same amount of fuel, and carries 120,000
pounds more.

I out of 3 isn't all that bad I suppose. It is slower, but has at least
twice the range and only about 60,000 heavier. Oh, and 1 engine has more
thrust than all 3 combined.

--
Ron Parsons

If anyone's interested, I compressed a few of the clips I made and uploaded
them to this site...

http://andrewburke.orcon.net.nz


"Ron Parsons" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Andrew Koenig" wrote:

"Andrew Burke" wrote in message
...

It was a sad day when they sold off the old 727s for scrap; I always
rated
the 727 a ten on the coolness scale -- what with those wildly swept and
clean wings, the speed, and the T tail. But I'm rapidly very warming to
the
757...

Maybe this will help warm you to it mo

I once talked to a 757 pilot who told me that compared to the 727, the
757
is about 5% slower, burns about the same amount of fuel, and carries
120,000
pounds more.

I out of 3 isn't all that bad I suppose. It is slower, but has at least
twice the range and only about 60,000 heavier. Oh, and 1 engine has more
thrust than all 3 combined.

--
Ron Parsons

Sorry, just testing the Google groups entry form...