Todd M

Hey all! Went for another trip over to the states and managed to get a few photos at LAX and Denver. Also got to fly on a MD-83 which is an awesome little jet! American Airlines MD-83 N599AA seen at Denver United Express CRJ200 N939SW is seen at Denver with many other CRJ's and one Embraer Icelandair TF-FII is seen being towed to the bay at Denver United Airlines N156GJ, a CRJ700, is seen at Denver with a smaller CRJ. N156GJ is seen in the new United/Continental combined livery while the smaller CRJ is in the old United Express livery A Korean Air Boeing 747-400 is seen arriving at LAX with one of my friends having a rest in the park American Airlines N952AA a Boeing 737-800 is seen arriving at LAX Air France Airbus A380-800 F-HPJF is seen arriving at LAX

Was delivering the many vehicles for the motorcade. A C17 was in a few days before it to deliver a chopper.

Photos from yesterdays visit of a C-5 Galaxy, a USAF freighter from Travis Air Force Base. The aircraft unloaded cargo, taxied to the runway, and then made its way very slowly back to the Fairbairn side of the airport with an unknown issue (Mechanical, forgot dinner, something like that).

OMG Only just saw this thread (I am a bit slow of late, work work work) and all I can say is :(. How are you performing buddy?

Hi All, Q Link's new Q400 aircraft currently at Canberra: -LQD -LQG Both are getting pre service work performed on them. Todd.

Went to book a JetStar flight to Osaka a few nights ago, just after Jetstar had change their fare type to bundles. Basically, Jetstar now has two basic fares. Starter (For International and Domestic) and Business (for International), where you can then add a Plus bundle to Starter and Max bundle for Starter and Business. Each of these bundles include various items including Frequent Flyer Points, Flexible fare structure, and seating allocation. The list of inclusions in a bundle can be found at: http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/planning-and-booking/fares/fare-types I have booked a Business Fare, however there was no way in hell I was paying the extra $220 to earn frequent flyer points and to get lounge access. I can understand the bundle for something like a economy fare, however the Star Class/Business fare should have its original inclusions. However they want to run it this way, so I just won't choose that option and do without the points!

Strobing runway and taxi lights are a visibility feature, from what I have been told. There is also an option on the Logo Light to strobe as well. I have asked a Captain about the flashing tail lights before, and he just said "It is just a feature on the switch".

It is a very plain livery. I have seen it in person though, and it does not look too bad in the right light when the silver highlights come out. The first two are Cable and Bondi Beach, which means we can kiss goodbye to the clever names. I am making sure I catalouge the old names so people can see what aircraft used to be named (I cannot see them sticking with the current names on the birds when they repaint them). I would like to see at the rear a sweep of purple, which is the base for the red and silver Virgin. It would give it a more distinctive colour, and make it stand out from the crowd (Qantas).

Hey All, Just got back from the USA, Canada and a week in Japan. Funnily enough, I was in the largest Earthquake in Japan since records began in 1900. A strange experience, in true me style I was actually on a bullet train! Anywho, I am all ok apart from a small delay to my trip and am now back home in Australia. Canberra Times wrote an article about my experience and can be found at http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/world/world/general/train-sellout-spares-act-tourist/2104408.aspx Todd!

These photos were taken in October and posted on the ATDB, it is a prequel to my Honeysuckle Creek thread. Clicking a photo will enlarge it. More photos can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kommissar_todd06/sets/72157625077754697/with/5098978328/ Entry sign with local wildlife Entry to the Main Operations Building with overgrown garden A 26m Antenna sat at this location, and when the station closed it moved to Tasmania Information sign regarding the 26m Antenna A view of the Boiler room The site was powered by Diesel Generators and not connected to the main city supply, the generator building was in this location with engineering sheds located to the right The Guard House which was manned 24/7 for 19 years (complete with lino floor) Information regarding the gardens, which were landscaped by local Fritz Rehwinkel. I would say this would be the same Rehwinkel that had Rehwinkels Nature Park, since closed down but a childhood memory of most in the ACT (And once serviced by ACTION Route 909 between Canberra and Bungendore Looking over the entry road to an overview of the Operations Building. In the small garden is one single lightpole, in a derelict state. The others have been removed as without town power, there is no point in them being there

This is a thread I have posted on ATDB, aswell as a thread regarding Orroral Tracking Station. I will post the Orroral thread aswell for those to view. Due to the boards software, clicking on the photo will bring up a small image, however if you head to the link below you can access full sized photos. Yesterday I travelled with a friend out to the Former Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station to see what was left of this historic site. As most reading this thread would have seen my previous thread regarding Orroral Valley Tracking Station would know, Honeysuckle Creek was one of three tracking stations found in the ACT (Orroral, Honeysuckle and Tidbinbilla) with Tidbinbilla (CDSCC) being the only station still in operation (All were operated by NASA with Australian staff). Honeysuckle was one of the most important stations in Australia, it was a major player in the Apollo missions and was able to recieve the first images of man walking on the moon to beam out to the world (For those that are under the impression it was Parkes, Honeysuckle beat them to the punch). One of the things I love about Honeysuckle is the huge boulders (natural, not placed) that were left undisturbed by the construction of the station, and even used in part to hold supports for radio towers. The surrounding gardens and once well manicured landscaped grounds have of course been left to nature, pictures of this site compared to those in its prime show the surrounding natives have lept up almost covering the surrounds in shade and pristine bushland. The grass still seems to be that of what was left, just not mowed as often or watered daily. Unlike Orroral however, nature is starting to take over the infrastructure, with trees creeping up through roads and cracks in the slab of the power building. Large sections of roadway have been eaten at by water. The ACT Government have placed up many information signs at Honeysuckle to educate those that visit the site (Close up images of signage can be found in the link below). A website dedicated to Honeysuckle Creek can be found at http://www.honeysucklecreek.net/index.html. This site has alot of information, photos, videos, audio and log entries from HSK during its operational years. For those that wish to trek down to Honeysuckle and Orroral, head towards Adaminaby from Tharwa. Follow the road through to Naas, where you will see Apollo Road leading to Honeysuckle first. Honeysuckle has a sign indicating whether the road is open or not, as rockfalls aswell as flooding of the causeway can close the road. For Orroral, follow "Boboyan Road" through the Naas Valley until you cross the other side of a large hill, at the bottom will be Orroral Road which will lead you to the station site. Both are at the end of the road, both have a Causeway and rivers/creeks that will flood during heavy rain. The stations can easily be done in conjunction with a visit to the CDSCC, when you head to Tharwa just make a right turn after the General Store and you can head down to Orroral and Honeysuckle after visiting CDSCC in Tidbinbilla (Follow Tidbinbilla Road towards the nature reserve and Tharwa). Both sites are found in the Namadgi National Park, so if intending to go contact their Visitors Centre who can advise you if the roads are open (02) 6207 2900. A Range of photos can be found at my Flickr, this includes up close shots of all the information signage http://www.flickr.com/photos/kommissar_todd06/sets/72157625922928482/with/5394553266/ For my previous thread on Orroral Valley, please visit http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=55102&p=650633&hilit=orroral#p650633 Antenna and Operations Building - Close up of the Plaque < Click here to view plaque A View of the Antenna Pad. There are four information signs on each of the original joints (Click on the link for a photo): - Looking back in time <Click each to view information sign - Just how far away - Listening into Space - Will the moon fall down? Power Building looking down towards the Guards House behind the Power Building, showing the beautiful grounds of what was once perfectly manicured gardens

Darren, I know I can forgive you...... However I would go for a "Scarebus" aswell :P Seeing as though I would be abit stingy with my dosh I would go for a stumpy 318/319.

Welcome to the forum, fellow Canberran!

That would certainly be the obvious choice for them (And creates a much simpler brand for Virgin and overseas Marketing). They would either become Virgin Pacific or Virgin Australia, maybe Virgin Oceania but that is a long shot :P.

A Surprise yesterday to see an Air NZ 744 on the list for landings yesterday when I got to work, and I must say it was spectacular. ZK-NBU is the bird, and with a dark cloud background, wet runway, rainbow in the sky and light on the aircraft it was just amazing. And all this happened while I was marshalling in a Dash 8......

Good to see that she did not go the way of the SP's and have the giant claws cut into her!

We were lucky to have a Diversion of an Atlas Air 74F into Canberra the other night (15/8), N412MC diverted to collect fuel and then continued onto Melbourne.

Flight – QF1422 Dep - CBR Arr - SYD Rego – VH-QOH Seat –15D Aircraft Type – DHC8-400Q STD – 13:50 STA – 14:40 Just made this flight! I made sure I was on this as one of my favourite flight attendants, Melle, was working. Melle originally trained with me on Check In and now works with Link as a F/A. This was just another Dash 8 flight really, had my ginger beer and sat down on the most pink aircraft in Australia! VH-QOH, for those who are unaware, is painted with a pink front half for the Breast Cancer Foundation. A little bumpy coming in due to storm activity in the Sydney area, and upon arrival into the bay I was lucky enough to go for that short bus ride to gate 17! The Bus Ride is getting rarer on T3 arrivals, as usually Gate 16/17 is used with a Pushback provided for the aircraft. Flight – NZ144 Dep - SYD Arr - WLG Rego – ZK-OJN Seat – 26F Aircraft Type – A320-200 STD – 18:10 STA – 23:20 Decided to wing it with Air NZ, having never flown them before and they had the best option with the best inflight entertainment. I made my way from T3, and used Sydney Buses route 400 which is the cheapest of all the transfer options. Seeing as though I had plenty of time, I arrived into T1 with about 15 minutes before check in open at 15:15. Being one of the first in the queue, I got through quickly and had lunch while filling out my green customs card. Breezed through customs and security screening and went and found a quiet corner of the terminal near my gate to relax. Watched a episode of The Cleveland Show and American Dad, before an announcement was made that there would be a gate change. Moved to the other gate, only to find a delay had been posted due to aircraft changes. It eventually came time to board, I was seated in the last few rows so I got to board first. My first impression of the aircraft was that the A320 has such a nice, bright and modern interior. The overhead bins are quiet large (Compared to the 737 where I have trouble fitting my backpack in), and the seats easier to find with the light up sign on the PSU. Simply put, the A320 craps all over the 737 (Sorry 737 fans!). I found my window seat and started to play around with the onboard entertainment unit, which I discovered was touch screen and easy to use. AVOD aswell, which is a bonus when you need to get up and move about. We sat on the ground for what seemed like a millennium, with me watching the Lightning Indicators closely hoping they would not change from flashing white to blue (Which would indicate a longer wait for pushback due to storms). Luckily they pushed us at the same time as our adjacent 777 SIA aircraft, and we beat it out for the long taxi. Eventually departing about 1 hour behind schedule (I would guess, did not have my watch on me). We watched the safety video, which is just fantastic. It is one of the best I have seen, next to the V Australia animated video. Up in the air I started watching 17 Again, the flick with Zac Effron as he gets transformed into his 17 year old self to try again. Had not seen this before and was a good laugh. For my dinner I chose the Chicken Pie, having multiple stuff I did not like in it (Such as olives) it was good none the less and I washed it down with a nice Cola Beverage. Eventually my movie had finished and I decided to go for the next thing on my inflight menu, 30 ROCK. A great show featuring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. We started our decent, and upon approach and finals turbulence started up a little and a bumpy landing into Windy Wellington. Corrections could be felt being made, but it wasn’t as bad as a lot of You Tube videos make it out to be :P. Arrived dead on midnight, and cleared customs and immigration as quickly as possible only to find a taxi waiting for me which would take me to my studio apartment in the city. After calling Optus because my AutoRoam did not activate, I finally hit the pillow at around 01:30, ready for the big day ahead of touring the city on Trolleybuses and Trains. Flight – NZ141 Dep - WLG Arr - SYD Rego – ZK-OJE Seat – 23F Aircraft Type – A320-200 STD – 06:40 STA – 08:20 I woke up at 3:30, with my taxi booked for 4:00 with an airport arrival of 4:15. My Prius taxi was waiting downstairs for me, and got me to the airport right ontime. Wellington Airport opens at 4am for the early JetConnect, Air NZ and Pacific Blue departures. I walked straight through the non-existant queue at Check In, and had to wait for about 15 or 20 minutes to pay for the Airport Tax upon departure (Travelex did not have their safe open). Once again, cleared customs with ease and ended up surfing the net on the free wi fi available terminal wide. Our flight boarded near to on time, and with me hoping I would have no one next to me for the flight, I boarded and waited. My wish had come true, I was alone and had three seats to myself. I am not a morning person, so I would prefer to not show rudeness to the person next to me because I didn’t talk to them! Watched the safety demo, and pushed back into the darkness. I was happy to sit back and watch Monsters vs. Aliens, a Dreamworks CGI movie about monsters and aliens. I had already seen it before, and it lasted me through breakfast which was a Ham and Spinach pastry with full bar service (Of which I had a coke, I needed some kind of caffine!). After this I decided to watch Fawlty Towers and then listened to some music, before watching Scrubs during our descent. Coming in on approach to Sydney we were lucky enough to be parallel to a Qantas A380, a great sight watching this giant floating gracefully back to earth. After alighting and finding out the rego from the crew, I made my way to Immigration and used the Smart Gate system with near ease. Last time I did not do so well, this time I was prepared and the Smart Gate let me through. I was approached at the carousel and had my card checked, and then told to go to a certain gate where they let me straight through as I had nothing to declare. I then made my way back to T3 for my flight home, via the Airport Link service as it would allow me to get the next flight out. Flight – QF1471 Dep - SYD Arr - CBR Rego – VH-QOB Seat – 17C Aircraft Type – A320-200 STD – 09:40 STA – 10:30 Did a last minute change at the kiosk downstairs and ran to the Call Forward counter to drop my bags and head to gate 17. I was happy to get on this flight, I just wanted to relax at home for the day after being up so early. Another uneventful Q400 flight, however it was one I have not been on before. Had my ginger beer and stared out the window at the towns I have seen many times before, and can name each one by approach roads and features in the towns. Grabbed my bags upon landing, and headed to the Bus Stop for the final stage of my journey that would take me to my front door. Photos from Wellington Here is a small selection of photos from my trip and a small afternoon of plane spotting. This location is easy to get to by bus, and is so close to the runway it is amazing. To view more, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/kommissar_todd06/collections/72157623464692414/ and to get a larger version click on the photo. Air NZ ‘Nothing to Hide’ Safety Demo and adverts, aswell as behind the scenes [ame] [/ame][ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elD38pJX7iE[/ame] [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnhVcD74i14[/ame]

Chose Wellington purely because one of my firends was there, and they have Trolleybuses (Something long gone in Australia). Will be able to experience Windy Wellington first hand! Looking at Google Maps the airport is not too far away, and would be good if I could spend some time there. Will see how my days pan out.

Well, I have four days off from work in two weeks time so I have decided to head over the ditch to the Zealand. Heading over with Jitconnict, and back with Air NZ. Will be good to give NZ a try, A320 baby! Destination is Wellington, and am haning with a transport friend who transported himself back home from MEL to WLG. If anyone knows anythign good to do there, by all means please psot. Aswell as if there is some kind of limo I can hire, or private car I can get. Qantas Drive unfortunently do not have cars in NZ.

Remember it is that and TJW Zac, Chainy knows all about TJW and following me around. Infact, I just sent it off to Melbourne. Great photos Zac.

LOL! Glad to see you have joined up, it will help expand your Aviation knowledge.

Hmmm, will be interesting to see. It is great to see how Virgin have tried to amalgamate the airlines into a similar livery to create brand awareness, it has always sucked for them though (And it would not be cost effective) that they have had so many brands to be in charge of with the 'ban' on Virgin Branding.

Good work Mr CSM!

While surfing through the SMH, and sighting an article to do with Air NZ and Cougars, they had a link to the new Air NZ uniforms. Have not seen it here, so I thought I would share a link to the pics. Apparently they have been described as 'Dragqueens in russian military garb'. I think they look alright. Not a fan of the pink in the dress, however I think a cool blue or green would have been better, and the male uniform looks ok with the scarf (Wish QANTAS had something like this, and a warmer jacket for winter in colder climates!). http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/travel/air-new-zealands-drag-queen-uniforms/20100111-m1bd.html?selectedImage=1