April 2006

Welcome to another edition of the Inflight mag!

Good news on the Boss front: our CEO should be back with us towards the end of the month, all being well, and not a moment too soon either.
UKD has had it’s highs and lows and i’d say were down to the dedicated few at present but forget the doom and gloom because idea’s are progressing behind the scenes to make some exciting changes to UKD.
We (da management) have been actively looking for ways to take UKD forward and believe we may have found something of interest. The good old days used to involve flying with an adventure program which monitored some basic parameters during flight and then compiled a score at the end which was reported back as a pirep. Alas it was written for FS98 and when FS2000 came along it stopped working :(
Anyway back to my point! Rob 192 was doing his usual trawl across the internet looking for - well we wont say what as young, impressionable eyes may be reading - suffice to say when he misspelt ‘fish’ (and typed ‘fly’) Rob found a website called Fly net! lol
Well, Flynet aspires to be a similar program and then some to our old adventure program. Great news! err, well, yes and no. At present it’s still in an early beta stage of development and riddled with bugs, but that said we thought it worth mentioning - look further down the page for details.

Also in this months edition is news of a new aircraft (also see below!) to be rolled out in several weeks, and we continue to take a retrospective look at the old UKD.

So, go get your cup of tea or coffee, wear your rose-tinted glasses and sit back and enjoy!

 

Screenshot Of The Month

G-UKDH Westward Ho!  EMB-120

Steve ex-UKD131 warming up the props on a bitterly cold UK winter’s day  :).
 

Directions Competition

Just for fun!! (and a prize) - just guess if you dont know, free and open to all UKD pilots, even if you’ve just joined. You may not know all the answers but a simple process of elimination should give you good odds on guessing the last few.
I wont name and shame anyone for incorrect entries. There’s no catch, I won’t sell your email addy or demand a photo of your wife :)
By the way, if you want a photo of your wife, just email me heh-heh. :)

A ‘simple’ quiz for all UKD pilots (irrespective of time served), just match the pictures to the airlines. I’ve listed the airlines below so you dont have to write reams, just cut and paste the list below into an email and insert the picture number (1-8) you think coresponds to the airline.
EG: if you think the airline in picture 1 is Lauda Air then write
“Lauda Air - 1”
 

• First Air
• Atlantic Airlines de Honduras
• Lineas Aereas Suramericanas
• Ecuatoriana
• Pacific Direct
• LAN Argentina
• South African Airways
• Frontier Airlines

  Points scored for each correct answer - guess the one’s you dont know
 Some pictures are © www.airliners.net
  Click the Postbox to enter

All of this month’s pictures are from the southern hemisphere

Grant 182 earns his first Bronze star and a complimentary UKD/Directions mug. Well done m8.

Grant182 points reset after winning. Points awarded this month to Dave 105 for a news story, Grant 182 and Gareth 117 for pictures; Lorne 139, Dave 105, Daryl 110, Neil 138, Grant 182, and Andy 127 for compo entries. Andy 127 +1 bonus point for some useless but interesting observations :)

Points are awarded for any screenshots used and quiz-questions answered correctly. Bonus points will be awarded on a ad-hoc basis by me for anything else eg. providing news, stories or articles for this newsletter. Points are accumulated each month and the league table is updated on this newsletter each month. All UK Direct pilots (new and old) and managers may enter and of course it is free.

In The Realworld or “What Happened While I Was Simming”?

• 18 MAR 2006 Boeing 737 at Sevilla Airport.
  Landing mishap on runway 09/27. The aircraft came to rest leaning to the right with the nose off the ground. Some 45 passengers were injured in the mishap. The aircraft suffered substantial damage. No fatalities. (http://aviation-safety.net)
• 30 MAR 2006 Budget airline lands at wrong airport
  IT was Ryanair that pioneered the art of flying passengers to some far-flung airfields and telling them they had arrived in one of Europe's loveliest cities.  So it should have come as no surprise to travellers on board Flight 9884 from Liverpool to Derry, in Northern Ireland, when they landed not in the city but Ballykelly Camp instead - an army airfield 8km away.
  Ryanair passengers are also accustomed to not having an air-bridge to get them inside the terminal, but in this case they didn't even have any steps to get them off the jet. Luckily, the flight's original destination was close enough for ground staff to bring the steps by road to the army base.
  Britain's Civil Aviation Authority began an investigation into how the civilian Airbus carrying 39 passengers and six crew touched down at the virtually disused base, better known as Shackleton Barracks, outside Derry.
  Ryanair blamed the pilot flying the Eirjet aircraft, a company contracted to fly the route on Ryanair's behalf. "He mistakenly believed he was on a visual approach to City of Derry airport. The Eirjet pilot was cleared by air traffic control in City of Derry airport but he mistook the nearby Ballykelly Camp for City of Derry airport and landed," a statement said.
  "We have informed the authorities both in the UK and in the Republic of Ireland. Never in our 20-year history has an incident like this happened."
  One passenger, Johnny Borrow from Derry, said he knew the flight was landing at the wrong airport.
  "I tried to tell the crew but it was too late because the descent was almost over. It was hilarious. Soldiers started running towards the aircraft waving at us and laughing," he said.
  "We had to stay on the plane because the staircase to use to disembark was in City of Derry airport five miles away and we had to wait for it to arrive.  "The Ballykelly camp was originally named Shackleton camp after a well-known explorer who was famous for never getting lost, but our pilot certainly got lost."
  http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18658543-13762,00.html
   

 This month at the Boeings:

• Qantas ordered 65 B787 Dreamliners in December at a cost of about $10 billion.
  Qantas Airways is very likely to exercise its option to buy another 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets on top of an existing order of 65 planes, the company's chief financial officer said.  Qantas expects to take delivery of its first B787-8 in August 2008 for its Jetstar budget carrier. In 2010, it is slated to receive the slightly larger 787-9, which boasts 20 percent lower fuel need than other aircraft of its size.
   

 Meanwhile back at Airbus HQ:

• Finnair opts for Airbus A350
  Finnish airline Finnair signed firm orders for nine Airbus A350-900 jets and agreed to buy three Airbus A340-300 wide-bodied jets to serve its Asian routes, the European aircraft maker said in a statement.
  Finnair Oyj had already placed nonbinding orders for the nine A350s, which it is due to receive from 2012 -- two years after the fuel-efficient, twin-engine plane is set to enter service, in competition with U.S. rival Boeing Co.'s 787 Dreamliner.
  Financial terms weren't disclosed. At catalog prices, the 12 Finnair orders are worth more than $2 billion, although customers typically negotiate discounts.
  Airbus has 100 firm orders for the A350 and 89 nonbinding commitments.
   
• A380 superjumbo passes key evacuation test
  Result is important step toward plane’s approval for commercial flights
  The Airbus A380 has passed its emergency evacuation test, the European aircraft maker announced, an important step toward the superjumbo’s official certification for commercial flights.
  Both the European Aviation and Safety Agency and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration approved the A380’s performance in an emergency evacuation drill conducted in a darkened aircraft hangar with 853 volunteers and 20 on-board staff.
  One volunteer broke a leg and about 30 others sustained minor injuries during the drill in Hamburg, Germany, when all 873 participants evacuated the plane in under 80 seconds, using only eight of its 16 exits.
   

Hooters Air to be grounded in April
Hooters Air, which featured women in orange short-shorts and tight T-shirts on flights, will be grounded beginning next month except for private charters out of Winston-Salem, N.C.
Bob Brooks, chairman of the Hooters restaurant chain, and president Mark Peterson told The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News for a recent story that the company will focus on charters for tour groups and sports teams.
"The flying industry is in a terrible mess. ... I've got a fair amount of money, but I don't have enough to fix this animal," Brooks told the newspaper. "Now I think the best thing we can do is basically put it to bed, at least for right now, until the industry changes."
If you think I’d pass up a chance to show this pic your very much mistaken lol.  Glyn is reportedly recruiting for UKSun.! phnarr phnarrr :)

American Airlines sued over dog’s death
A pet owner sued American Airlines on Wednesday after his English bulldog died following a cross-country flight.
Terrence Ing, 29, claims airline employees refused to provide a veterinarian and other care after the dog became sick. He is seeking unspecified damages.
It was unclear why Willie died, animal paramedics said the dog may have survived had employees provided adequate care.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12078056/

Fire prevention urged on Bombardier jets
Safety regulators cite six fires on aircraft in past six months
Government safety investigators urged regulators to order fire safety measures taken aboard some Bombardier regional jets, saying there have been six fires aboard the aircraft within six months.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a letter to U.S. regulators that none of the fires aboard the 50-seat CRJ-200s resulted in death, but that the potential exists for an uncontrolled fire to develop into a critical situation.
The safety board said the fires have involved an electrical switching device. It wants Bombardier to find a way to protect the devices from short circuits caused by moisture, to separate all electrical power sources so flight instrument displays don’t go out.
There are at least 1,000 CRJ-200 regional jets in the worldwide fleet, according to the company’s Web site.
The problem also affects another model with the same electrical system, the CRJ100, of which 226 were delivered, Bert Cruickshank, spokesman for Montreal-based Bombardier said.
The problem affects about half of the CRJ200s and CRJ100s, said Cruickshank.

Third close call at O'Hare probed
As the Federal Aviation Administration investigates two close calls at O'Hare Airport, news of a third incident surfaced.

Details are still sketchy, but it appears two planes might have gotten closer than allowed by FAA standards Sunday while preparing to take off from crisscrossing runways.
It happened about 12:20 p.m. Sunday, 26th. A regional jet was cleared for takeoff on Runway 9 Left moments before an Airbus A320 was cleared for takeoff on Runway 4 Left. The Airbus was instructed to abort its takeoff 4 seconds later.
At their closest, the planes were at least 1,100 feet apart, the FAA said in a statement.
FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro said it's too early to tell whether the planes violated federal separation standards, which require a certain distance between aircraft on the ground depending on the type, speed and angle of the planes involved. The FAA, along with the National Transportation Safety Board, is already investigating two close calls that happened at O'Hare on March 21 and 23.
The first involved a Lufthansa plane and a Delta Airlines jet that came within 100 feet of each other after both were cleared to take off at the same time from intersecting runways.
Two days later, a United Airlines plane was instructed to take off from Runway 4 Left as another plane from United's lower-cost carrier Ted was cleared to taxi across the same runway, bringing the planes within 600 feet of each other, the FAA said.
Both incidents were initially blamed on air-traffic controller error, but an FAA probe is ongoing, Molinaro said.
NTSB review planned
Sunday's incident would be the third runway incursion at O'Hare in a week. Last year, there were a total of seven at the airport.
In the coming weeks, the NTSB will review radar data and communications between pilots and the control tower to determine whether there is a larger safety threat at O'Hare, spokeswoman Lauren Peduzzi said.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-ohare29.html
 

Memory Lane

Well I can’t compete with last month’s article by Neil 138 so I won’t even try. Instead just ‘grin and bear it’ when reading my exposition and go ‘coorrr’ at the nice atmospheric piccies - provided by that flippin 138 fella :)

“Why do I do this every month?”. Every four weeks I sit here panicking in front of the monitor because the newsletter won’t write itself and I nearly always ask myself that question.
I got started with Microsoft’s flight sim’s sometime back in the 1990’s on my Commodore Amiga. The first version being FS5 (I think) and running in DOS. To be honest although the interest in flying was there I often felt dissappointed and I didn’t play it a great deal. Nonetheless I still bought FS98 when it came along and that was pretty much the same experience - at first. Then I tried the internet for the first time and it opened up whole new worlds (well airports, anyway!). I could download new planes and scenery (such as they were) which sustained my interest a while longer but still flight simming lacked a certain something. Dare I say it was a bit boring? But then I found a Virtual Airline (VA) - Air UK I think it was called, and applied to join. There was about ten other pilots on the roster and a couple of planes to fly. They were asking for volunteers to do more - it turned out the VA hadn’t been around long and I soon found myself doing my first repaint, wuuhoo!!
In the time it took to finish my first repaint the VA had died; the forum, which was always quiet, was silent. The ‘CEO’ dissappeared and the only reply I ever had to an email was “I could have the VA if I wanted it!” - year right, cheers :(
On my own again..........
 

N10023F Boeing 707-300 ‘Colossus’ FS98

I dont recall the reason for having an American registration, but a nice plane to fly.
 Just look at those clouds - magnificent !!

Enthusiasm dampened but not extinguished I looked for a more stable VA and I choose well; West Wind Airlines which is still running very successfully today. They are a very good outfit with thousands of pilots worldwide and I joined up and eventually flew about 200 hours with them.
After a few months I felt like I was back at square one again - this was an established VA which didn’t need my help, compounding that the VA was predominantly American which was fine for awhile but I longed to fly locally and despite the many pilots I never got to know a single one of them.
My interest waned after the intial excitement and I was again looking for something to engage me and provide a reason to use Flightsim. One day quite by accident I discovered UK Direct. Instead of just jumping right in I monitored the website and it seemed far more promising than anything else I had seen - a much smaller but active roster, an active, friendly, interesting and funny forum, and an aircraft livery which I really liked! As a massive plus the CEO was a dab hand at creating scenery and programming FS adventures. Flying had never been so much fun. Interesting airports and planes with new routes and things to do - it was like Christmas morning - everyday! :)

G-UKDA BAC 1-11 ‘Veronica’ FS98

Anyone who flew the old Checkride proggy should recognise this airport instantly!
 A bonus point to all who can email me the answer

I joined up and after I’d been here several months, a couple of managers left for one reason or another and the Boss (Gary Summons) was turning pro with his scenery (anyone heard of UK2000 scenery??) and had less time to devote to UKD. The call was made on the forum for anyone wishing to help to step forward and I answered - becoming the scenery manager. The thing I remember most fondly was the monthly newsletter which I really looked forward to reading at the start of every month and tried to help as often as I could by providing stories and pictures (I realise that sounds like a shameless plug for help but that wasn’t my intention, still...... lol). I may even ‘reprint’ the old news in pdf format here if there is enough interest.

A couple of years passed by, evolutions of Flightsim came and went, and the adventure and checkride program which was never updated, stopped working. But by now UKD had become firmly entrenched in my life so when the 2nd CEO along with some established members dissappeared I offered to help in any way I could. Dean 121 and a few others (you know who you are) helped UKD back on it’s feet but for me there was something missing at the start of every month .....
So now i’ve answered my first question.  For me it was 3rd time lucky regarding VA’s, this is far and away the best one and I can’t see that ever changing, at least not while there are some great people around, and i’ve been here for close on six years now. I’ve had the dubious pleasure of meeting some of the members at flightsim conventions or RC Sim’s simulator (my favourite) and  they have been great occasions and done much to keep my interest in flightsim alive. I’ve been asked why I give away prizes and I suppose ultimately I want to encourage as many people to get more involved in the hobby as possible; not just the flying but our community - if I can make our VA your VA then we’re both better off.

Since the dawn of time (and maybe before but I wasn’t around then - Rob?!), there have been regular releases from Microsoft; and despite FS2000 in standard and professional versions, fs2002 and of course the latest incarnation, fs2004 UKD has flourished and we’re still here. This time next year it’ll be FS10 and I’ll still be hoping this newsletter will write itself. :)

10023F Boeing 707-300 ‘Colossus’ FS98
In an even older livery!

G-DGUK ATP ‘Princess Diana’ FS2000
By FS2000 we had come to expect transparent props and animated flaps; and look at those clouds :)
In FS98 that reg and name had been carried by an ATR-72 - imaginative bunch arn’t we?

G-UKSC Boeing 757-200 ‘Shani’ FS98
Nice wheels m8!  click picture to see in full size.

VP-CDH Hawker Sidderley HS125 (?) Caribbean Direct Airways FS98
UKD had a brief flirtation with a Caribbean division known as CDA.

Flynet

Ok Guys and Gals, this could be the start of something big or this could all die out in a pathetic whimper. :)

As forewarned at the start of this mighty epic, UKD have been looking at ways to make flightsim more interesting, create a challenge, and set targets for you to aim at. There are some very good programs available such as FS Passengers which help to promote realism and provide goals to achieve but they’re not free. Enter Flynet!, this program is a small - free - client program that runs in the background while you fly and it checks some very basic (for now) rules:
Parking brake Set before engine start
Keep your taxi-speed below 25kts.
Landing lights ON before takeoff
Dont exceed 250kts below 10,000ft
Landing lights Off before you climb through 10,000ft
Landing lights back ON before descending below 1,00ft
DONT CRASH!! - I cant stress this enough, lol. The world won’t end if you do but we’ll have a good laugh :)
Your performance is then evaluated and recorded on the website - don’t let that put you off, no-one ever gets 100% all the time!

The landing speed you touchdown at isn’t used for your score but it is recorded and used to evaluate wear and tear on the aircraft.
Increased wear and tear reduces reliablity increasing the chance of a failure in flight, eeek!, and costs money for UKD to repair, double-eeeek!!
But before you do any of this you have to select a flight from the UKD timetables, the client makes sure you departed from the correct place and landed at the right place - ‘cos no-one ever lands at the wrong airport do they, lol.

Before a flight you need to calculate how much fuel you need (roughly, and if you have FSNavigator that will give a very good idea) and pay for it (virtual money only!).
After a successful flight you are paid in virtual money and UKD earns some virtual dosh too.

There is no manual so I’ve written the following to guide you through some simple steps.
At first it may seem there is a lot to take in but really it’s very simple and don’t forget it’s us your dealing with so don’t worry. Any questions just ask - there’s no such thing as a stupid question and believe me some of us had snags. Hopefully the following will allow you to bypass the pitfalls we fell in :)

Ok, what do I need to do?
Go to http://flynet.en-studios.de/ and register, then apply to join UKD - I recommend doing this first and now but please don’t wait until you want to fly as we need to receive your application and process it.
Newshounds advice: I recommend starting at Bournemouth (EGHH), Jersey (EGJJ) or Stansted (EGSS) as this provides more options.
Then go to the forum to download the client program (currently at version 0.5.1b) or use this direct link HERE
Before you can fly with Flynet make sure you've booked a flight through flynet.en-studios.de!

In Order to book a flight you have too:
Be in the Location of Departure (hence my advice)
Have the type rating of that A/C (we will sort that as part of the application process)
Downloaded the Client (all you have to do is unzip it and run it, no installing)
Make sure you have an internet connection and that you are at the gate at the departure airport with engines off - this isn’t an online Vatsim ATC type program but you do need to be connected to the internet while your flight is monitored. You still use flightsim as before, with or without atc, real weather or not at your discretion, using any of your regular planes, panels, sounds, etc.


Flight booked, now what?
Start FS, Plan your route (already done courtesy of Martin 120 - on the website), start at your departure airport, Engines Off, Parking brake set. Minimize FS and start FLYNet, Login. Choose "Fly Booked Flight". Enter your fuel amount (Note, if there is fuel left over in the plane from a previous flight, say 5000, and you put in 3000 into the box, you will LOSE 2000lbs of Fuel. If you enter 7000, you will only be charged for the extra 2000 lbs put into your plane. Plan accordingly) Return to Flight Sim, Release the Parking Brake, Fly to your destination airport, land, taxi, stop and Set the parking brake. Wait for the "Seatbelt Sign" sound to play, this indicates your flight has been recorded.

Magic! A little additional info
The client is in Beta stage, please keep this in mind. That means there may be a few bugs in the program (believe me there is)
The Cargo system is messed up. We know this. We are fixing it.
The database can be cantankerous. The E170 has issues.
The client does crash occasionally. This can be minimised by not pausing FS or try to slew.
In fact I strongly recommend that you keep all flights to a maximum realtime of 1 hour where possible. If your flight is longer than 1 virtual hour then you will almost certainly need to set the sim rate at x2 or x4 - each flight has a maximum sim-rate already set.
This is a very new bug which only appeared with the last release so hopefully this will soon be fixed. Any questions can be sent to the UKD forum, emailed to me or use the Flynet forum.

Congratulations

....to Neil 138 for becoming the new head of Vatsim in the UK. Neil is the new Division Director taking over the position of VATUK1 as of April 1st 2006.
So if you ever wondered what all this online flying malarky was all about he’s the guy to ask, and if you do dip a toe in the Vatsim waters you’ll know you have a friend on the other side of the radar screen.

Video Club

Time to change your underwear

A French pilot showimg off nearly regrets it!.
 3.8mb click the icon to download.

Pilot Gallery

A picture from an unusual angle by Grant 182, it looks like a huge...    Johnson, come over here .....  lol

It just wouldn’t be Directions without a picture from Gareth 117. There is something slightly odd about this Saab, Gareth has cut and pasted the old Saab skin over a new Saab model. Maybe we’ll get around to doing it properly one day. Nice effort though.

Here is an early shot of the Dreamfleet Embrear 170. The basic model is available for FS2004 and FS2002 from www.dreamwingsdesign.com and the UKD paint scheme will become available later this month. As you can see from the picture it is almost complete.

And Finally.....

Pierre, a brave French fighter pilot, takes his girlfriend, Marie, out for a pleasant little picnic by the River Seine.
It's a beautiful day and love is in the air. Marie leans over to Pierre and says, "Pierre, kiss me!"
Pierre grabs a bottle of Merlot and splashes it on Marie's lips.
"What are you doing, Pierre?" says the startled Marie.
"I am Pierre, the fighter pilot! When I have red meat, I have red wine!"
She smiles and they start kissing. Things began to heat up a little and Marie says, "Pierre, kiss me lower."
Our hero tears her blouse open, grabs a bottle of Chardonnay and pours it on her breasts.
"Pierre!! What are you doing now?" asks the bewildered Marie.
"I am Pierre, the fighter pilot! When I have white meat, I have white wine!"
She giggles and they resume their passionate interlude, and things really steam up. Marie leans close to his ear and whispers,
"Pierre, kiss me much lower!"
Pierre rips off her underwear, grabs a bottle of Cognac and pours it in her lap. He then strikes a match and lights the cognac on fire.
Marie shrieks and dives into the River Seine.
Standing waist deep, Marie throws her arms into the air and screams furiously, "PIERRE, WHAT THE F**K DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"
Our 'hero' stands and says defiantly, "I am Pierre, the fighter pilot!"
"If I go down, I go down in flames!"




The Englishman's wife steps up to the tee and, as she bends over to place her ball, a gust of wind blows her skirt up and reveals her lack of underwear. "Good God, woman! Why aren't you wearing any knickers?" her husband demanded.
"Well, you don't give me enough housekeeping money to afford any."
The Englishman immediately reaches into his pocket and says, "For the sake of decency, here's 50. Go and buy yourself some underwear."
Next, the Irishman's wife bends over to set her ball on the tee. Her skirt also blows up to show that she is wearing no undies.
"Blessed Virgin Mary, woman! You've no knickers. Why not?"
She replies, "I can't afford any on the money you give me."
He reaches into his pocket and says, "For the sake of decency, here's 20. Go and buy some underwear!"
Lastly, the Scotsman's wife bends over. The wind also takes her skirt over her head to reveal that she, too, is naked under it.
"Sweet mudder of Jaysus, Aggie! Where the frig are yer drawers?" She too explains, "You dinna give me enough money ta be able ta affarrd any."
The Scotsman reaches into his pocket and says, "Well, fer the love 'o Jaysus, 'n the sake of decency, here's a comb. Tidy yerself up a bit."
 

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