Dave Liquorice wrote:

Quite liked the Trislander, that
felt as if it went about 20 yds and then leapt into the sky. Proper
flying, fold down canvas seats, two per seat, everyone with a window,
pilot lines the passengers up on the tarmac and then loads you in to
keep the plane more or less in trim.

Reminds me of the time I had a flight in a Short 330, which had
the feel of being little more than a Leyland National with wings.

Boiled sweets were handed round before take-off and landing,
intended to promote swallowing and hence ease the discomfort on
our ears. Being unpressurised they couldn't gain much height to
get above the weather.

The interior trim panels were covered with sticky-backed plastic,
and, as the plane gained height, little bubbles appeared as it
lifted off the backing. On descent, it all shrank back again.

It amused me that the flight deck was so small that each pilot
had his own sliding door, through which his in-flight cuppa was
duly passed.

Touching on elderly aircraft, there was a time when I had a few
flights between EMA and Glasgow, operated in those days by
Viscount.

The plane(s) had clearly been around - the passenger switch
labels had obviously been bilingual, with the foreign text edited
by angle grinder.

They must originally have been constructed with a small first
class area forward of a pair of toilets. Its size meant that,
even though it was a single class operation, they couldn't really
squeeze in extra seats, so this was the place to head for ample
legroom. Even better were the large windows with a view clear of
the wing.

I would happily never fly again, but these trips did at least
give a good view from a comfortable seat.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Plant amazing Acers.