by Lufthansa Flyer | Feb 13, 2013 | Uncategorized |
A British group seems to think so….
Save Concord Group is a British organization comprised of volunteers who feel that the Concorde should take to the skies again as a traveling ambassador that showcases the avionic marvel. The group faces nothing short of an Everest sized challenge as it needs to gain a litany of approvals and funding to make their objective a reality.
As an Avgeek, I would absolutely love to see the delta-winged beauty take to the skies and tour the world bringing back memories to those of us who have seen her in flight or who may have been fortunate enough to fly her. Growing up in New York, and flying out of Kennedy on a regular basis, I have several memories of watching Concorde land and depart while in was in the service of British Airways and Air France. I also had the chance to board the Concorde at the IWM Duxford where it is on static display. The visit to Duxford has always ranked among my favorite aviation related experiences specifically because of the Concorde. As I think about it today, most kids age 18 or under have never seen Concorde fly except perhaps on a flight simulator or Youtube video.
Though the fate of the Concorde was all but sealed with the tragic crash and loss of life in France on July 25, 2000, I think the aircraft deserves to take to the skies at least as a traveling monument to aviation. In reading through the Save Concorde Group website, they make a very compelling argument as to why at least one Concorde can be made airworthy. According to their claims, the Concorde candidate for restoration has fewer flight hours on her airframe over a 20 year service life than a typical Boeing 747 has after only 5 years. Perhaps it’s an apples to oranges comparison, but an interesting statistic nevertheless.
Save Concorde Group is an interesting website worthy of a visit. If you are a fan of Concorde or aircraft in general, there’s a lot of great technical and historical information on the entire Concorde fleet, including a section that talks about where each surviving Concorde is today. The website has a very thorough timeline of what has been happening with their efforts and is mixed with highs and lows as they face and overcome the challenges involved with bringing Concorde back. There’s also a great section called RTF or Return To Flight which chronicles the steps necessary to make their dream a reality.
What are you thoughts? Should we be fortunate enough to see Concorde fly again?
by Lufthansa Flyer | Feb 10, 2013 | Uncategorized |
Granted that we’re barely into 2013, but I’ve already set sights on one of our major trips for 2014. If you recall reading about My New Year Travel Resolution For 2013……What’s Yours?, I committed to expanding to new travel horizons. One of them was to touch foot in Africa. After thinking of reasons to visit Africa, my wife and I decided that a Safari would be the absolute perfect way for us to be introduced to the continent.
With days and weeks of research behind us, we’ve decided to visit the Ulusaba Game Reserve located in the Sabi Sands Reserve of South Africa in early 2014. The Ulusaba Reserve is owned by Sir Richard Branson and part of the Virgin Limited Edition Group of properties.
We’ll spend 6 days at the reserve and take advantage of their “Photographic Safari” program that caters to photographers. The package provides visitors with one on one workshops with accomplished wildlife photographers and specially trained game trackers to maximize the photographer’s experience. What I love about the package is that it limits vehicle occupancy to only 4 people which allows each photographer to have 2 rigs mounted on the vehicle. This allows for greater flexibility and eliminates the risk of damaging equipment when changing lenses, etc. Between my wife and I, I’ll be able to have 4 cameras mounted, each with a different lens which will cover most photo opportunities.
Each day, we’ll go on 2 extended game “drives” and 1 game “walk” which should provide plenty of opportunities to capture the stunning beauty of the African bush. When it comes time to book our tickets, we’ll be flying into Johannesburg on Lufthansa via Chicago and Frankfurt (my wife will finally have her first A380 experience!) and then transfer to a private charter flight to the Ulusaba Airstrip.
I’m excited about this trip since it will have many “firsts” for us. Hopefully these firsts will include several close encounters with some impressive wildlife. I’ve always wanted to know where I rank on the food chain.
And oh by the way, in the spirit of my Lufthansa Rubber Duck collection, Ulusaba did well by us when a few of these showed up in our mailbox soon after contacting them and beginning our booking process.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Jan 4, 2013 | Uncategorized |
As part of my 2013 travel objectives, I’m looking to fly 8-10,000 revenue miles each month to reduce the stress involved with renewing elite status this year. Last year, I had procrastinated until the 3rd and 4th quarter and had to hustle to get the miles together. As part of this “master plan” I’ve also committed to introduce new destinations in addition to my normal runs. Don’t get me wrong, there will be several runs to Germany and Slovakia for obvious reasons but along the way I’ll be expanding my horizons….literally.
So the obvious choice for January is of course……… Anchorage, Alaska (ANC).
Most people that I’ve shared this with reply with a blank stare that says nothing less than “you are a master idiot”. Sure, maybe if I lived in the southern part of the USA, I would agree….it would be a fairly dumb move. But for someone who lives in Michigan and is regularly subjected to sub-zero wind chills and feet upon feet of lake effect snow, a trip to Anchorage actually provides a respite from Michigan winters. Anchorage is fortunate to be at the receiving end of a Pacific Ocean current that brings relatively decent winter conditions to Anchorage, no different than most northern US states such as Michigan, Minnesota, Maine, etc.
At the core of my decision to go to Anchorage later this month was for the plane spotting opportunities. Anchorage’s Ted Stevens International hosts a proverbial WHO’s-WHO of cargo aviation. Everything from classic DC-6′s and Curtis Wright C-46′s to the mammoth Antonov AN-225 can be observed at fairly close range. ANC is actually very “plane spotter friendly” with several vantage points that provide a variety of dramatic photos opportunities. All I need is a little cooperation from the sun for the 5-6 hours of daylight ANC receives a day this time of year along with battery powered long-johns and I should come back with fantastic images.
I was able to build a routing that will yield 9000 elite qualifying miles for the cost of a 6000 mile fare. At the end of the day, I’ll wind up spending 4.3 cents per mile (including elite bonuses) which is not exactly a bad ratio considering where the marketplace is as far as fares are concerned. Not to mention I get to come home and stick a magnet on Anchorage on my World Travel Map that hangs in my office and call it horizon expanded.
The routing:
At this point, I have a fairly blank canvas as far as what else I’ll do in Anchorage. I do know that the Alaska Air Museum is a must see destination, but outside of that I’m out of ideas. If anyone has experienced Anchorage (especially in the winter) and can offer advice on things to see or do, please let me know!
