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  • Scarebus horror story!!!

    Type: Airbus A300-600R
    Airline: American Airlines
    Date: May 17, 2002
    Location: New York (JFK Intl.), New York
    Registration: N80057


    Because of the fact that the only direct flight between JFK and MCO had left early in the afternoon, I needed to catch a connecting flight at Miami International (MIA). As it turned out, the plane that I was taking from JFK to MIA was an Airbus A300-600...the same plane that had crashed on Long Island the previous November because the tail came off. Before I continue, I need to note that I despise Airbuses. While most of them (except the A321 and A330) are pretty to look at, I feel that they are nothing more than cheap (by cheap I do not mean inexpensive) imitations of Boeing. Needless to say that I wasn't too thrilled when I bought my tickets in April that I was gonna fly on an Airbus.

    Being that this was my first twin-aisle airplane since the DC-10 that I flew on to LAX ten years prior, I decided to take a picture of the interior of the aircraft (like I said earlier, I am an aviation nut). I wasn't seated more than 10 minutes before an AA employee came up to me. "Excuse me, but are you Mr. Fiore?" "Yes ma'am." "Can you come with me for a minute, I need to talk to you." We both exited the plane. "Were you the one who took a picture of the interior of the plane?" "Yes ma'am I was. Aviation and airlines are a hobby of mine." "May I ask you why you did it?" "Because this is my first Airbus and my first twin-aisle aircraft in almost a decade." I couldn't believe what I was about to hear. "Well, you have worried the captain because he thinks that you have acted suspiciously, and he insists that you refrain from taking any more pictures on board the aircraft." Here I was, a 19-year old college student, being compared to a terrorist;I was angry and insulted. "Pass my apologies along to the captain and first officer"…I wanted to add, "and if you can give me the captain's home address, I will send him some medication to help cure his paranoia." "I will…you can go ahead and re-board the aircraft." I knew that my face was red as I was walking back to my seat…but I wasn't red from embarrassment, I was red from anger.

    I ignored the lady's request to not take anymore pictures. In fact, I took 12 of them before we even took off! Never before in my life had I seen so many different international airlines as I did at JFK. Being that it took forever for us to get off the runway (the two General Electric CF6's on that plane weren't a good choice for engines), I just stared out the window and snapped to my heart's content. As we climbed off the runway and turned south to parallel the coastline, I managed to accidentally discover a new feature of my camera…it could switch from regular shots to panoramic shots…and I made the mistake of taking a panoramic shot of the entire Manhattan skyline…that ranks as one of the best mistakes I've ever made because the picture is phenomenal.

    For three hours and forty-seven minutes (my longest domestic flight to that point in time) as we shot down the Atlantic coast, I anxiously awaited my arrival at MIA…I wanted to get off that plane and here's why: shortly after our takeoff from JFK, we hit some minor turbulence. Most planes' wings are meant to slightly bend and vibrate in instances like that. The Airbus, however, began flapping like a bird! Until that moment, I had never been scared on an airplane before. The wings were flapping so hard that I thought that they were going to rip off the fuselage. Needless to say that that experience did not help my opinion of the Airbus consortium…in fact, I hate them more now than before I flew on them. The sole saving graces of that flight were the facts that I had a great deal of leg room, and, as we neared Myrtle Beach, I watched in awe as I could see a cell firing up near Orlando…I was at 35,000 feet, so I could see that far. For the next 90 minutes, I sat transfixed as the lightning shot out of the top of the anvil into the stratosphere...it was the most magnificent aerial lightning display I have ever seen.

    On our final approach to Miami, we flew right over downtown (the Orange Bowl stuck out like a sore thumb) and shot out over the eastern edge of the Everglades (it had a greenish glow to it…probably from the methane) before making a 180° turn and landing at MIA. As I exited the plane, I noticed the captain closely watching me. I gave him a solid glare, said nothing, and exited the aircraft.
    ~Steve

  • #2
    That captain needs to chill out, a camera is different from a knife. All the same I'm still glad my camera is a mere 8 ounces and can easily slip into my pocket. "Me taking pictures?...No" Nice report I love watching T-storms from planes.

    Comment


    • #3
      Would you like to share why you so adimately despise airbus? I could see being a bit disturbed flying another AA A300 after what happened with the tail breaking off in flight, but all of airbus? Come on, they make safe aircraft just like everyone else does. I personally like boeing better, but that doesn't mean Airbus sucks. You evidently have never flown on a 777 before, if a bit of wing flex scares you than I would reccomend not flying on one. On noting what was a good choice for engines or not, I'm sure the engineers who designed the aircraft have a much better idea of what is going on than a 19 year old college student. No offense of course. About the captain, that is pretty sad that he or she would say that and it does suck, but they are in charge of their aircraft, and you must follow the rules no matter what.

      Comment


      • #4
        Just to put my two cents in here. If you want to take photos of an aircraft interior it's usually best to wait until after the flight and then check with one of the crew. By waiting until the flight has been successfully completed you pretty much cancel out any chance that you might be a threat to the aircraft. Asking first will also ensure the crew that you are harmless. In a lot of years of flying I have never known a crew to refuse such a post-flight request unless they are pressed by a quick turnaround time. Most will be happy to let you shoot away then and many will even let you shoot in the flight deck once the flight is completed.

        There is also a certain amount of old flying superstition involved with taking pre-flight photos. During World War I many pilots came to believe that if their photo was taken before a mission that they would not return from it. It became good luck to take a photo after a completed mission, but bad luck to take one before. This same superstition carried on through World War II and though all the pilots who flew in that war have now passed airline retirement age there are still many current line pilots who learned from the WWII generation. In some cases that superstition was passed on and I have met many pilots who are uncomfortable with the idea of pre-flight photos, either of them or of the aircraft.

        While you may not believe in such superstition you may well have a pilot that does. Most won't openly admit that belief, but you will encounter many pilots who get a bit squeamish about cameras before a flight. The events of 9-11 didn't do anything to dispel that. I have heard scuttlebutt to the effect that all four aircraft involved that day were photographed prior to departure. I wouldn't know any way to verify that, but the rumor is out there anyway.

        It won't hurt anything to wait until after the flight is over and in almost any situation your request will be better received if you do.

        Comment


        • #5
          But what about photographers taking pictures of planes during push back?

          [photoid=77179]

          I've taken plenty of pictures of plnes departing and none have fallen out of the sky.

          Comment


          • #6
            I feel that they are nothing more than cheap (by cheap I do not mean inexpensive) imitations of Boeing
            ...another statement that reassures my opinion that a lot of aviation "enthusiasts" do not have a clue what is involved in developing a civil airliner.
            Instead of just appreciating the marvel of flight and the incredible effort engineers have put in, they bash one manufacturer or another. Nothing personal, I just have to vent about the recent tidal wave of lame posts about Airbus/Boeing that has lowered the quality of these forums

            grtz

            Comment


            • #7
              I think your unfortunate run-in with the staff tainted your description of the flight even more than your original dislike of the aircraft manufacturer. At AC we have lots of Boeings, plenty of Airbus products, Dehavilland's everywhere and we at one time had Douglas coming out our ying yangs. I don't understand how you can dislike an entire companies product especially when there are so many of them flying. I did find the rest of your report interesting though. See you got through your flight on an Airbus. It was pretty good, wasn't it?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re:

                I have flown DL's 777 (read my flt report) and actually, it's one of the most stable aircraft I've ever flown. Just after takeoff from CVG on our way to CDG, we entered a thick nimbostratus deck. I've had experience flying through those clouds before, and let me tell you, they don't exactly provide for a smooth ride.

                But, astonishingly, the 777 didn't even flinch! Just plowed through the clouds, even through the thickest parts of the deck. The wing even dissapeared several times, but still, the plane just kept going on w/o even the slightest fluctuations in pitch/yaw. Even when we were on short final for ATL in August '02 (again , read my report) there were plenty of heat thermals going on, as the ground temp was around 92 degrees w/ little wind. The 777 didn't bounce around, just had minor pitch fluctuations. Amazing. Then again, it also depends on how much wind there is and how hot a day is and also on the size and weight of an aircraft.

                I like Airbuses though, they're good aircraft. Great legroom (I must admit, in that category, the 340 beats the crap outta the 777, hands down!) I also was impressed with the silent drop-down trailing edge flaps when I first flew the 343 (DFW-FRA). That was pretty neat. I assume all Airbuses have that feature?? Nice report btw.

                Happy Flying.
                "Ok, I'm gonna get as many as I can on that SW pad there, uh... ok, Amarillo, you're #1, Houston-#2, Albuquerque #3, Phoenix-#4, Chicago-#5, Seattle-#6...

                Congratulations, Seattle!"

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re:

                  Originally posted by Foxtrop
                  I have flown DL's 777 (read my flt report) and actually, it's one of the most stable aircraft I've ever flown. Just after takeoff from CVG on our way to CDG, we entered a thick nimbostratus deck. I've had experience flying through those clouds before, and let me tell you, they don't exactly provide for a smooth ride.

                  But, astonishingly, the 777 didn't even flinch! Just plowed through the clouds, even through the thickest parts of the deck. The wing even dissapeared several times, but still, the plane just kept going on w/o even the slightest fluctuations in pitch/yaw. Even when we were on short final for ATL in August '02 (again , read my report) there were plenty of heat thermals going on, as the ground temp was around 92 degrees w/ little wind. The 777 didn't bounce around, just had minor pitch fluctuations. Amazing. Then again, it also depends on how much wind there is and how hot a day is and also on the size and weight of an aircraft.

                  I like Airbuses though, they're good aircraft. Great legroom (I must admit, in that category, the 340 beats the crap outta the 777, hands down!) I also was impressed with the silent drop-down trailing edge flaps when I first flew the 343 (DFW-FRA). That was pretty neat. I assume all Airbuses have that feature?? Nice report btw.

                  Happy Flying.
                  Yeah, but one of the reasons its so smooth is the wingflex (which many airlines nowadays have due to their composite structure). The author of this thread stated he didn't like the wing flex on the A300, so I'm pointing out that if that scares the crap out of him, he shoudlent fly a 777. The wingflex is supposed to be there, it helps with the smoothride.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    My worst flight for turbulence was on a 737 - this does not mean I hate all boeings. Your post is typical of how A vs B flamebaits start - if you did not want to go on an Airbus then go with another airline.

                    As for wing flex - they are designed to flex - it is not a feature of Airbus.

                    If they did not flex then a t-storm would probably do serious structural damage with possibly fatal results.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re:

                      Originally posted by Foxtrop
                      I .

                      I like Airbuses though, they're good aircraft. Great legroom (I must admit, in that category, the 340 beats the crap outta the 777, hands down!)
                      Happy Flying.
                      The legroom has nothing to do with the type of aircraft you are on. It is solely dependant upon how the airline choose to outfit the plane on delivery in terms of seat quality, manufacturer, ammenities and the all important pitch, unlike 40 years ago when you got the seat that came with the plane, period.
                      ________
                      VAPORIZER BLENDS

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                      • #12

                        Hey what's wrong with Airbus?? No need to feel scared on one.
                        I like Boeing and Airbus the same. They both make really good planes...
                        As for the wings bending.. they are designed to bend.. i think you went over the top about them "flapping" Anyway.. I thought Airbus had a better safety rate than Boeing?
                        If the wings didn't bend, they'd fall off right?? Oh, and by the way, I think that goes for all aircraft, not just Airbus
                        Chill
                        Click Here to view my aircraft photos at JetPhotos.Net!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by ME707
                          Anyway.. I thought Airbus had a better safety rate than Boeing?
                          They are...

                          I'm sorry if this offends u but I think you overreacted a lil bit
                          Click & Help

                          ONE

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                          • #14
                            that was lame of the fa to do.
                            frist is my last name, not a type-o

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I dont care for Airbus either. The only reason I dont care for them is their background. I only dislike the company, but not the planes. I like the A320(The only airbus I have flown on via Jetblue) and I consider the A340 to be one of the most beautiful aircraft around and want to fly in one sometime. The only Airbus plane I believe is ugly is the new A380. I will never simply hate all the aircraft of any manufacturer because they are under one name. I prefer Boeing, but I dont mind Airbuses. As for AAs A300s, it has already been talked about why they are the odd ones in an otherwise all Boeing fleet. AA aquired them, and they have places where they are used better than any other aircraft right now. Just my take on it...
                              It's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand.

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