The opportunity came along recently to trade one of my Caribbean trips for a Paris trip. Not having been there in almost a year and thoroughly enjoying my previous visits to the city, I made the trade.
Departure from DFW is in the late afternoon with an arrival in Paris the following morning.
All loaded up and ready to taxi...get that MD80 out of the way!! We had a mission to accomplish! (they probably did too)
Takeoff weight this day was close to 400,000 lbs. Every seat had an occupant. Our liftoff speed was close to 170 knots with a climb speed of 330 knots above 10,000 ft.
Not a problem for the Boeing and it's General Electric powerplants.
Before long we were pointed Northeast and cruising at 33,000 ft under clear skies as the sun was setting in the West. In just a few hours we would be staring a sunrise in the face and putting up our sun visors.
Paris in the summer seems to bring out the crowds. I don't know if I have ever seen the city quite so busy.
The French have an excellent idea at work in Paris. Bikes for rent. You can rent a bike from a multitude of locations throughout the city. All you need is a credit card and off you go. Then you can drop off your bike at any of those locations....you don't have to go back to where you rented it. What a great concept. And they are relatively inexpensive also. I intend to try it someday.
Naturally I had to visit the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. Always an impressive sight.
Then a walk through the Latin Quarter.
Kind of busy today.
Is that lady picking her nose?
So then back to the hotel for some rest. The next morning our crew of 13 was up early for the leg back to DFW. Departure from Paris is before Noon with a mid-afternoon arrival time in Texas.
Charles de Gaulle airport is a very busy place. But there's always something interesting to see. Look at this Air France A320 in retro colors.
Next up was this Air France B-747-400 and then it was our turn.
The headwinds were brutal this day. The leg took just over 11 hours. Our individual rest breaks were extra long and allowed for a nap and a movie!
All is well in Paris.
Next up, a trip to the 49th state.
For a look at some more of my photos, please aviate over to Plane & Simple.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
All Is Well In Paris
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7 comments:
Hi Len,
Great story as usual.
Aren't your airline's 767s equipped with General Electric CF6-80 engines instead of Pratt and Whitneys?
Info,
You are correct!! The 767's have GE's. I was thinking about the former TWA 757's when I was posting this and I mistakenly said P&W. The TWA 757's did indeed have P&W's.
I will correct that. You're making me look bad!!
But thanks...
Len
Sorry Len,
I'm sure you know what is powering the aircraft you are operating, I knew there was a good explanation.
Thanks for taking the time to write about your experiences at work, I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog.
Mark.
Great read Len! It must be nice to have a change in location scenery once in a while. Enjoy Anchorage - I had a great time there - got some really nice shots in Anchorage - there is definately some "rare" things to get there!
Len!
Good to have you back, hope all is going well! Again, i cant wait till im using Alice Springs as a position report, rather than a base.
Take it easy, good read as usual.
Mike.
Right as usual, that lady was knuckle deep into that nostril!!!
Great pics.
If you like unusual planes, the last post on my blog has some shots of a rare 4 engine recip that I stumbled upon over the weekend.
www.report-on-conditions.blogspot.com
I got lucky.
Thanks for the post !!
I just stumbled upon your blog, and must say that, as a passenger, CDG has got to be one of the worst airports in the world! I had to transfer terminals a couple of weeks ago, and it takes a long time to ride the bus. Also, if you want to try to rent a "Velib" bicycle in Paris, be aware that NO American-issued Visa or Mastercards work in these machines. We are apparently the only country whose credit cards do not have the "smart chip" necessary to use the Velib system. HOWEVER!! I found out that the machines DO accept American Express cards, and was able to rent a bike that way. It was a great way to see Paris!
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