WELCOME TO THE NEWSROOM
This update 01/01/02.
BAe146 G-UKJD draws nearer to the coast as it descends towards Nice.
Editorial - Happy New Year
Just a short message from the Newsroom to say I wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year. My new years resolution? Well I'll try and be nice to everyone at UK Direct and run a nice clean and wholesome newsletter regularly. Who said Pigs can't fly?
Screenshot of the month
With the advent of FS02, better looking aircraft models (repainted brilliantly, fleet painters..), superior weather rendition, with clouds and atmospheric light textures, more of you have begun to realize it really is quite easy to take good sceenshots. Which is good for me, as I don't have to have my camera handy all the time but at the same time I now have to play journalistic god and censor and remember to give credit to the right photographer. Big thanks this month to Mark 171 who seems to have a few rolls of virtual film to use up, and to Neil 138 who sent in this great shot of a fs2k 727 landing at EGSS in pretty marginal visibility. Nothing like it for getting the pulse rate up during short finals!
FS(20)02 begins to make an impression
B717 climbing out over Christchurch Bay, with Bournemouth in the background.
Judging by the trickle of post on the notice
board and the helpful advice from Paul 113 on how he has worked out how to use
our v.a. adventure program with Microsoft's latest, FS02 is obviously beginning
to appear on a few of our members PC's. Mark Greenough has sent in some cracking
piccys courtesy of FS02 but then the public perception of our lads serving in
the Royal Navy is obviously outdated. Some still believe that when at sea they
save their money until they reach port, when it all gets spent during a frantic
orgy of wine women and song (I won't mention attractive ladies that are really
men, red light districts, dodgy bars, drunken brawling etc..etc...)
Mark was very good with his pennies and treated himself to FS02 ( probably
didn't get ashore to spend any, snigger..) and I have great pleasure in showing
these now!
CDAC DC8 high and con-trailing
PIREP News
Any hope that the all-new-singing-dancing Pirep program was IDIOT PROOF were proved woefully too optimistic when one of our intrepid aviators managed to enter a punctuation mark instead of a number. Close, but no cigar. The pilot in question will be helping with the clean-up operation after the office party and be sentenced to night mail flights for a month.
Long Service and good conduct
A big apology to Jonathan Fenech, Pilot 143, long
serving ex-World Cargo manager who passed through the 1000 hour landmark
weeks ago.
It only came to my notice when a set of personalized sheepskin pilot seat covers
arrived at HQ for Jonathan. (No expense spared here !) Jonathan is now fully
entitled to park his car on the grass outside the Spar shop and can use the
title of Fleet Grand Commander Pooh-Bah
Picture kindly from the Fleet section
Dave Frankland was very pleased to take delivery of G-UKGC "Hermes" and has made use of the aircraft immediately employing it on short haul night parcel work. So for all you insomniacs and people delegated to fly it because they cant fill their PIREPS in properly - enjoy! I must say the painters have done a really nice job on this aircraft. Lets give credit where its due, Hip, Hip....
Dave has spent a lot of time updating the cargo site. Drop in and have a good look around. Then jet off to somewhere different from the usual network destinations.
Colossus descends into the cold grey world of weak Norwegian winter sunshine, on
finals for Vaernes
747-200's move on to Prestwick
G-UKIB flies SID Kenet 2M out of Gatwick on her way to Prestwick and cheaper
storage fees.
The ferry flight crew places are nearly filled but if you're quick you could secure a place in the UKD history pages. Write to Mark at HQ ASAP. We need to get these aircraft moved on to their new homes.
Turbo-Prop debate goes on
Dornier 328, leaves Guernsey for Southend - but how popular is this aircraft
with you, the pilots?
Readers of the message board may have been aware of a thread discussing the merits and dislikes of the various prop aircraft UK Direct currently uses. What do you like to fly? Have you been unhappy with any of the aircraft? Have you any practical suggestions for replacements along with your reasons for making your suggestion? What do real world airlines use for similar operations and why? Use our forum to discuss this and other issues.
Condor 757-300 sees the snow!
2.30pm local time and the sun is getting low, below the cold overcast awaits..
With G-UKIF back at Lufthansa's maintenance facility in Hamburg for a couple of days for its 18 month 'C' Check. Condor 757-300, D-ABOC was available to cover the Gatwick to Ulaan Baatar flight via Moscow. More familiar with visiting the summer resorts of the Mediterranean, the aircraft's bright colour scheme lightened up the winter skies over Siberia. The crew were very glad that the climate control system worked and kept their toes warm too! G-UKIF is now back with us again ready for service.
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| Overcast down to 698ft, runway threshold 629ft!, mist, snow, visibility 1800m, OAT -8C. | The snow falls steadily as D-ABOC taxis out to runway 07R for onward departure to Ulaan Baatar. |
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Do you have any interesting flightsimming tales with pictures? Send them in to me and I'll gladly consider publishing them. |
| Welcome to Moscow Sheremetyevo
where at the moment its cold and snowing! Passengers for Ulaan Bataar
get your thermals ready because the latest weather reports that its
currently -22C and clear. Our ETA there is 02.45 Local time. |
....and Finally
The fleet department is experimenting with 2 new cloud types for regional weather deliveries. Seen above is a screenshot , courtesy of Mark Greenough showing Dave Finney (UKD109) trying out one of the new clouds whilst Brian (UKD199) appears to be struggling to keep up in his cloud - I expect Dave's been tweeking the 'air' file to improve the performance.
Newsroom Manager