WELCOME TO THE NEWSROOM
This Update 04/11/01.
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Disclaimer: Deja-Vu airlines, Trees Expresso and Tees Express are in no way connected to the real UK Direct. Everything on the UK Direct web site can be 'copied right' by anyone with limited imagination and a computer ( That's all I do anyway...ed.) and then we'll just send the boys around..savvy?
The latest 737-300 G-UKSF on the apron, passengers disembarked, pilot still looking for the light switch.
Editorial
November is here, winter is sneaking up on us here at UK Direct. The summer charters are dwindling and the UK Sun pilots are looking for their ski apparel and thermal underwear. The drop in air temperature doesn't seem to be affecting the rate at which the paint is drying on the UK Direct fleet. Like men possessed Dave and James are continuing their painting frenzy. Other managers can only stare in amazement, suspecting fat bonuses or blackmail as the incentive. I have pictures of so many variants of FS aircraft I'm a little concerned that I'm going to get something terribly wrong or omit totally. I think I've even got some pictures of men and sheep - obviously delivered to the wrong address.
Fleet
Latest
This is by far the largest
section of the news this month...so here goes.
The twin Otter is now available for FS2k on the Fleet pages. The UK Executive
CL601 is available in FS98 and FS2k revised versions. The 727-200 has had a
major revamp and will shortly be available in both FS98 and FS2k guises, the
Easyjet routes now have a resplendent G-UKSF 737-300 for FS2k, UK Sun has
737-800 G-UKSA available in the new Sun livery for FS2k, as is 757-200 G-UKSC.
World Cargo 707 N10023F has received the full FS2k treatment and the DC-10 is
currently undergoing final touches for FS98 and 2k. The long awaited (ie..forgotten
about) 727 cargo purchased from Taesa will soon be joining the fold. Our
Caribbean cousins CDAC, have received a fine version of the DC8 for FS2k.
Our old friends the 747-200's are no longer with us, instead we have the 400's -
more on those later. We have also acquired a 777-200 which should be available
now? to take over the Cape Town route from the leased 747-200 and a new flight
route to a place called Galleao.
I looked it up in my AA book of the road which I always use to fly with but can
only assume this is past The Isles of Scilly, so until I can find my Great World
Atlas I can't really say where this is.
Found it Rio De Janeiro ! Wow....
Anyway, here are some pics, some official others bought from a bloke down the pub who also can supply Video recorders and MOT's for your car. (apologies to our non UK resident pilots who won't have much of a clue as to what any of the above means !))
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727-200 G-UKDL receives the FS2k treatment
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FS98 versions of 727-200 G-UKDL and the forthcoming World Cargo 727F.
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UKWC DC-10 for FS98 in the latest livery |
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CDAC DC-8 for FS2k |
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G-UKSF climbs out of Luton looking pretty as a picture. |
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World Cargo 707, N10023F proudly showing off its new paint scheme at Ataturk. |
A Big Thank You
Dave Finney has asked me to publicly thank Neil 138 for taking over a lot of route proving work. This is allowing Dave to spend a lot more time with his painting. Neil has also taken over the running of the safety department from James. May I join in thanking Neil and welcome him to the ranks of paper shufflers who occasionally get to fly when they're not too busy. Now where's that report...shuffle, shuffle....
A couple of months ago I reported that SATA virtual
were embarked on a project to create a realistic ATP and panel for FS2k. I felt
unwilling to publish any pictures after reading clearly worded warnings on
reproducing any of the work found on their pages. However we have received a
letter from Pedro Sousa at SATA thanking us for our interest in the project and
permitting me to publish some pictures.
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The BAe ATP panel is looking very good. Just compare the pictures of the real world panel on their web site. |
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Lets hope the aircraft flies as well as it looks. |
I think you'll agree that a lot of fine work is being undertaken. For more detailed information please visit SATA Virtual at http://www.satavirtual.org/bae-atp/indexi.html
Pirep Version 2.1 almost ready
Rumour has it that Dave Clover is getting down to the final tweeks and thingys that clever computer people do. This should result in an up to date Pirep program for everyone to fill in wrongly ad nauseum. Mark de boss can't wait ! Thanks Dave.Does it include an "other" option in the aircraft type window? I hope so , Mark just loves that!
Online flying for Newbies !
Yes I know its been mentioned on the Operations page but as Dave was kind enough to let me have a copy please go to the Online section and read the article. Who knows you might be tempted to have a go! (Go on, go on, go on, go on, ........etc...vomit...)
I have used a separate page for a letter from Brian and Mrs Brian that was sent to me with a view to publishing. I took a bit of News ed's license and put in a couple of piccys from the early UKD history books for a nostalgic view. I wonder just how many pilots are still with us from those early days. I mean I can remember being allocated UKD140 when I was the latest pilot on the roster - and there were only 39 others! Sandy, Roberto, Yuval, were all there from the very beginning, anyone else? Drop me a line to remind me of tales from our past. Like the time we all arrived online over Norway, SATCO crashed or lag or something (actually I think the controller was a bit overwhelmed and panicked! or a not very competent and pretended to have problems) and then Gary Summons called a mayday because he was out of fuel after circling for an hour and went down in the forest just outside Oslo! I eventually managed to get down in Tromso with good ATC. Click HERE to read the letter.
Ferry Flight pics.
Cargo manager and pilot Dave Frankland kindly sent in some pictures from his marathon 747-400, 10 hour flight, from Seattle. Here are a couple showing scenes from a different part of the flightsimming globe, one of the reasons that the ferry flights are always popular.
At the terminal
Climbing out over Seattle.
Do you have some pics that you think are good enough for publishing? Hint...I look for as much realism as I think is possible, taking into consideration the visual limitations of an aircraft model and the version of FS. Send them to me at my address below in a compressed form only please.
New Routes
With the introduction of the 777-200 on the
leased 747 routes the following flightplans have been modified or introduced.
UKD834 and 835 from London Gatwick to Rio De Janeiro, Galleao and return and UKD822 and 823
Gatwick to Cape Town and return.
and finally.....
Many of you will know that our resident all-round good bloke Dave Finbar Whiplash is a resident of the Widnes area. Well just the other day an anonymous brown envelope arrived on my desk with a photograph. Signed by a 'concerned of Wirral', Entitled 'Country Walks Around Widnes'.
Newsroom Manager
