Trip Report: USA

[Jayden Laing]

TRIP REPORT
(12th December - 21st December)
Flight: V Australia VA1 (YSSY-KLAX)
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Registration: VH-VPE
Cruising Altitude: 33,000ft (10,059m)
Speed: 920 kph (571mph)
Flight Time: 12 hours 40 mins
ETA(Los Angeles): 3:06pm Saturday 12 December 2009
Turbulence: Mild turbulence around the south of Fiji & the throughout the Pacific Islands
Outside Temperature: -34 degrees Celsius.

Flight Timeline (AEDST):
8:05pm: Scheduled Boarding begins at Gate 61
9:15pm: Pushback & engine start
9:30pm: Airborne off runway 34L (tracking out between Manly & Bondi heading for the Pacific Ocean)
10:30pm: Dinner served
12:30am: Lights out
12:50am: VA1 passes over the southeast of Suva
11am: Landed at LAX airport on runway 25R

General Flight Comments:

Celebrity Richard Reid (Channel 9, Today Show Gossip Guru) was onboard the flight.


Aircraft was late leaving the gate due to a passenger not turning up at boarding resulting in their bags being removed for security reasons


Climb to 33,000ft was relatively quick & straight forward. A few turns here & there & we were on our way across the Pacific.


In-flight entertainment was fantastic. Wide range of music, latest movie releases & documentaries, wide variety of games (games for children & also the adults who felt the urge to play a game of online golf or two!)


Cabin Crew were fantastic. Extremely helpful



Seat over was 26F



Managed to grab a look & some photos of the cockpit
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2681/4202004975_ac16d7fb70_o.jpg
Me in the F/O's seat
Flight: Southwest (KLAX-KLAS)
Aircraft: Boeing 737
Registration: N264LV
Cruising Altitude: 28,000ft (m)
Flight time: 1hr 5min

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2707/4201995901_ca13fc2fe2_o.jpg
Waiting to board at Gate 7

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2799/4202774688_f92c0d8d77_o.jpg
Nice suprise seeing this 747SP upon landing in Las Vegas

Flight: Stars & Stripes Scenic Tours (Grand Canyon & Hoover Dam tour)
Aircraft: Cessna 208B Caravan
Registration: N208PK
Cruising Altitude: 7,500ft (m)
Flight time: 1hr

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4202779138_cd7019303a_o.jpg
Aircraft used for the scenic flight

Flight: Southwest 2614 (KLAS-KLAX)
Aircraft: Boeing 737
Registration: N631SW
Cruising Altitude: 29,000ft (8,839m)
Flight time: 45min


Flight: V Australia VA002 (KLAX-YSSY)
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Registration: VH-VPF
Cruising Altitude: 36,000ft (10,972m)
Speed: 916 kph (569mph)
Flight Time: 14 hours
ETA (Sydney): 6:05am Monday 21st December 2009
Turbulence: Mild turbulence around the south of Hawaii & across the Pacific Ocean
Outside Temperature: -45 degrees Celsius.

Flight Timeline (AEDST):
(Sunday 20th December)
2:40pm: Scheduled Boarding begins at Gate 38
3:14pm: Pushback & engine start
3:37pm: Airborne off runway 25R (tracking out over Santa Monica Pier)
4:30pm: Dinner served
(Monday 21st December)
5:35am: Descent from 36,000ft into Sydney
6:03am: Touchdown on 34L
6:08am: Engine shutdown

General Flight Comments:

Climb to 36,000ft was relatively quick & straight forward. A few turns here & there & we were on our way across the Pacific.

Seat home was 35J
Cabin Crew were fantastic. Extremely helpful with any problems that arose.
Summary:
Would I fly with V Australia again? YES most definitely
Would I fly with Southwest again? Not in a hurry. Cabin Crew were average & service was a bit poor

[AdamC]

Jayden

Hi, just curious how do you get all the information about the cruise FL's and speed and stuff like that? Do you keep and eye on it yourself or do you get the info from the flight deck.

Cheers

Adam

[Jayden Laing]

I kept an eye on the display that appears in the info section of the personal IFE

[Grahame Hutchison]

Love the 747SP Jayden, my kind of aircraft.

[Gareth Forwood]

Love the shots Jayden, thanks for posting them. It looks like I'll finally be going to USA in March/April with V Aus too (at least on the way over). Do you have any pics from the scenic flight? I'm tossing up between that and a helicopter flight...

[Marty H]

Great report Jayden, loved the B747SP picture:)

[Rick G.]

Jayden,

Regarding your 747 SP sighting in Las Vegas-

I am currently living in Dubai, UAE. Earlier this month, around December 7th or 8th, I spotted that same blue and white 747 SP taking off out of Dubai International Airport. If not the same one, it was one with a similar paint job. I was not close enough to read the Registration number.

Does anyone on the board here know the particulars of this aircraft, or if there are any other 747 SP's painted in the same fashion as the one Jayden has pictured here?

I wonder who the owners / operators are of this aircraft?

Rick G.

[Brandon Giacomin]

There are two B747SP's that are in the exact same livery.

VQ-BMS
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6553001&nseq=0

and VP-BLK
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6281972&nseq=5

[phil.l]

Rick regarding B747SP at vagas, i believe there are two VP-BLK and VQ-BMS
VQ-BMS C/N 21649 ex N540PA,N149UA,V8-JBB,A9C-HMH
VP-BLK C/N 21961 ex N58201 TWA,A6-SMR.

[phil.l]

Just got me Brandon, well done thanks for the photos.

[Wayne Bishop]

For Rick G.

The SP's (if not owned by) certainly fly for the Las Vegas Sands Resorts. They also have a Tristar, Gulfstream and I think a 767 as well. All of which are fairly regular visitors to the gambling meccas around the world...especially Macau.

Cheers
Wayne

[phil.l]

Wayne add two B737`S N788LS and N789LS. ex Delta.

[Blair M]

Yeah the SP's are flying casino's! So they can get the money of the high flyers as the collect them and drop them off too!

[Jayden Laing]

Gareth,
Do you have any pics from the scenic flight? I'm tossing up between that and a helicopter flight...
The one i went on was good but next time i go, i would take the helicopter flight. The scenic flight that i was on was a big day Gareth. It was pick up & drop off from my casino at 6:45am ready for an 8:30am flight departure so prepare for a big day. Pick up & drop off from the casino is included in the package. I believe that the helicopter flight flies down into the canyon.

Here are a couple of photo's from the Grand Canyon:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/4206375057_85cee06f83_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2527/4207124878_b653cbdc23_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/4207121462_82edb9883a_o.jpg
Hoover Dam

[Gareth Forwood]

Wow, top shots mate! I think since I haven't flown in a helicopter before, and since they go below the rim I might take the chopper. The views look great though!

[SteveW]

Hey Gareth,

I flew with Maverick Helicopter when I went to Vegas (http://www.maverickhelicopter.com/). We did the Sunrise tour (http://www.maverickhelicopter.com/tour-grandcanyon-sunrise.aspx) but, if you want the DVD of the flight which comes with audio, be prepared for some dodgy footage as you track East from departure, so the sun is shining right in the lens nearly all the way there.

Other than that, was awesome! We didn't book before arriving in Vegas, we booked there and got a good price.

[Sarah C]

Thanks for the pics Jayden!

Gareth F - I would recommend a flight to the Grand Canyon. We did one back in July with Scenic Tours (http://www.scenic.com). It left from Boulder City airport, right over the Hoover Dam (as Jaydens photo shows) and lands into Grand Canyon West airport. The tour then took us by bus to the Skywalk and another lookout point. Different to the standard lookouts but well worth it.

Not sure how the helicopter tours are - they were very popular when we arrived at Grand Canyon West airport. It would be great for the experience, but not so much for photography. The choppers whizzed by quite quickly so getting photos might be interesting!

In relation to the SP's, Wayne is right - they are owned by Las Vegas Sands Resorts, who also own other aircraft. The SP's looked great in the sun among all the other private jets at McCarran (including plenty of 737 BBJ's).