Currently flying at 32,500 feet and climbing slightly, the outside air temperature is -36.0 degrees centigrade (-31.0F), our ground speed is 940 kmh or 583 mph. The 777-300 is 10 and a half hours from Melbourne and due to land in Melbourne at 4.30 Thursday morning, current time in Melbourne (at the time of writing this is 6.09 Wednesday evening. We are tracking across the very southern tip of India and then Sri Lanka and then across the Indian Ocean until we hit the west coast of Australia at about Derby or thereabouts.
Last night’s flight from Frankfurt to Abu Dhabi was uneventful, you will be pleased to know that it was still raining in Frankfurt and about 8 degrees when I left. We arrived in Abu Dhabi at 7.00 this morning and the temperature was heading towards 40 and looked like it hadn’t rained there for 20 years.
After landing the plane taxied to a hard stand in what appeared to be the middle of the airport maintenance area and we disembarked there, got into buses and enjoyed a 10 minute bus ride to the very extreme end of one of the terminals. It was then a 20 minute walk through the terminals to the departure lounge for the Melbourne flight.
The airport at Abu Dhabi is massive and it would appear that they are building a huge new terminal across from the existing ones. Both Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt make Tullamarine look small and regional.
It is 12.23pm Abu Dhabi time and 6.23pm Melbourne time and we are crossing the south western coast of India near a place called Kochi. If I could be bothered I could probably work out the current time in India, might do that later, if I get really bored.
I have had breakfast on this flight, an omelette, two little sausages, hash brown, wedge of grilled tomato and a couple of small pastries. I can have another meal pretty much when I feel like it, I have a choice for my dinner but I will probably have sesame tuna, beef tenderloin with fondant potato, asparagus, tomatoes and peppercorn sauce. This will be followed by black forest tart with micro sponge and caramel cigar, all accompanied by the appropriate wines of course.
Talking about drinks, I am feeling a little dehydrated, so just ordered a V&T from the nice lady.
Just took a couple of photos out of the plane window, interesting to see how they turn out.
Well, that has filled in half an hour of a 14 hour flight.
We are over the Indian ocean and there must be some storm cells around, there are fluffy white clouds below us and large dark clouds above, with those hammerhead clouds inbetween. Everybody, including the cabin crew have been told to sit down and belt up. Still, at the moment it is only a bit bumpy. The other thing is that instead of heading south east we are tracking north east, so either we are going around some storms or………….anybody recall a certain Malaysian Airlines flight!
Swinging back around to the South East, crisis averted, either real or imagined.
Final entry, safely landed at Tullamarine at 4.30am Thursday, picked up gin and vodka in duty free and out the door within about 45 minutes of landing.
And have you booked your next trip yet?
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