Get ready Tasmania, here we come!

[pk.sax]

Well, getting close now till take off.
Leaving for Brisbane on Sunday, 8/6 & flying out on Monday morning, 9/6 bound for Hobart.
The wife & kids are very excited but to be honest, I'm shittin myself.
I've never been on a plane before & have a phobia for heights & confined spaces so it might be an interesting trip.
I hope the bar is operational just after 9am so I can have a nerve settler.
We're flying Virgin ( how appropriate ) 737-800.
Any first time flyers out there want to give me a long distance hug & tell me I'm hyping myself up for nothing.

Those 737s are ok. Virgin got rid of most of the classics so prolly an NG with sky interior.

It's a bit of a bus on long flights, so the uncomfortable seats would take your mind off the fear of flying. Just concentrate real hard on the non-existent foam in those seats.

On the plus side those things are fairly bulletproof. The NG series has reliability statistics better than most other types in the world.

I'm guessing the jargon makes you nervous? Don't be, you'll be right mate.

 

[Crusty]

Those 737s are ok. Virgin got rid of most of the classics so prolly an NG with sky interior.

It's a bit of a bus on long flights, so the uncomfortable seats would take your mind off the fear of flying. Just concentrate real hard on the non-existent foam in those seats.

On the plus side those things are fairly bulletproof. The NG series has reliability statistics better than most other types in the world.

I'm guessing the jargon makes you nervous? Don't be, you'll be right mate.

I think I'm my own worst enemy.
The thrill of it all & the can't wait to board the plane attitude of the kids is infectious.
I tend to panic a bit & do suffer a bit from anxiety so gingerly getting ready to grab the bull by the horns.
Hopefully once we're up I'll have a laugh at myself for being so silly.
Cheers mate.

 

[Crusty]

Touchdown!
We got into Hobart just before 1PM this afternoon & I'm glad I finally got my first ever flight out of the way.
Not too sure I'd make a frequent flyer but once take off was out of the way the view above the clouds was spectacular.
Take off was a weird feeling with a bit of G-force & a feeling of extra heaviness that had me panicking a little bit.
Slowing down for landing was a weird feeling too as the plane reduced altitude several times before landing.
Had the usual pressure build up with ears popping & cabin air pressure sending me into into a WTF was that & that weird elevator type feeling.
I think I went pretty well & I'm a lot less worried about the return trip home.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

As they say Crusty...every landing is a good landing. If you are able to use the plane again afterwards then thats just an added bonus.

 

[glenos]

Hobart is a bastard airport to come into, it is usally bumpy with the approach over the water. One trip I was on the driver (he was no pilot) missed the runway and had to go round for a second try, he wasn't even close we could see the runway out the window.

 

[Crusty]

Hobart is a bastard airport to come into, it is usally bumpy with the approach over the water. One trip I was on the driver (he was no pilot) missed the runway and had to go round for a second try, he wasn't even close we could see the runway out the window.

Bloody hell.
Approach wasn't too bad, not too bumpy.
We did a few left & right turns though for our approach & it seemed like we were on more of a sight seeing tour than trying to land.
Landing was alright, quite smooth actually but begeezus, we hit the anchors hard & came to a stop pretty quickly.
If you weren't wearing a seat belt for that one, you might of been hard pressed up against the seat in front of you.
I was elated when we landed & I clapped & yelled out wahoo. I got a couple of looks from some obviously experienced frequent flyers.
We're flying out on Monday so hoping to have a more relaxed take off this time now that I know what to expect. I swapped seats with the wife half way down to Tassie & sat at the window seat which I quite liked. I'm scared shitless of heights but for some reason, I loved the views from the window seat.

 

[thedragon]

Crusty, for those of us still at work, how's the holiday going? What have you been up to?

 

[Dave70]

See, nothing to worry about.
At least 64% of the time.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

I like how 12% of accidents happen on the way to the runway. Wouldn't that fill you with confidence, a rear-ending in a jumbo on the ground. *** I FORGOT HOW TO DRIVE THIS THING

 

[Dave70]

I like how 12% of accidents happen on the way to the runway. Wouldn't that fill you with confidence, a rear-ending in a jumbo on the ground. *** I FORGOT HOW TO DRIVE THIS THING

 

[Liam_snorkel]

LOL WAT U DOIN

NUTTIN JUST DRIVING PLANE

 

[jlm]

I fly to flinders island out of a paddock in a little Cessna (station wagon with wings ). Pilot texts all the time. If he wants to check out a boat. (Mostly to see who's out fishing) he's not shy to do a little dive.
Crusty, There's a new beer being launched at the new Sydney tonight called black inca. It's a chocolate dark ale, all my recipe. Should be on tap over the weekend, go along and try one and give it a scathing review here after your done. Or don't. Your call.

 

[Crusty]

Well, our amazing trip to Tasmania has come to an end & back to reality.
We didn't get to do half of what we planned as there's so many fantastic distractions that took up our time.
I would not hesitate to live down there if the chance becomes available.
Loved Hobart, the Salamanca markets, Richmond, Port Arthur, The Huon Valley & Kingston where we called home for a week.
The people there are weirdly friendly & so different to the usual agro we see here on a daily basis.
I love the laid back atmosphere of the place & driving around the capital was just like driving around a big country town.
It's big on locally produced goods & a welcome change from what I'm used to. We will be going back for sure & we absolutely loved it.
The kids cried when it was time to leave & want to go back to live. I didn't get a chance to look for any employment opportumities & the locals were saying it's a fairly high unemployment area, similar to what's here on the Far North Coast of NSW.
If you ever get the chance to go, do it. Bloody awesome place & I can't wait to get back down there.

 

[spog]

Both the missus and I would move to Tassie in a heartbeat if employment were not an issue,been there many times and love going back each time.