General Information:
Date: 12/13-07-2005
Route: Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS/EHAM) – Shanghai Pudong (PVG/ZSPD)
Flight number: KL-895
Aircraft:(Planned): Boeing 747-406M Combi(Boeing 747-400 Combi)
Company: KLM
Registration/Name: PH-BFV “Vancouver”
Captain: Mr/Ms R. Maas
First Officer: Mr/Ms R. ten Berg
Height: 11.100 Meters
Distance: 5549 miles / 8930 km / 4822 nm
Delay: 5 minutes
Flight time:(Planned): 10 hr 29 mins(10 hr 35 mins)
Load factor: 250 passengers = 90%
Departure:
Departure Gate/Bay: E20
Departure: (Planned): 17.21 h (17.10 h)
Take-off: 17.37 h
Runway: 36L/18R “Polderbaan”
Boarding time: 16.10 h
In-Flight:
Cruise Speed (kts): 900km/h
Time Airborne: 10 h 03 mins
Seat: 32A
Arrival:
Touchdown: 03.40 h (09.40 local time)
Runway: 16 (new runway)
Arrival:(Planned): 03.50 h (09.50 local time)(03.45h) (09.45 local time)
Arrival Gate/Bay: 17
F/A’s:
1) Appearance 8
2) Professionalism 8
3) Safety 8
4) Kindness 9
5) Service with a smile 9
6) Goes by regulations 8
7) Service 9
8) Overall experience 9
Date: 12/13-07-2005
Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS / EHAM) - Shanghai Pudong (PVG/ZSPD)
Flight number: KL895
Gate: E20
Aircraft: B747-406M PH-BFV
Scheduled blocktime: 17:10 - 09:45
Actual blocktime: 17:21 - 09:50
Flighttime: 10 hours 29 minutes
Load factor: (250 passengers = 90%)
Today was the day of my first B747 flight. As I’m a huge fan of the Boeing 747, I was really excited to fly for the first time on this wonderful aircraft.
As we got to the airport, I first bought me 2 Herpa Wings models (B744F KLM Cargo & B744 NWA new Color scheme). Then we went to the self check-inn machines. It turned out, that our tour group could not use these machines, and needed to check in at the counter. So we did, and I told my mum that I would go and spot some aircraft. I took over 100 pictures during 2 hours, and I’ve put the best ones below.
MDD DC-10-30's N229NW & N239NW from Northwest Airlines at AMS/EHAM on 12-07-2005.
Boeing 767-306/ER at AMS/EHAM on 12-07-2005.
Registration PH-BZH (Tower Bridge).
Boeing 777-206ER PH-BQB Borobudor at AMS/EHAM on 12-07-2005.
An Airbus A330-323X (N807NW) from Northwest Airlines is taxiing by at AMS/EHAM on 12-07-2005.
Here is a link to coppermine, for larger versions:
http://coppermine.luchtzak.be/thumbnails.php?album=570
As I got tired of walking around the airport (I walked for several miles, from the G to the D gates and back), I finally went to our departure gate, which happened to be E20. And there she was, the first B744 in which I would lose my Jumbojet-virginity. She was called “Vancouver”, and is a KLM Boeing 747-406M Combi aircraft with the registration “PH-BFV”. She still wore the old KLM color scheme, but it did not matter. It was a Boeing 747 after all!
Boeing 747-406M at AMS/EHAM on 12-07-2005.
Registration PH-BFV (City of Vancouver).
Flight KL-895 to Shanghai Pudong (PVG).
Our ride for the day!!!
Boarding was via 2 jet bridges, and because we were seated in the back of the plane we took a right turn to the door just before the freight deck (remember, this was a combi aircraft). I was seated in 32A that was above the wing, and (naturally) a window seat. We pushed back at 17.21 and took the long ride to the Polderbaan. As exited that I was, the captain gave full throttle and we rumbled up (along some aircraft spotters) into the skies.
About an hour after take-off, the crew came around with some drinks (I took some juice) and peanuts.
Our flight path took us over Russia, and soon our dinner was served. This meal consisted of pasta, a salmon salad, a bun and a strawberry cake. To me it tasted really nice, but that does not mean anything, as I eat just about everything when I’m hungry. After dinner, I kicked back and listened to some music while enjoying a bottle of white whine from South Africa.
As we continued our flight, we flew over the Ural Mountains and then the sun started to set. Lighting in the aircraft was dimmed, and I guess that we where supposed to sleep. Naturally, I love planes too much to sleep on them, and I stayed awake. I noticed that during our flight, the sun touched the horizon, but never set below it. And the night lasted for only 4 hours, so there was no way one could get a good nights sleep. During the night, the crew came around with noodles so that everyone who was awake could eat something. They came with the famous Chinese sticks, and I never used them before. So there I was, in a dark aircraft, with most people sleeping, with sticks and no knowledge of how to use them. But I tried and succeeded in eating with the sticks (as I did during my whole stay in China), but it sure did not look very nice (but hey, it was dark and everyone was sleeping after all!!!).
As the sun started to come up again (moreover, to go higher into the sky), the cabin started to wake and breakfast was served. Again, to me it tasted really great. The breakfast consisted of a pistolet with egg-salad, yoghurt, ananas fruit and a cake. We had turned south and had flown accros Mongolia into China.
Our first views of China weren’t that great, because it was very cloudy and we could not see the ground. As we descended through the clouds, thick fog came around the aircraft and the weather was gray and rainy. But this made the landing exiting, as we banked through this area with not much visibility. We touched down at 09.40 local time after 10 hours and 29 minutes of flying. It seemed that we were one of the first flights at the airport, this whole side of the airport was empty and only one Finnair MD-11 was standing at the gate. But rush hour was soon to come, as we disembarked the aircraft a Lufthansa B744 and some other European aircraft taxied over the platform to the gates.
Only downside was that we needed to fill out numerous forms regarding the purpose of our visit, and the health condition we were in. After standing for about 1 hour, we got through this and went to the hotel.
Short resume, KLM delivered a very nice flight to us. Only downside was that I could not visit the cockpit, even not after landing. But except from that (and my jetlag), everything was fine.
More to follow soon:
- Shanghai - Yichang on China Eastern;
- Chongqing – Xi’an on China Xinhua Airlines;
- Xi’an – Beijing on China Eastern;
- Bejing – Amsterdam on KLM;
