YYZ - TLV Flight: ACA084 Equip: B763/W

[CyprusAirwaysA330 0]

"Welcome onboard Air Canada's flight from Torontos Pearson International Airport to Tel Avivs Ben Gurion Airport. Your Captain today is VAC1714, with Matt Dodds and Katie Taylor as our two co-pilots. The flight time is expected to be around 9 hours and 50 mins, and we expect to arrive at the Gate at Ben Gurion airport around 9:50 local time. Our routing will take us over Gander, St Johns in Nova Scotia, then across the Atlantic Ocean, over the Jersey Islands, with landfall over France. We will the continue Eastwards, over Italy, Greece, passing North of Crete then South of Cyprus, before arriving at Tel Aviv. Please pay close attention to the safety anouncments, as they are for your safety and comfort. On behalf of the cabin crew and flightdeck crew, I wish you a very pleasant flight, and thank you for choosing Air Canada."

15 mins earlier, the Captain, who was Pilot Non flying for this leg, commenced the walk around. He was astonished to find that the plane for todays flight, was Boeing 767-300ER C-GBZR, the Free Spirit plane. Consequently, he took a couple of pictures in the walk around. Even with his 20 years experience as an Air Canada 767 pilot, he had never flown this plane before.

Back in the cockpit, he examined the flightplan and the release on a laptop, in common with the paperless cockpit.

As boarding commenced, a waiting passenger, an aviation fan, took this picture.

Meanwhile, passengers on a B762 parked a couple of gates away, took a picture as well, though another B762 and some gates obscured it a bit.

At about 1730, a couple of minutes late, the plane was pushed back. A ramper took the following shot.

Then as the plane taxiied, the tower got this shot of it holding in the queue behind the late afternoon rush hour traffic.

Finally, Free Spirit was next in line, holding behing one of Westjets 737Ws.

As the Westjet started its take off roll, Free Spirit was cleared to line up and wait, and subsequently to take off.

After a 50 second take off roll, Matt Dodds pulled the yoke up and soared into the sky. The captain raised the gear after the positive rate of climb call.

As the plane passed 5,000 feet, it started to accelarate up to 250 knots, and the flaps started coming up. By now, the autopilot was switched on, as it allowed the pilots to look out for traffic in the crowded airspace.

The captains view after the 180 degree left hand turn from the 5,000 AGL imaginary waypoint.

The flaps came up to 1 degree, and then 0 degrees.

As Free Spirit passed through 10,000 feet, passengers on the left experienced a wonderful sunset.

Soon, Free Spirit was out of the Toronto suburbs, and over the countryside.

Free spirit started an initial cruise at 36,000 feet with a 5 degrees nose high attitude. The pilots had requested 32,000 feet as the initial cruise level, but due to a closure of airspace due to military operations, the plane had to climb above.

Soon, the sun had set and the sky started darkening.

By now, the third pilot had gone to get some sleep, and the two pilots on the flight deck had switched on the dome light.

Free Spirit steadily crusied over the military zone, which stretched all the way to Nova Scotia.

Then Free Spirit took a last look of Canadain land, before going wet feet.

A couple shots of Free Spirit over the Atlantic.

By the time it was light, Free Spirit was between Italy and Greece.

With two hours to go, Free Spirit undertook a step climb up to 36000 feet, having been cleared back down to 32,000 feet just as it started crossing the Atlantic.

A couple of shots over the Med.

Cyprus to our left.

Israel ahoy.

Spoilers were used in the rather quick descent down to Tel Aviv.

Passing the airport at 4500 feet.

Having turned back, Free Spirit established itself on an RNAV Runway 30 approach, before Matt Dodds clicked off the Autopilot.

He came in slightly high.

But he redeemed himself with a smooth landing.

And some hard braking flollwed as Runway 30 at Ben Gurion is quite short.

Slowed down to a reasonable 20 knots GS.

Before turning onto runway 26 and then off that runway.

EL AL is very present here.

We get sent to a remote stand,and on the way pass a Continental 777.

Finally parked up at the stand, after a block time of 10 hours and 2 mins.

Thank you for viewing, comments welcome.

[paper-zout 0]

Wow amazing shots!.

loved the storyy hehe.

Thats a long flight. How much fuel did you have left?

[CyprusAirwaysA330 0]

Wow amazing shots!.

loved the storyy hehe.

Thats a long flight. How much fuel did you have left?

Thanks for the comment. I stared with 68100kgs and finished with 5500 kgs.

Flight time was 9:35 on the chrono, due to a nice tailwind (70 knots) over the Med.

[ddavid 149]

Now that was a polished flight - every detail finely tuned and an excellent set of screen shots and commentary! Thanks for sharing, Cyprus - a terrific contribution.....

Cheers - Dai. :sad:

[hurricanemk1c 195]

What more can I say - GREAT!

:good :good :good

Kieran

[dgor 0]

Fantastic shots and the commentary is of a great quality and turned a good post into a great one - well done 9hrs 50mins - I assume you have to fly back now too?

Dave

[mutley 4,498]

That was some post! :good

I like the commentary and the shots, fantastic

Cheers

[allardjd 1,853]

Great comments. I always like a flight with a story.

John

[reef 3]

Not sure how i missed this one but its a fantastic post. Well done

steve

[CyprusAirwaysA330 0]

Thanks for the comments.

It was quite a long flight, but AC does have some 15 hour flights.

[fighterpilot 0]

stunning!