ShrewsburyFC 215 Posted February 12, 2017 Report Share Posted February 12, 2017 (edited) Hi Guys, A few pics from when I had a look round DHL East Midlands last year! Please excuse the quality - they were all taken on my aging IPhone 4 Cheers, Sam. Edited February 12, 2017 by ShrewsburyFC 1 Link to post Share on other sites
dodgy-alan 1,587 Posted February 12, 2017 Report Share Posted February 12, 2017 great photos, thanks for sharing. Link to post Share on other sites
rosariomanzo 545 Posted February 12, 2017 Report Share Posted February 12, 2017 Great photos, I like those showing the cockpits. Thanks for sharing! Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,487 Posted February 12, 2017 Report Share Posted February 12, 2017 Excellent! Thanks Sam, who cares what your haulin' the cockpit's virtually the same! Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,284 Posted February 12, 2017 Report Share Posted February 12, 2017 You know if you are an aviation fan if you look at each picture for more than 15 seconds. Fantastic look behind the scenes right down to that dashing young man in the co-pilot seat. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
dodgy-alan 1,587 Posted February 13, 2017 Report Share Posted February 13, 2017 There's something about an airport at night, I love the whole atmosphere. When driving the coaches airside you got a sense of things winding down slightly and the later it got the quieter it became. Heathrow was no exception, when we did the early morning Cathay Pacific flight that came in at 4:30 i'd make a point of getting airside at least an hour earlier. I'd go to the dispatch office and grab a cuppa, (Or if my coach had a coffee machine on board, make my own) then just sit out on the stands away from the terminals. It was so quiet you'd never guess it was a major airport, you'd hear the chatter of the ground nesting birds out on the grass between the taxiways as they woke up, the slow increase in ambient noise as the airport came to life. Then in the distance see the lights of the approaching aircraft as she settled onto finals the other side of London or Windsor depending on the wind direction. I'd already got a stand number for her so would drive slowly round to the apron and wait for her to come in. Then it was if someone had lit a touchpaper and the airport suddenly came to life. Other aircraft appeared out of the dawn, baggage trucks whizzing around getting in everyones way, dozens of service vehicles suddenly starting their engines as the sleepy eyed crews stumbled out of numerous staff canteens. The BAA Yellow perils all out patrolling to make sure we behaved ourselves. it was a sleeping city suddenly coming to life. It was an amazing place to work and I never ever got bored with doing it. I was gutted when I was forced to leave after moving to the coast, but I found the commute back was just too tiring. If I was doing that early flight I needed to get up at 2:00 am to go to work, i'd do a 14 hour split shift, then drive home which took over an hour from Gatwick or Heathrow. I was either going to kill myself or someone else in a serious accident if I'd carried on so had to quit. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Lucy.P 168 Posted February 13, 2017 Report Share Posted February 13, 2017 great pics and nothing wrong with the quality at all, and a really interesting view from Alan, that was a good end to viewing the images. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
hurricanemk1c 195 Posted February 13, 2017 Report Share Posted February 13, 2017 Fascinating pictures Sam! Although Alan - EMA comes to life at night and is relatively quiet during the day! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
dodgy-alan 1,587 Posted February 13, 2017 Report Share Posted February 13, 2017 4 hours ago, hurricanemk1c said: Fascinating pictures Sam! Although Alan - EMA comes to life at night and is relatively quiet during the day! I know, Heathrow never completely shuts down, it's mainly the aircraft that stop flying late at night due to noise restrictions. Stansted is also busy as like EMA it's a major cargo/mail hub. For trash hauler spotters its great as all sorts of things come in. I once witnessed a complete apron at Stansted come to a standstill as Air Atlantiques DC-6 started up at twilight. An amazing sight and sound as those 4 big radials barked into life, with bright blue flames spurting from the exhausts. The crew of an American B757 were stood on the steps of their aircraft taking photos! Apparently the DC-6 was on a mail contract and was bound for Scotland. It was a sublime moment I can tell you. Link to post Share on other sites
dodgy-alan 1,587 Posted February 13, 2017 Report Share Posted February 13, 2017 Same airport in FS9 Link to post Share on other sites
dodgy-alan 1,587 Posted February 13, 2017 Report Share Posted February 13, 2017 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Coffee 2,030 Posted February 13, 2017 Report Share Posted February 13, 2017 (edited) I used to work night shifts in the USAF on cargo planes...C-130 and C-141...similar feel to these shots. Very nostalgic these pics, especially the cockpit shots...I was an Instrument Specialist. I Loved the ramps at nighttime...and not just for the relative lack of junior officers worrying about our hydraulic fluid soaked un-shineable shoes... No pilot ever commented on our dirty uniforms It was quiet, not as busy, less stressful..but a lot colder in winters. Working on the Launch Trucks was the best duty. Each shop would have specialists in a step van standing by with our test equipment and tools. We played Hearts and Spades most of the night most of us eating snacks from the Line Shack...with random pauses while one guy dashed out to fix an issue that cropped up in the aircraft during it's pre-flight checks, and occasionally we all dashed out of the truck if/When Beer (night before) and Egg (his truck snack) guy burst within. (That guy...omg...he laughed so hard each time he cleared out the truck...) It was kind of like reverse musical chairs...wait for the trumpet and bail out of your seats as fast as possible. Edited February 13, 2017 by Captain Coffee 2 Link to post Share on other sites
ShrewsburyFC 215 Posted February 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2017 Glad you enjoyed the pics! Was fascinating reading about Alan & Matts experiences! I believe but don't quote me on it that they are actually expanding the cargo terminal / ramp at DHL East Midlands so it will be getting even busier! I will have to try and get another look round after they've finished it! I did get to look round the huge warehouse as well but we weren't allowed to take any photos in there! There were literally conveyor belts all over the place! It was a fascinating place. It just looks like a warehouse from the outside but on the inside its a lot like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory!! Cheers Sam. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,284 Posted February 15, 2017 Report Share Posted February 15, 2017 Unfortunetly more grease than chocolate. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
wain 879 Posted February 15, 2017 Report Share Posted February 15, 2017 nice one, great shots and some interesting points made.... Link to post Share on other sites
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