Jess-b 420 Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 Very often in my life, I've found myself doing something that makes me stop and say 'what the hell am I doing?'. As I look down the runway at Paro, I'm having one of those moments now. Ahead of me clouds cross the threshold periodically as I run through my pre takeoff checklist. I'm beginning to wonder about my choice of aircraft here. I know that Andrew did a Stella job of getting his Boeing 727 into here, but with the mountains surrounding me, I wonder how much success I'm going to have getting my own personal 737-900 out of the same airfield. As I ate my meal last night in the local hotel, I decided on an early morning start. My reasoning being Paro's height above sea level. Its to Early for me, but it looks pretty. Right? (Gulp) At a shade over 7600ft, the airport isn't easy on the lungs. I may be a valley's girl, but the highest point near me is a good 6000ft below here. Such a high altitude airfield means that 'Lenore', my 737, is going to struggle to pick up speed. I figure dawn would give me the most bang for my buck on takeoff, with the air being at its coolest and therefore thickest, as the sun begins to rise. So with the early dawn light begins pouring over the valley sides, I begin my preflight checklist to get Lenore ready for flight. The scenery at Paro is imposing with high valleys on all four sides. As I wait for the IRS to align, I call the tower for my IFR clearance. They clear me to 13000ft on departure, before I request my taxi clearance early. I'm told to taxi to runway 15, which is good insofar as I can depart straight out without having to circle onto my route. What's not good is the large mountain at the end that means 'straight out' could have a few bends in it. Nerves are starting to set in With the IRS set and all the checks complete, I get pushed back from the hangar/terminal (it's that kind of place) and begin my track back down to the runway threshold. Backtracking for takeoff. I'm not sure which end is the 'Good' One. I have to use the grass to complete the turn and I try and get Lenore's rear wheels as close to the edge of the runway as possible. I'm going to need all the runway I can get, even if that means using the displaced threshold. So as I look down the runway, and the cloud ahead momentarily hiding the mountains, I ask myself, 'what the hell am I doing?' I do a quick check of my flap settings, a hefty 25° for optimum lift, then I advance the throttles, holding Lenore on the brakes as the engines reach full power. With takeoff clearance given, I let the brakes off and Lenore springs forward sharply. It doesn't last though as the high altitude takes its toll. 80kts takes over a third of the runway and I don't hit 100kts until I pass the half way point. By the time I get the V1 call comes I realise I'm gripping the yoke tightly. Vr comes with just a quarter of the runway left, and I bring Lenore's nose up. She struggles to get airborne, but with runway starting to disappear below, I finally get the gear up and begin the slow climb it of Paro. Climbing out is a real struggle, despite 'Lenore's' Engines running at full power Watching the speed, I immediately have to bank left from my course to navigate my way out of the terrain as I climb. Lenore's terrain display is glowing red as I begin picking my way around the mountains, slowly retracting the flaps as the speed comes up. Red Generally isn't a good colour in the cockpit. its not that close. No, Really! It takes a few minutes, but eventually I clear the mountains and I can finally engage the autopilot to get back on course to Chiang Mai International. Behind me, the early morning sun shows me one last view of Paro, before we climb up to my cruise altitude of fl360. So long Paro. I relax and let Lenore do her thing as I wipe a few beads of sweat from my brow. With everything proceeding normally I check my progress with the FMC. Our flight time today will be two hours or so and will route us down from Bhutan, part of India and Bangladesh before we turn more to the east, passing over Burma and on into Thailand. Our route out this morning Climbing out, the view is something else I Settle in to a morning coffee whist Lenore Does her thing Lenore Showing of her colours The weather is surprisingly serene and within the hour I'm passing the edge of the bay of Bengal. The Bay of Bengal beckons beyond the nose From there though, the weather begins to deteriorate. Whist the outside looks pretty, Lenore starts getting battered by the winds which is hitting us side on. For the next 45 minutes I take the controls and hold Lenore on course. Behind me the passengers are getting treated to some bouncing coffee and bit of shimmying, but that's all included in the price of a ticket. the weather turns a bit nasty forcing me to earn a living. The weather looks better but a crosswind is still battering us. Soon though, we get our clearance to descend into Chiang Mai, so I reduce the power and we begin out descent. Consulting the chart I see that almost all arrivals use runway 36 which has all the bell and whistles, and sure enough, as we pass through 16000ft, we're told to expect vectors for an ILS approach on runway 36. It's probably For the best though, given that there's more than enough high ground nearby to make an approach to 36 a welcomed prospect. Its not just the scenery that makes a change out here. Settling onto final approach for Chiang Mai At the lower altitude the chop from above has ceased. Instead, as I approach the runway, I begin to pick up a bit of movement from the mountain ridge that sits parallel to the airport. Almost there. It makes the approach fun but not to tricky. Finally I'm down and i'm slowing to get off the runway. Which is just as well as the tower has decided to allow an approach from a Chinese 737 to 18. Clear just in time. ATC have some funny ideas about seperation So as I turn off the runway, I'm greeted to the sight of the 737's landing lights ahead. Needless to say, it serves as a hurry up. I contact ground and get my gate assignment, parking up just as the Chinese 737 lands on the runway. I shut Lenore down and let the passengers off before I head for a cup of tea and a spot of brunch. After all, we were up early you know. Lenore and I are done for the day. Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,498 Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 Hi Jess. I have a smiley for that...hold on... Here it is! Superb commentary and a very gripping take off, well done. Thanks for getting us safely to Chiang Mai, please tell me you remembered the baton?! Link to post Share on other sites
Jess-b 420 Posted November 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Of course I remembered the baton. I gave it a first class seat and everything. Lol Glad you liked the pirep boss, I'm looking forward to flying out of Sapporo on leg 21 now, although I don't know in what yet. :-) Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,498 Posted November 22, 2012 Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Phew! I would hate to have to go back and pick it up! Hopefully Dai will be able to entertain you this evening, just keep him off the topic of eggbeaters and you'll be ok! Cheers, Joe Link to post Share on other sites
CSoul 182 Posted November 22, 2012 Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Liked it. Great shots and Lenore is looking just beautiful. Link to post Share on other sites
Dizzy 0 Posted November 22, 2012 Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Great flight Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,316 Posted November 22, 2012 Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 All around great commentary and beautiful looking aircraft. Bravo. Enjoyed the flight and the coffee stain on my shirt should be no problem for the hotel laundry service. Link to post Share on other sites
stu7708 244 Posted November 22, 2012 Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Bravo Jess Great shots and brilliant commentry made for a very enjoyable morning read. I might have to try that leg out myself, but I might take a smaller version of the 737 Link to post Share on other sites
Kasper 14 Posted November 22, 2012 Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Briliant storytelling! Great shots of the cool paintwork on Lenore. Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew Godden 945 Posted November 22, 2012 Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Jess, Great flight and I love the paint job on "Lenore", it is so you, if you don't mind me saying. Now that you have done that, read this technical article from Boeing about a series of technical demonstration flights they did at VQPR in a 737-700. It makes a fascinating read. http://www.boeing.co...7-700Bhutan.pdf Cheers AG Link to post Share on other sites
rosariomanzo 545 Posted November 22, 2012 Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Brilliant commentary and delightful shots, really enjoyed them! Link to post Share on other sites
hurricanemk1c 195 Posted November 22, 2012 Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Interesting livery Jess - looks great! Got a 737-700 out of Paro, must try the 739! Superb story as well! Link to post Share on other sites
ddavid 149 Posted November 22, 2012 Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Hi Jess - will try to get to the first floor bar by tea-time. Sorry - Land Rover got a puncture... Great pics and commentary - you clearly enjoyed the flight! Hwyl - Dai. Link to post Share on other sites
Jess-b 420 Posted November 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Thanks guys for your kind words, and I'm glad you like Lenore's paint. It's my first repaint. I'm now looking forward to leg 21 as I leave one of my favourite countries, Japan. Jess B Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Nice piece of work, Jess. Good story telling - just like being there. Thanks for the ride. John Link to post Share on other sites
Quickmarch 488 Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Super flight, Jess! I rode that runway all the way with you. Nothing like a hot and high departure to get the 'old adrenalin pumping. Well done. I'm becoming a fan of Mr. Boeing's products. I'm still down in the cheap seats, however, with the dash 600. I can't wait to get back to my sim software and give that departure a try. Cheers, March PS I'd be interested to see what your fuel loading was for that takeoff, I'm assuming a zero pax load as Lenore is, after all, a private jet. Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 I'm assuming a zero pax load as Lenore is, after all, a private jet. Just a few of her closest friends, March, and the hot tub, of course. John Link to post Share on other sites
Jess-b 420 Posted November 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Sorry to disappoint guys, no hot tub. I can't remember the exact number for pax, but my fuel planning figures show I had just of 40000 lbs on board. However I noticed when checking that my original calculations were way off. My fuel planner (FS Calc for iPad) caught me out and I set my fuel for my alternate at 2000lbs, except it wasn't lbs, but miles. Oops. It meant I loaded 21000lbs more fuel than I needed. That's what I get for flying a lot of GA lately. If I'd have loaded the correct fuel, I'd have taken off a damn sight sooner. But the it wouldn't be as much fun. Lol. Link to post Share on other sites
needles 1,013 Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Great flight Jess. I love the repaint too. I'm having a long wait in Taipei city. Can't wait for the Baton to arrive. Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 They say the only time you can have too much fuel is when you're on fire. I guess that's not entirely true. John Link to post Share on other sites
Quickmarch 488 Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 Thanks for the fuel info, Jess. I'll see what I can do to reduce the load. BTW, the old RW adage are that there are three things that are useless to a pilot, they are: 1. Sky above you 2. Runway behind you 3. Fuel on the ground Cheers, March Link to post Share on other sites
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