For My Aviation Friends: Steep Approach...

...Landing in the Brazilian Pantanal.

Always Those Landings!

"O.k., gear's out... what's next?"

"...I think I can do that!"

"Or should I perhaps just touch and go?"

"No! I think I can handle this one - this time it'll work!"

"Boaaa, and now those trust reversers - and I'm almost done!"

"Here we go, getting parked exactly where ground control told me to..."

"Hey, I tell you landing is a piece of cake for a pilot like me" 

"But now check out those fellows: That's never gonna work - hehe!"

"Crosswinds, that's not gonna work..."

"...told you buddy, touch and go!"

"And you? Way too much speed! Gotta slow that Baby down, you gonna crash it!"

For Aviation Nuts only, those landings and much more about Aviation HERE!

Happy Landings!

Being High And Still Taking-Off

The cabdriver that is bringing me back to Hotel Oberland from the Airport in El Alto, Bolivia proudly explains that this is not just the world's highst seat of a governement, here in La Paz but also the world's highest commercial Airport. Right here in El Alto at over 4'000 meters over sea level. I am not challenging Juan, my driver, a good man. But I am questioning if that really might be true. A couple of days later the question hits me again. Since the first flight to and from the highest Airport in the World makes it to the news. And it is not El Alto Airport, even though it's altitude of over 4'061 meters over sea level is impressive, the highest Airport in the world, that has just been opend is in Tibet, Daocheng Yang Airport at an even more impressive altitude of 4'411 meters or for my US american readers, 14'472 feet. 

But Daocheng Yang Airport was not just topping El Alto,  three other Chinese Airports are located a couple of hundred meters higher than El Alto is. But one thing El Alto is for sure, the highest commercial airport in the Americas. Neither topped by the US, who love to have the biggest, the newest, the best, neither by any Europeans who claim to be "the old world" and having discovered the rest of the planet. 

Maybe not the world's, Juan, but for sure the highest of the Americas.

More pictures for Aviation Nuts: HERE.

More pictures of Bolivia: HERE.

More information about the highest Airports of the world: HERE

Update for Nuts

The Photo Gallery "For Aviation Nuts" has just been up-dated!

Check it out and see hundreds of things that fly or once did.

Click here to take off!

Are You A Nut?

An Aviation Nut?

Yes?

You should visit the newly up-dated Photo Gallery...

...FOR AVIATION NUTS.

Enjoy!

Ground Power Unit - For Aviators Only!

This one is for my aviation friends: Peruvian GPU, four standard truck batteries connected together, a cable with a aircraft plug and off you go. It worked!

Are you a true Aviation Nut?

Really?

Really, really?

I mean do you really have Aviation in your flesh and blood?

If so, you should visit the Aviation Nut Photo Gallery.

Enjoy!

For my Aviation Friends

Recently on the phone at the spare parts department: "Hello, yes, mmhh, yes, yes of course we have that wing, of course it is serviceable! What do you think?"

Back in Mexico

By now I am back in Mexico, and contrary to my trip from Mexico to Switzerland, this one was going very smooth. When I left I got mixed up in the strikes of the Lufthansa flight attendants, already checked in and happy to go the flight eventually was cancelled. I was rebooked on an Air France one for the next day. Shortly after midnight I finally got to an airport hotel with the Airline's vouchers in hand. Checked in with the overnight voucher, went to the bar, very happy to still get a meal and a beer there. Wanted to pay with the Food voucher, I was told Lufthansa's voucher was not valid at the bar but for sure it would be at the restaurant, only, that by now I had eaten my burger already and nothing but the very last sip of my beer was left and even more important, the restaurant was already closed, voucher in restaurant only, restaurant already closed, well I trashed the voucher and paid the bill. Next day I checked out and hung around at the airport until Air France opened its desks, just to be told to be on stand-by with them for the next two days. - Isn't air travel fun? - This made me knock at Lufthansa's desk again and surprise, surprise, no more vouchers, they have managed to find a seat for me and with a little over 24 hours delay I have left for Switzerland, via Frankfurt and...

 ...I figured I was pretty lucky to have gotten stranded in Mexico City rather than at their main hub Frankfurt. At least I slept in a decent hotel bed. The folks that got stranded in Frankfurt seem to have gotten the boy scout version and were camping at the airport. Hundreds of beds were placed all through the huge airport. 

I am glad to be back on my trip and to have traded air travel and hotel beds against driving and living in the blue truck once again. 

Airport La Sabana

Yesterday I was touring Costa Rica's capital, San Jose, with my bike. Part of that little tour included the Parque Metropolitano in La Sabana. At its eastern entrance sits this building, today housing a museum, that caught my attention. I did not visit the art museum, as I was more into a little excersise yesterday than into arts. Nevertheless. As I was cycling back to my hotel, yes, I am living in a hotel right now, my house, home as well as my car, all the three are in Service at Toyota here in San Jose right now, I had to think more about that actually pretty building, the tower, was it a jail? But for a jail all was almost too beautiful and all the doors and windows way too large. So when back I started reading about it. And yes, as I thought for a minute, it was an airport terminal and tower. What seems to be right in the city center and makes the biggest recreational park of San Jose today, was Costa Rica's second and it's first international airport.  

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

Today the building presents itself totally restored but fortunately it doesn't look much different than in the 1950ies, when it still operated. This view is airside, my picture shows the terminal building from the city's side.

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

Even on a stamp the Airport of La Sabana showed up.

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

This is a view out of one of the arches of the terminal building.

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

Even before the terminal  building in the pictures above was built...

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

...La Sabana was an airfield, at the time far out of the city.

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

Douglas DC-3 in front of the tower of La Sabana International Airport.

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

A TACA DC-3 on the tarmac at La Sabana Aiport.

Today the park is room for the largest sports arena of the country as well...

...as many soccer fields, which are extensivly used, especially on a Sunday. The park also has several ponds for fishing or recreation, many trees and biking, jogging and walking trails.

That was, what actually was fueling my thoughts about that building, what is an old airframe doing in the back yard of an art museum? 

The airport la Sabana was closed in 1955, some sources say in 1957. 1957 was also the year when the airport in Alajuela opened, still in operation and one of two international civil airports of Cost Rica.

Aviation - No Excuses!

You should have checked the tire pressure...

...that went wrong somehow...

...and what exactly happend when you were supposed to check the engine oil level?

All because you have been distracted by the Captains Uniform.

Yes, Uniform standards are a little more relaxed in this tropical countries, you do not really need to wear a tie. 

Uniform or not, should you be interested in Aviation, you might enjoy the freshly fed Photo Gallery "For Avaition Nuts". Over 700 Aviation related pictures I have taken on my trip in North and Central America.

Have fun!

Dornier Do X Look- Alike

Check out my German blog to see the Do X look-alike I have met in Texas.

If you'd like to see a B-747 look-alike, click here.