When you just want to fly on a 4-engine aircraft

Onboard Hi Fly Malta, July 2022

Four-engine aircraft are certainly a dying breed. Last year I flew on a Boeing 747-8 "Jumbo" from Frankfurt to Palma - and yes, that time I was spending a few days in Palma, such a warm and crystal clear water paradise. Last time I worked on a A340 was in October 2019. So, when a friend of mine heard that TAP Air Portugal was leasing an A340 for the Lisbon-Vienna route, he didn't want to miss that opportunity and challenged me for that trip.

And there we were waiting for our turnaround trip to Vienna.

9H-SUN & 9H-SOL

The A340 assigned to this flight would be the tail number 9H-SOL, the one in all white livery and the very same one that landed in the Antarctica some months ago.

9H-SOL © Hi Fly

Before Hi Fly, this A340 flew for Iberia and it keeps the same cabin interiors of this airline. When it operated for Iberia, it was named Maria Barbara de Braganza. We booked economy class for the outgoing flight and business for the return.

The views from my window seat:

And finally arriving at Vienna Schwechat Airport:

Speed brakes deployed during descent

Just before landing.

Then, parked side by side with a Korean Air Dreamliner:

Our super short layover in Vienna was not totally in vain as we had time to drink a weissbier in the airport terminal before boarding again the same aircraft to Lisbon. But this time in business class!

9H-SOL Business Class (ex-Iberia)

Sunset over the clouds

All in all it was a very enjoyable flight with a nice Hi Fly crew and an unusual spacious aircraft on such a short run. I know this seems a crazy plan, but in my defense I have to say that I already know Vienna very well from the time when, in 2018, I made my first (and only) around the world trip to the date, which included five days in North Korea!

More photos of these flights in the 'Photo Collection' section of the blog.

Flying to Madeira Island with the Airbus A330

Madeira Airport, January 2022

It's not very common to do very short flighs with widebody equipment. But during the holiday season, every year, there is a surge in the demand for flights between Portugal mainland and Madeira island. Not only because of families and students wanting to go back home for Christmas but because Madeira NYE's fireworks is a huge attraction for tourists.

Air Luxor used to send their A330s to the island during this season and I was fortunate to land there with this type of widebody a few times between 2003 and 2005 flying with both CS-TMT and CS-TQF aircraft.

17 years later here I am again, with different colors, and with a different motivation to be on this flight.

Airbus A330-941 | CS-TUN | "D. Fuas Roupinho"

Also an unusual fact nowadays, I was one of most senior members in my category, which means I was assigned to work in business class again. Before the pandemic, with the company's growth we witnessed a fast moving seniority list and most of the times I was the most senior member in my category. These days, with the fleet reduction and with the recent dismissals, it's totally the opposite: I'm usually part of the "youngest" team.

So that was the way the new year started for me: doing a turnaround flight to Funchal. I made photos of this flight available in the corresponding gallery of the "Photo Collection" page, under "Blog Specials" on the right.

Let's hope 2022 is the year when we definitely get rid of this pandemic.

First time in Cancún

Cancún, July 2021

It seems quite unbelievable that during my charter period I didn't manage to visit Cancún. I did many other destinations in the Caribbean but not this one in México.

Our route to Cancún was launched very recently and it was a matter of time until it showed up in my roster. The aircraft assigned to the outbound flight was also a first for me: CS-TUK, the A330neo with the Star Alliance livery.

And how it feels good to arrive in Cancún around 10pm with a hot breeze of 30º C. The good charter vibes were totally coming back to me.

CS-TUK "D. Francisco de Almeida" after arrival

However this was the shortest layover available (there are bigger pairings). Yet I was able to enjoy a full day at the beach in Isla Mujeres.

On our ferry to Isla Mujeres. The blue is unreal!

And finally we arrived in paradise.

-o0o-

Isla Mujeres

At sunset we caught the ferry back to the city center and had dinner in a restaurant called "La Coyota".

La Coyota - Cocina & Mixologia

And after dinner we were totally exhausted due to the 6-hour time difference and returned to the hotel. Before going to my room I went to enjoy the amazing view of the rooftop.

We stayed in Zona Hotelera, very much american style. Next day, only time for breakfast and for a little rest before the return flight.

Closing of a route due to the pandemic

San Francisco, November 2020

By that time, during the first year of the pandemic, it was a rumor often heard that the San Francisco route would end soon. So, when I saw San Francisco in my roster I immediately did a mini-list of what I wanted to see and explore in the city in that short layover. One year earlier I automatically fell in love for San Francisco when I had a bigger layover but I still left many things to do for a next visit. This time, I was not sure if I would ever return again to San Francisco after this opportunity.

When I was warned that my return flight was canceled because the route was being discontinued and that I would return back to Lisbon as a passenger on the very same aircraft I was taking to San Francisco, I admit I was totally upset.

The flight to San Francisco took 12h35. 

A330-900 CS-TUE at San Francisco Intl

Since the return flight to Lisbon would depart only six hours after we landed, we went to the hotel for a much deserved small rest.

The City by the Bay in the morning

I didn't even try to sleep because it would be worse for me waking up only three hours later. So I just stayed in a low energy mode. This was my room's view:

And then, we were back to the airport again.

San Francisco International

Flying as a passenger, I was able to fully appreciate the traffic at the airport.

Flaps set and taxi-out for departure.

The in-flight maps of the IFE system are pretty neat and after take-off I was able to enjoy the amazing sights and the diverse geographical feats along the route, over the United States.

Sierra Nevada

Mono Lake and its Paoha Island

A330neo

Soon it was time for dinner to be served and to appreciate the new china celebrating the company's 75th anniversary.

And more amazing landscape views...

As we progressed eastwards, night darkness fell very quickly and the show was over.

Overflying Wyoming / Colorado border 

Main course

After the meal, it was pretty easy for me to fell asleep after so many hours awake... In the end, I didn't miss the opportunity for a photo of the passenger cabin of our A330neo.

At this point, nobody knew if the route was closed for good or if it was only temporary.

Back in business: the new normal

Caracas, October 2020

It's been a tough year for me but not because of the coronavirus. It all started with a serious injury that could've ended my airline career, way before the pandemic was globally known. The pandemic only made things worse and lengthy, but fortunately I made it after 7 months of painful physical therapy.

Yet, I still got emotional when my crew bus approached the beautiful Airbus A330neo for my first flight in a 9-month gap. When many crew members are packing up their uniforms to return them to their airlines and face unemployment, I was lucky enough to take the opposite direction, lucky enough to still have my job and return to it.

For me it would be a very different flight since it was an instruction flight. I lost my A330 qualification and I had to repeate the entire syllabus again. Starting a month earlier, ground school was just as easy for me as in other moments of my career. After all, the big advantage of having an aerospace engineering degree is that nothing else is rocket science for me anymore.

But for the instruction flight I had to make a very serious preparation. In normal circumstances, a 9-month gap is enough for many things to change in my job. Add a coronavirus context to it and a whole new world, a whole new normal was waiting for me. And I must be honest: I hate it. I'm thankful I still have my job, but I hate this new normal.

Our mission was a repatriation flight out of Caracas/Venezuela, but we also took about 80 passengers booked to Venezuela: we had passengers both ways.

As much as I am an aviation geek, I admit I was happy to stay at home for such a long time. I kept my mind busy all the time - I never read so many books in my life, I never watched so many Netflix series and listened to several podcasts, I never took so many strolls in the enjoyable neighbourhood I live. After I recovered from my injury I never took so many bike rides, which I love to do. And more important: I completely caught up on lost sleep accumulated over a decade of flying. I'm finally waking up even before my daily alarm rings. I'm financially stable and not so dependant on the variable part of my usual income. With so much chaos reshaping the face of our planet, I embraced my home and my neighbourhood as a safe and comfortable haven.

But finally it was time to return to my old job. It was time to finally embrace the A330neo as much I used to hate it before this gap. This aircraft is a delight for passengers due to its level of comfort but for those who work on it, it is a nightmare because of the options that were taken in terms of equipment and working conditions. But, it's what we have now and we must get used to it. Not to be neglected, it has beautiful and huge Rolls-Royce engines which remind me of my wonderful L-1011 days. And they are way more silent than the previous generation of engines powering the old A330s.

The outbound flight was smooth and without the trouble we faced dealing with a full load of passengers on the return flight and trying to comply with all the new COVID-19 rules...

On a personal side, after a 9-month absence I was comfortable enough with my duties and responsibilites on both flights, so the instruction flight was a success for me: I got my A330 qualification back. It helped me a lot the thorough preparation of the flight that I did.

Let's hope things will improve from now on and that aviation will be back on track after being decimated by this anoying virus.

Some photos while approaching the Caribbean Sea...

... we've been told this was Los Roques archipelago:

And finally we landed at Maiquetía Airport.

It was a very short stay at Catia La Mar and I didn't venture outside the hotel.

NewsAvia: TAP em Caracas pela primeira vez com Airbus A330neo