From Planes to Trains

So today I am travelling up to Warwickshire for a Muster with the Sealed Knot. Beth drove up last night but due to work I am travelling by train. For the first time I am traveling on Chiltern Railways one of the UKs less well know services and I've got to say I'm impressed.

Chiltern's London terminus is the lovely Victorian station of Marylebone. This station (partly through previous neglect) is still very much it's original self with the modern updates of electronic departure screens etc. Compared to my usual rail surroundings of Euston (a horrible 60s building) Marylebone is quaint, quiet and a fairly nice place to be at 7.30 on a Saturday morning.

I am writing this whilst sitting on the train using the unlimited free wifi (usually a cost is involved in standard class) with my phone plugged in and charging. Another great plus is that the seats on this train are comparable to first class seats on other operators.

And the best point? This journey is costing me a grand total of £6! And i'm getting to see some of the lovely Chiltern countryside. A similar journey on Virgin Trains/London Midland would cost me 2-3 times as much if bought in advance and I'd get to see the joys of Watford, Milton Keynes and the M1.

However, despite the plus sides of the journey there have been a few negatives... Firstly is the fact the golden rule of public transport has been broken...Don't sit near people if you don't have to! Despite a fairly empty train, a couple has come and sat on the seats opposite my table seat and have proceeded to kick me (accidently I'm sure) frequently whilst I have had my leg room stolen!

Also once again the rules of the 'quiet' carriage have been broken. I'm sorry how hard is it not to talk on your phone, have a loud conversation or listen to loud music for an hour and a half.

However overall this journey is an improvement on my usual rail travel so I really shouldn't complain and I'm going to try and use Chiltern if I'm ever going up to Birmingham.

Landan Town

Sorry for the delay in posting, it's been a bit hectic since we moved to Cheshunt. I started work 2 days after we moved in.

During my first week I was here there and everywhere as part of my induction week. One activity we undertook was a 'Monopoly Challenge ' which involved travelling around London attempting to get a photo of all the streets on the monopoly board. Considering we work for Transport for London this involved way too much walking and not enough using of the tube or buses : / Other activities during induction week were a Transport Museum quiz ( added benefit of working for TfL, we get into the Transport Museum for Free! ) and death by PowerPoint presentation.

Since then I have been in operational training and based at either Oxford Circus (fairly easy commute) or West Kensington (ridiculous commute to the far side of London!) However the training is now complete and starting from next week they are letting me loose.....

So if you are in London during the next 3 weeks avoid Liverpool St, Barbican and Farringdon stations.

Well that's what's been going on, I'll be doing a few posts during the coming weeks but to finish off this post I'm going to leave you with a few facts about the underground (you may leave the post now if you are already bored.)

- London is home to Europe's most frequent rail service ( the Victoria Line operates 34 trains per hour during the morning peak, meaning a train every 115 seconds! )

- The four stations serving Oxford St (Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus, Bond St and Marble Arch) handle over 100million passengers per year (approximately the same as ALL the rail journeys in Scotland in a year)

- The District line is the only underground line that crosses over the Thames (other lines cross under but the district line is the only one to use bridges to cross)

- There are 1.265 billion passenger journeys on the Underground network annually, this compares to 1.5billion rail journeys nationwide

Anyway I'm sure that I have bored you enough so I'll finish there.

Our House (well Flat) in the middle of our street!

So today is moving day! After 4 days of packing (yes everything has been done in the week since I finished at the airport), we think we're finally ready.

There is a mass exodus of Knight's and Bason's from the Midlands as both sets of parents, a sibling,  two dogs, Beth and myself all head down to Cheshunt.

Luckily we've hired movers as opposed to sticking to plan A of hiring a van and moving it all ourselves. Firstly after moving everything to Beth's grandma's, I have realised that I would have died moving everything up two flights of stairs.

Also we have the added advantage that if anything gets broken then it's covered by the removal company's insurance.

So updates later to how the chaos has ensued, but for now I will leave you with the fact that for one house moving we are taking 3 cars and 1 removal van full of stuff. Crazy!

The World We Live In

The past couple of weeks has reminded us all in the industry of the tragedies that can strike so unexpectedly. Safety critical events have occurred thrice, initially with the downing of MH17, a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 with 298 souls on board, followed by the loss of AH5017, a SwiftAir MD83 operating on behalf of Air Algerie with 116 people on board. Here is not the place to go into the details of the accidents or how they occurred but working within the industry these events serve as a reminder of the risks.

In addition to these two events, the temporary ban on flights into Tel Aviv airport by US and European authorities, also shows how tragic world events can impact on the aviation industry.

I was working at the airport when news first broke about MH17 coming down in Ukraine and the possible circumstances surrounding it's crash. The first thing I (and some others in the office) did was look at my schedule and see if any of the aircraft I was dispatching were due to fly over Ukraine.

Although everyone's thoughts should be with those that lost their lives and their families and loved ones, I think it is worth mentioning that there are going to be people affected by the tragedies that no one has mentioned. The dispatchers, gate staff and ramp crews at Amsterdam and Ouagadougou were probably the last people to see those on the aircraft alive and I can't imagine how they have been affected by the loss on their flights.

So all I have left to say is that my thoughts are with all of those affected in some way by the tragic events of the last couple of weeks and that all we can do is hope and pray that there is no more loss of life in such tragic circumstances.

**EDIT** I have just remembered the loss of GE222, a TransAsia Airways ATR-72 with 58 people on board (48 have tragically died, with the remainder seriously injured). My thoughts go out to those affected by this accident and my apologies for overlooking it during my first draft.

.....And Breathe!

So today has been a lonnnnnggg day at the end of a long year. As some of you will know, the past 12 months didn't get off to the best of starts (understatement of the century), and so completing the final year of my degree has been a struggle at the best of times, and felt impossible at the worst. And yet today, at 3am (more on the ridiculous early wake up late), I checked my results and saw that I had earnt a Lower Second Class Honours degree in Air Transport Management.

Whilst 13 months ago, I would have hoped for a 2:1 minimum, this is a great result for me considering I thought I would be lucky to pass at the end of my exams last month. Four years of uni have paid off, and furthermore....I HAVE A GRADUATE JOB!!!!!!!!

Yes that's correct, in addition to my results, I have been offered employment in a graduate role starting in September in London. So the big city awaits for Beth (my fiancée for those that don't know) and I, but before then I have an extremely busy couple of months.

In addition to the usual ridiculous amount of birthdays over the summer (including mine), I have recently started a summer job as a Aircraft Dispatcher with a leading UK ground handling agent at a local airport (hence the 3am starts) and it looks that I will be going live, dispatching aircraft by myself from Monday. In addition to the obvious benefit of being paid, this job is getting me some experience, whilst allowing me to be a plane nut to my hearts content.

As you would expect in any passenger service industry, there are certain challenging moments, some caused by customers, some by colleagues and some by.....,well the French (more on the French in another post). Whilst these challenges can cause problems, they can liven the job up and do stop complacency.

As I'm sure you can understand, I'm on a bit of a life high at the moment, so here's some inspirational music for you all :)

The Big Wide World

After 4 years of work, essays and exams, my time at uni is coming to end (well at least hopefully). I had my finals last week, and my viva to discuss my dissertation yesterday. I say hopefully as the past semester has been a struggle, I've been more affected by the events of the summer than previously and have at times found it very difficult to carry on at Uni. My department and tutor have been brilliant, helping me in any way possible and although impaired performance has been submitted, I'm still uncertain that I will have done well enough to graduate in July.

This uncertainty doesn't help stress levels as I have to carry on as though I will be graduating and entering the big wide world. The job hunting well and truly began after Christmas with applications to Graduate schemes at numerous companies, with general job applications having started in the past month or so.

My parents and fiancée have been extremely supportive, providing suggestions and enthusiasm when mine has been lacking. On Saturday, my parents mentioned an aviation job agency, and so I duly submitted an application. By lunchtime on Monday the company had got in touch and by close of business I had had an interview at their offices. Hopefully something will come of it but at the end of the day, all interviews are experience. 

On the flip side, I eventually heard back after my interview north of the border and unfortunately didn't get the job. However, the feedback was positive and it was more that the interviewers thought a very desk based job wouldn't be ideal for me than me not being a good candidate.

I've got two pieces of coursework still to hand in, although they are almost done and then in early July, the uni will finally tell me whether I am to enter the big wide world or remain in the bubble that is Loughborough for another year. Either way, I know that I have the support of my family, friends and fiancée, Beth, for which I am extremely grateful. The important thing that I have learnt over the past 11 months is that everything happens for a reason, even if that reason is not clear at the time. So in the words on Monty Python, always look on the bright side of life!

Haste Ye Back

This is the second time I have flown from this airport in as many months. The gateway to possibly my favourite city and the busiest airport north of the border, Edinburgh Airport is what I would class as a fantastic airport.

So what does it take to be a fantastic airport? Well obviously my opinion is nit the be all and end all but here's what I think makes Edinburgh fantastic:

- Space - All of the airports I've previously flown from in the UK (with the exception of prehaps Birmingham), have lacked space for the number of passengers they have during peak times. Edinburgh is different. It has a very open plan departure lounge, with the gates and concourse all merging, allowing for overflow on busy flights.  I'm sure everyone has been crammed in a gate area with 1 seat for every 3 passengers before, at Edinburgh I have been able to get a seat wherever I go in the terminal.

- Windows - Okay, it might just be the plane geek in me but when I am at an airport I like to look out of the window. I am going to spend the flight either reading or using the IFE, I would like to be able to avoid doing this for a couple of hours after check-in. Furthermore it allows for the terminal to be lit by natural light as opposed to relying on the horrible white strip lighting that most airports use.

- Internet - I know that in the commercialised world we live in, unlimited free internet at airports is going to be unlikely. However the 2 hours Edinburgh offers is more than sufficient for most people and is double or quadruple what some airports offer.

- Water - Now that we can't take liquids through security and the airside shops charge a small fortune for drinks, it is excellent that Edinburgh has listened to passenger views and installed water fountains so that people can refill empty bottles without charge.

- Climate Control - Some airports can be horrible to sit in on a warm day but Edinburgh has got the climate control sorted (unless you sit next to an air con vent, in which case you may want a jumper)

So Edinburgh, well done for getting it right. I have only one request for you, could you please make it so that you have more than 2 seats that are within range of a plug!

Those little things

Whilst I aim for this blog to be on the whole a positive thing, the idea of creating it came as I travelled through my local airport today. Being a plane nut I tend to arrive with an extra hour or so than needed so I can sit and watch the aircraft, but today as I look out the window, I am also writing this.

Whilst not what most people would class a frequent flyer, I have boarded aircraft quite a few times in the last 18 months or so and through my travels and my knowledge of aviation I have become quite adept at the airport process. This post focuses on 'those little things' that bug me as I travel through an airport.

Check-in
Whilst I wasn't around during the 'good ol' days' of aviation, I still manage to miss them. The excitement of flying or going on holiday to get away from the grind of everyday life is kind of ruined by the need to use a computer to be able to check in. With the Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) you now have to use your own personal computer, printer, paper and ink to be able to get anywhere near your flight. I'm sorry but is this not a service that the airlines are supposed to provide.

Even the Full Service Airlines (FSAs) are only one stop better. Flying with BA recently, we had to check-in at an automated check in desk before then dropping our bag of at a manned desk. I understand that theses are supposed to speed up the process and save airlines money, but whilst I am quite capable of using the machines, some people may not be and like the personal touch.

The airline i'm flying with today, Flybe, has taken things one step further. Whilst I can check in at the machine at the airport, if I have luggage, I now have to complete the bag drop process myself! Where has the human customer service touch gone?!

Security
Okay, I know security procedures seem to get more and more complicated every time you go to the airport, but the 100ml liquids rule has been around for years now. How hard is it!?

I joined a queue with only one lady in front of me at security today, compared to the one with 10 people, yet all 10 in the other queue managed to beat me through. I am aware that I have had a lot of practice at security recently but taking your belt off and emptying your pockets isn't that hard is it?

Food Court
If there is one security procedure that annoys me more than anything else, it is the miniature knives and forks that you now get given in the food court. Okay fair enough, a full size knife could be used in a dangerous manner, but making the fork prongs so short that they won't pick up a chip is just stupid!

Okay all,
Rant over.

Aidan

Plane Nut

I have been an aviation enthusiast (or plane nut) since I was a kid, ever since I was taken airside at East Midlands by my great uncle, a BMI engineer. Seeing all the aircraft in the hangar undergoing various checks, with various parts taken off, fascinated me and i've been hooked since.

Whilst my interest took hold at an early age, I have grown up in the post 9/11 era, with security and safety at the forefront of people's minds. There is a photo of me halfway across the maintenance apron at East Midlands, aged 9, with no hi-viz and certainly no security clearance, and every time I see it, I am saddened by the fact that I know this will never happen for future generations.

The purpose of this blog is to chart events of my last 2 months as an Air Transport Management student at Loughborough University and my entry into the big wide world. Whilst it'll focus on my progression, as a plane nut I will share some of my thoughts and experiences in the world of aviation.

Happy Reading

Aidan