Nik H.
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Posts posted by Nik H.
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Lots of interest on the catering side of the Hajj.
At Hajj & Charters we take everything very seriously, and catering for our Charter passengers are planned down to the last detail. Every year Tabung Haji and the PM's Dept are invited to give feedback and continous upgrade of our meal services are always being done.
After receiving feedback, we sit down with the menu planners and design manus that we hope will be appreciated by our target customers.
We are also concious that on arrival Jeddah and Madinah, with thousands of passengers being cleared at the same time, congestion may cause a delay of a couple of hours before our pilgrims get to their hotels, and they may become hungry waiting. We prepare arrival refreshment packs that are distributed prior to landing for consumption at those times.
Pix shows the Tabung Haji and PM's Dept Reps at MAS Catering to inspect the food preparation process.
Inspecting the finished product
Food nicely laid out as per aircraft tray setting
BizClass for Food tasting
Typical Layout
Refreshment Packs
Hope the above story and pix gives a good understanding of the amount of detailing the Malaysian Hajj Pax enjoys.
Since we took over the Hajj Operations in 2003 from AK, a lot of significant improvements were put in place and now Tabung Haji has to handle the demands of passengers who wants to fly on MH instead of SV due to the services gap. Guess there will always a bad side to good things.....
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Maarof, nothing beats experiencing this in real life....
Wukuf 1426
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Maarof, Best wishes on your journey.
If you've been assigned MH, I could have certainly lend a hand in many ways.
It will be a journey like no other.
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Doors for MH8000, the first Hajj flight were ready to be closed by 1000 but was closed on time to adhere to the arrival schedule in Madinah. 380 pilgrims were on board the aircraft, scheduled to arrive Madinah 1425 local time there.
Check-in started at KJ Haj Complex at 0600 and after security and baggage loading completed, 11 buses, one ambulance and three outriders left for KLIA at 0850. The buses went straight to the airsideand pax disembarked at Bay B2, as pre arranged by MASCharters.
MASCharters remote Check-In at Kelana Jaya
Wheelchair pax gets special attention at no extra charge
The Outriders' VF800Vtec Honda ready to do escort duty
The buses arriving at the airside. The B747-400 is fueled and loade in the background. Even VIPs cannot get their vehicles as close as this to the aircraft they are flying in.
Happy with MASCharter service so far
Service from the heart by Charter Crew
JHB spotters take note;
12nov2007 Arrival from Madinah - 0525. Aircraft will be departing for Madinah as MH8002 at 0920.
14nov2007 Arrival from Madinah - 0555. Aircraft will be departing for Madinah as MH8010 at 1020
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Fantastic.God Bless the pilgrims.
Btw Captain...could i ask a few questions?
1) As is the rule for ops into MED, all crew will have to be Muslims right?
2) How about into JED? As i understand..commercial flights have no restrictions on the religion of their crew...however are there special rules for Hajj flights? Or perhaps an MASCharter rule?
Thanks in advance.
1) No. Non Muslim crew are also allowed to operate into and out of Madinah. However, the movements of Non Muslim crew in Madinah city is restricted as they are allowed to be only in a specific area. As a result, only one 5 star hotel is available for lodging.
As such, MASCharters as a cost saving measure is only using Muslim crew as the five star hotel if at all available is extremely costly.
2) Hajj Flights are subjected to intense negotiations when securing slots, and are only allowed to dock into the Hajj Terminal at JED, the busiest terminal in the world during Hajj period. Schedules must be followed strictly as any deviation from the planned will be costly, ie SR18,,000 if early or late by more than 20 mins. Bnk Guaranteees must be deposited and a/c maint and other regulatory papers must be submitted. A 'responsible' officer must be nominated by each operating airline to be 'hanged' (guess who??) and any delegation of responsibility must be clearly advised. There are many more restrictions and rules, and all these conditions make operating into other stations and normal airline operations a walk in the park
In other words.....Don't Play Play....
As for the crew, MASCharter requires the Hajj Cabin Crew to go through a one full day Hajj Ops training to remind them of the special needs of the Pilgrims, menu and service planning, special announcements, understanding the concept of the Hajj etc etc, following a syllabus drawn up by Charters.
OK, I'm off to the Kelana Jaya Hajj Complex, then to KLIA.
May post some pix later.
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The first of 108 Hajj flights will depart KLIA for Madinah this morning at 1010 hrs from gate B2. Aircraft registration is 9M-MPK and it will be crewed by three pilots and 15 charter stewardesses. 380 pilgrims will be carried on this first flight.
The aircraft will turnaround in two hours and head for Senai to carry another 380 to Madinah.
For this season, MasCharters will be utilising two B744 and 1 B777.
The Flight Breakdown by Base KUL - 34 flights
PEN - 10 flights
JHB - 06 flights
KCH - 02 flights
BKI - 02 flights
'Phase 01' 1st Flight Departure - MH8000, KUL/MED , 11NOV07, STD 1010/1425LT
Last Flight Departure - MH8086, KUL/JED, 13DEC07, STD 0005LT
'Phase 02' 1st Flight Departure - MH8201, JED/KUL , 25DEC07, STD 1515/04500LT
Last Flight Departure - MH8287, MED/KUL, 23JAN08, STD 1700/0635LT
Direct Flight TO/FRO Madinah Phase 1 - 17 flights
Phase 2 - 07 flights
For MW spotters in BKI, KCH and JHB I'll post the arrival and departure times in a day or two.
2003, Aircraft Wet Leased from European Aviation, a now defunct setup owned by Minardi F1 Boss, departing for its first HAJ flight from B2 KLIA.
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MH Uniforms over the years. Modelled by Charter Stewardesses.
Just ignore the Hang Tuah :blush:wannabee....
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Agree with this one..... Even with the MH kebaya, one can pretty much see the panty line and the hips and the chest. For me, I preferlooking at the MH crew uniform rather than the AK ones, something sexy about it, can't explain it too well
SV, you've got taste, and as such you recognise CLASS when you see it.
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I am so agree with you, Alan, ATR is much much uglier than Q400.Still lingers in me is the questions of why all happen on SAS (and SAS linked companies) where as other airlines like Jeju air and ANA is the only Q400 case that is not related to SAS? Could be SAS at fault? The CGH salty environment where SAS Q400 based at? If Bomboardier is at fault, why Flybe still have lots of confidence and mass buying them even after all this SAS incident?
But I guess I understand why MH chose ATR since ATR72 is direct replacement to F50 with the advantages of more seats and similar performance output. Where as Q400 is an total (almost) upgrade in every specs include range, speed and so on. MASWings is not going to operate flights more than 1.5 hours which Q400 able to fly 3.5 hours max. So it's going to be waste of range capability unless they decide to do BKI-SZB or BKI-KBR routes then they need Q400.
The ATR can fly a 4 hour mission. So can the F50. Heck, most planes have an operating range of 4 hours. I don't think the range capability is much of a deal breaker.
I feel when the fleet rollover to the ATR is done, Maswings and Firefly will reach their best operating efficiency.
Amortisation of spares investment, simulator and manpower will be realised at a rate that will return best economics.
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Interesting, very interesting....
Wasn't the favouRED airline running the RAS till Oct 1st? How come the Govt agreed with the purchase of the ATR after MH took over and not when the favou RED one was running it? Is the government concerned about safety, and competency? Was there a trust problem?
Does anyone really know the story of the darkest and most scandalous period of Malaysian Aviation?
The Red and Blue may be many bad things, but when the chips are down, it will always be there.
Anyway, the choice of the ATR is a prudent one although emotionally I'd go for the Bombardier Q series, faster, sexier, quiter. However its not popular in this part of the world. The ATR is operated by a number of airlines in this region.
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If its to be done using a self built microlight, maybe its worth a mention, but in a presssurized hi tech single, it ain't no adventure.
Total waste of money..whoever briefed PM on this must be a nut.
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MAS is still a great place to work with, and a great airline, warts and all. This will be my 27th year with the airline, and i have seen many people who have gone on to better things after working with MAS and subsequently gone for interviews with MAS in their resume.
The pilots are definitely the among the best in the world, likewise the engineers. A large majority can just walk into just about any airline in the world and get a job that pays not less than USD10-15K monthly. Many of them are holding training positions in Korean, China, Emirates and Etihad, a domain reserved mostly for 'First World ' pilots not too long ago.
It helped give jobs to the Aussies who lost theirs during the great big strike 17 years ago. The Iraqis, whose country was torn apart by two invasions also managed a good living here, not to mention Canadians, a couple of Americans and British pilots. Indonesians also built a good reputation before moving on to other airlines. All of them were accepted after they built up their experience here and have MAS ratings and training under their belt.
Many do not realise but Ex MAS pilots and engineers working overseas are amongst the most profitable 'export commodity' Malaysia has ever traded in. With 150 pilots remitting at least USD 8K each home, that's a cash inflow of RM49 million with '0' production cost as they are selling expertise.
Granted, there are hiccups and a feeling of being let down by some quarters in possession of partial facts, but in the big picture, MAS is still great in many ways.
Many may complain, but even those who do have no doubt that when they step into a MAS flight, issues of flight safety and engineering competency are far from their mind.
MAS has the operational bit in place, and given time, and management space, I'm very sure the other pieces will eventually fall in place. Its not an easy task, and the scorecard can never be 100% given the challenges of being the National carrier. There will always be slackness, within and external.
Take the case of the RAS, that was taken away, then used, then outlived its usefulness, and MAS was forced to pick up the pieces, while the favoured one is subsequently rewarded with the ability to fly international. Many do not even realise what took place from under their very noses, for they are too busy picking on the Red & Blue.
The management today may not act to the desire of some who feels they know better, but in my humble opinion, they are working intensely day and night with various initiatives, from the obvious to the far fetched, to ensure MAS will be bigger than ever, and more importantly, ensure the success is sustainable.
Here's to my Airline, the Pilots, the Engineers, The Cabin Crew, the Ground staff et al.
SALUTE and KEEP ON GOING
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I think Capt Nik has confirmed what many of us has suspected before, interference in the running of the national airline.And some said politics has got nothing much to do with aviation!!!
Political influence in the running of the National Airline comes with the territory. This is after all the Flag Carrier, an airbridge of commerce for our country. The political masters do and must have an interest in the way it is run. One must look back into the mission statement of MAS to see the context of the business MH is engaged in.
Take for example an international route that does not make money for MH. The servicing of the route must still be done as it allows freer flow of foreign investments and business travel via the air link. The country as a whole gains though MH may lose. Its OK in the grand scheme of things.
Where the new entity is interested in purely commercial gains ( the fact that everyone can fly is coincidental ) for Mh route servicing and schedules must take into account the country's needs. Hence comparisons may not be correct between the two.
That leaves the Management of MAS to find other 'creative' ways to look for better margins via cost rationalising measures and /or wastage control, some methods of which invites criticism here and other sites.
Therefore, political influence is not a bad thing, however.............
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MH business model and strategy is unique among its peers.Of it has to be. MAS is in a unique position not shared with its peers as well....
It has lots of masters to answer to, decisions not made by itself it has to come to terms with, local competition that has a direct line with the authorities, and National Agenda it has to shoulder.
Besides, MAS also has to answer to local consumers who are quick to condemn but slow to appreciate.
I've never recalled a time when good things done by MAS are played up, as the negative is often sung about.
ie, A delay by MAS grabs headlines, but accepted and ignored if it was the favoured Red One.
When our very admired southern neighbour hit a tractor in Taipei, the whole country rallied behind the airline to a point of blaming the whole thing on the MALAYSIAN pilot. Co-incidently, we are referred to as Malaysian Airlines by the international press. That's the level of cohesiveness other Nationals are getting from their homies.
I shudder to think what MH will be facing under the same circumstances.....
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Ah, thanks for that. Now for follow up questions if I may ?(1) "Huffer cart" are those 'engines on wheels' one finds parked next to some planes at times ?
(2) There are the necessary piping system inbuilt to every bird to channel compressed air from APU to engines and between engines then ? In that sense, not too far off from steam age technology there !
(3) What is N2 thrust ?
Thanks again
1) The most common way to start Turbines is by using compressed air and this is normally tapped from the APU. Smaller turbines use ellectric starter. The Huffer carts are actually mobile compressors and are linked to the engine air driven starter motors in place of APU. Mid sized engines can use compressed air bottles to start in place of APUs.
2) Most turbine and all pressurized turbines have a labyrinth of pneumatic piping built into the aircraft to channel air into the aircon/pres , anti-ice and engine starter and will have built in facility to power each other.
3) N2 is not thrust. N2 is an RPM indication of the high pressure rotors of the turbine. Normally read in percentages. There's also N1. This refers to the RPM of the big fan visible from the front of the engine. Thrust is normally read as EPR. They all do the same thing, ie advices the Pilot of the power the engine is generating.
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Shot near SZB
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Dear Captain,If you want to post longer videos, just contact me pls... I can host them on my server, in the same video format as youtube does....But no time restriction here. Can of course also do the conversion from any video format.
Cheers
Georg
Georg, thanks for the offer. I 've got 15 minute clips of Lima '95 and Lima '03 where the Red Arrows performed. I also have two more clips of Airshows at Sempang Base where a classmate of mine did aeros in a MS3 piston trainer. Just bear in mind that the videos are basically of the same quality as the one I paosted, ie using cheap equipment and edited on home PC.
Please PM me details of how to go about posting the video at your site.
Regarsd
Nik H.
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Nik is a management pilot.May I suggest MH management to read ‘Blue Ocean Strategy’ by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.
While it is true that I am a Management Pilot, I am handling a small, very small portion of a big pie, just about RM200Million as compared to the RM12-13 Billion annual turnover MAS does.
Having been in MAS since 1980, beginning as a F27 F/O, and in Management for more than 10 years, starting with Operational Management in Flight Ops, and later, by choice, moved over to the Commercial side, I lived through 4 Top Management changes, 5 DFOs, and numerous turnaround initiatives.
Without fear or favour, I think IJ is doing not just the right thing but the only thing that can be done in the light of the political encumberences the airline has to carry by being a National carrier.
Not much major decisions can be made without approval from the Ultimate Stakeholder. Choosing and Buying planes, cutting routes, staff count consolidation, etc etc. There's no such thing as a 'free hand' in running an airline, and unlike other airline entrepreneurs, IJ cannot run riot to the Media wearing his heart on his sleeves about the woes he is facing, whine about unfair competition, make unsubstantiated claims to assist his course, and leverage friendship with the powers that be. The requirements of the Corporate agenda also limits him from playing it up as an aviation folk hero. Reading Management books written by Western Gurus to run a National Airline is akin to saying that one can learn to fly the B777 after memorising and understanding the aircraft flight manual.
Numerous inherited agreements, poorly made purchase of equipment, embedded Union issues all conspire to keep MAS in its rocky path.
Maybe he' s the only one with one eye in the land of the blind, and has to go fighting with one hand tied behind his back, with some inherited Generals who are more worried about personal survival rather than a collective one, but perhaps someone here can point out another today who will be able to do his job....better....
As for me, small time Management , part time B777 Pilot, I can attend immediately to any problems related to Hajj and Charter flights, which is my own little planet within the MAS Universe.
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Here's a short clip of the F27 on a morning flight from BKI to LDU, a 55 min block time flight. As there are not much facilities there, we do transit with one engine running.
Hope you enjoy the clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCs6X0-O5Kw
Cheers.
Nik H.
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This is a good thread, again very educational to me in more ways than one.
Here's my opinion, which I consider fair and unpolitical. What I write is based on the little facts I know, and the first hand experience 'playing' with this sort of aircraft. I also know the Pilot well, as I'm sure a few people here do too. In fact, I met him at the TUDM departure lounge when PM and DPM visited the Charter Jumbo that was carrying Malcon 1 bound for Beirut last Monday.
PM visiting the B747 Charter aircraft before leaving on the ACJ.
]The ACJ in question, viewed from the Charter Jumbo Door 1L.
ACJ will not be more than USD 55 M fully furnished RTF.
IF and that's a very big IF it is true the Govt is paying RM2M a month, then it may sound expensive, but then again, is it on ACMI + Op Cost basis? Terms and conditions needs to be confirmed as one has to be very brave to put figures based on third hand information and pass comments that alludes to wrongdoing or competency.
Under certain circumstances, it may be cheap.
As to the pilot pay issue, paying him RM38K is very OK considering the skill and experience level required to fly our PM around. He brings home only RM25K after the taxman takes his cut. The same pilot will draw easily RM50 K taxfree if he walks to EK, which I know he can.
When he's not flying, I don't think he 'goyang kaki' as he is on constant standby. There's a good chance that he'll be involved in other duties as well, such as Flight preparation, planning and also post flight clean-up. Only a 'brave' person can say he's earning Gaji Buta.
There are significant differences between Airline Pilots and Corporate / VIP pilots.
He does not have a roster, nor a proper FTL as we know it. He has no union that takes care of his welfare, and he can be made redundant quite easily. He does not have travel benefits and lots of other privileges the airline pilot takes for granted.
I am not in support of the ACJ, nor is against it, but having 'Been There, Done That' my take on the subject is that there are many other ways to do it better.
I hope my comments above can be seen as factual and fair, and hope fellow forumers will also be fair and factual, so as to avoid the 'Pee in the Wind' syndrome.
Cheers
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SV Wrote
By the way, why is there a exhaust hole at the end of the F-27, if no APU was installed? Is it for something else? And if there's no hole on the F-50, where do they install the APU then?The hole is for the air-con/pressurization exhaust. The APU for the F50 is installed in the rear nacelle section of one of the engines.
As you may well know, the F27 uses a Rolls Royce Dart which has a centrifugal compressor while the F50 is a free turbine Pratt engine based on the PT6 design.
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Nik, hopefully my request not too undue. did you mind to share your videos with us? either under Observation hill or Aviation Collectibles sub-forum.
Not at all. The video will be posted soon. I'll have to reedit it as the F27 clips are part of a 50 minute video journal of the life of a F27 pilot based in BKI. Include are clips of what the pilots do in their free time, hobbies and outdoor activities. The videos were mostly shot more than 20 years ago and some contents may bore viewers here. Besides, there' no way I can post a 50 minute clip on the net, 10 minutes is all that most video hosting sites will allow.
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No, I was referring to my desk at the Charter Office.Captain Nik, does 777 has 21" CRT display??
1981 to 1987. Best flying years and lifestyle...the sea, the islands, the mountains, the jungle, the sky, fresh seafood and great people....BKI has it all.....Adrian, 12,480 is right.....my guess is you've spent a bit of time over this side of South China Sea ?
Sure, but I'll have to reedit to shorten it so it can be uploaded to youtube.Nik!!Awesomee!!!!!!!! Sir is there a possibility of us getting a peek too of the video??More Video Grab Pix for your viewing pleasure.......
refuelling
baggage loading
handover briefing at the apron
Water Methanol boosted Take Off
Mt Kinabalu as we climb thru a layer of stratus
ancient instrumentation....
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snipI agree that many would look forward to anything about the old days of MAS. Personally it was the golden era of MH as I knew it.
Golden era it may be but no way it can survive in today's business world. As someone celebrating my 27th year with MH, the so called Golden years ( 80s ) holds fond memories of the romance of flight as well as romance inflight ( I was a bachelor then
).Here's some pics grabbed from a video I made of my F27 years. Sorry about the quality......, but it was 25 years ago....
Morning flight to Lahad Datu
Safety briefing
Landing Lahad Datu
Charter Flight: MW Photographer Wanted
in General Aviation
Posted · Edited by Nik H. · Report reply
There will be a Charter Flight program for a Nissan Incentive Group on the third week of this month.
I have spoken to Capt Radzi Desa, a B737-400 Commander, also an active MW forummer and he has agreed to operate the flight.
I am opening at least one seat for an MW photographer to chronicle the flight and the following should be covered;
a. Tech Crew Check-in and dispatch activity at MH Flight Management Building
b. Cabin Crew Pre Flight Briefing.
c. Cockpit Pre Flight Check
d. Cabin Pre Flight Check
e. Cabin service Shots.
f. In Flight Shots.
g. Post Flight Briefing.
The sectors will be as follows;
Date : Monday, 26th November 2007, Daylight Operations.
a. KUL - PEN ( ferry but will be opened for commercial sale; expect a light load. )
b. PEN - LGK ( Charter Flight )
c. LGK - KUL ( Ferry Flight; but will be opened for commercial sale; expect a light load )
The interested photographer must have the ability to shoot photos of an acceptable quality as the photos will be distributed to the Charter passengers.
Conditions;
a. Photographs must not be posted in any public domain website without agreement from this office.
b. Passport must be carried and must have 6 month validity.
c. Adherence to instructions of the aircraft commander.
d. Any expenditure brought about by unforseen delay shall be borne by the volunteer.
Please reply via this thread or via PM.
Regards.