Nik H.

You know JW??? NO no no....only B777.

sv wrote Primarily a glass topped mahagony desk equipped with a 21 inch CRT and 17 inch LCD. And occasionally a B777-200.

Not really. The engines are started using an electric starter motor, much like a piston plane. And electrical 'x-bleed' (ahem) is used when GEN 1 is on line to power the other starter motor. Normally F27 ops would require a GPU ( actually a big cart carrying generators plugged into the a/c system. ) that will supply electrical power for lights and MARK 1 cabin ventilation fans. For additional pax comfort we supply MARK2 ventilation fans which we install in the seat pocket and is human powered. Aircraft air-con is only effective after take-off as it does not have aircon packs, but just old fashioned Air cycle machine. Normally in the afternoon, the cabin will be fairly hot so cockpit windows open and close is a repetitive activity. After take off, the cabin will cool down and will be at the 'right' temp on achieving cruise, at which time, you actually need heating There was this joke about the F27; Pax; Why so hot aaaaa??? Crew: Because they put two fans outside only..... As fo F27 photos, i have plenty, but I thought it may bore you guys if I post em.....

Charter Dept was featured in TV3 Nona, Majallah 3, and was represented in Explorace when i took part ( won RM10K and donated it to an orphanage ) There were also numerous coverage during MHI and morning talk show with RTM and NTV7. Latest was the coverage on the Manchester United Asia Tour by NTV7 and TV3, where i arranged for ther crew to accompany the flight. As fo Hajj, there are certainly lots of stuff that you mentioned, amongst them, videos on cabin seat and toilet usage ( first time flyers ), different menucards, giveaway plastic carryon bags, specially designed Zam Zam water containers, leaflets and videos on how to do prayers in the aeroplane, customised in-flight entertainment guide etc etc. All this little things were put in place after Charter dept successfully wrested the contract from AK' stranglehold in 2003. The pilgrims are now getting a really good deal as compared to previously where they are just dumped into KLIA and have to fend for themselves lookin for connection to return to their end destinations. They also have reserved seating and the ability to rebook flights in Mecca, where a reservation clerk is positioned. This may be a topic in itself and i may post it if there's sufficient interest from members. BTW, about rare memorablia, you interested in boarding passes with the old MAS logos as well as unusable unused blank paper tickets?

This is an extremely educational thread for me. I'm gonna do my part for esteemed members here. There will be a contest and a reward will be given to Malaysianwings forumers for realistic, practible, implementable and 'quick win' suggestions . The Admins and Mods have given me the green lite to run this contest; Watch for it soon.

Plenty but it'll be OT.

Yessir, imagine the backlash if any untoward incident happened to a charter flight to China bearing MH4144.

hi SV, you're most welcome. You're right about the seat covering, its similar to the -200 Pocket Rocket And yes, you're right again, it was a return trip from SDK to BKI on Radial 091 or what was known as the 'direct track'. On very calm days we would fly close to the mountain top, and Panar Laban and Sayat Sayat can be clearly seen. Again correct, the hissing sound is from the pneumatic brake system but if done right, you'll only hear it thrice during landing. With a lead footed pilot, the aircraft will be hissing away. Another indicator of good piloting is the ability to transition from 'Ground Fine Pitch' smoothly during taxying, and avoid the irritating 'prop bite' sound cycling numerous times as the Prop Control Unit hunts for the best pitch as the pilot manupulates the power levers. Despite having flown the latest State of the Art planes in the course of my career, the F27 is the one I find most satisfying. And no, I never flown the F50. By the time it arrived in MAS, I was already hopping around the world in a DC10-30, another favourite plane in my books. About posting my pics at airline.net, I have way too many to choose from so its no easy task to find time to choose pics that will not bore people as well as avoid giving the impression of being 'self-serving'

F27 alright. I have about 2000 hours on it, flying the Sabah / Sarawak route from 1982 to 1987. The F27 network covers BKI, SDK, LDU, TWU, LBU, BSB, MYY, BTU, SBW and KCH. A real pilots aeroplane, none of the automation available today. The autopilot is so basic that it does not have an altitude capture function. There is no VNAV, and although the roll channel tracks VOR/LOC, no one uses it as it frequently induces level hunting. The WX radar is monochrome. On the ground, the cockpit window seals are known to leak during heavy rain. The aircraft flies at the most adventurous Flight Levels, 12 - 20,000, where CBs are born before pouring rain onto the surface of the earth. Airfame DeIce is by using oots and its such a thrill to operate and amazing to see the leading edge expand and contract like an accordion. The RR Dart engine needs pampering to avoid hot starts especially in a tailwind condition. The brakes are pneumatically operated and if used poorly will sound like a cymbal in a funeral procession. The ABS by Maxaret was mechanical in nature. Unlike today's aircraft where poor piloting skills are masked by the aircraft automation, passengers those days know how good you are by the way you manage the pressuriszation, cabin temp, prop sync, brake management on roll-out, and of course landing. Dowty designed the landing gear to be damn tough, and damn tough it is. However its not to friendly to pilots who flare poorly, especially with a light load. Despite all that, I love this aircraft, it is rewarding to fly, full of character, talks to you via its prop sound, engine whine, controls directly linked via pulleys, unlike the current crop of airliners that are technical marvels but generally without soul, which communicates with you via cold LCDs and CRTs. Some Pix BKI, 25 years ago BTU, 25 years ago, Note the Terminal My 'office' of 5 years, note Mt Kinabalu Can anyone say the altitude and speed ? 20 years ago, F27 Canin, note 'new' uniform Regards Nik H.

The Flight Numbers were streamlined mid 2005. MH 5000-5999 is also used for ferry and/or delivery flights. MH7000 - 7999 is for extra flights. MH8000 - 8999 is for Hajj and Charter Flights. I got it changed from MH4000-4999 as a lot of Charter Flights are operated to China, and I thought going from 4 - 8 would be a good thing.

I've got the Mastar Promotional leaflet, Catalogue of services done by Leo Burnett, cutlery, Service procedure handbook and plenty of other related Mastar stuff sitting on my office store. I've also got the Mastar promotional video and a 1 hour DVD of the SPB Agong's Official trip to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Danang, Pnom Penh and Seam Reap, which I shot and edited. The team put a lot of effort into the project, and just as the finances were turning black, the carpet got pulled from under the team. Even the Cabin Crew uniform were of a different variety, designed in-house with the involvement of the crew. Thankfully it is now put into good use and is now being used by the Charter crew.

Outfitted for a Medivac. Sorry,c but I think I've gone Off Topic....got carried away on the BBJ story....,

Some facts about the BBJ, and this is not the " I heard from my friend " version. The BBJ is a Hybrid NG B737, ie the -700 body mated with -800 wings, center wing box and landing gear. The MAS BBJ had 9 tanks, enabling it to do London with one stop with a full cabin. The cabin is divided into three sections, the Executive Front End, the Club seating in the midsection and a Stateroom. A total of 34 pax can be carried. The interior was outfitted by Jet Aviation in Basel, at a cost of 9Million USD and took about 9 months for completion. It came without winglets which were later retrofittef. A HUD was also fitted for the Capt's side. The BBJ was purchased during Tajudin Ramli's regime, and was called the MASTAR. It was sweetener for the B777 deal purchase and the total cost came to USD XX Million. The purchase and outfitting cost were at a good market rate. In fact, had MAS kept the aircraft, it can be sold today at a price that would realise a handsome profit given the current waiting list coupled by inability of finishing houses to accept green BBJs for outfitting. This may disappoint those who harbour suspicions of wrongdoing in MAS. Tajudin Ramli never flown in the aircraft. In fact, he never set foot in the aircraft after it arrived in Malaysia, 2nd Sept 2000. This fact may disappoint some parties too. The aircraft was operated by a dedicated Businesss unit in MAS and the first mission was to take the then SPB Agong to the Olympics. In the short time the aircraft was with MAS, it was chartered out to Elton John, Bryan Adams, Hun Sen, Sihanouk, Megawati, Swaziland Royalty, Saudi Royalties and even to the Singapore Govt Ministers on their business trip amongst others. The most profitable segment of business was high end medivac. Our Ailing SPB Agong ( HRH Sultan Selangor ) was flown back from Singapore on the aircraft. Letting it remain under MAS would have been a brilliant thing as the cost of ownership can be defrayed by the lucrative private Charters when the Government was not using the aircraft. In fact, there were talks about the privatisation of the 2 Squadron to operate along these lines. Additionally, flight clearances were easier to get with a civilian registered aircraft. Taxpayers would have saved a significant amount of money. As the Unit began to reach sustainable financial life, with sales on the rise and reputation established, the aircraft was purchased by the Government for their use. There are reasons for this which cannot be discussed in a public forum, but possibly one of the reason was not to let a good thing go on . It was deregistered and became an 'FM' aircraft. Maintenance was given to Airod. It was repainted in a hurry and became what it is now. The BBJ on arrival at SZB after leaving Basel. The Executive Cabin The Club Cabin The Stateroom with the bed deployed The Washroom the galley A Typical Departure The BBJ off on a mission If there is another version, I'd be most interested to know.