Flying the ATP (by Matt Falcus)
I'd always admired the British Aerospace ATP aircraft
and, despite living in the UK most of my life, hadn't taken the chance to fly it
when it was in regular regional service over here. So I decided to make a trip
to Sweden to fly the only passenger examples currently in service, with Next
Jet.
I thought I'd make the most of the trip and combine some article and book
research whilst there, so planned four days in and around Stockholm exploring
the various aviation possibilities.
When it came to planning the trip, I realised that there were a number of
low-cost airline options to get to Stockholm, such as Ryanair and Norwegian,
which were cheaper. But when I factored in driving to Liverpool or Edinburgh,
combined with parking, it wouldn't be much cheaper. So, despite the extra cost,
I chose to fly KLM from my local airport - Durham Tees Valley (MME)
- as it really needs support at the moment.
When I say local, I really mean it. I left my house with my bag and walked 10
minutes to the terminal building; extra time in bed really helps at 5 in the
morning!
I'd already checked in online the night before, so I turned up an hour before
the flight, paid my mandatory £6 'departure tax' from the ticket machine in the
terminal (every little helps keep the airport open!), and headed through to the
departure lounge.
Date: 21May11
Route: Durham Tees Valley (MME/EGNV)
- Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS/EHAM)
Flight number: KL1531
Departure Time: 0625
Arrival Time: 0815
Flight Time: 50 minutes
Airline/Operator: KLM Cityhopper
Aircraft type: Fokker 70
Registration:
PH-JCT
I had a seat in the 2nd to last row of the aircraft. We departed from runway 23
and, due to the early hour on a Saturday morning, we turned immediately and took
a direct routing over the North York Moors and across the sea to Amsterdam.
Usually this flight takes you across to Manchester area before heading back to
the east coast. The sun was casting a bright orange glow over the sea.
Because of this, it was a relatively quick flight. Arrival
into Amsterdam was on the Polderbaan. The crew had warned us in advance of the
10 minute taxi time that would be expected because of this. Still, you get a
good view of everything going on at the airport. As ever, Fokker flights from
the UK park on the remote stands, with a bus transfer to the terminal.
Here's a video of the landing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvZqXl0zMlM
I had two hours before my next flight. As a spotter, I
have a well-rehearsed routine when visiting Schiphol which uncovers just about
everything parked at piers D to G. First of all a scout of the two fingers of
pier D, which offers views of Schiphol Oost and the cargo area opposite runway
6/24. Next, a walk through the main terminal area and its moving walkways ("Mind
Your Step"). You can see almost everything parked on piers E and F by doing
this. Finally, a walk along pier G uncovers the American and more 'exotic'
carriers, plus aircraft parked remotely and the low-cost carriers at pier H.
The weather was perfect and sunny, so I snapped a few
photos as I passed. Then I joined the passport line to go into pier C, where my
flight to Stockholm was leaving from. It had been about 10 years since I'd been
in this part of Schiphol, and it has come on a long way - very smart and some
really nice bars, shops and eateries here.
Date: 21May11
Route: Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS/EHAM)
- Stockholm Arlanda (ARN/ESSA)
Flight number: KL1109
Departure Time: 1020
Arrival Time: 1200
Flight Time: 1h40
Airline/Operator: KLM
Aircraft type: Boeing 737-700
Registration:
PH-BGM
I had been hoping to get my first flight on a 737-900 on this trip. My booking confirmation said it would be, but when I'd checked in I noticed it was down as a -700. Nevertheless, it was my first time on a KLM example, and it still felt pretty fresh and new inside.
I had a seat on the left side of the aircraft, and it seemed to be a pretty full load today. We took off from runway 24 and made a sweeping turn to the right and then over northern Holland, Germany and across Denmark. I've never been to that part of the world, and I have to say I was captivated by the sunny view of the endless sand bars and islands along the coast. Mental note to make a visit in the future!
We routed across Sweden and started descent after what
seemed a very quick flight. This was to be a particularly windy few days in
Europe, and we had a tailwind on the flight to speed things up. Naturally this
would also translate into being a bumpy approach.
We flew over Stockholm itself, with a nice view of Bromma Airport which I'd
visit tomorrow. Then we turned for landing on runway 26. It was quite a firm
touchdown after floating along for a while.
Here's a video of the landing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQxkyv-qtAc
I collected my bag and, since I had an hour before I was
due to pick up my car, I had a walk along the terminal to familiarise myself
with the airport. I passed through the Sky City area which has great views, and
along to the domestic terminals 2 and 3.
Unlike most airports, Arlanda doesn't have car rental offices within the
arrivals area. I had to ask at the information desk to find out where to go, and
was directed onto bus 17 which would take me to the car rental offices and car
park. This bus is free, and very handy for getting about the airport site.
I collected my Toyota Aygo from AVIS and decided to check into the hotel. I'd
booked the Radisson Blu Hotel for two nights which, ironically, was next to the
car rental offices so didn't take too long to get to!
This hotel includes wireless internet freely with the room, so I got set up and
checked the view before heading out to explore in the car.
As it was sunny, I decided to go and some photographs of
aircraft approaching runway 26. A road runs past the end of this runway, and a
layby allows you to park up and watch, or walk to the approach lights. Quite a
few spotters came and went, so it's obviously a popular spot and I was pleased
with some of the photographic results!
The other task I achieved today was noting three of the Caravelle aircraft at
the airport. One is used as a fire trainer (minus its nose!), so is not possible
to get close enough to photograph. But the others are quite easy to see and
photograph from the spotting hut (more about that tomorrow).
That evening, instead of paying the expensive prices in the hotel restaurant I
decided to go to Sky City again and choose one of the restaurants there. They
come with a great view, after all!
The next day I made use of the car and drove to Bromma, which is the original
Stockholm airport and much closer to the city centre. It takes about 35 minutes
to drive there from Arlanda, and it's very well signposted. Beware that speed
limits in Sweden are a lot slower - certainly than in the UK - and are
apparently very well policed.
The old hangar area of Bromma is now a retail park, which has plenty of parking
space. Some of the original hangars are now stores. I left the car and walked up
towards the terminal area. I noticed the high point with a few spotters on, so
had a walk there. It has a great view over the airfield and surroundings, and I
was just in time to witness a number of arrivals.
Bromma is mainly used by Malmo Aviation, Golden Air and Next Jet. You'll see a
lot of RJ85/100's and Saab 340/2000's. There's also a couple of daily RJ100
flights by Brussels Airlines, and a Finnair link to Helsinki.
I did a circuit of the airfield, getting pictures of the
DC-3 in classic SAS Colours and the semi-preserved Convair 440 in Linjeflyg
colours. I then drove back to Arlanda in quite heavy traffic.
Arrivals had switched to runway 19L, so I headed straight to the spotting hut -
a purpose-built place on a hill overlooking the new 1R/19L and link taxiway.
With a steady stream of arrivals into the evening, this was the perfect place to
photograph airliners, if a little windy still. International arrivals even taxi
below you almost in arm's reach!
The next day saw a change in the weather sadly. It was
overcast and raining. I was up early to make use of the free breakfast in the
hotel, and then check out and get to the airport for my day flying the ATP.
I didn't want to carry two bags around all day, so I left one in the
left-luggage office at Terminal 5, and then walked to Terminal 3 to check in for
my flight on Next Jet.
Terminal 3 is really just a small pier for domestic commuter flights. There are
two check-in desks which handle all flights (mainly Skyways and Next Jet), and
then you head downstairs, through screening, and into a compact area of
departure gates and a coffee shop.
When the boarding was announced, I showed my boarding pass
and sat in the fenced-in seating area. But after a while an announcement was
made in Swedish which seemed to upset a few people. I asked if they could
explain for me in English, which was no problem. The issue was that the radar
had gone down at the destination (presumably the intermediate stop at Lycksele),
and so we couldn't depart "Next information in an hour."
So I grabbed a coffee and a stool hoping there wouldn't be any further problems.
I'd come all this way!
Anyway, I hadn't even finished my drink when the helpful girl from the desk ran
to explain to me in English that the problem was fixed and we'll be leaving
ASAP. Phew!
Date: 23May11
Route: Stockholm Arlanda (ARN/ESSA)
- Lycksele (LYC/ESNL)
Flight number: 2N442
Departure Time: 0945
Arrival Time: 1055
Flight Time: 1h10
Airline/Operator: Next Jet
Aircraft type: British Aerospace ATP
Registration:
SE-MEE
We had to take a bus to our aircraft. It was parked beyond Terminal 5 on a small
ramp for commuter aircraft. We passed two other BAe ATP aircraft before pulling
up at ours -
SE-MEE, which still had the tail colours of previous operator SATA Air
Acores.
No seats are assigned on Next Jet, so I made sure I was one of the first on board and took a window seat near the front of the aircraft.
Departure was from runway 19R. The taxi to this runway
also revealed the fourth Caravelle at Arlanda, which is in a sorry state on the
fire dump.
I'd heard that the ATP seemed sluggish on takeoff, so was prepared. In my
experience here, and in other flights today, the aircraft certainly seems
powerful enough and accelerated quickly. If anything, the climb out was a bit
shallow.
Here's a video of the takeoff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmW9-X72MMU
We were soon into the cloud layer, emerging into the
sunshine on top for the cruise north. Service by the two flight attendants
offered hot and cold drinks or sandwiches, but for a price.
Arrival into Lycksele was quite scenic, and as you can see from the video here,
there is a wooded hill quite close to the side of the final approach path.
After landing, we backtracked to the sole taxiway and parked outside the small
terminal building. Quite a few people got off here, with only two joining us.
Here's a video of the landing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdNckFBygic
Date: 23May11
Route: Lycksele (LYC/ESNL) - Arvidsjaur (AJR/ESNX)
Flight number: 2N442
Departure Time: 1108
Arrival Time: 1130
Flight Time: 22 minutes
Airline/Operator: Next Jet
Aircraft type: British Aerospace ATP
Registration:
SE-MEE
As a result of the reduced passenger load, I was asked if
I'd move to the rear of the aircraft to help the weight and balance. It was at
this point that the attendants realised they had an English speaker on board and
apologised profusely for making announcements only in Swedish so far on the
journey. They must have told the captain, as even he started making
announcements in English, which was appreciated.
Having moved to the back, I realised Next Jet must have some semi-premium seats
as I had gone from plenty of leg room to standard, more cramped seating at the
back.
Arrival into Arvidsjaur came very quickly and I took the opportunity to ask for
a photo of the cockpit as I left. Spending this extra time meant that by the
time I reached the terminal, most of the passengers had dissipated into cars and
taxis leaving the place quite desolate. There were no other arrivals due today.
I asked the driver of a bus loading passengers if I could
join him for a ride into town, but he said booking is required and I couldn't
pay him. There were plenty of empty seats, so this was quite annoying.
Since my flight home was in just under four hours, I debated waiting in the
deserted terminal. But in the end asked the lady in the information office if
she could arrange a taxi for me. He arrived soon after and drove me the 5 miles
into town.
I was astonished at the 250SEK price for the journey (around £25), and wished I
hadn't bothered. I had to ask him to drop me at a bank so that I could pay him!
Arvidsjaur is a very pretty little town, surrounded by
hills. It is a ski resort in the winter, but in these summer months is fairly
quiet. There is an overnight train service from Stockholm each day.
I had some lunch, wandered the streets and enjoyed the view over the lake. But
otherwise, there wasn't much to do here and the rain had gotten heavier. I
decided to find the taxi office and get a lift back to the airport.
This took some time, but luckily they combined me with some other people who
were heading to the airport. So the return journey was a more manageable 100SEK.
Arvidsjaur Airport was purpose built to serve this remote Lapland community in
2003. It is very modern, clean, and has an aviation academy on site training
young pilots. Flights are fairly limited, with daily links to Stockholm, and
occasional summer flights with Air Berlin.
I checked, went through the small security screening room, and into the
departure lounge with nice wooden benches. The cafe was closed.
Date: 23May11
Route: Arvidsjaur (AJR/ESNX)
- Lycksele (LYC/ESNL)
Flight number: 2N443
Departure Time: 1540
Arrival Time: 1610
Flight Time: 30 minutes
Airline/Operator: Next Jet
Aircraft type: British Aerospace ATP
Registration:
SE-MEE
Sadly my return flight was on the same aircraft. I'd hoped
to get on two different ATP's.
It was raining and dark outside. We taxied the length of the runway before
turning and departing again, with only a light load, to Lycksele again. I
noticed a couple more passengers who had been on the earlier flight, so maybe
people do quick business in these parts - unless they're all grabbing ATP
flights like me!
Here's a video of the takeoff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBf_gkpT8VI
Cloud and rain soon cleared, and I had a different view this time as we
approached Lycksele as I'd sat on the opposite side of the aircraft.
Date: 23May11
Route: Lycksele (LYC/ESNL) - Stockholm Arlanda (ARN/ESSA)
Flight number: 2N443
Departure Time: 1625
Arrival Time: 1755
Flight Time: 1h30
Airline/Operator: Next Jet
Aircraft type: British Aerospace ATP
Registration:
SE-MEE
This time plenty of people joined the aircraft so that most seats were taken for
the flight to Stockholm. As a result the aircraft was a little more sluggish on
takeoff, but still not bad.
An older American guy sat next to me and was interested in talking about my
camera, but soon fell asleep leaving me to enjoy the now sunny view out of the
window. I could finally take some nice, bright shots of the ATP's wing in
flight.
We routed out over the Gulf of Bothnia for much of the journey. One thing I noticed about the ATP was the monotonous drone during cruise, which kept sending me to sleep. I awoke to see land outside, and we had begun our descent into Arlanda. We landed on runway 26 and taxied past many gates occupied with the evening rush traffic to our own gate at Terminal 3's pier.
With that little adventure over, the next one was to begin
- the Jumbo Hostel. First, I had some food in Sky City, then took the free bus
number 10, which stops outside the hostel (remember to press the stop button to
remind the driver!).
This Boeing 747-200 formerly flew with Singapore Airlines,
Pan Am, Tower Air, Nationair, Air Club International and Transjet Sweden before
being retired at Arlanda in 2004. An entrepreneur bought the aircraft, had it
towed to a position just off the taxiway and main road leading to the airport,
and turned it into a high end hostel.
Visitors need to climb the stairs, or take the lift, to the L1 door of the
aircraft. Remember to leave your shoes at the door, as I was told off for not
doing so! The reception is alongside the original spiral staircase, with a
cafeteria area in the nose.
Rooms are situated either side of the main cabin, with a central corridor running down the middle. I had booked a private room, although dorms are also available. When I entered my room, I was pleased to see the porthole windows, and even the original overhead lockers still in place and usable. I was evidently in row 29ABC.
This room was right over the wing, and it was pretty cool
to think of all the places this bird had been to and the people who had sat
right here on long flights, watching movies on the screen and eating plane food
from the 80s and 90s.
Again, free wireless is offered (the network key is on your room key card), and
a
TV in the room. So I set about watching some of the aircraft coming
and going outside whilst relaxing.
Bathroom facilities are shared, with three shower/toilet rooms at the rear of
the aircraft, and a communal sink area with great views outside the aircraft. I
slept very well after the long day!
The final day of my trip arrived. I had breakfast in the hostel for 60SEK. It
wasn't anything special, but set me up at least. I had to check out by 10am, so
I took the bus to Terminal 5 and used the self-checkin machines for my flight
later in the day and dropped my bag off.
The volcanic eruptions had been taking place in Iceland during this trip, but
all seemed ok so far for my journey home. I was aware that Newcastle and
Scottish airports had been closed, but Durham Tees Valley was operating as
normal.
For a few hours I enjoyed the amenities at Arlanda. I
drank coffee, ate some lunch, and browsed the shops. Once through security, I
realised I should have gone through earlier as there's much more to do - some
great shops, bars and places to eat, as well as great views over the airport.
Date: 24May11
Route: Stockholm Arlanda (ARN/ESSA)
- Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS/EHAM)
Flight number: KL1116
Departure Time: 1725
Arrival Time: 1925
Flight Time: 2h
Airline/Operator: KLM
Aircraft type: Boeing 737-700
Registration:
PH-BGK
Again, slight disappointment at no -900 turning up for my
flight back to Amsterdam, but still a nice aircraft all the same. I was in the
back row, next to the window, and there was a lot of mutterings about the ash
cloud, but it wasn't to affect our aircraft.
The wind was still strong, and was a headwind this time so
the flight took a little longer. The captain warned us as we began our descent
that the approach into Amsterdam could be a little bumpy, but in reality it was
fine and we made a smooth landing.
The moment of truth had arrived - would my connection to the UK go ahead? I
passed through passport control and found the large rack of monitors listing
departing flight. As I'd heard, flights to Newcastle, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh
were cancelled, but Durham Tees Valley had a gate number.
I had two hours, so walked through the piers to see what aircraft were in before
settling down for a beer in the food court area on the upper floor near pier D.
When the time came, I made my way to gate
D6 - the usual downstairs area for flights departing the remote
parking ramp (usually flights to the UK). Boarding time came, and all looked
normal until the check-in girl announced "Ladies and gentlemen, we are now ready
for boarding. However, please note that this aircraft will be landing at
Leeds/Bradford due to the ash cloud." A collective groan came across everyone,
but we were shepherded onto the waiting bus before anyone could complain.
Ten minutes later we were still stood on the bus when the check-in girl came
aboard and said there was a delay - could we please go back into the departure
area. She made an announcement shortly after everyone had found a seat stating
that the pilot still had some paperwork to prepare before he was ready.
30 minutes later we were still sat waiting, when another
announcement was made that the pilot still wasn't sure whether to go ahead with
the flight. I knew there would be more to this, as he was probably liaising with
KLM ops on their best options. I figured it might be time to plan a night in the
airport.
However, after 45 minutes of waiting, we were told the flight was going ahead
and the bus arrived to take us to the aircraft.
Date: 24May11
Route: Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS/EHAM)
- Leeds/Bradford (LBA/EGNM)
Flight number: KL1539
Departure Time: 2325
Arrival Time: 2320
Flight Time: 55 minutes
Airline/Operator: KLM CityHopper
Aircraft type: Fokker 70
Registration:
PH-KZM
It was now very dark and Schiphol had become very quiet,
with only a couple of cargo movements to note. We eventually got underway from
runway 24 and made a turn out over the North Sea. It was a very quick flight,
with a sandwich and drink service, before we made a pretty much straight-in
approach to Leeds/Bradford.
I've flown into this airport many times and it never seems to be a smooth
arrival. This time was no exception. I guess the runway is relatively short.
It was evident that various other aircraft had diverted here as it seemed most
of the Jet2 fleet was present! Alongside us an example had just arrived from
Murcia, diverting from its intended destination of Edinburgh.
Once through immigration and baggage collection, the
terminal was abuzz with groups waiting for coaches to their destinations. It
seemed fairly quick for our flight to be herded outside and onto a waiting
coach. I didn't envy those having to drive up to Edinburgh.
And so we made our slow drive up to Teesside, arriving finally at our
destination about 0115 and ready to sleep. Again, I was grateful for the close
proximity of my house to the airport (and of course for my wife coming to pick
me up at that late hour!).
All in all a very enjoyable first trip to Sweden, and four excellent flights on
the BAe ATP under my belt before it's too late!
The ash cloud had gone the next day and all was back to normal for the time
being.
Matt Falcus