Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

jealous i missed the open day but got tickets for this one    http://www.cvent.com/events/british-airways-open-day/event-summary-2d4f7694f1444f339a951a6368744895.aspx?i=b1d4d9a2-1b24-4407-8148-af692b56cc60     but no idea what it is

This doesn't look legit.

Last day of the open day is today.I work for BA and today you have to be escorted by an engineer.

Website has several mistakes,even the photo gallery says 2010 and is from the 90s or earlier.

Hope you haven't paid any money.

Good Morning Mr cdw.

Was VERY impressed by the array of flying stuff assembled, hopefully next time I'll get a ticket, instead of standing outside & ogling through the fence like a schoolkid.

One question, though, very geeky, but I KNOW you'll know the answer.

Amongst the 747, A380 (wow, what a beast that is!), Concorde, etc, there was one, almost lowly, 757 - but here's the thing. It had the OLD BA Tail Livery (NOT the "waving flag), & no winglets, suggesting perhaps it was "old stock" & about to be pensioned off. But it had just been re-sprayed, or so it seemed, all bright & shiny. What was that all about, please? Oddly, after all the other 'planes were removed from the apron in front of the Maintenance hanger, that 757 remained all week, & was still there when I last left Heathrow yesterday morning.

************For Tikays eyes only************

"BA Bumf"

 British Airways is preparing to bid farewell to one of its longest-serving aircraft types. The 757 will be retiring from operations at the end of October.

British Airways was the global launch customer when the first Boeing 757 took to the skies in 1983 and grew to a fleet that was 54 strong. The aircraft became a familiar sight to customers on British Airways' shorthaul and domestic network.

"In 1983, the Boeing 757 was at the cutting edge of aviation technology, enhancing our capability to land in thick fog." - Stephen Riley, Director of Flight Operations.

To mark the occasion, one of the aircraft, G-CPET, has been repainted in the airline’s 1983 ‘Negus & Negus’ livery.
More than 40 of the fleet were named after famous castles around the UK and the last aircraft will now join its predecessors by being titled “Stokesay Castle” during its final month of service.

"Almost everyone in the operational side of the business has either piloted, repaired, dispatched or looked after customers flying on this aircraft over the past 27 years.

Back in 1983, the Boeing 757, was at the cutting edge of aviation technology enhancing our capability to land in thick fog. This allowed British Airways to fly when rival carriers would be grounded.

Now we are welcoming the Boeing 777-300ERs to the fleet, which are setting their own new standards in customer comfort and environmental performance.” - Stephen Riley.

Stokesay Castle, after which the aircraft has been named, is near Ludlow in Shropshire. The castle is the finest fortified medieval manor house in England. Bought and reinforced by a wealthy local wool merchant at the end of the 13th century, the castle has scarcely been altered since.

English Heritage cares for the castle and its properties director, Tim Reeve, welcomed the naming of the aircraft. He said: “Over the years many British Airways’ aircraft have been named after those great castles in our care, castle like Dover and Kenilworth whose names have echoed down through history.

“But as anyone who has visited Stokesay will know, it is something special, an almost domestic castle. We are delighted that it has been recognised and that its name is now flying across the skies.”

The last scheduled flights for the Boeing 757s, which can carry up to 170 customers, will be on Saturday 30 October 2010.

 

Click to see full-size image.

Perfect answer, thank you, it's been doing my head in, trying to think "why?". That photo loks like THE exact one on display this week, yes?

Incred to think the 757 has been on fleet for 28 years, amazing.

[millidonk]

What will be will be, I gave it my best, & fairest, shot.

Whatever happens, hats off to Tighty, nobody could have done more to make it work, he's incredible & indefatigable.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/indefatigable

Nice word, first time i have heard/read it in 27 years of breathing! tyty.

[tikay]

Running out of time here.....

So, yesterday we announced the SPT 11/12 Tour. The amount of work & planning for these things is incred, we have been on the case for 6 months, & eventually signed it off on Tuesday.

Essentially, we brief Tighty with our criteria, & he then has to go & sort it, negotiate with the venues as to cost, date, & criteria, etc. He is first class at it.

The "double leg" - Brighton & Glasgow same day - arose because we had finalised everything when word reached me that Mr Campbell Dickson had left Brighton Rendezvous, & we were desperate for a suitable Southern venue. With him out of the way, Brighton was back on the do-able lost, so I shot straight down there the very next night, teed some things up, then handed it over to Tighty to negotiate the thing, & he wrapped it up within hours. Excellent.

The jewel in the crown, I think, will be the 6-Max leg, at DTD. We had some resistance on that, as 6 Max is so expensive to run (extra Dealers etc) but we were very insistent, & we got there. That, & the Bounty Hunter leg @ Blackpool mreans our Tour is now much more closely aligned to our Online Business Model.

All good.

As an aside, out Thursday Roller had 71 runners last night, only 50 needed for the Guarantee, so we were thrilled with that.

I can get a bit of spam in while Geo the Sarge is otherwise engaged, see?

[scotty77]

Thanks Luther. I went back to that spot on the M40 yesterday whilst heading up to Leeds, & found a side road to park, & watched them for ages - what an amazing sight, they are fabulous birds.

If you are ever on the M40 and need a bit of time to stop and think, then go to a place called Radnage which is 2 mins from Jct 5 Stokenchurch.  Full of Red Kits with some really quiet woodland spots and a couple of nice parks too....I grew up there and the Red Kites are pretty amazing there.

[cdw1111]

The BA Engineering open day is an annual event if you want to go I can get 3 tickets when it's announced next year.

Most of the exhibits are for kids---going down evacuation slides,riding the de-icing elephant,simulators etc but you can go into the aircraft cockpits and get up close and personnel to Concorde and other planes.Some good engine displays as well cowls off stripped down.

some blokes trip report

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1255275-ba-open-day-3rd-september-trip-report-24-photos.html

[tikay]

Finally for now, & before we think too much about SPT 11/12, we have the end of SPT 10/11 this weekend, @ DTD.

It's incredibly hectic, & very tiring, but I can't wait.

I'm actually playing the Event, which is odd, as I'm the sort of Live "gofer", MC, commentator, water-carrier & chief schmoozer. But Sky Poker just went on & on about me playing it, in the end I refused to, & in the end end they said "tough shit, you are playing, a sort of thanks for your hard work, & anyway, it's your Birthday treat from us". I stood my ground, obv. And lost.

Seats have been freely available for about 8 weeks, &, predictably, they were pretty much all gone by yesterday.

Today, even more predictably, I awoke to SEVENTEEN Pm's, Texts, & e-Mails, from folks who suddenly want a seat, & another dozen have arrived this morning. I expect Tighty has had the same, too.

Now these people - or most of them - are friends, good friends in many cases, & I understand we all forget, or are disorganized, me especially, but it's pretty tough not to say "but mate, you have had EIGHT WEEKS to buy in"......I replied politely & tactfully to every one, of course.

Only in one case was it easy. An individual who has been  absolutely & mercilessly battering both Sky Poker & me on FB & other Forums for NINE months now (I never respond to that stuff), wrote to me, "Hi Tony, how are you? I just wondered if you could do me a little favour....." You can't make this stuff up!

OK, shopping awaits, need some new clobber, & I am having tea with Amanda & Thewy @ 5pm tonight. And the four kids, Reuben, Hal, Barny, & Woody. I'm good with kids, me. Ish.

Then over to DTD, for 3 days of, I hope, fun & poker.

Have a great weekend, whatever your plans.

[Dingdell]

Remember those chip sets please, for tomorrow

Bit late to remind me now, I left London on Wednesday!

Luckily, my infallible memory never failed me, & they are in the boot, two full sets. I think.

Blimey - you got room for anything in your boot? 

[pleno1]

fwiw i think getting a 1 year deal is -ev for sky, if they have a 3 year deal they can really get alot of the uk grinders to play on their site.

i try to educate people about not to worry about rakeback but find a site you trust that is secure and has a soft playerpool.

i saw sky were getting involved initially and i was like oh ok, and as it went on i got more and more intrigued and after the toby lewis in gukpt thingy and a few other things that i ALL SAW ON BLONDE I decided to deposit a big chunk of my roll there to play in certain games here and there.

really hope they give it another shot.

gl blonde x

[cambridgealex]

If it weren't for blonde, I never would have started playing on SKY POKER.

Now I play every day.

[AndrewT]

I used to like playing on Sky before it became populated by Monte Carlo champs and Best in the Businesses.

Now I am a donator.

[kinboshi]

I used to like playing on Sky before it became populated by Monte Carlo champs and Best in the Businesses.

Now I am a donator.

Alex could give you lessons?

[tikay]

Stress levels are at their absolute peak, the phone, texts, PM's & FB message avalanche as to SPT-related queries, seat requests etc, has been a bit of a handful today.

Now I'm off for a meal with a family, including 4 young children, then off to DTD where, wholly good-naturedly, but non-stop, I'll be mock abused, because thats my stock in trade I suppose. I'll smile, "lol, that's a good one", & move on.......

Best text today went something like this. Bear in mind I was driving, & I can't reply when driving.

"Am on the train from London to come to DTD for the SPT, do I get off the train @ Notts Station, or Grantham Station?"......

Eh?

I tried turning the phone off, but you know how it is, curiosity always gets the better of us, so I turn it on & take a peek......

[kinboshi]

At least you've worked out how to turn it on and off now.  Progress...

[tikay]

Tweet of the day came from Neil Channing, who I get on wonderfuly with, & was addressed to Jamie Burland, who will be playing the SPT as a Guest, after his Sky Poker UK Cash Game exploits.

It really is a dog eats dog world these days, this Online poker thing.

And no, I'm not gonna quote Neil's Tweet!

I might just have to challenge Mr Channing to some Heads Up poker. He won't know what hit me.

[kinboshi]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14792580

Fantastic photography