#302106 - 14/09/2007 14:59
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: DWallach]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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I used to fly vaguely frequently, and, for the most part, I did get used to it. But I spent many years not flying at all and the next time I got on a plane, my fear was greater than it had ever been. I'm not really sure why. I knew that I would be nervous on the flight across the Atlantic, and I took the Xanax for that, but by pure happenstance, I had to fly to Alabama (through Charlotte) a week or so after I got back from England. I figured that it was two hour-and-a-half-long legs and that I would be fine, but I was absolutely freaked out. Fortunately, I had brought some just in case, but it didn't kick in until the first leg was done. That was honestly one of the worst experiences of my life. I would probably rather have another root canal than do that again.
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Bitt Faulk
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#302107 - 14/09/2007 15:27
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31600
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Quote:
Honestly, if there was some way I could just be knocked unconscious for 10 hours, be packed in baggage and then just wake up overseas, that would be excellent.
If they could do that in such a way so that I could start the unconscious part before leaving home (thus avoiding the whole parking/security/terminal stuff), I'd be all over it.
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#302108 - 14/09/2007 15:32
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: tfabris]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 15/01/2002
Posts: 1866
Loc: Austin
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But how would you take off your shoes?! Think of the children. Iraq destroyed America.
Only a terrorist would want to avoid doing his part to make our country secure. Why do you love Bin Laden?
I feel dirty, like a politician. :P
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#302109 - 14/09/2007 16:13
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: RobotCaleb]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31600
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Hey, if I'm unconscious, I don't care if they strip search me, as long as I don't have to deal with the fricking airport.
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#302110 - 14/09/2007 16:34
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: tfabris]
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old hand
Registered: 15/02/2002
Posts: 1049
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Quote:
Hey, if I'm unconscious, I don't care if they strip search me, as long as I don't have to deal with the fricking airport.
That might attract a whole new group of lowlifes for the TSA positions. They might even be able to get volunteers.
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#302111 - 14/09/2007 18:05
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: tfabris]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
Quote:
Honestly, if there was some way I could just be knocked unconscious for 10 hours, be packed in baggage and then just wake up overseas, that would be excellent.
If they could do that in such a way so that I could start the unconscious part before leaving home (thus avoiding the whole parking/security/terminal stuff), I'd be all over it.
Two words, my friend: First Class.
It doesn't avoid all of that stuff, but it does eliminate nearly all of the line-ups, and somebody will even park your car for you.
Cheers
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#302112 - 14/09/2007 19:03
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: tfabris]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
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Quote:
as long as I don't have to deal with the fricking airport.
I'm not going to go unconscious (although I may have a few beers), but one of the reasons I persuaded SWMBO that we were going to Provence next week is that I don't have to deal with a frigging airport. At least this time.
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-- roger
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#302113 - 14/09/2007 23:39
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: mlord]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 06/10/1999
Posts: 2591
Loc: Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
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Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Honestly, if there was some way I could just be knocked unconscious for 10 hours, be packed in baggage and then just wake up overseas, that would be excellent.
If they could do that in such a way so that I could start the unconscious part before leaving home (thus avoiding the whole parking/security/terminal stuff), I'd be all over it.
Two words, my friend: First Class.
Now here's a case where booking too far in advance may not pay. Current UAL ticket from SEA/SFO to LHR and back is looking to be around 14K USD. 'Course, only $9K or so on BA
Quote:
It doesn't avoid all of that stuff, but it does eliminate nearly all of the line-ups, and somebody will even park your car for you.
Cheers
I think I'll hold off. Come next April or May, if they haven't filled all of those F Class seats with award travelers or deadheading flight crew, I might be able to snag a ticket for as low as 4 or 5 grand! 
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Jim
'Tis the exceptional fellow who lies awake at night thinking of his successes.
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#302114 - 15/09/2007 04:24
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: jimhogan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
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The way to get to the U.K. in style is to take one of the new all-business-class airlines. Quoting from a New York Times article that I saved: MAXjet ( www.maxjet.com), Silverjet ( www.flysilverjet.com) and L'Avion ( us.lavion.com) — offer round-trip ticket prices starting in the $1,400-to-$2,000 range, including taxes, with occasional sale fares that are lower. Eos ( eosairlines.com), offers more of a first-class ride between New York and London, and its fares are priced to match that level of service, starting at $3,280 round trip. (Booking at the last minute, of course, could result in significantly higher fares.) I've never had the chance to fly any of these airlines, but one of these days, the stars will line up properly and I will.
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#302115 - 15/09/2007 05:04
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: DWallach]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
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The big problem with those all-business-class airlines is what happens when things go wrong. They don't have lots of spare aircraft hanging around, so when they have a fault that knocks out a plane you end up in economy on another airline instead. There are plenty of "horror" stories on the web of this happening.
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Remind me to change my signature to something more interesting someday
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#302116 - 15/09/2007 15:24
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: andy]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 21/05/1999
Posts: 5335
Loc: Cambridge UK
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On the other hand both Stansted and Luton are fairly convenient for Cambridge - I'd be on them all the time if I weren't miles building with Virgin. Another option, if a dozen or so folks can co-ordinate, would be to hire a private jet Rob
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#302117 - 17/09/2007 08:51
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: rob]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1919
Loc: London
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And both Stansted and Luton are much less busy than Gatwick or Heathrow, much less stressful.
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#302118 - 17/09/2007 11:52
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: mlord]
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veteran
Registered: 25/04/2000
Posts: 1529
Loc: Arizona
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Quote:
Two words, my friend: First Class.
Business Class gets nearly the same perks groundside that First Class does, while being significantly cheaper. The one thing I'm not sure about would be valet parking, but that doesn't even happen First Class here. They do use the same lines and lounges that First Class gets to use, though.
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#302119 - 17/09/2007 13:21
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: andy]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
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Quote:
They don't have lots of spare aircraft hanging around
Sadly, these days, the major airlines suffer from the same problems. Bad weather in one city can delay the movement of aircraft all around, cascading to canceled flights later in the day in a variety of places. If and only if you're starting in a "hub" city, you might luck out, but if you're out on a spoke, then you're in the same boat.
(I was in Boston for a conference last month and was on an evening flight out. Due to bad weather in Newark, the whole eastern seaboard was screwed up. Even though there were two "later" flights that did go out, they informed me that I had been rebooked to a flight at 6am the next day and offered no assistance with regard to hotels and whatnot. This was with Continental airlines where I'm a second-level elite member. Since the new business-class carriers don't have elaborate connection networks, they should be less likely to suffer from these kinds of weather related delays, particularly made worse by the modern capacity-booking policies of the major airlines.)
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#302120 - 18/09/2007 02:13
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: DWallach]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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starting at $3,280 round trip
No amount of money can buy your way out of turbulence.
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hire a private jet
Um, maybe I should take that back.
I'll be there, unless a major life change occurs, which I hope it does. Heck, I'll still try to be there. Can I fly to Iceland first, though, like I planned a few years ago? Hmmmm.......
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- FireFox31 110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set
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#302121 - 18/09/2007 09:23
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: FireFox31]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 27/02/2004
Posts: 1919
Loc: London
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Cheap flights from Stansted to Iceland...
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#302122 - 18/09/2007 12:00
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: FireFox31]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Quote:
Quote:
starting at $3,280 round trip
No amount of money can buy your way out of turbulence.
Quote:
hire a private jet
Um, maybe I should take that back.
In my experience, private jets are more affected by turbulence than commercial liners. Given, I've not taken one over the Atlantic, only from Raleigh to Boston (and back), but the plane constantly felt like it was being buffeted about.
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Bitt Faulk
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#302123 - 18/09/2007 15:24
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: wfaulk]
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veteran
Registered: 21/03/2002
Posts: 1424
Loc: MA but Irish born
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Presumable commercial liners are getting better, more expensive, weather (turbulence) data.
Also, wouldn't plane size play into it? A smaller plane would get tossed around more then a big jumbo.
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#302124 - 18/09/2007 15:47
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: Phoenix42]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
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Airplane mass clearly has a good deal to do with it. Smaller planes get pushed around more.
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#302125 - 18/09/2007 16:27
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: wfaulk]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 13/01/2002
Posts: 1649
Loc: Louisiana, USA
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Quote:
In my experience, private jets are more affected by turbulence than commercial liners.
The point is that if it's on your tab, you can instruct the pilots to fly around turbulance of course at the expense of air time and the added costs associated with it; the same I presume applies to chartered flights. Commercial airlines always go for the cheapest route.
Stu
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If you want it to break, buy Sony!
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#302126 - 18/09/2007 16:57
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31600
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Quote:
In my experience, private jets are more affected by turbulence than commercial liners. Given, I've not taken one over the Atlantic, only from Raleigh to Boston (and back), but the plane constantly felt like it was being buffeted about.
I'm suddenly reminded of the corresponding scene in "Almost Famous"...
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#302127 - 18/09/2007 17:08
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: wfaulk]
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veteran
Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Given, I've not taken one over the Atlantic
Having actually taken a Falcon across the Atlantic, I can tell you that really feel the smaller cabin space after 4 or 5 hours in the air. Turbulence sensitivity is mostly determined by wing loading, not so much airplane size.
Anyway, in a business jet you get to see exciting places like Gander, Newfoundland... (the Falcon could have made London-New York nonstop, but we were doing Amsterdam-Denver).
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#302128 - 18/09/2007 21:10
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: tfabris]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
Quote:
In my experience, private jets are more affected by turbulence than commercial liners. Given, I've not taken one over the Atlantic, only from Raleigh to Boston (and back), but the plane constantly felt like it was being buffeted about.
I'm suddenly reminded of the corresponding scene in "Almost Famous"...
Heh.. my Myth box picked that one up for us to watch this summer. Hilarious!
Cheers
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#302129 - 21/09/2007 08:46
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: rob]
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stranger
Registered: 22/05/2001
Posts: 50
Loc: Bedford, UK
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Add me to the list please.
_________________________
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Henrick
Bedford, UK
Mk2a 10+30gig
Mk2 18gig(RIP) backup
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#302130 - 21/09/2007 08:53
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: h_blake]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 21/05/1999
Posts: 5335
Loc: Cambridge UK
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Everyone who has expressed an interest so far should have received their evite. If not please let me know, confirming your email address.
I've a feeling this may be a big one!
Cheers
Rob
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#302131 - 21/09/2007 10:15
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: rob]
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old hand
Registered: 07/01/2005
Posts: 893
Loc: Sector ZZ9pZa
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I spread the word as a Facebook Event when the date was announced. There are 32 people in the Empeg group (so far), so if any of those guys don't read the BBS they will still know about the party. There is a link to this thread and a note to get on the Evite list too.
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#302132 - 21/09/2007 13:09
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: sein]
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enthusiast
Registered: 29/03/2005
Posts: 364
Loc: Probably lost somewhere in Wal...
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I will be there too, and maybe plan a longer stay this time. I still want to revisit Scotland with my motorbike. Although juli 5th is 2 weeks before my workplace closes for 3 weeks, and my colleague's probably won't thank me if i extend that to 5 weeks.
You can get my hidden email address form my profile right Rob?
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Empeg Mk1 #00177, 2.00 final, hijack 4.76
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#302133 - 21/09/2007 13:55
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: rob]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Anyone have advice on finding airfare? The prices I'm seeing now are going to make it pretty impossible for me to go. I can't afford $2K for round trip for two people, and that's before the hotel stay.
Damn.
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Matt
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#302134 - 21/09/2007 14:09
Re: Empeg 10th Birthday Party
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
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I believe I am correct in saying that the fares will fall sometime in the coming months, before they rise again closer to the date of travel. At least I think that is how air fare pricing works 
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Remind me to change my signature to something more interesting someday
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