Wonderful Audacity - Cattle Class Flights!
May 14th, 2023, 06:41 PM
#1
Original Poster
Wonderful Audacity - Cattle Class Flights!
We’ve all flown “cattle class” – but have you flown with cattle? Not the “silly moo” who thinks the back of the plane isn’t going to Paris, the “rude cow” who takes up all the over-head storage or even the “Bullish boor” who sprawls & snorts all over the place. Real cattle … 4 legged bovines? Thought not.
Paul McVerry has. His story is fascinating. Pull up a pew, pour a coffee/tea/wine & have a listen. It’ll be the best hour you’ll spend today. Or maybe this month!
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/program...ding/102255256
Paul McVerry has. His story is fascinating. Pull up a pew, pour a coffee/tea/wine & have a listen. It’ll be the best hour you’ll spend today. Or maybe this month!
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/program...ding/102255256
May 15th, 2023, 01:46 AM
#4
Original Poster
He sure has - and that particular flying trip saved a lot of lives & one might say started a dynasty.
I loved the audacity of planning & going for it - no room for “what if?”. And the “ go with the flow” of Plan B.
” Shall we take tea?”
I loved the audacity of planning & going for it - no room for “what if?”. And the “ go with the flow” of Plan B.
” Shall we take tea?”
May 15th, 2023, 07:22 AM
#5
Reminds me of a funny story told by a good buddy in Alaska. For a time he served as a staff assistant to a state commissioner (member of the governor's cabinet) dealing with local government affairs. His job, like mine, took him all over the state.
At the time, Alaska Airlines had a number of 737 "Combi" jets in its fleet. These were basically stock 737s but with a large cargo bay forward of the seats, accessed by a big cargo door forward of the wings. All sorts of things - from cargo modules to palates of building materials, you name it - could be loaded and flown, crucial for many bush communities. One of the routes these planes were used on was a "triangle" flight that went from Anchorage to Nome, an historic goldrush town on the Bering Sea, then to Kotzebue, a Native community on the Arctic Ocean, then back to Anchorage. (You can still fly this route today - it's a fascinating trip.)
So anyway, one day he's flying on a Combi from Nome down to Anchorage, and during the Kotzebue stop he's joined by an older lady who's been visiting Kotzebue as a tourist. Unbeknownst to her, in Nome the airline had loaded a couple head of muskoxen into the cargo bay, part of a move to relocate some of the (many) muskoxen from the Nome area to a farm near Anchorage where their wool (called qiviut) is harvested for very fine apparel.
As the plane is buttoned up and starts to taxi for takeoff from Kotzebue, my friend and his seatmate hear a lot of kerfuffle from the other side of the big bulkhead, along with snorting and bumping and miscellaneous sounds of distress coming from the not-very-sedate beasts in the cargo bay. (Muskoxen are cantankerous in the best of circumstances, and demand respect.)
The lady asks of my friend, "What's that?" and his answer is one for the ages.
He tells her, "Well, you see, ma'am, Nome is a big gold mining area, and some of those miners have been away from civilization for quite a long time, so the airline thinks it's best to keep them away from the rest of the passengers. You know, for safety's sake."
He reported the lady sat wide-eyed for the 90 minutes back to Anchorage.
At the time, Alaska Airlines had a number of 737 "Combi" jets in its fleet. These were basically stock 737s but with a large cargo bay forward of the seats, accessed by a big cargo door forward of the wings. All sorts of things - from cargo modules to palates of building materials, you name it - could be loaded and flown, crucial for many bush communities. One of the routes these planes were used on was a "triangle" flight that went from Anchorage to Nome, an historic goldrush town on the Bering Sea, then to Kotzebue, a Native community on the Arctic Ocean, then back to Anchorage. (You can still fly this route today - it's a fascinating trip.)
So anyway, one day he's flying on a Combi from Nome down to Anchorage, and during the Kotzebue stop he's joined by an older lady who's been visiting Kotzebue as a tourist. Unbeknownst to her, in Nome the airline had loaded a couple head of muskoxen into the cargo bay, part of a move to relocate some of the (many) muskoxen from the Nome area to a farm near Anchorage where their wool (called qiviut) is harvested for very fine apparel.
As the plane is buttoned up and starts to taxi for takeoff from Kotzebue, my friend and his seatmate hear a lot of kerfuffle from the other side of the big bulkhead, along with snorting and bumping and miscellaneous sounds of distress coming from the not-very-sedate beasts in the cargo bay. (Muskoxen are cantankerous in the best of circumstances, and demand respect.)
The lady asks of my friend, "What's that?" and his answer is one for the ages.
He tells her, "Well, you see, ma'am, Nome is a big gold mining area, and some of those miners have been away from civilization for quite a long time, so the airline thinks it's best to keep them away from the rest of the passengers. You know, for safety's sake."
He reported the lady sat wide-eyed for the 90 minutes back to Anchorage.
May 15th, 2023, 09:52 AM
#6
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Back in the 1960’s my father was sent to Guam and the Marshall Islands on bank business. The only direct flight back to Honolulu available for his return was I believe a Continental Airlines cargo jet.
The co-pilot walked him to the back of the plane where there was a restroom and eight seats. He was the only passenger on the flight. He was handed a sack lunch and thermos of coffee and was told see you when we land.
He said it was a looong, lonely flight. He read his newspaper front to back twice, ate his sandwich and dozed. Part of the cargo included live chickens (why chickens?) and when they landed he was covered head to toe with white feather fuzz. Ah executive travel.
The co-pilot walked him to the back of the plane where there was a restroom and eight seats. He was the only passenger on the flight. He was handed a sack lunch and thermos of coffee and was told see you when we land.
He said it was a looong, lonely flight. He read his newspaper front to back twice, ate his sandwich and dozed. Part of the cargo included live chickens (why chickens?) and when they landed he was covered head to toe with white feather fuzz. Ah executive travel.
May 15th, 2023, 01:21 PM
#7
Original Poster
Reminds me of a funny story told by a good buddy in Alaska. For a time he served as a staff assistant to a state commissioner (member of the governor's cabinet) dealing with local government affairs. His job, like mine, took him all over the state.
At the time, Alaska Airlines had a number of 737 "Combi" jets in its fleet. These were basically stock 737s but with a large cargo bay forward of the seats, accessed by a big cargo door forward of the wings. All sorts of things - from cargo modules to palates of building materials, you name it - could be loaded and flown, crucial for many bush communities. One of the routes these planes were used on was a "triangle" flight that went from Anchorage to Nome, an historic goldrush town on the Bering Sea, then to Kotzebue, a Native community on the Arctic Ocean, then back to Anchorage. (You can still fly this route today - it's a fascinating trip.)
So anyway, one day he's flying on a Combi from Nome down to Anchorage, and during the Kotzebue stop he's joined by an older lady who's been visiting Kotzebue as a tourist. Unbeknownst to her, in Nome the airline had loaded a couple head of muskoxen into the cargo bay, part of a move to relocate some of the (many) muskoxen from the Nome area to a farm near Anchorage where their wool (called qiviut) is harvested for very fine apparel.
As the plane is buttoned up and starts to taxi for takeoff from Kotzebue, my friend and his seatmate hear a lot of kerfuffle from the other side of the big bulkhead, along with snorting and bumping and miscellaneous sounds of distress coming from the not-very-sedate beasts in the cargo bay. (Muskoxen are cantankerous in the best of circumstances, and demand respect.)
The lady asks of my friend, "What's that?" and his answer is one for the ages.
He tells her, "Well, you see, ma'am, Nome is a big gold mining area, and some of those miners have been away from civilization for quite a long time, so the airline thinks it's best to keep them away from the rest of the passengers. You know, for safety's sake."
He reported the lady sat wide-eyed for the 90 minutes back to Anchorage.
At the time, Alaska Airlines had a number of 737 "Combi" jets in its fleet. These were basically stock 737s but with a large cargo bay forward of the seats, accessed by a big cargo door forward of the wings. All sorts of things - from cargo modules to palates of building materials, you name it - could be loaded and flown, crucial for many bush communities. One of the routes these planes were used on was a "triangle" flight that went from Anchorage to Nome, an historic goldrush town on the Bering Sea, then to Kotzebue, a Native community on the Arctic Ocean, then back to Anchorage. (You can still fly this route today - it's a fascinating trip.)
So anyway, one day he's flying on a Combi from Nome down to Anchorage, and during the Kotzebue stop he's joined by an older lady who's been visiting Kotzebue as a tourist. Unbeknownst to her, in Nome the airline had loaded a couple head of muskoxen into the cargo bay, part of a move to relocate some of the (many) muskoxen from the Nome area to a farm near Anchorage where their wool (called qiviut) is harvested for very fine apparel.
As the plane is buttoned up and starts to taxi for takeoff from Kotzebue, my friend and his seatmate hear a lot of kerfuffle from the other side of the big bulkhead, along with snorting and bumping and miscellaneous sounds of distress coming from the not-very-sedate beasts in the cargo bay. (Muskoxen are cantankerous in the best of circumstances, and demand respect.)
The lady asks of my friend, "What's that?" and his answer is one for the ages.
He tells her, "Well, you see, ma'am, Nome is a big gold mining area, and some of those miners have been away from civilization for quite a long time, so the airline thinks it's best to keep them away from the rest of the passengers. You know, for safety's sake."
He reported the lady sat wide-eyed for the 90 minutes back to Anchorage.
. . . .
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May 15th, 2023, 02:37 PM
#8
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Not a flight, but I travelled with a cattle truck with sheep in it on the way to auction. My dad was driving the car to get there, but I insisted I would travel with the sheep. This was probably early-mid 60's. The sheep didn't seem to mind, so we all settled down in the hay for the journey.
May 16th, 2023, 01:40 AM
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We attended a friends "naming ceremony" in Bario in the Kelabit Highlands in Borneo. The only way to get there was in a MAS Twin Otter - a 12 seat twin prop which a group of us chartered. The plane had to make two trips , the first being to transport half a dozen live pigs for the celebration BBQ (several hundred people were attending for remote villages all around the highlands and they all had to be fed.
When the plane touched down we had to wait whilst the pig excrement was hosed out - you can imagine the state of the plane after six pigs experiences their first flight! Then it was just a matter of bolting in the passenger seats. Our flight was quite eventful - touching down on a grass airstrip in the rain is something I shall remember for a very long time. I know how those pigs felt!!
When the plane touched down we had to wait whilst the pig excrement was hosed out - you can imagine the state of the plane after six pigs experiences their first flight! Then it was just a matter of bolting in the passenger seats. Our flight was quite eventful - touching down on a grass airstrip in the rain is something I shall remember for a very long time. I know how those pigs felt!!
May 16th, 2023, 05:43 AM
#10
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Flying high - Falcon Class https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/falcons-planes-middle-east/index.html
May 16th, 2023, 06:02 AM
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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/...g-durian-cargo
Not to be outdone by animals is natural vegetation.
Not to be outdone by animals is natural vegetation.
