Product Description
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English & French Subtitles // No region code // PAL
Format // The 12th episode shows for the first time the entire
round-trip flight in an A380-800 during the final flights of the
highest-ranking Lufthansa pilot, Jürgen Raps.|::|Thanks to ash
cloud an hour faster |::|The eruption of Icelandic volcanoes
usually means the disruption of the entire European air space.
Not the Grímsvötn . When it erupted on this day only the lower
layers of the atmosphere to the northeast were affected. This
meant that the route to the US West Coast had to be shifted far
to the north at the last minute gaining an hour past the ash
cloud that could be seen in the distance. |::|Two mice and no
cheese|::|Part of the film is devoted to innovations in the
sanctum , in what is presently the newest and most modern cockpit
in the world, which only a few people have been allowed to set
foot in up to now.The first thing you see are the numerous
screens and two palm stones that resemble ostrich eggs which turn
out to be computer mice especially designed for pilots. They make
it possible to move the cursor properly even when there is
turbulence. PilotsEYE.tv shows the ship cockpit, the pride
and joy of the pilots.|::| Stopping on a dime |::|BTV stands for
brake to vacate a newly developed system that reduces wear and
tear on the brakes and which at the same time provides better
passenger comfort. How these first-ever power brakes calculate in
advance the braking distance and determine how far the plane will
roll before it comes to a stop is explained in this episode in a
way that anybody can understand.|::|Water fountains and fanfares
::|A special ritual at airports is saying goodbye with the
so-called water salute in which approx. 50-meter high arches of
water are sprayed over the aircraft by two fire trucks. In the
background you can hear the overture to Tannhäuser by Richard
Wagner, Raps favorite composer.|::| The seventh eye on the tail
::|At the highest point on what is currently the largest
passenger airplane in the world, on the fin, is the ETACS or tail
camera. This mini camera gives the pilots a bird s eye view of
the plane. This is absolutely essential for moving on the ground
as an Airbus A380 measures almost 80 meters across. For the first
time PilotsEYE.tv was allowed to tap the camera signal.|::| This
Airshow is not just a bunch of hot air |::| Who hasn t at one
time or another cursed the information they were getting on how
much longer the flight was going to take. The so-called Airshow ,
the display of all relevant locations and times, has been
completely overhauled and improved by Lufthansa in the last few
years. Portions of this combination of satellite pictures and
real data are integrated into a PilotsEYE.tv film for the first
time.|::| What even pilots can only dream of |::| Just once in my
life I d like to get out of the plane, hop on my motorcycle and
drive home across the apron. A wish that was maybe once granted a
long time ago to the magnificent men in their flying machines .
However, today this is not possible due to the hundreds of
stipulations and safety and security regulations that is, it
wouldn t be possible if it weren t for helpful colleagues and a
y portion of good will. The ride of the passionate Harley
rider is and will remain a one-time exception in the history of
the San Francisco airport, says the proud airport director.|::|
Engine fire simulated reality |::| Parallel to the construction
of the first A380s in the hall next door, the type rating, the
examination of the first pilots licensed for the A380, is running
at full speed.
Review
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Some of you may be familiar with PilotsEYE while others
may be hearing about them for the first time. In a nutshell,
PilotsEYE is a new and refreshing DVD/Blu-Ray Documentary that
captures the thrill and excitement of flying through the
perspective of the Captain and First Officer. This is a very
different approach to what we may be use to from other producers,
but I can safely say that this is perhaps the best series of DVDs
you will come across. I had the rtunity to interview Thomas
Aigner who is the mastermind behind these series of DVDs.
Question: - What motivated you to begin filming these DVDs?
Thomas: - First of all, to capture the fascination of flying in a
"unique" way.In HD (we started in 2005, with the very first small
HD Cams), with 6 cameras in the cockpit, which gives us the
chance, to capture every detail as it happens. You all know, you
don't get a second chance. Secondly, to learn more about these
men and women, we all put our lives in their hands. How they
perform as pilots, who they are in normal life. And thirdly, to
set a new standard in Flightdeck Videos. Question: - What exactly
involved in filming these flights? Is it a lot of work? Thomas: -
Decide for yourself: Video editing approx 20-30 days, audio edit
and mixing 10-15 days, subtitles, artwork, authoring DVD and BD
about 2 months. Question: - What would you say it the most
challenging aspect of producing a DVD? Thomas: - To hit the date,
we planned for release. (What we haven't met since now) Question:
- Can we expect to see any DVDs/Blu-Rays that feature other
popular airlines in Europe and the UK? Thomas: - Sure, but "let's
not count our chickens until they're hatched... While these DVD s
are in foreign languages, subtitles are provided in English,
German and French. It may seem inconvenient having to read
subtitles in order to understand what s going on but it really
isn t as inconvenient as it may seem. I thought that the editing
of these videos was second to none and what made it even more
impressive, was the fact that there were camera views from the
ground for takeoff and landings. Cameras were also present in the
control tower which captured the Air Traffic Controllers as they
communicated with the aircraft. The prices of these DVDs are
29.90 Euros and for what you are getting, I would say it is a
very fair price. The overall presentation of these DVDs give you
the impression that a major filming company spend months filming
and editing to create what I think is the most unique and
innovation aviation documentary to date. If you have never seen
an aviation documentary before, I would definitely recommend
PilotsEYE. What I Like About the DVDs Breathtaking scenery
Stunning and Creative editing Features very unique destinations
and aircrafts HD format. Numerous Cameras give a thrilling and
unique perspective to the viewers of what goes on in the cockpit
What I Don't Like About the DVDs Nothing.... --avsim.net
Outbound Flight EDDF-KSFO (...) Captain Raps seems to be a very
brave man as he promises his passengers they'll be in San
Francisco on time despite the fact that we haven't departed yet.
When the DVD was recorded, the newest runway 25R didn't exist
which means that the viewer maybe a little bit bewildered if they
have old charts but everything is all right! They expect to
takeoff from runway 25L, the left of the both runways in western
direction, while being on the track of the MARUN2F departure
route. During their briefing they discuss the NAVAIDS and the
radials they have to cross to be on the right track. Another
important thing is to be aware of the altitude restrictions since
not following those restrictions can lead to a real
traffic-conflict. The A380 is a very large aircraft and also very
heavy. So they have to think about their stop margins in case of
a rejected takeoff. |::| --Aerosoft Sim News / Andrian Adrian
Outbound Flight EDDF-KSFO (...) Captain Raps seems to be a very
brave man as he promises his passengers they'll be in San
Francisco on time despite the fact that we haven't departed yet.
When the DVD was recorded, the newest runway 25R didn't exist
which means that the viewer maybe a little bit bewildered if they
have old charts but everything is all right! They expect to
takeoff from runway 25L, the left of the both runways in western
direction, while being on the track of the MARUN2F departure
route. During their briefing they discuss the NAVAIDS and the
radials they have to cross to be on the right track. Another
important thing is to be aware of the altitude restrictions since
not following those restrictions can lead to a real
traffic-conflict. The A380 is a very large aircraft and also very
heavy. So they have to think about their stop margins in case of
a rejected takeoff. |::| The pushback vehicle uses a towing bar,
which is linked between the aircraft's nose wheel and the
pushback vehicle. It's quite amazing that a towing bar can really
push more than 600 tons! The camera is set on the passenger view
and you can hear the sound of the flaps during extension. To be
honest, this sound reminds me on the flaps sound of the BAE146
beautiful! |::| As the Airbus A380 is very large, there are
cameras fixed outside the aircraft, which help the pilots with
steering during all ground movements such as taxiing.
Unfortunately, there's a wasp sitting on the camera and that's
not that funny to the pilots! From the tower we hear -"Lufthansa
454, runway 25 left, cleared for takeoff!" Captain Raps sets the
takeoff-power by pushing the thrust levers in the forward
position, which spools up the engine to accelerate the 600 tons.
::| One thing that makes this DVD very special is that you can
fade in Captain Raps's audio comments, which were recorded after
the flights. In his commentary, he re-explains all flight
situations, which couldn't be explained during the flight. As an
example, for the take off the pilots do not use full thrust take
off power, but a FLEX take off power. |::| The flight route today
is a little bit special as the video was recorded during the
vulcano-ash incident of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull.
::| And we pass another A380 over the ocean! Since this is
Juergen Raps retirement flight, he talks about his first aviation
experiences, why he came into aviation and what he experienced
during his flight career. It is very interesting to get to know
what a pilot with 40 years flight experience talks about. We're
now over American territory and get nearer and nearer to the
American West coast. As we pass the Golden Gate bridge, we are
cleared for an ILS approach to runway 28 right. |::| Retard,
Retard . The flight computer tells Captain Raps to pull the
thrust levers to an idle condition and after a smooth landing we
vacate runway 28R to the left via our scheduled taxiway. As we
taxi in, the San Francisco airport-firefighters congratulate
Captain Raps on his retirement with a water salute. We are now on
blocks and 50 per cent of our flight is over. Toulouse and
Simulator! From outside, the simulator looks like a model of the
movie's Spaceship Enterprise, but as you get into this "box", you
can admire the realistic replication of the real model. The
aircraft wants to depart from San Francisco, but during the
takeoff roll, they experience a bird strike, followed by a single
engine failure. Engine number 1 begins to burn; the pilot s job
now is to follow the checklists appearing on the lower ECAM. They
use the fire extinguisher to extinguish the engine and shut it
down to prevent it from further damage, followed by a nice, safe
landing back. (...) --Aerosoft Sim News / Andrian Adrian
