All posts by roger

First British Airways Airbus A380 out of the Hangar

Travel, , , , , , , ,

British Airways have used Boeing 747 “Jumbo” jets on long haul routes since the 1970s. They still have 57 of these beasts in the fleet. Even today I think that this iconic jet looks beautiful in flight. And if you can afford seats up front (FIRST) or upstairs (Club Class) – or know how to use air-miles to get them – it offers a luxurious way to travel.

But BA has decided that the future of long haul “big” jets lies with the Airbus A380 which differs from the jumbo in that it features a double deck across its whole length. Here is a picture of the first British Airways Airbus A380 coming out of the construction hangar recently.

First British Airways Airbus A380

BA’s reasons for choosing it are that it’s more fuel efficient, quieter, more spacious and can carry more passengers than the jumbo that was designed in the 1960s.

This may be so and I must admit I look forward to trying out the A380. But I have one problem with this double decked leviathan. Compared to the beautiful graceful sweeping lines of the 747, this modern people carrier looks just bloody ugly.

Over to you: Do you prefer the 747 or the A380. I’d love to hear what your experiences of both are. We were promised gyms are cinemas when I imagine economy is still quite cramped. What is the experience like in each travel class?

Please click here to watch my video review of flying BA FIRST Class on a Boeing 747.

Forget snakes on a plane – Review of Doctor Who Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

Entertainment, , , , , ,

When I was a kid I loved dinosaurs. I read about them, drew pictures of them and even made Airfix plastic dinosaur models.

My favourite TV programme was Doctor Who. But on the one occasion that Doctor Who did dinosaurs it did them badly. The 1970s Jon Pertwee story showed the prehistoric lizards invading the streets of London and confounding the attempts of the army to stop their lethal rampage. Except even to the impressionable eyes of a youngster like me it was obvious that the mighty lizards were just badly designed glove puppets superimposed on to photos of empty London streets.

Since then we’ve seen films (Jurassic Park) and TV series (Walking with Dinosaurs) boasting convincing CGI lizards. So in keeping with revamped modern Doctor Who series 7’s attempt to deliver a block buster movie each week, the CGI in “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship” had to be cinematic. And it was. Even on a BBC budget.

Review of Doctor Who Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
Movie Style Poster for Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

The episode itself was great entertainment. It veered from comedy in the early scenes (Matt Smith’s joy at seeing the dinosaurs) to darkness at the end (Matt Smith dealing ruthlessly with the very unpleasant bad guy Solomon).

And whilst I thoroughly enjoyed every minute I can’t help wondering whether the producer decided that dinosaurs on a spaceship was a random good idea and then tried very hard, and not entirely successfully, to make the plot device fit the story.

That’s only a minor quibble though. I still think Doctor Who is the best all round drama entertainment series on TV at the moment for all ages.

Over to you: Do you agree with my Review of Doctor Who Dinosaurs on a Spaceship? Was it a bit convoluted? Or do you think it worked? How did it compare to famous dinosaur entertainment like Jurassic Park. Leave a comment, share your thoughts or post a link.

First Impressions of Body Balance Release 58 after Edinburgh Quarterly Workshop

Fitness and Yoga, , , , , ,

As I drove to Virgin Active in the Omni Centre I wondered whether Body Balance Release 58 could be harder than the last one – where the core training was about the toughest exercise I have ever done and I was proud of my participants for hanging on in there.

The Edinburgh Quarterly Workshop was heaving. I spotted only two other male teachers out of a room full of over 50 ladies. The Les Mills trainer this time was Andrew Alleyne. He’s always friendly, always precise and always delivers great ideas for cues and teaching points. Well done Andrew for teaching the first 4 tracks without a microphone whilst the Virgin Active techies fiddled with knobs and wires to try to restore the sound.

Body Balance Release 58 Edinburgh Quartelry Workshop
The packaging for the CD and DVD.

Click here to tweet this photo:

Here are my first impressions of the release:

  • The tai chi warm up is very simple and very short. Blink and you will miss it. It is good then that we repeat the moves later in the class.
  • The sun salutations is just as challenging as the last one – just substitute side planks with triceps dips and lunges.
  • “Next To Me” by Emelie Sande is the music for the standing strength track. I’ve heard this on the radio for months. Great to put some powerful moves to it.
  • Andrew described the Balance track as “quirky”. I’d describe it as wobbly.
  • The Core Abs and the Core Back tracks are not as out-and-out lethal as the last ones but are still extremely challenging. And Bird Pose is back. We see this once every 18 months or so in Body Balance which is just enough time to forget how to do it. Best get learning how to fly again.
  • Fabulous music called “Paradise” by Cold Play for the Twists track.

Andrew finished us off by making us hold down dog, tree pose and frog pose for five minutes each. If anyone knows a dignified way to get out of frog pose please let me know.

Body Balance Release 58 looks like another challenging class with great music (with some sing along potential) and a little eccentricity. Can’t wait to teach it.

Over to you: If you are a Les Mills Body Balance instructor what did you think of this new release? What stood out for you? Please leave a comment below and share your impressions.

Click here to watch the taster video for Body Balance release 58.

Should we get free food on a short flight or is buy on board food best?

Travel, , , , , , , ,

When I started flying regularly from London to Edinburgh there was lots of free food on board. Massive breakfasts, three course hot evening meals, and lovely afternoon teas with warm scones and sandwiches.

In fact BA and BMI’s caterers were falling over each other trying to out do the other with the amount of their grub.

And this was in economy not business or first class.

On an hour-long flight you would get a drink before dinner, a hot meal with dessert, wine, and coffee or tea afterwards. Breakfast would include cereal, full English, warms rolls and big glass pots of marmalade or jam.

The downside? Fares were high.

Then Easy Jet, Ryan Air and Go came along. They were no frills airlines and they were about cheap fares. They gave no free food away.

If you wanted a coffee you had to buy one – you still do. If you were hungry you could buy a sandwich. You still can.

From then on BA and BMI’s started to cut the free stuff. Hot evening meals became smaller cold salads. Huge breakfast trays became smaller ones with tiny sausages, a couple of mushrooms, and a wafer thin slice of bacon.

buy on board food

At all other times the service is simply a free drink and a packet of nibbles (or birdseed as it is affectionately known by travellers on domestic routes), a tiny drink from the bar or a thimble full of coffee.

By continuing to offer a token free drink BA claims it’s a “full service” airline. But this is stretching it a bit isn’t it?

If I can’t eat before an evening flight home I go hungry on BA but I could buy a meal on Easy Jet.

So is it better to have a buy on board service or pretend to offer a full service which challenges the word “full”?

I think I am now in the place where I think BA should stop pretending with their economy product and consider a move to buy on board food.

Over to you: Do you prefer to buy on board food? Or perhaps you take a picnic? Do you need serving anything at all? Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.