Flying a Falcon 7X
- KGO
- May 10, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 7, 2020
02/05/2019
Vienna - Munich
AHO9727
D-ASIM Falcon 7X
17:30 - 18:11 / 0h41 flight time
no seat assignment, but the whole plane to myself and my avgeek friend
On this Thursday I was lucky to catch Air Hamburg biggest jet the Falcon 7X, this plane was added to their fleet last December and flies generally to exotic destinations with it's range of 9.575km or 13hrs non stop this jet get to fly places. As my previous flight on the Phenom, this one left from Vienna's general aviation terminal and it's very easy to reach since I arrived from Brussels with Austrian. Once you arrive in the main terminal there's a bus service that drives around the airport area with stops at Austrian's HQ, cargo, general aviation (which you have to ask the bus driver to stop) and several parking lots. At the GA terminal there are several offices of the handling companies as the approach is different from a commercial airline, first you go to the welcome center where they guide you to the appropriate office of the handling company for your flight (this is specified in the e-mail you get from the airline together with necessary telephone numbers in case you get stuck or delayed). Once at the designated office of the handler we (my friend and I) told them we were there and the handling agent said we could wait in a dedicated lounge and informed us the crew was there already and the captain would come and greet us shortly. On today's flight we were even more privileged to have one of the CEO's as our captain on the flight. As soon he came to greet us, he took us with him to the crew lounge to meet the crew. Today's flight had a flight attendant since they came from a long haul flight and had to continue to another long flight out of Munich with the same crew. He gave us some info about the flight and routing and would come and get us or get us picked up by the handler as soon as they were ready to depart. Meanwhile we could wait at the lounge with a great tarmac overview of other private jets which were parked there.
The flight to Munich would take a little over 40 minutes with a steep climb-out to avoid turbulence and to ensure a smooth cruise. Around 5 o'clock the handler came to see us and told us he was ready to bring us to the aircraft. Once passed through security a luxury bus waited for us to drive us to the aircraft. The cabin crew member was waiting at the stairs to greet us, just like it would be if you hire the plane for a destination of your choice. Once on board you really are impressed by the size of the aircraft, after walking through the kitchen (its no galley but a real kitchen) you arrive in a sitting area with a dining area and living room and last but not least the bathroom with a sink and toilet and more storage space.
Once settled, we got a hot towel offered and a pre departure drink which was a French champagne accompanied with some nuts (which until now only US carries give warm). As soon as the formalities were done (meaning paperwork and ATC clearance) we were on our way to the runway for a short 41 minutes flight to Munich.
Apart from a regular carrier, here there's no flight attendant coming around to check if your seatbelt is fastened or your luggage is stowed away. There's not even a safety demo nor a welcome speech as it's a pretty personal flight. All you have to do is make sure your fastened and ready for the rocket departure as briefed by the captain and so it was. It was a steep and fast take off with a beautiful view over Austria.
As soon as we could I had a quick look at the bathroom, which was bigger than the average toilet and it had everything you would expect on a private jet with a luxurious finishing touch and wood everywhere. When I came out the table was extended and prepared for a quick snack which was brought on board and plated up by the crew member.
I was pleasantly surprised that on this short flight there was so much food, delicious catering from Do&Co Vienna. It had a variety of sweet and savory snacks, fruit and of course more champagne. The only problem was the short flight time to enjoy the food, the plane and the whole experience.
As the flight was way to short the landing started already into Munich airport with a Eurowings Airbus at the other side landing at the same time.
The sound you hear is the falling of the glasses (as my friend and I aren't used to have it still upon landing) If a next flight is scheduled we'll know to hold it in our hands :-). Once arrived at the general aviation apron in Munich a private transport was waiting for us which dropped us off at our departing terminal for our flight back home with a commercial airliner.
I really enjoyed another pleasant flight with Air Hamburg, for me this was my second experience with them. The cabin crew member on this flight was really friendly and treated us as if we rented the plane. She made sure our glasses weren't empty during those 40 minutes and made us feel like home. Also the pilots were very friendly and enthusiastic and gave us all the information we needed to know about the flight and plane. I'm already looking forward to another great trip with these guys and at least a longer flight to enjoy the plane even more.
More information can be found on https://Air-Hamburg.de
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