Nov. 5
Frankfurt Charter flight across Europe - Frankfurt departure for Oslo aboard a Condor 757-300.
•05:20 CET Latest time to meet at the gate
•05:50 CET FlyerTalk charter DE9254 departs Frankfurt for Oslo
•08:30 CET Charter flight arrives Oslo.
•08:45 CET Charter flight parks at the SAS hangar. Program continues.
•11:30 CET Charter flight departs Oslo for Toulouse.
•14:40 CET Charter flight arrives Toulouse
•15:30 CET Exclusive inside tour of the Airbus factory
•19:40 CET Charter departs Toulouse for Frankfurt
•22:00 CET Evening reception / party
Yes, morning came early but we were there and so was the plane, a Condor 757. Our seats were in Row 45 in the very back cabin.
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Two of the DO's three major organizers, Oliver (on the left) and Tommy were at the door to greet us.
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It was snowing as we landed in OSL, but the SAS hospitality inside their giant hangar was warm.
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Even an airport fire truck appeared planeside to greet us.
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It was nice to enter the "cozy" hangar, especially since we'd left our jackets back in the hotel room in our rush to be ready to board by 5:00 a.m.
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A flight attendant welcomed us with a professional rendition of "Fly Me To The Moon" as she descended the stairs of a 737.
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A group of dancers performed enthusiastically to equally enthusiastic applause.
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The Norwegian Army provided an interesting demonstration of the medical evacuation service they run in co-operation with SAS, converting a 737 passenger plane into a medivac plane within 24 hours. It surprised us to learn here and elsewhere how quickly airline seats can be installed and removed.
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We enjoyed the chance to get up close to the equipment.
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It was interesting to read the label showing that this Ford truck unit with its built-in stairs was manufactured in Minnesota.
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We also got a good look at jet engine pulled out for maintenance, and a chat with the jet-mechanic instructor showing the fine points.
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Another highlight of the program was the deployment of an evacuation slide from the back door of the 737.
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Organizer Tommy777 got to slide down and you can just see his upraised arms over the crowd. Update: A video is now available here.
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The rest of us who wanted to got to pose at the bottom.
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The musicians serenaded us as we headed out to the buses to return us to our plane.
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The folksy friendliness of everybody in Oslo made our stop there a real highlight of our tour.
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