It was another early start for this one, getting up at 0430 to make sure I got to the airport in time. Flight out was DJ 1172 on Virgin Blues new Embraer E170 jet VH-ZHC.
Here is VH-ZHC at the gate.
A rather blurred shot of the cabin.
I was seated in seat 15A which was on the left hand side of the aircraft. I discovered, on the way back, that the right hand side is a much better side to be seated on. The reason being that on the left hand side the windows are positioned quite strange. You need to either lean right forward or right back to see out the window
Anyway, boarded at about 0900 at gate 38. Captain of this flight was capt. Mason. Taxii out a looooong way to RWY 34R. I was amazed at how much power this jet had at full throttle. I was thrown back in my seat more than in a 737. Power to weight ratio is involved here. The E170 also climbs like a homesick angel. Look at the pic below!!!
We then commenced a right hand turn (with the city on our left) and tracked out toward the Eastern Suburbs. Bondi Beach is also visible below.
Another Virgin Blue 737 passes to our left.
The Illawarra Coastline.
Parts of Canberra below.
Time to slow down.
Descent into Albury. Quite mountainous around here with a few bumps and quite a series of turns for final. RWY for arrival was 25.
Below is the main street of Albury. It was a hot, sunny 30 there all day. Sure beats the weather in Sydney of late. Naturally, I had to go to the club for a lunch and a beer while I was there.
The day was nearing and end. Almost time to go home but not before some 'happy snaps' at Albury Airport.
Flight home was running slightly late. Aircraft was once again VH-ZHC. Checked in at the counter with the very friendly Virgin girls. Boarded through gate 5 which at the moment is a temporary setup though Albury is developing their airport and it will be completed within months. A 3.8mil upgrade I believe. Seat this time was much better with the windows where they should be
Seat was 6D on the right hand side. Captain this time was capt. Brad Wilson. Take off was from RWY 07. Departure time was 17.25 and we arrived back in Sydney at 18.01
Climbout from Albury on the way home.
Crossing the coastline over the Royal National Park for landing RWY 34L Sydney.
All in all, an excellent day. The whole day ended up costing 2cents in airfares and $50 in Albury for the day. That included cab fares, some shopping and lunch. See, you can have a cheap day out. Who needs Mystery Flights when you can chose your own with LCC's like Virgin Blue (who are my fav) and know where you will end up for the day? Excellent experience with Virgin Blue (as always). I commend them on superior customer service and a job well done. I thoroughly recommend these types of 'day trips' to all of you. Interestingly enough, we have another to Albury Thursday with Emma and the kids but I will not bore you with 2 trip reports from Albury. Hope you enjoyed reading.
