Flight to Tenerife refers both to a flight to Tenerife and escaping to a sunny island from the United Kingdom.
It looks like a beautiful day to fly to Tenerife. Then again, every day is a great day when you’re off to Tenerife. The weather is perfect, with a few fair-weather clouds drifting by, and Bruges-Ostend Airport is bathed in sunlight.
Also glistening in the sun is the B-738 affectionately named ‘Magnificent,’ which will soon take 180 passengers from the UK to Tenerife and Gran Canaria. It’s a flight with a stopover, though not for the passengers heading to Tenerife.
Departing from Ostend includes a short walk across the apron to the gleaming aircraft that awaits, doors open, to welcome its passengers. At the door, we’re warmly greeted and guided by a flight attendant responsible for this part of the cabin. This Boeing is a ‘new generation’ aircraft, as they call it in industry terms – English remains the universal language in aviation.
Runway 26
Passengers board quietly and smoothly, finding their seats as indicated on their boarding passes. The safety instructions are demonstrated quickly, carefully, and professionally while the pilots start the engines in pushback mode. With my background as a (non-professional) pilot, I instinctively follow the checklists the cockpit crew is now using.
We taxi to the runway, an artful maneuver since this airport lacks a direct connection – a taxiway – between the parking area and the starting point on the runway; thus, the pilots use the runway itself, executing a perfect U-turn at the end of the backtrack to align in takeoff position. Often, the eastern intersection is also used to reach the starting point on runway 26 via holding point Lima.
Born to Smile
With perfect precision, the engines hum – once they used to roar – as the 75-ton aircraft moves down the runway. In my mind, I hear “V1, rotate, V2…” At 136 knots, the nose lifts, and the rest of the plane follows. Airborne, we climb steadily toward flight level 370, or in everyday terms, 11,277 meters. We follow the northern departure route SASKI-3M, passing near the Thames estuary, then over Quimper, and finally La Coruña in northwestern Spain.
Meanwhile, the classic services are provided by the cabin crew; drinks, food, duty-free sales, and general assistance, all delivered by motivated and friendly staff. The crew goes about their work with smiles, as if born with a permanent smile; they stay cheerful and perform their tasks with poise.
Manual Landing
The outside temperature is -56°C, and a strong headwind of over 100 km/h extends the estimated flight time by only 6 minutes. With an average cruising speed of 766 km/h and a course of about 220°, we continue in a nearly straight line toward Tenerife. Without turbulence or concerns, we fly past Madeira, just out of sight, on the last stretch of the journey.
The unusual westerly wind direction prompts Canaria Control to guide the pilots over Los Rodeos, from where they make a wide right turn to intercept the ILS for runway 26. I know that pilots in the Canary Islands enjoy landing manually – it’s a way to keep a feel for the plane. And the landing was smooth, feather-light… braking was done, as always, with airbrakes, engines in reverse thrust, and finally the wheel brakes.
Testimonial
The B-737/800 gently taxis across the warm tarmac, and when the doors open, the warm, healthy island air gives us a wonderful feeling… we’ve arrived! It smells like Tenerife here.
The cabin crew wishes us a pleasant stay, and still with that unfailing smile, they nod one final personal farewell. Many readers will recognize themselves in this experience or will have relived the flight.
Pixabay © Photography
Flight to Tenerife ©
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