World Air Routes - CityBird 767-300 Video
By FlightSim.Com Staff (1 March 2000)
ityBird Airlines flies throughout Europe with its homebase in Brussels, Belgium. Primarily, the flights go to resort destinations in the Caribbean, Florida, Mexico and California.
Just Planes Videos captures three flights in this World Air Routes series.
The first is a flight from Brussels to Oakland, California. The second is a leg from Oakland to LAX. The third is the return home from LAX back to Brussels. The flights are known as "dreamflight" 725, 725 and 726. You'll follow along all the flights and hear some ATC back and fourth adding to the full experience.
The video production quality is excellent, with multiple views shown on each of the takeoff and landing segments. Some are shot from behind the Captain out the front left window, and others are shot from between the pilot and copilot. Some of the shots are zoomed in a bit much, I prefer to always see parts of the airplane in the shot to give reference. I like the camera positions when they show a post, glareshield top etc. It is clear this video is shot on broadcast production quality tape. I doubt any SVHS or home video equipment was used (but I could be wrong).
The sound quality is very good as well. However, depending on where the camera was, you'd get the full effect of the engines roaring up to full power or sometimes you wouldn't and a takeoff would just be muffled or full of the squeaks and rattles. I wish testing was done before hand to find the best spot for hearing the engines etc. It seems the best place was near one of the side windows. Perhaps near the instrument panel, you only can hear the cooling fans from the avionics and not the nice hum of the powerplants.
The entire flights are nice to watch. I am a diehard fan of aviation videos ever since the grand daddy of all videos was launched in the 1980s from Paul Havis, a friend of mine. Perhaps some know him for his 747, Pilots Eye View video.
Even though that is now 15 years old, it is still the best in-flight cockpit action ever filmed. To find that, pick up a Sporty's Pilot Catalog. In comparison to that famous tape, I find it hard to get a lot of excitement out of these newer videos that everyone is making. Now to be fair, I have purchased almost 11 of the new airliner videos made by many various production houses. They are all fun to watch and I couldn't be a big jet fanatic without them. They are the best substitute for flightsimming when you can not. When the wife and kids want you to watch TV one evening, suggest an airliner video...
The Dreamflight 767-300 video has some great parts such as flying high over Greenland, scenic descent over California and some good shots of LA on takeoff. In between there is no narration, nor explanations from the crew as to what is going on or close-ups and information about the systems of the airplane. This video is not supposed to be that, and you can buy tapes with much more "techie" stuff in them. I find those even more boring myself. Personally, I guess I enjoy the takeoffs and landings the best. However, I myself enjoy great scenes of enroute footage if they are of something great, like thunderheads or scenery. The day this trip was filmed, the weather was VFR at all the destinations. This made for rather boring landings and takeoffs. Perhaps they would have been more exciting depending on where the camera was aimed or again, maybe some more sound or cockpit interaction.
Over the two hour tape the flights are broken up into pieces that a text screen will show the progress and what landmarks may be shown below. This is good and will keep you informed that way.
I found myself getting bored much of the time. For me, this just isn't right. I eat up these kinds of things and have bored others with my endless hours of home-shot video from other airliner trips I have had. But without clouds screaming past at
500 mph, any storms to deviate around or inflight "tours" of the office, you may find yourself daydreaming to some extent. The idea of what Just Planes is doing is outstanding. They have more videos than you can shake an approach plate at! There is something for everyone to see and purchase at their interactive website with photos from this video that caters to what tapes you bought. You can get additional information on the flight and its a nice companion. Soon, he will have route maps to print out as well!
There are videos specifically made for airport watchers, plane spotters, cockpit action (where takeoffs and landings are the subject - my favorite), and entire flights. This particular video just didn't appeal to me that much. I could easily list a bunch more I'd love to see and will soon be reviewing more for you. The selection and quality would having me recommend you go shopping at their site. For $25 a video, you are getting quality for sure - the subject however demands some poking around on your part, to get the video that will excite you the most.
I have to give two grades here. If you're looking for some fun and entertaining videos to watch, look no further. Just Planes gets an A for the quality and wide selection of their work. It's just I feel the CityBird 767-300 video itself gets an 81
out of 100 points.Visit the CityBird Video Site.
View photos from this video here
Visit the Just Planes Homesite.
| NOTE: For this test I used an okay 19" TV, semi-good VCR, and a box of Sugar Smacks Cereal |