Flight with live commentary to Obihiro Airport and a site visit The tour consisted of a flight commentary from Haneda to Obihiro on a Boeing 737-800 (V40 specification), a visit to the Obihiro branch of the Civil Aviation College, a tour of the aircraft, and a talk show by the flight crew. The outbound flight was JL4529 (scheduled to depart at 11:35 am and arrive between 13:50 and 14:05 pm), and the return flight was JL4520 (scheduled to depart at 18:35 pm and arrive at 20:15 pm) back to Tokyo. The normal flight time to Obihiro is about 1 hour and 35 minutes, but the outbound flight takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to fly to Obihiro on a different route than the scheduled flight, taking 2 hours and 30 minutes. Also, the outbound route was to be selected depending on the weather, either a plan that traverses the middle of Tohoku and heads from Hakodate to the Tokachi region, or a plan that goes from Miyako to the Pacific Ocean, then turns around over Akan-Mashu National Park from Kushiro, and approaches Tokachi. Before departure, 109 participants (only one person cancelled) who had been looking forward to this day were lined up at the dedicated check-in counter. As soon as the call for applications for this tour was opened, a large number of applicants were received, and the 110 slots were finally decided by lottery. The ratio of applicants was about eight times higher than the number of applicants, which means that some very lucky people were able to participate in the tour. Participants ranged in age from teens at the bottom to 70s at the top, with half of the participants in their 50s and 60s, and the other half in their 60s and 70s. Many people participated in pairs, such as married couples and parents and children, with 60% of the participants being male and 40% female. Departure gate No. 18 was used, and participants were seen taking commemorative photos with pilots and flight attendants around the gate. JAL original goods were also handed out as gifts, including a 13-page A4 travel bookmark and a flight logbook-style boarding certificate. The bookmarks included a list of items to check before departure using technical terms, information on airport routes, items to check after boarding, taxiing, takeoff, cruise, descent and preparation for arrival, and landing, as well as flight paths around the airport. The tour was designed to provide a better understanding of the aircraft and its surroundings. The book, which was personally prepared by co-pilot Atsuhiko Mitsui, who organized the charter tour, contained not only flight-related information but also his own memories of his time as a pilot trainee in Arizona, and was full of interesting information for those who want to know more about pilots. The richness and enthusiasm of the content of the presentation must have heightened the participants’ expectations for their upcoming trip.
Actual flight conditions started from the stage of preparation for departure. After boarding the plane, co-pilot Mitsui took the microphone and said, “We planned this charter flight to please everyone in spite of the fact that no airplanes were able to fly due to the Corona disaster. We, the pilots, were serious about this charter flight, and many of our colleagues in the JAL Group cooperated to make it possible today. When he finished explaining that he would be giving an explanation of the flight from the cockpit, along with a travel guidebook he had prepared, he was met with a round of applause. The pilot’s commentary from the cockpit followed immediately: “We will depart from 16 LEFT,” “Engine start,” “NO.2 engine start,” “NO.1 engine start,” “The engine has stabilized (stabilized operation), so the power, hydro (hydraulic), air conditioning, etc., have been switched to the engine supply,” and “We are now in the air. The flaps are set to takeoff flap 5. On the day the tour was held, a rainy season front was stalled over Japan, causing rainy weather throughout the country. Since there were clear skies only over parts of the Tohoku region and Hakodate, the flight plan was to fly across the Tohoku region, pass over Hakodate and Chitose, and then fly to Tokachi. After a critical time at takeoff, when the plane was circling around Urayasu, Mr. Mitsui’s commentary began again: “We are flying at an altitude of 3,000 feet. The aircraft passed through an altitude of 3,000 feet. We are now moving to acceleration for flaps up. We have received instructions for heading (nose direction) 030. Confirm acceleration to safe speed, flaps 1 up. The aircraft is turning left. Heading 010 has been instructed. Completed the post-takeoff procedure, procedure, and after-takeoff checklist, and is now passing 5000 ft. We expect to see Tokyo Disneyland in Urayasu on the lower left shortly.” He explained the flight status, including heading, a word that is not usually heard on a normal flight. Incidentally, airplanes indicate the direction they are headed with a 360-degree heading. True north is 360, and true south is 180. 010 would mean that the plane is pointing its nose almost due north.
After that, he explained that when flying along the Ou Mountains that traverse the Tohoku region, it is important to deal with turbulence caused by mountain waves and speed changes due to sudden changes in upper-level currents that flow high in the sky, etc. He also explained that it is important to respond to changes in speed caused by sudden changes in upper-level currents high in the sky. Through the thickly hanging clouds, a glimpse of the Tohoku region came into view, with Akita Airport and the Oga Peninsula visible to the left of the aircraft. As the aircraft flew over Aomori and the Tsugaru Straits came into view, Mr. Mitsui again announced, “We have moved to level flight at 13,000 feet. We have been instructed to transfer to the Hakodate approach,” he announced. Contacted Hakodate Approach and received permission to descend to 7,000 feet. We are planning to hold at 7,000 feet over Hakodate. The flight management computer has been configured to enter a holding pattern over Hakodate, which is to wait in an elliptical pattern with the airplane, and this has just been confirmed. The flight management computer was then used to enter the holding pattern, which is called holding. He also explained that the input to the flight management computer, called FMC, was reflected in the flight management computer after a mutual check for any errors. The sky over Hakodate was clear that day, and from an altitude of 2,100 meters, the city of Hakodate could be seen slowly from the air. Below, the tour participants were delighted by the dynamic views of Mount Hakodate, Goryokaku, Hakodate Airport, and the Hakodate Racecourse, which opened on the same day.
Mr. Kobayashi, a cabin attendant and JAL hometown ambassador, explains the charms of the Tokachi region. The flight then turned its course to the east. The plan was to enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Hidaka Mountains, but unfortunately we only passed over a sea of clouds as the entire Hokkaido area, except for Hakodate, was covered by thick cloud cover. Chiaki Kobayashi, a cabin attendant and JAL hometown ambassador, explained the characteristics of the Hidaka Mountains, saying, “Normally, we would have been able to enjoy the magnificent scenery stretching more than 100 km from north to south. The Hidaka Mountains were formed when continental plates (Eurasian plate and North American plate) collided with each other, making it a very rare place in the world where strata from shallow to deep plate layers can be observed on the surface of the earth. The curls, created by glacial erosion, form a steep but beautiful ridge line. Lake Toyoni, which is heart-shaped, is famous. The Tokachi region, where the airport is located, is known for its long hours of sunshine, which is so long that it is called “sunny Tokachi.” Taking advantage of the wide land, farmers cultivate wheat, beans, beets, potatoes, and other crops. In dairy farming, butter, cheese, soft-serve ice cream, and gelato are made from fresh milk, and in livestock farming, the area is famous for its abundant meat dishes. Furthermore, the area’s location on the Pacific coast means that it also has a thriving fisheries industry, and the menu includes a variety of seafood dishes made from fresh seafood, making it a gastronomically rich area. As the airport approached, an announcement was made again from the cockpit, informing the participants that the low cloud cover in the vicinity of Obihiro Airport made visibility poor, and that they would land using the Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach method, with a briefing in the cockpit. The participants were informed that the landing would be made by the “Instrument Landing System (ILS). He also introduced Kushiro Airport, famous for its foggy weather, as an airport with Category 3 (Obihiro Airport is Category 1) facilities that allow landing at low visibility in more unfavorable weather conditions. After waiting for the departing aircraft to take off, JL4529 arrived at Obihiro Airport at 14:11 in light rain.
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