Boeing 747-400 Night Freighter Flight: Dubai to Hong Kong

Pre-Flight Preparations and Departure

• 🌙 The flight departs from Al Maktum Airport (Dubai) at night, with a crew of Mark, Dimmitro, and pilot Rod Cadman.
• ⚠️ Pre-flight checks included warnings about birds near the airfield and a discussion of weather conditions, both en route and at the destination.
• ✈️ The departure procedure involved standard ATC instructions, engine start sequence (4-3-2-1), and taxiing to runway 30.
• 🚨 Aborted takeoff procedures were reviewed, detailing actions to be taken in case of engine fire, failure, windshear, or aircraft un-safety before or after V1.

En Route to Hong Kong

• 📈 The Boeing 747-400 freighter was cruising at flight level 390, with an estimated flight time of 6 hours and 43 minutes.
• 🗺️ The route involved navigating through various airspaces including Muscat, Indian airspace (Amanbad, Nagpur, Kolkata), Bangladesh (Chittagong), Myanmar, and finally China before reaching Hong Kong.
• 📏 A notable aspect of flying through China airspace was the use of meters instead of feet for altitude (e.g., 12,500 meters).
• 📊 Fuel checks were conducted every 30 minutes, showing a surplus of 3.6 tons due to flying higher than planned.

Arrival and Landing in Hong Kong

• 🛬 The approach to Hong Kong utilized ILS for runway 07 left, with runway 07 right closed for maintenance.
• 🌧️ Weather conditions for arrival included rain and scattered clouds at 800 ft, considered reasonable for the time of year.
• 🛬 The aircraft was significantly light due to no cargo, weighing around 28.89 tons against a maximum landing weight of 295 tons.
• 📉 The final approach was shortened by ATC, requiring the pilots to maintain a higher speed and reduced track miles, which Mark handled effectively.

Post-Flight Summary

• ✅ The flight landed safely in Hong Kong with a flight time of 6 hours and 34 minutes and a block time of 7 hours and 12 minutes.
• ⛽ 29.1 tons of fuel remained upon arrival, with 57.4 tons consumed during the sector.
• 📍 The aircraft parked at bay X-ray 30, and the crew expressed hope that viewers enjoyed the flight.