Day 12, Level 2.5: Sports, thunder, and airplanes

Started the day easy, and then cracked into work. Spent some time researching face-masks - am looking at getting back into the mask business to some extent, seeing I can't really move the travel one forward right now!

The Rugby Championship has been switched from NZ to Australia, it was announced today. That's brought dark cloud into the sporting and political arenas. But with our tight border and quarantine rules, it isn't really workable for NZ to host sporting events here at the moment. 

The Youth America's Cup (sailing) was due to happen here next March, having been transferred from China due to Covid. Cancelled. I suspect there will be more events that fall over. 

Not to mention having to cancel various events and functions that I've been involved in organising. A real shame.

Mid afternoon, a huge very black cloud came over and produced a very long and loud clap of thunder. Raindrops fell - they were huge, few and very far apart. I thought we were in for a full-on thunderstorm. But it started and ended there, with just the thunder and 2mins of mega raindrops. Weird. 

The evening clouds on the horizon were interesting.

SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Plane graveyards ...

How sad it is that hundreds of planes are being shipped off to the airplane deserts around the world. These are photos of planes lined up at Victorville Southern California Logistics Airport - which is where Air NZ has just sent off a bunch of planes to wait out the Covid nightmare that we are all caught up in. Hopefully they will fly again - soon!

If you look at the last photo below, you'll see one of the beautiful Air NZ 747s that were decommissioned back in Sept 2014. It will not fly again! Note the old teal coloured livery, although this one doesn't have the lovely "Pacific wave". That sleek and sophisticated look/branding was SO MUCH NICER than the awful clunky and downright ugly black livery that was brought in as part of rebranding in 2012. Apparently the market research of the day determined that black resonates well with NZers as being "the colour of New Zealand". What!?!? How dreary. But they weren't joking. No, they were not joking! And they painted the goddam planes BLACK! Some are black and white, but they're not much better. 

I suspect all this was more to do with sponsorship and money and things to do with the All Blacks!  BTW, I have to ask, are they going to have to change their name in light of things? It's probably the most racist sports team name going - but they are untouchable and no one dares to raise the issue! But teams across the USA are rushing to change theirs - Indians, Braves, Redskins, Blackhawks. Where does this madness end?

Anyway, I loved the blue/green tones of the old Air NZ livery - I've hopped on board those perfectly formed 747 craft many times to fly across the world and back . Now they and those lovely colours are gone for good. Air NZ flew its first 747 in 1981 and in 1982 set up the Auckland-LA-London route - the same year I went to live in London. How handy. I flew on those beauties many times and loved every hour in the air. 

I really don't like looking out the gate windows at the airport and seeing those horrible black planes. Mind you, I haven't had to for months! But seriously, what is attractive about this clunky look? Better to be inside it rather than having to look at it, that's for sure!

Below is the livery I loved - introduced in 1996 - I loved stepping on board

And below, the original Air NZ livery that I remember from my youth - such nostalgia!
And my colours!

Talking of plane graveyards, I remember flying in/out of Tbilisi airport in 1990 - on Aeroflot - with drama both ways - and that's a whole other story!  The place was awash with literally hundreds of Aeroflot planes parked up going nowhere. An Aeroflot graveyard. It was eerie and I'd never seen anything quite like it. 

Here's a selection of photos of the graveyard in California ...

And that's my flying/travel/airplane fix for the day. Sigh - I want to go fly again ...