My cube finally has a touch of aviation to it. That is a model of a Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-200.The 777 is probably my favorite airplane of all time. It's not the most exciting or spectacular but it really is an impressive piece of machinery. It has engines that are the same diameter as the fuselage of a 737-300, it can take off with a full load using just one of those engines, it was the first airliner designed completely on computer, and the ER version has flown for over 6 hours on one engine. Amazing.
In fact, Mike and I have actually flown AND landed one of these amazing machines. Well not the real thing but in 1998 we were able to fly the actual simulators used to train pilots. These are full motion, highly immersive simulation environments that are 100% accurate in both look and feel. Mike and I both managed to land them at the legendary Kai Tak approach.
So why the model? Well my dad got me one for my birthday when I was working in Hong Kong and it followed me around the world, no matter where I went but in a recent move it disappeared and I was pissed. So I hunted online and eventually managed to find one. It arrived on Tuesday and now has pride of place in my cube.