PilotsEYE.tv: Seattle

After reviewing my second DVD from the PilotsEYE.tv series, FRA-LAX-FRA, I'm happy to spend this rainy afternoon writing a thorough review on my first DVD, FRA-SEA-FRA, released in 2009. Equipment on both legs is an Airbus A330. The DVD was also a courtesy of Thomas Aigner, who runs PilotsEYE.

One cockpit—Two pilots—Six cameras

Since almost seven years, PilotsEYE.tv creates high-quality documentaries directly out of the cockpit of airliners—in HD quality using six cameras mounted behind the cockpit windows and on the glareshield. To date, PilotsEYE.tv is well-known for accuracy and high quality productions.

This DVD is divided into three parts: the flight FRA-SEA, crew layover including a visit to the Boeing factory and The Museum of Flight, and the inbound flight back to FRA.

The outbound flight to Seattle is a great documentary, as Cpt. Lunemann, Lufthansa's deputy chief pilot for Airbus A330/A340 who has lived in Seattle during the 1960s, explains cockpit procedures and the approach pattern into SEA. I also liked the audio background, which is different from previous releases and more experimental. You also get lots of great landscape footage from crossing Greenland and Northern Canada (Yellowknife). The same goes for the inbound flight back to FRA.

The crew's tour of the Boeing Factory offers some great insights into the production line of the B747-800, and its improvements over the -400. From the planes of the future, the film continues with planes from the past, exhibited at The Museum of Flight. A tour of the museum is definitely a no-brainer for all aviation enthusiasts visiting Seattle.

Resume

PilotsEYE.tv got widely criticized for showing footage of an Airbus A340 on engine startup, although the equipment on both flights is an Airbus A330. Personally, I don't think it's that disturbing, and PilotsEYE.tv explained that no other A330 was available during filmtaking. The company has vowed to only use genuine footage in all further productions, which is certainly satisfying.

Overall, I like this documentary very much, maybe even better than FRA-LAX-FRA. This is partly due to the more interesting destination, and also caused by flying an Airbus aircraft onto Boeing's turf :D All in all, a great DVD—well done guys!