Some of you may be familiar with PilotsEYE while others may be hearing about them for the first time. In a nutshell, PilotsEYE is a new and refreshing DVD/Blu-Ray Documentary that captures the thrill and excitement of flying through the perspective of the Captain and First Officer. This is a very different approach to what we may be use to from other producers, but I can safely say that this is perhaps the best series of DVDs you will come across. I had the opportunity to interview Thomas Aigner who is the mastermind behind these series of DVDs. Question: - What motivated you to begin filming these DVDs? Thomas: - First of all, to capture the fascination of flying in a "unique" way.In HD (we started in 2005, with the very first small HD Cams), with 6 cameras in the cockpit, which gives us the chance, to capture every detail as it happens. You all know, you don't get a second chance. Secondly, to learn more about these men and women, we all put our lives in their hands. How they perform as pilots, who they are in normal life. And thirdly, to set a new standard in Flightdeck Videos. Question: - What exactly involved in filming these flights? Is it a lot of work? Thomas: - Decide for yourself: Video editing approx 20-30 days, audio edit and mixing 10-15 days, subtitles, artwork, authoring DVD and BD about 2 months. Question: - What would you say it the most challenging aspect of producing a DVD? Thomas: - To hit the date, we planned for release. (What we haven't met since now) Question: - Can we expect to see any DVDs/Blu-Rays that feature other popular airlines in Europe and the UK? Thomas: - Sure, but "let's not count our chickens until they're hatched... While these DVD s are in foreign languages, subtitles are provided in English, German and French. It may seem inconvenient having to read subtitles in order to understand what s going on but it really isn t as inconvenient as it may seem. I thought that the editing of these videos was second to none and what made it even more impressive, was the fact that there were camera views from the ground for takeoff and landings. Cameras were also present in the control tower which captured the Air Traffic Controllers as they communicated with the aircraft. The prices of these DVDs are 29.90 Euros and for what you are getting, I would say it is a very fair price. The overall presentation of these DVDs give you the impression that a major filming company spend months filming and editing to create what I think is the most unique and innovation aviation documentary to date. If you have never seen an aviation documentary before, I would definitely recommend PilotsEYE. What I Like About the DVDs Breathtaking scenery Stunning and Creative editing Features very unique destinations and aircrafts HD format. Numerous Cameras give a thrilling and unique perspective to the viewers of what goes on in the cockpit What I Don't Like About the DVDs Nothing.... --avsim.net

Outbound Flight EDDF-KSFO (...) Captain Raps seems to be a very brave man as he promises his passengers they'll be in San Francisco on time despite the fact that we haven't departed yet. When the DVD was recorded, the newest runway 25R didn't exist which means that the viewer maybe a little bit bewildered if they have old charts but everything is all right! They expect to takeoff from runway 25L, the left of the both runways in western direction, while being on the track of the MARUN2F departure route. During their briefing they discuss the NAVAIDS and the radials they have to cross to be on the right track. Another important thing is to be aware of the altitude restrictions since not following those restrictions can lead to a real traffic-conflict. The A380 is a very large aircraft and also very heavy. So they have to think about their stop margins in case of a rejected takeoff. |::| The pushback vehicle uses a towing bar, which is linked between the aircraft's nose wheel and the pushback vehicle. It's quite amazing that a towing bar can really push more than 600 tons! The camera is set on the passenger view and you can hear the sound of the flaps during extension. To be honest, this sound reminds me on the flaps sound of the BAE146 beautiful! |::| As the Airbus A380 is very large, there are cameras fixed outside the aircraft, which help the pilots with steering during all ground movements such as taxiing. Unfortunately, there's a wasp sitting on the camera and that's not that funny to the pilots! From the tower we hear -"Lufthansa 454, runway 25 left, cleared for takeoff!" Captain Raps sets the takeoff-power by pushing the thrust levers in the forward position, which spools up the engine to accelerate the 600 tons. |::| One thing that makes this DVD very special is that you can fade in Captain Raps's audio comments, which were recorded after the flights. In his commentary, he re-explains all flight situations, which couldn't be explained during the flight. As an example, for the take off the pilots do not use full thrust take off power, but a FLEX take off power. |::| The flight route today is a little bit special as the video was recorded during the vulcano-ash incident of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajkull. |::| And we pass another A380 over the ocean! Since this is Juergen Raps retirement flight, he talks about his first aviation experiences, why he came into aviation and what he experienced during his flight career. It is very interesting to get to know what a pilot with 40 years flight experience talks about. We're now over American territory and get nearer and nearer to the American West coast. As we pass the Golden Gate bridge, we are cleared for an ILS approach to runway 28 right. |::| Retard, Retard . The flight computer tells Captain Raps to pull the thrust levers to an idle condition and after a smooth landing we vacate runway 28R to the left via our scheduled taxiway. As we taxi in, the San Francisco airport-firefighters congratulate Captain Raps on his retirement with a water salute. We are now on blocks and 50 per cent of our flight is over. Toulouse and Simulator! From outside, the simulator looks like a model of the movie's Spaceship Enterprise, but as you get into this "box", you can admire the realistic replication of the real model. The aircraft wants to depart from San Francisco, but during the takeoff roll, they experience a bird strike, followed by a single engine failure. Engine number 1 begins to burn; the pilot s job now is to follow the checklists appearing on the lower ECAM. They use the fire extinguisher to extinguish the engine and shut it down to prevent it from further damage, followed by a nice, safe landing back. (...) --Aerosoft Sim News / Andrian Adrian