PilotsEYE.tv | SAN FRANCISCO A380 |:| DVD |:| Flightdeck LUFTHANSA | A380 | The final flights of JR | Bonus: Toulouse Simulator

I have pre-ordered the DVD from Amazon UK back in August and was a bit disappointed to be notified that the item was not yet available on due dispatch date. But it wasn't too long after that when I got the dispatch notification, Awesome!With anticipation, the wait has finally come to an end, and the DVD was delivered to my desk yesterday, less than 20 hour ago as of writing this review.The package arrived in immaculate condition, compact, and in DVD was in perfect shape. It took less time to arrive than usual, knowing the fact how slow the British Royal Mail can be. [Positive]I couldn't wait to get home to watch the DVD of pure A380 Majesty that would last for the next 140 minutes.The video quality is superb, and the camera angles are good. Switching between internal and external view is interesting.But once again, Pilotseye.tv videos seem to have a hidden policy of not going through deep cockpit demonstrations. And that is why I have given the product a 4-star rating. I would have even given it a 3-star rating but being the first A380 scheduled flight documentary, that pumped it up a bit.Despite the fact that the flight is over 10 hours with a total flight time of around 22 hours back and forth, there was no detailed pre-flight setup, dispatch information, etc. during the flight there must have been a chance to take the viewer through a journey around the cockpit demonstrating the similarities with other Airbus family aircrafts, as well as the innovation and state-of-art concepts in the A380. But there was almost none.Captain JR briefly mentions how the PFD and the ND can be swapped, something that exists in every modern airliner i've seen or been into the cockpit of. Then the Electronic Flight Bag deonstration is completely ignored.Details about the in-flight performance of an A380 isn't that much.The Overhead Panel looks the same as that of the A340, but the viewer would have loved a demonstration for that as well. None of the pilotseye.tv videos i've seen had such demonstrations.The volcanic ash procedure was an added value to the video, though. The approach briefing was quite good.The farewell parties and speeches were quite emotional, and I could feel Captain's JR sadness as he reaches the final station in his career journey and departs his career, as he stated: "Live your dream, don't dream your life". He lived his dream, and started every flight throughout his career with the same anticipation as he started on his first day.Again, the approach briefing into EDDF (Frankfurt) is missing.In conclusion, the DVD is of high-quality, and I hope that Pilotseye.Tv would consider more demontsrations like those found on "JustPlanes" videos.

First, i have to congratulate Amazon and Royal Mail for the quickness on this order. I'm from Brasil and i wasn't really shure that this one was going to reach final destination. I ordered by conventional shipping without tracking number due to cost (it would probably be taxed on arrival) so i took the risk... and the package arrived perfectly in one week. So, GREAT JOB to Amazon and the Brit Mail.About the video... i am a huge fan of PilotsEye's Youtube channel, an aviation enthusiast, and when i first saw the video about this 'giant' A380 i needed to take a closer look, since we don't have too much information about it yet. I bought this media expecting a lot of details from it, not about the pilot's routine (already known), but all about the plane itself...PROS- 1080p filming (thrilling images from north USA and Europe without any 'turbulence' from camera);- Lots of angles, external filming was wonderful;- English subtitles (thank God);- Detailed Pilot's routine;- Great guys on screen (i mean... you can notice the pleasure of JR and flight crew members working, it becomes clear the loss for the Airline retiring such a Pilot);- What a piece of equipment. When you're used to A320 take-offs like myself... this airplane reaches VR and you can almost 'feel' its weight from the video.CONS- For any unknown reason, media did not work on my old fat PS3, i had to watch on my notebook (it was up-to-date, before someone ask);- As i saw on Youtube's trailer, i expected the film to be a lot about JR's retirement and a little about the plane itself, but i was hopeful. Well... you can catch details of A380 if you look very close, pausing the film and rewinding sometimes. I think 'aviation' is the main theme, not the A380;- Too much camera changes (specially on landings). It was really annoying sometimes, when the plane reaches 1000ft and you expect to see Pilot's perspective with the instrument panel, and the scene cuts to outer view...Well, i was partially satisfied because i was looking for some detailed, almost technical, video. But i think it would be a very boring film for everyone else. If you are an aviation enthusiast, don't hesitate. This is one of the best videos about it. The quality is superb and you are simultaneously on external Heli, cockpit, ground, control tower... it's a must have.