Fuji Dream Airlines (FDA) held the “FDA Fan Meeting at Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport” on February 2. The fan meeting, which first took place on March 5, 2023, was held for the fourth time. Previously, it was held at Aichi Prefecture’s Nagoya Airfield (Komaki Airport), but this time, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Shizuoka Airport’s opening, it was held in Shizuoka, the founding site of FDA, for the first time.
From a total of 220 applicants, 35 groups, totaling 69 people, who overcame a competition rate of about 6.3 times, participated in the event. Commemorating the fourth event, the dress code was set as “Green,” the aircraft color of the retired fourth aircraft (Embraer 170, registration: JA04FJ) which retired in 2024. Participants, as well as FDA staff, gathered at the airport dressed in green clothing and items, such as jackets and scarves. Among them was a mechanic dressed in kappa cosplay with green face paint.
The event was composed of three parts: the Hangar Section, the Airport Section, and the Scenic Flight. In the first part, the Hangar Section, participants were greeted by the rose pink 15th aircraft (Embraer 175, registration: JA15FJ). Participants enjoyed explanations about the aircraft from a mechanic and visited the cockpit. Each seat in the cabin was equipped with headrest covers illustrated and messaged by staff from each airport and department.
A goods sales booth was set up in one corner of the hangar. The highlight product was a keychain made in the image of the nose gear door of the 4th aircraft. It was crafted from the fuselage panel of the 4th aircraft, and the processing was commissioned to a manufacturer in Gifu Prefecture, which manufactures flap parts for Embraer aircraft. Additionally, surplus items such as the torque tube of the flap, inspection panel of the vertical tail, and anti-collision lights of the 4th aircraft were sold in an auction format and drew attention.
▲SKE48 member, Aira Suzuki, known for her love of airplanes
Moreover, the event featured a special guest, Aira Suzuki from the idol group “SKE48,” who appeared in the third generation cabin crew uniform, newly introduced in September 2024. A known airplane enthusiast, Suzuki surprisingly revealed that she initially planned to participate in the event privately with her mother, expressing her joy by saying, “I couldn’t believe I was invited as a guest. I’m so happy.”
▲ At the message writing corner on the aircraft, Suzuki wrote “Thank you always for the wonderful flights!” with a pink pen
Suzuki expressed her fondness for FDA’s colorful aircraft, saying, “There’s an exciting sense of not knowing what color it will be until the day of boarding,” showcasing her “FDA love.” Her favorite aircraft among the fleet is the light blue 2nd aircraft (Embraer 170, registration: JA02FJ), which corresponds to her image color within the group.
The second part, the Airport Section, consisted of an aviation class and a bus tour of the restricted area by the mechanics. The aviation class featured a quiz competition guessing the prices of parts for the Embraer aircraft operated by FDA, shocking the audience when it was revealed that a single turbine blade costs about 3 million yen. The bus tour featured a lap around the peri-track, with explanations on specialized equipment such as the Instrument Landing System (ILS) that guides landing aircraft onto the runway and the VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR/DME) that provides azimuth and distance information to aircraft, as well as unique facilities like animal trap systems, a special feature of Shizuoka Airport, which was built by clearing mountains.
After a lunch break, the afternoon featured a scenic flight to view Mt. Fuji on a charter flight. Despite the initially gloomy skies due to a low-pressure system approaching from the south, the weather gradually improved as the flight time approached.
▲ On this day, FDA employees also participated with nicknames for “full enjoyment.” The onboard announcement for the scenic flight introduced the crew as “Captain Tomokun,” “Co-pilot Kassy,” “Cabin Head Gakkie,” and “Rika-chan.”
The scenic flight used the 15th aircraft that also appeared in the morning’s Hangar Section. Flight number JH3776, named after Mt. Fuji’s altitude, departed Spot 5 at 2:24 PM. It took off from RWY12 in a “rocket start,” accelerating rapidly as the brakes were released after full engine power was applied.
After takeoff, the flight first cleared the Suruga Bay, heading north towards Mt. Fuji from near the mouth of the Fujikawa River, maintaining a lower than usual altitude of about 5,000 meters. As Mt. Fuji emerged from the sea of clouds and approached the right window, participants were completely captivated by its presence. To ensure views from both sides of the aircraft, the scenic flight circled the west side of Mt. Fuji twice, before returning to Shizuoka Airport at 3:26 PM. Participants received headrest covers with messages from FDA staff as souvenirs and left satisfied.
▲Aira Suzuki appearing in the third generation cabin crew uniform (second from the left)
▲Participants wearing frog headwear due to the green dress code
▲Parent and child receiving a galley explanation from cabin crew
▲Messages from FDA staff on the headrest cover
▲Participant writing a message on the 15th aircraft’s body at the message corner
▲Messages written on the 15th aircraft
▲Keychain made from the body panel of the 4th aircraft, a highlight at the goods sales booth
▲Boy receiving an explanation about the turbine blade
▲Participants taking photos and videos of Mt. Fuji during the scenic flight
▲Cabin crew interacting with participants during the scenic flight
▲Cabin crew interacting with participants after the scenic flight
▲Presenting participants with message-laden headrest covers as souvenirs
▲Some featured intricate illustrations
▲Commemorative photo with a “4” pose
Notice
This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
