Flew quite a lot when I was younger (8 to 16) and used to draw a picture of the plane for the pilot. This generally resulted an invite 'up front' to the jump seat.

Best flight was the whole way Auckland to Wellington in the jump seat, right up to final approach. Past Mt Taranaki etc. amazing. Air New Zealand 737-200

Also had the pilot let me turn the autopilot dial around a thunder cloud and back again on an Air New Zealand 767 between Auckland and Tahiti.

Flew on an Aeroflot Tu-154 from Heathrow to St Petersburg and it was a bit like a 'clown plane'. It didn't have overhead lockers but a shelf like a coach, I put my bag on the shelf and the lights / air con bit fell down and ended up dangling by a wire - my friends and I just tried to clip it back in, but it fell down again on take off. Flight was uneventful until landing when ALL the seat backs of empty seats (maybe half the plane) all fell forward like dominoes - not good!

'Cash for Business Class' upgrade in a Cubana rented 747 was another strange one...

Etihad First Class gives you your own little cabin with a decent amount of space and really nice (for inside an aircraft) bed.

It's still not a fully enclosed cabin though. More like a posh cubicle. Is there some sort of regulation preventing full height walls/enclosures and cabins on a plane?

Singapores A380 upper first has higher walls, but alas, it's just a posh cubicle, too. There are a raft of reasons for this; the fact that aircraft furnishings move around relative to each other, and the fuselage has an element of flex, any fore-aft fixture which goes from floor to ceiling will move around,bend and creek no end. Given that on SIA's upper first, the walls are high enough for you to have some control over the lighting settings in your suite, I can't see how it would be more comfortable to be 'more enclosed'.

There's also additional weight, the need for passengers to be easily checked upon, undoubtedly a load of boring evacuation/elf n safety....

The 777 crew rest bunks are 'enclosed' because they are above the passenger cabin, with the mattresses about 2 ft from the ceiling. Lovely as they are compared toother aircrafts crew facilities, you'd rather be in first!

May I suggest a private jet?!

In all seriousness, though, as wonderful as some of these new first class suites are, the design of the more innovative premium airline business class seats will offer nigh-on the same levels of sleep comfort. They can be extremely clever, in how they provide privacy and comfort, particularly when reclined. I don't frequent first class, but when I do, I find myself no better rested than in a decent biz seat. Sure, the service and food are a notch up, and you'll get some snazzy PJs out of it, but really, at what cost?!

Couple of years back I checked an on-line website for flights UK to New York, at Xmas. I clicked the 'prices - high to low' button.

Highest price was £17,000 on British Airways!!!!!!

I have NO idea what you got for your money, but I'd hope for one of them private cubicles shown above, plus pickup at home in a limo, plus free sex with any hostess you wanted, free drinks, gourmet food etc etc etc.

Ah, I've had one of those seats.
Of course, being a short-arse I could stretch flat. My colleague at 6ft 9in wasn't so lucky!

Many years ago (well before 9/11) I was bparding an internal flight at Inverness airport, and just threw on my work coat before leaving for the airport. The day before I had been doing some fencing, and in the pockets I had some large fencing staples, a couple of nails and some pliers.

They showed up at security, and I explained why they were there. I was allowed on the plane with them still in my pocket......

Try that nowadays!

So somehow the pilot can cause a hijack risk? I think I'll just walk next time.

But surely the risk is obvious, that pilots could take weapons through security and then pass them onto passengers who board other planes and commit terrorist acts?

Y'see.... Peasantry will get you nowhere.

I must say, I was fortunate enough to visit a company in France, who are the world leaders in turning airliners into Arab playthings, and some of the equipment being compiled was bloody astonishing.

I reckon you could justify it using the age old adage "you can't fly a house". I believe it was Gandhi who said that.

Get on with it.