Ask The Pilot

[oz_mark]

I never said it was an Australian Airline...
It was AirNZ... (Not Ansett , only ever did 2 flights with them, a B737 and a BAe146)
It was a flight from RAR to AKL...

I did wonder about the assumption of an Australian airline, but Ansett did have both types.

 

[jb747]

This does pose a question, I half expect that the change of equip was due to the massive headwinds across the pacific, which added an hour onto our flight time (Made a 4.5 hour flight a 5.5 hour flight) could this be a reason for the change? (I realise I'm asking you to take guesses on details you don't know)

Perhaps. The 767 (especially the -300) has surprisingly long legs. Alternatively, perhaps it was just a bigger than usual load? Or they were short of A320s? I don't have any idea about just how flexible the A320s are with regard to weight and fuel loadings. Looking at the Airbus site, it doesn't seem that outright range would be an issue at all....what was the weather like?

 

[harvyk]

Perhaps. The 767 (especially the -300) has surprisingly long legs. Alternatively, perhaps it was just a bigger than usual load? Or they were short of A320s? I don't have any idea about just how flexible the A320s are with regard to weight and fuel loadings. Looking at the Airbus site, it doesn't seem that outright range would be an issue at all....what was the weather like?

The weather at RAR was clear, the weather in AKL was very wet (although I don't remember any wind), along the way there where a few bumps (the cap't kept the seatbelt sign on for a very long time after leaving RAR)... I remember looking at the map channel a few different times on the PTV and it said we where only doing around the 750km/h mark It didn't get much higher than that the entire flight... The cap't did make special comment during the welcome aboard announcement that an hour was added onto our flight time due to the headwinds along the way...

 

[simongr]

Any thoughts on AA's move to electronic versions of paper maps:

Switching To iPad Pilot Charts Could Save American Airlines $1.2MM A Year | Cult of Mac

When American Airlines announced that they were planning on phasing out the paper in-flight charts in the coughpit in favor of the iPad, some of us smelled a PR maneuver. How could a couple of breakable $500 tablets in each plane be cheaper or easier than just printing out some maps?

As it turns out, though, paper’s heavy… and merely by switching to the iPad in every plane, American Airlines could save up to $1.2 million every year in fuel costs alone.

 

[Major]

With the recent winds up to 90km / hr and gusting higher at ADL/MEL, what is the airline's policy on max wind allowed for take offs and landings ?

Also how does this vary per aircraft type ?

 

[drex]

I've heard it, sounds a bit like a barking dog.

Much better description than what I came up with.

I google PTU and sure enough Barking Dog / A320 clips came up on Youtube.

Thanks for the explanation guys.

 

[jb747]

Any thoughts on AA's move to electronic versions of paper maps:

Switching To iPad Pilot Charts Could Save American Airlines $1.2MM A Year | Cult of Mac

When American Airlines announced that they were planning on phasing out the paper in-flight charts in the coughpit in favor of the iPad, some of us smelled a PR maneuver. How could a couple of breakable $500 tablets in each plane be cheaper or easier than just printing out some maps?

As it turns out, though, paper’s heavy… and merely by switching to the iPad in every plane, American Airlines could save up to $1.2 million every year in fuel costs alone.

I've got all of the charts that I need on an iPad (though they can only be used for study, not in flight), and the way it displays them, even in a reader that is not dedicated to the job, is just excellent. Whilst the iPad was not designed for the purpose, it works a treat, and it's quite fair to say that the end result is better than paper (the paper manuals, in total, would have to weigh 20 kgs).

The problem with this is that the iPad is not the only form of electronic charts, and not all work as neatly. Some aren't even close to being as good as the paper charts they replace, and in that case their use is driven solely by the $. I think it's reasonable to expect this sort of change produces a product that is at least as good as whatever it replaces, and some don't come close.

 

[jb747]

With the recent winds up to 90km / hr and gusting higher at ADL/MEL, what is the airline's policy on max wind allowed for take offs and landings ?

Also how does this vary per aircraft type ?

The manufacturers impose crosswind limits, and also limits for opening doors. Tail winds are also limited. Headwinds are only limited with regard to automatic landings.

Airlines do treat the limits differently. Boeing, on the 747, give recommended limits, but also detailed the maximum demonstrated (i.e. the worst the test pilots could find when they went to Iceland (which is where the crosswind testing all seems to be done, and where those youtube videos come from). We always treated the recommended as being the absolute limit. But, talking to a pilot with another airline, and he informed me that they consider all of their pilots to be at least as good as the Boeing test pilots, so they use up to the maximum demonstrated....that did surprise me, as I don't consider this mob to be much chop, but hey, maybe I'm a wimp. Or perhaps he was joking.

In round figures though, airliners will be limited to roughly 35 knots of crosswind on a dry runway, and about 25 on a wet runway. It varies by a few knots in either direction by type.

 

[awilcockson]

Any thoughts on AA's move to electronic versions of paper maps:

Hope they are going to be turned off during take off and descent to arrival

Going to make it interesting for them to read the departure/approach plates though!

 

[anat0l]

Nevertheless, I'd expect that just about every laptop that is turned on in flight has both bluetooth and wifi turned on (in fact we were recently asked for the aircraft password, as somebody wanted to log on to the internal system!!!!)

They might be Americans, since it is possible on flights in USA domestic now to have in-flight wifi.

 

[jb747]

They might be Americans, since it is possible on flights in USA domestic now to have in-flight wifi.

I didn't follow up with the who. The network is there, but it's for the engineers (at the moment anyway). I really don't need somebody in the cabin doing a reboot of the aircraft!

 

[rechoboam]

After my Kindle failed 1 hr into my last flight leaving me with the Pacific to look at I don't know how confident I would be about the iPads. I can just imagine now the call going out for someone to donate an iPad to the coughpit...

 

[Jobu]

JB, on each of the engines on the A380 are two panels at the top that seem to change colour. They seem to start off as silver on the ground and seem to turn black in the sky. Just an optical illusion?

Also, there are small fins with the words "Do Not Grab" on the engines, which seem to create the slip stream of air over the wings which becomes visible on take-off / landing (at least in humid conditions) - what are these for?

Cheers

 

[Jobu]

To make you feel a bit more at home

Airbus A380 - coughpit | p a n o r e p o r t a g e | © g i l l e s v i d a l

 

[samh004]

I didn't follow up with the who. The network is there, but it's for the engineers (at the moment anyway). I really don't need somebody in the cabin doing a reboot of the aircraft!

I would hope that access to said network would require more than a password! :-|

After my Kindle failed 1 hr into my last flight leaving me with the Pacific to look at I don't know how confident I would be about the iPads. I can just imagine now the call going out for someone to donate an iPad to the coughpit...

I'd imagine the upas would only run the mapping app and there'd be a place to charge it nevertheless.

 

[jb747]

After my Kindle failed 1 hr into my last flight leaving me with the Pacific to look at I don't know how confident I would be about the iPads. I can just imagine now the call going out for someone to donate an iPad to the coughpit...

I don't know how AA are doing their trial, but I'd imagine that they still have some paper charts. And I'd also expect that they carry a spare iPad or two. I don't see that as being any less reliable than the laptop based system that is in the 380, and it would certainly be dramatically more usable.

Your iPad wouldn't be much use...unless you happen to carry all of the Jeppesen documents on it.

 

[jb747]

I'd imagine the iPads would only run the mapping app and there'd be a place to charge it nevertheless.

All an iPad would be required to do would be to run something like Goodreader, so that you can read the charts. It's just a book. But a book that is a centimeter thick and weighs, what, a kilo. The real books are about 80 cm thick in total, and contain thousands of pages, and must weigh at least 20 kgs. And there are two complete sets of them

Charging wouldn't be an issue. And you don't need it to run any mapping software...

 

[jb747]

JB, on each of the engines on the A380 are two panels at the top that seem to change colour. They seem to start off as silver on the ground and seem to turn black in the sky. Just an optical illusion?

There are a couple of dark panels on the pylon. Is that what you mean? They don't change colour.

Also, there are small fins with the words "Do Not Grab" on the engines, which seem to create the slip stream of air over the wings which becomes visible on take-off / landing (at least in humid conditions) - what are these for?

They're on all of the A380 engines, inboard side only. They're also on the 767, but not, if I recall correctly, on the identical 747 engines. I'll have to ask to see if there is a definite answer around, but I'd expect they're there to help control the airflow around the pylon, and slats, and so reduce vibration.

 

[oz_mark]

Also, there are small fins with the words "Do Not Grab" on the engines, which seem to create the slip stream of air over the wings which becomes visible on take-off / landing (at least in humid conditions) - what are these for?

IIRC, they are called strakes - and come from the DC10 days. There were flow issues at high angles of attack due to the nacelle - the strake is effectively a vortex generator.

 

[GOONER]

Brillant Thread, Many thanks to JB747!!!

I've read from start to finish, best thread i've seen on a forum for quite sometime.

Cheers
Steve