Ask The Pilot

[Skyhigh777]

JB, any chance you'll be filming a video of a Dubai arrival/departure in the future? Would be interesting to see.

thanks.

 

[jb747]

JB, any chance you'll be filming a video of a Dubai arrival/departure in the future? Would be interesting to see.

I haven't been there yet, but I'll certainly look at it at some point. Probably not the first couple of trips though.

 

[Major]

If you were flying the SIN-MEL leg, what sort of reserve fuel would you end up with ?

Also if there was a last minute problem at MEL would your alternate be SYD and are you required to carry emergency fuel as well as sufficient for any diversion ?

 

[docjames]

If you were flying the SIN-MEL leg, what sort of reserve fuel would you end up with ?

Also if there was a last minute problem at MEL would your alternate be SYD and are you required to carry emergency fuel as well as sufficient for any diversion ?

On that vein, how limited is OPS to SYD or MEL from DXB - do you take a payload restriction to ensure adequate fuel+reserves, or is it possible at max pax/cargo loading to carry sufficient fuel? How does DXB-SYD or DXB-MEL compare restriction wise to LAX-MEL?

You may not be able to answer this until you've done a few sectors of course....

 

[GladstoneTim]

Just following a VA 737 flight on Flightaware. Routing BNE- CNS it does a sharp dog leg and loop of the coast near MCY. Can you think of a reason for this?

 

[jb747]

Just following a VA 737 flight on Flightaware. Routing BNE- CNS it does a sharp dog leg and loop of the coast near MCY. Can you think of a reason for this?

Weather?.......

 

[jb747]

If you were flying the SIN-MEL leg, what sort of reserve fuel would you end up with ?

What's the weather like?

Legally, I need to finish the landing roll with 30 minutes of fuel left (to dry tanks). I'll have about a tonne allocated for the approach. Fuel for the cruise and descent will have been part of the flight plan. A variable amount, basically 10% of the fuel to go somewhere will have been loaded, to a max of 5 tonnes. That may end up being consumed in flight. ATC may have added some holding of their own (generally 10 to 20 minutes) and again that may be fully consumed.

It's a myth that airliners always have an alternate.

Also if there was a last minute problem at MEL would your alternate be SYD and are you required to carry emergency fuel as well as sufficient for any diversion ?

There is no such thing as emergency fuel. If there is a last minute hassle at the destination, there is almost certainly no requirement to have fuel to go to any alternate. In the case of Melbourne, Avalon isn't far.

 

[markis10]

Just following a VA 737 flight on Flightaware. Routing BNE- CNS it does a sharp dog leg and loop of the coast near MCY. Can you think of a reason for this?

Looks like a standard SID to me, tracking to VERRY heading 016 degrees, at VERRY then tracking to TRIKKI then a direct to CNS

https://www.airservicesaustralia.com/aip/current/dap/BBNDP02-134.pdf

Virgin Australia (DJ) #785

 

[GladstoneTim]

Thanks for that but the image I had had the aircraft doing a complete circle.

Looks like a standard SID to me, tracking to VERRY heading 016 degrees, at VERRY then tracking to TRIKKI then a direct to CNS

https://www.airservicesaustralia.com/aip/current/dap/BBNDP02-134.pdf

Virgin Australia (DJ) #785

 

[jb747]

On that vein, how limited is OPS to SYD or MEL from DXB - do you take a payload restriction to ensure adequate fuel+reserves, or is it possible at max pax/cargo loading to carry sufficient fuel? How does DXB-SYD or DXB-MEL compare restriction wise to LAX-MEL?

You may not be able to answer this until you've done a few sectors of course....

You really can't ever carry max cargo and passengers. Same for fuel. Add all the max loads together and you'll have a total weight that is well above max allowed. I can't see any of these sectors being too limiting. There are a number of airport options in close proximity to Dubai (probably better options than Singapore had). Coming home, the winds across Australia should help, so neither should be anywhere near as much of a problem as LA can be. Adelaide might get the occasional visit perhaps.

 

[Alanslegal]

As I am at home sick with the cold - browsing YT and who knows what - I see this Eeeeeeek 380 having an aborted landing. Any guess on what was the cause?

A380 Touch and Go (Aborted Landing) Manchester Airport July 11th 2012 - YouTube

 

[markis10]

Nice long float !

 

[jb747]

As I am at home sick with the cold - browsing YT and who knows what - I see this Eeeeeeek 380 having an aborted landing. Any guess on what was the cause?

A380 Touch and Go (Aborted Landing) Manchester Airport July 11th 2012 - YouTube

Landing in a strong crosswind isn't easy.

Looks like he's overrotated in the flare, touching down but then immediately skipping (NOT bouncing) back into the air. That gives him a long float. In the meantime the crosswind would be trying to push him off the runway. Giving it away is a very sensible response.

 

[Skyhigh777]

Sorry if this is a noob question, but do all the turbines on multi-engine aircraft rotate in the same direction? IE, all clockwise, or all anti-clockwise, or do they rotate opposite on opposite wings to counteract any uneven centripecal force?

Also, does the centripecal force of a spinning turbine have much affect on the handling characteristics of a plane? Is there a noticble difference in control with the engines at high RPM vs low RPM?

 

[jb747]

Sorry if this is a noob question, but do all the turbines on multi-engine aircraft rotate in the same direction? IE, all clockwise, or all anti-clockwise, or do they rotate opposite on opposite wings to counteract any uneven centripecal force?

All of the engines on any given aircraft will rotate the same way. There is no particular reason for them to rotate in either direction, though I suspect a bit of engineering habit would come into play and make one direction more prevalent than the other. A modern engine will be multi spooled. That means that there are at least two, and sometime three pairings of compressor and turbine sections, each joined by a shaft (so shafts within shafts). The GEs are twin spool, and the RRs triple. As far as I know, all of the spools will also rotate in the same direction, though I think the Trent is an exception to this...and if I recall correctly, there were lots of bearing issues in initial development because of this decision.

Some general gas turbine info here: Gas turbine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also, does the centripecal force of a spinning turbine have much affect on the handling characteristics of a plane? Is there a noticble difference in control with the engines at high RPM vs low RPM?

Centrifugal effects don't come into play in jet aircraft, although they can be evident in piston engines, in particular the very early ones, such as the one in the WWI Fokker Triplane. A friend who flew a replica told me that it was very easy to turn it one way, and very hard to go the other.... The rotating flow from propellors also has noticeable (but easily controlled) effects.

 

[mjt57]

Centrifugal effects don't come into play in jet aircraft, although they can be evident in piston engines, in particular the very early ones, such as the one in the WWI Fokker Triplane. A friend who flew a replica told me that it was very easy to turn it one way, and very hard to go the other.... The rotating flow from propellors also has noticeable (but easily controlled) effects.

Remember reading about this, might've been Reach For The Sky (Douglas Bader bio) about how easy some of these aircraft were so easy to flick over to one side in dogfighting but harder to turn the other way.

And when Bader flew his first jet, a Gloster Meteor, his first impressions were how he didn't have to give it heaps of rudder to counter the prop rotation on takeoff.

 

[andmiz]

All of the engines on any given aircraft will rotate the same way.

For clarity's sake, this is incorrect. Some piston engines are designed to rotate the opposite direction, in the case of counter-rotating props, this removes the critical engine when considering asymmetric thrust.

 

[Skyhigh777]

I think JB was referring to turbines.

 

[straitman]

I think JB was referring to turbines.

He was.

For clarity's sake, this is incorrect. Some piston engines are designed to rotate the opposite direction, in the case of counter-rotating props, this removes the critical engine when considering asymmetric thrust.

Andrewmizzi,

Welcome to AFF.

Also for clarity's sake the discussion here is primarily with reference to passenger jet aircraft. Having said that though could you please give some examples of what you have just said.

 

[jb747]

There have been all sorts of oddball configurations...most of which belong a long way in the past.

i can't see how it could possibly remove the 'critical engine' from the equation, though it would have the effect of making them equally critical.

And we are also now talking about pistons and propellers, a mix long gone from the international flight line.