Ask The Pilot

[rechoboam]

I'm doing MEL-LAX on 13th October and it would be great to have a pilot familiar with Douglas Adams.
I have done my research and it looks like the approach is ELKEY then the controllers tell you to do an approach like SADDE through Ventura, Santa Monica and then intercept the ILS. Have been practising on X-plane. Does that sound familiar?
For the A380 is there a special standard departure out of Tullamarine?

 

[medhead]

Ah, you've been reading the spin.

And trying to put it into some context.

I guess that means that whole of airline averages are not really comparable unless the airlines have a similar operational profile. I assume that CX/SQ do not have significant domestic operations. :shock: So their averages would be higher due to more long haul flights.

 

[jb747]

Another B747 specific question, what exactly is the difference between Normal and Alternate modes with Elec Engine Control?
Is the difference notable when setting the thrust via the throttle quadrant?
Under what sort of situations would Alternate mode be used?

Easiest way to think of it, is that the FADEC controlled normal mode, is the smart mode. Limits are automatically obeyed. You can slam a thrust lever up (or down) and the engine should not misbehave. In alternate mode, you've taken away the smarts (and probably the autothrottle too), and the engine will no longer attempt to look after itself. Thrust is no longer automatically matched, so that the levers are likely to end up staggered (different engines achieving the desired power at different lever positions).

Alternate is used when the primary mode has failed. Some aircraft allow the use of engines in different modes, whilst others (the RR 747s if memory serves correctly) require that they all be in the same mode. Again, on some aircraft it is an allowed MEL item, whilst on others it's a no go. The FADECs didn't fail often, but I probably saw a couple of reversions whilst on the 744.

The same sort of system exists on the A380, although in that case it has three modes of operation.

 

[jb747]

I guess that means that whole of airline averages are not really comparable unless the airlines have a similar operational profile. I assume that CX/SQ do not have significant domestic operations. :shock: So their averages would be higher due to more long haul flights.

Well, it's the old story of statistics...you can make them say anything you like. If you took my July 2011 flying, and extrapolated it over a year, I'd fly about 1050 hours. On the other hand, if you use June, I'd fly 36. We don't know how they are calculating it, but I'd be extremely surprised if it is an apples and apples comparison.

If you look at a small fleet, like the A380, there's a very high percentage of training pilots and management. They virtually never fly. People doing rotating rosters are working (standby, sims) but are also not flying. A lot of extra people are being carried, because you need them to be trained before the aircraft arrive...you can't start afterwards. All of this distorts any comparison.

The company never works right up to the limit, simply because a downline disruption can leave them with pilots who have no available hours to legally fly. A year of flying, that includes the normal annual leave, and leaves a little margin to the limits (and remember that there are yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily, limits) will top out at around 780 hours. As I said before, for most of my time, I have not had full rosters of flying, and yet I've still been close to the limit on many occasions.

 

[el_rooto]

What is the story behind this flight that has been in the media?

Sky News: Qantas stands down engineer, pilot

 

[jb747]

What is the story behind this flight that has been in the media?

Sky News: Qantas stands down engineer, pilot

I don't want this thread to become an industrial one, so I'll answer the question, but if you want to discuss it further please start a new thread (or add it to one that already exists).

I'm no lawyer, but my understanding is that the various items that were approved by the industrial court for the PIA must all be enacted within 30 days for the approval to remain valid. But, they don't have to involve all of the union membership...all that is needed is for the union to notify the company, and then for one nominated person to carry it out. So, in this case, the Captain was nominated to exercise a 'work to rule, involving not offering any extensions past the rostered time limits' (or words to that effect).

A small percentage of flights have their tour of duty extend well beyond the planned. There are CASA limits to this, and extensions are quite specifically offered solely at the crew members discretion...the company has no right to expect them. The chances of this particular Captain needing to extend, on this particular flight would have to be a small fraction of a percent.

As it turned out, the flight on the PREVIOUS day was delayed by a flight control issue. The Captain was not rostered to have any involvement on that flight. His flight, was on time, and completed its journey on time. Nevertheless, he was stood down, basically locked out, simply because he was unwilling to extend beyond 14 hours of duty, on a flight that normally takes about 11.

As a general rule, I'm never willing to extend at the end of a flight. I normally will at the start, but at the end you will never be feeling well enough to safely operate.

Having had to sit in front of a board of inquiry, investigating something in which I made no errors...I cannot imagine how you would sit in front of them, after extending to the time limits, and then having had something go wrong. There is no way that fatigue would not play a part....

I have no idea about the engineer...

 

[richie9x]

How much difference is there flying a full plane vs half full plane vs empty plane? I understand there are different trim settings at takeoff based on the distribution of weight.
How common would it be to fly a jet empty or just with airline staff on board? I assume airlines would want to avoid this if possible, but sometimes it would be necessary.

How important is the centre gravity for a big jet? For example if all the passengers moved to the left of the plane, would it effect the handling of the plane? Or alternatively if everyone moved to the back of the plane?

 

[jb747]

How much difference is there flying a full plane vs half full plane vs empty plane? I understand there are different trim settings at takeoff based on the distribution of weight.

Not as much as you'd imagine, as the passengers only make up a very small percentage of the weight. If I flew the London Singapore sector with no passengers, the aircraft would weigh about 50 tonnes less than usual...that's only about 10%.

How common would it be to fly a jet empty or just with airline staff on board? I assume airlines would want to avoid this if possible, but sometimes it would be necessary.

Short ferries are quite common (Melbourne-Sydney), but long ones are rare. Though, having said that, I brought an empty A380 back around the middle of last year. Aftereffects of some disruption a couple of days beforehand.

Airline staff are not carried on these flights.

How important is the centre gravity for a big jet? For example if all the passengers moved to the left of the plane, would it effect the handling of the plane? Or alternatively if everyone moved to the back of the plane?

We move fuel from the tail tanks to the wing, 2 tonnes at a time. That's 20 people. That's enough to move the CofG by about 1%. So, one person would have no effect, but move 100, and I'd certainly notice. Do it at the wrong time, and the aircraft CofG could go beyond the limits.

 

[SenZubEanS]

I notice occasionally when watching FlightRadar24.com that an A380 ferries from MEL>SYD. Would you ever be called on to just fly that ferry flight or would you only fly that if you were then continuing on to SIN later in the day?

 

[jb747]

I notice occasionally when watching FlightRadar24.com that an A380 ferries from MEL>SYD. Would you ever be called on to just fly that ferry flight or would you only fly that if you were then continuing on to SIN later in the day?

Normally the timing of the ferry flights is such that the crew would not be able to legally continue on to either the USA or SIN. You certainly could do SYD-MEL-SIN, but I haven't seen them plan that on the A380. The other way though, MEL-SIN is regularly planned at the end of the LAX-MEL, in which case they've had a night's sleep in Melbourne, or at the end of SIN-MEL, in which case it's just a long night.

Most of the time though, ferries tend to be pretty much ad hoc, only being planned a couple of days out..in which case they're just allocated as stand alone flights.

Training/checking tend to grab a lot of them, as shorter trips on which route checks can be quickly done, are hard to come by on the 380.

 

[QF029]

Short ferries are quite common (Melbourne-Sydney), but long ones are rare. Though, having said that, I brought an empty A380 back around the middle of last year. Aftereffects of some disruption a couple of days beforehand.

Airline staff are not carried on these flights.

Hi JB. What do you do for food and drinks on such a long haul flight?

 

[jb747]

Hi JB. What do you do for food and drinks on such a long haul flight?

On longer ferry flights they put a single cabin crew member onto the flight, and there will be some sort of catering (meals depending upon the flight duration, coffee, tea, water, etc). Of course they're really there, not to look after us, but to keep an eye on the cabin, and those systems that are powered up.

Shorter flights...we make the coffee ourselves, though on a MEL-SYD ferry, there's unlikely to be any catering on board.

 

[jb747]

I'm going to be disappearing into the bush for the next 10 days or so. No internet, phone....so questions posted in that period will have to wait until I return to 'civilisation'.

 

[markis10]

I'm going to be disappearing into the bush for the next 10 days or so. No internet, phone....so questions posted in that period will have to wait until I return to 'civilisation'.

Sounds like the pilots go for a C check just like OQD (no QF32 today)

 

[NM]

I'm going to be disappearing into the bush for the next 10 days or so. No internet, phone....so questions posted in that period will have to wait until I return to 'civilisation'.

Enjoy your break, and thanks again for your contributions to this thread. I am sure there will be plenty of questions awaiting your return.

 

[cosi]

JB - Hope you enjoyed your break in the wilderness.

Can pilots get life insurance policies?

 

[straitman]

Can pilots get life insurance policies?

Yes they can but there can be limitiations depending upon the type of flying and the risk factors involved.

 

[rechoboam]

JB - Hope you enjoyed your break in the wilderness.

Can pilots get life insurance policies?

I'll wait for the pilot to answer but what are you implying? I can't think of many jobs safer than being a 747 pilot.

 

[mannej]

I'll wait for the pilot to answer but what are you implying? I can't think of many jobs safer than being a 747 pilot.

That is a bit of a generalisation.

 

[QF WP]

Qantas pilots should get an automatic level of Death & TPD covet through the Qantas Superannuation Fund (as the Employer Choice of Super fund). The insurer to the fund will know the risk factors and have priced the premiums accordingly.

Alternatively, they may access Group Insurance through a Broker, who may have gone to specialist insurers (re-insurers) to obtain cover.

Don't know of many insurers who will underwrite personal cover