Ask The Pilot

[mjt57]

Maximum daily flight time limits, duty limits, minimum rest periods, total hours in a week, a month, a year....all have to be considered.

Does that mean then, that you guys don't get "overtime" in the traditional sense? ie. get called up to cover an extra flight on your days off?

 

[Jamesl]

Hey there,

I'm a GHA and was wondering why in other countries, in particular - The America's, why they choose to tow an aircraft onto the bay instead of using NIGS etc.

 

[jb747]

Does that mean then, that you guys don't get "overtime" in the traditional sense? ie. get called up to cover an extra flight on your days off?

If you do additional flying, over and above what was on your roster, then you'll be paid for that. If an additional trip means that you can't do something that was planned, then you generally get the original planned pay. There are a number of provisos to that, but basically if you choose to do something, then you lose, but if the company assigns (i.e. you have no choice) then they pay for the gap.

Sometimes, if a roster change results in you losing planned hours, then you'll be 'pattern protected' up to the planned hours. That means you'll be paid, but it also makes you available to fly the work (i.e. you don't get it for free). You can choose to forgo the protection if you don't want to be available.

If a day is planned to be 5 hours long, but ends up at 11, then bad luck, there is nothing extra for that.

Overtime does exist on very long flights, with cutoffs at the 12 and 16 hour levels.

 

[jb747]

I'm a GHA and was wondering why in other countries, in particular - The America's, why they choose to tow an aircraft onto the bay instead of using NIGS etc.

Jet blast. LA is a good example. Most of the old bays that we use to park the 747 and the 380 have aircraft parked quite close behind them. Even at low power settings the blast from these aircraft can be damaging. The new bays there are taxi in.

Melbourne has a number of bays that are blast sensitive too, and on which you aren't allowed to apply any extra power get the aircraft moving if it happens to stop as you turn in (there is a lot of extra friction as we turn). So, if you stop you'll need a tug.

 

[Ansett]

Hi JB

Once again excellent and informative thread.. Do you have your roster for April yet as I will be doing qf9 once again on the 16th

 

[mjt57]

If you do additional flying, over and above what was on your roster, then you'll be paid for that.

Oh. OK.

My question was more in the line of you having fixed number of hours that you can work/fly a month. I'm guessing now, after your explanation, that rostered trips don't come to the max allowed a month?

Whoever your roster clerk is must have a doctorate in whatever degree that's required to manage such a complex personnel management system.

 

[jb747]

.. Do you have your roster for April yet as I will be doing qf9 once again on the 16th

New roster period is about to start. I don't have any 9s this time, but a couple of 1s and 10s and a 93/94. April 16th is yet another roster period away. I'm trying to get some leave for couple of weeks around then, as I hope to be moving into a new house.

Roster as it stand right now:

Currently in London
6/2 QF10 LHR DXB
8/2 QF10 DXB MEL

23/2 QF93 MEL LAX
24/2 QF94 LAX MEL

5/3 QF1 SYD DXB
8/3 QF1 DXB LHR
10/3 QF10 LHR DXB
12/3 QF10 DXB MEL
I'm currently trying to swap the above trip, and if that happens will do the same flights a day earlier.

25/3 QF1 SYD DXB
28/3 QF1 DXB LHR
30/3 QF10 LHR DXB
1/4 QF10 DXB MEL

The trip I'm on right now, was not part of my original roster, and was assigned to me at the last instant (replacing somebody upline), and removing me from the trip I was planned to be on. There's never anything really solid about a roster.

 

[jb747]

My question was more in the line of you having fixed number of hours that you can work/fly a month. I'm guessing now, after your explanation, that rostered trips don't come to the max allowed a month?

Whoever your roster clerk is must have a doctorate in whatever degree that's required to manage such a complex personnel management system.

It's extremely complex. Lots of computer involvement. The roster runs every couple of months take many hours, and I'm sure they aren't using a PC.

They have a set of buffers for all of the limits, so the rosters will normally have a couple of hours clearance from the bigger limits. But, once in play, the hours become dynamic, and it's possible that a pilot could run into one of them. Sometimes that will see him bumped off a sector, or perhaps a sector swap. Occasionally the addition of an additional crew member can invoke a different set of rules (i.e. on the two man crewed sectors between DXB and LHR). 100 hours in 30 days is one that is quite easy to hit.

 

[Jamesl]

Jet blast. LA is a good example. Most of the old bays that we use to park the 747 and the 380 have aircraft parked quite close behind them. Even at low power settings the blast from these aircraft can be damaging. The new bays there are taxi in.

Melbourne has a number of bays that are blast sensitive too, and on which you aren't allowed to apply any extra power get the aircraft moving if it happens to stop as you turn in (there is a lot of extra friction as we turn). So, if you stop you'll need a tug.

Many thanks, thought as much with the old TBIT. D3/4/5/6 are the ones your obviously talking about, boy don't the VN boys make a mess out of D6...

 

[Awesom Andy]

Sometimes, if a roster change results in you losing planned hours, then you'll be 'pattern protected' up to the planned hours.

Good to know that pilots also get their "original routing credits".

 

[legroom]

Hi JB,

Do air planes have windshield wipers ?

If yes, when can you use them ?

Why aren't they blown off the screen at the speed you are driving ?

Do they have a self cleaning function like ... a car ?

If they are dead, could you still fly or it is non-essential ?

Thanks for replying to all of these silly Qs.

 

[jb747]

Do air planes have windshield wipers ?

Yes. But it's not the only way to remove water. The A4G used bleed air.

If yes, when can you use them ?

You only need them on or near the ground. So, you may have them on for take off or landing in rain. Not much use at other times.

Why aren't they blown off the screen at the speed you are driving ?

Because they're designed not to...though I did have one actually fall off an aircraft once.

Do they have a self cleaning function like ... a car ?

No. If you want the windscreen cleaned, then get an engineer to do it.

If they are dead, could you still fly or it is non-essential ?

If it's not forecast to rain at either end of the flight, then yes with no restrictions. Otherwise, you can but with restrictions.

The wipers aren't a combined system like a car. The left and right wipers are totally separate, so one might be on with the other off. I use them quite rarely. If it exceeded 5 minutes per year I'd be surprised.

 

[AVC]

Do the big commercials or the the Air Force jets you flew ever use the polymer coatings so the water sheds off? It's great stuff above about 45kts.

 

[jb747]

Do the big commercials or the the Air Force jets you flew ever use the polymer coatings so the water sheds off? It's great stuff above about 45kts.

Macchi had nothing. Just go faster.

A4G had bleed air, so the glass never got wet at all.

All of the airliners shed water easily. They used to use rain repellant, until it was banned under some green rule. Worked really well though.

At any speed you either don't actually need to be looking out, or it sheds simply because of the air flow. 90% of the wiper use is on the runway during take off.

 

[harvyk]

With planes with yokes (so thinking here 747 / 767), do both pilots have their hands on the yokes during manual flying (eg take off / landing etc...)? Once autopilot takes over, are the yokes touched again or are they left to do their thing until it's time for the pilot / FO to land the plane?

 

[Happy Trails]

No. If you want the windscreen cleaned, then get an engineer to do it.

Do they then stand and glower at you until you hand over the spare coins from the ash tray?

 

[jb747]

With planes with yokes (so thinking here 747 / 767), do both pilots have their hands on the yokes during manual flying (eg take off / landing etc...)?

No, only one person will have his hand on the controls. Even if being 'lightly' held, the other pilot can always feel that he's being ghosted.

Once autopilot takes over, are the yokes touched again or are they left to do their thing until it's time for the pilot / FO to land the plane?

You always have your hand on the control column at lower levels (as it's flying a SID or approach), so that you're in a position to get rid of the autopilot if it does anything you don't like. In the cruise it makes a good armrest.

The yoke (and thrust levers) always move with any autopilot inputs, so even if you aren't looking, you can feel any inputs. Quite the opposite to Airbus, in which the sidesticks 'lock' when the autopilot is engaged.

 

[legroom]

Do they then stand and glower at you until you hand over the spare coins from the ash tray?

Apparently one of the windows in the coughpit could be opened (RdC, QF32) so coins could be given out.

Now, if it's $1-2 dollars for a car, what's the going rate for a 388 ?

 

[Awesom Andy]

Now, if it's $1-2 dollars for a car, what's the going rate for a 388 ?

I would guess that we might have to look at something like this... https://squareup.com/

 

[Major]

In this particular incident the ATSB talks about "dry microbursts" I assume a wet microburst would show up on their radar.

Accident: Network Aviation Australia F100 at Nifty on Oct 19th 2012, hard landing

What is the difference between windshear and micobursts ?