Ask The Pilot

[Dmac6345]

jb, can you please explain the aircraft's lighting system.
AFAIK the red beacon operates when there is live power ?! The strobes are only used when crossing/on the runways and in the air. When are landing lights used (I gather for landing) eg: what height etc.
Also I have noticed the 787 has completely different lights than any other Boeing / Airbus lighting setup. They don't seem to flash (quickly) like previous. And certainly don't seem as bright.
One last question also, is the other day I saw a QF A333 at Melbourne that had a double flashing strobe on the l/h wing (normal) and a single flash on the r/h wing. Are there two different globes in the wingtips?

Thanks.

 

[jb747]

After a day in the 'office' are you more tired physically or mentally? Likewise after a period of leave do you find yourself more tired than usual?

Generally you're mentally dead after a sim exercise. Flights aren't normally as mind draining as the sim, but there the issue is the real loss of sleep due to the timing and length of flights. Even with bunks, I don't normally manage to get much sleep in flight. That's why at the end of long haul flights we try to keep the flying well within 'KISS'. Approaches you might feel happy to do after a good sleep and a short sector a ditched in favour of a nice long ILS.

 

[jb747]

jb, can you please explain the aircraft's lighting system.
AFAIK the red beacon operates when there is live power ?! The strobes are only used when crossing/on the runways and in the air. When are landing lights used (I gather for landing) eg: what height etc.
Also I have noticed the 787 has completely different lights than any other Boeing / Airbus lighting setup. They don't seem to flash (quickly) like previous. And certainly don't seem as bright.
One last question also, is the other day I saw a QF A333 at Melbourne that had a double flashing strobe on the l/h wing (normal) and a single flash on the r/h wing. Are there two different globes in the wingtips?

Nav lights (wing tip and tail) are turned on at night, and left on, whether in flight or parked.

Red beacon lights are on when the aircraft is being moved by a tug, or any time the engines are running.

Strobes are on at all times in flight, and on a runway.

Landing lights, and any other external lighting is turned on any time we're below 10,000'.

Some of the lights we use on the ground are covered once the gear is retracted, so they're turned off then.

The normal Airbus strobe is a double flash (Boeing is a single), so in the case you mention, I'd expect a light was U/S.

 

[Boris spatsky]

I have noticed the 787 has completely different lights than any other Boeing / Airbus lighting setup. They don't seem to flash (quickly) like previous.

Later model Boeing aircraft (787, C17 and 747-8) use the newer beacons that are LEDs rather than normal lights. Apparently they last much longer.

I have no idea why they don't flash anymore (rather, they seem to just alternate on/off at the same rate). I don't really like it.

 

[Dmac6345]

Later model Boeing aircraft (787, C17 and 747-8) use the newer beacons that are LEDs rather than normal lights. Apparently they last much longer.

I have no idea why they don't flash anymore (rather, they seem to just alternate on/off at the same rate). I don't really like it.

Me either. Actually I flew on a new QF 738 (the one with the new indigenous paint job) the other night, and they were nowhere near as bright and noticeable. Anyway, guess the LED's have been trialled and tested.

 

[petercr]

Typical LED life-times are in the vicinity of 25-50,000hrs (vs 1-2000hrs for incandescent lamps).

 

[james1]

Hi JB and thanks as always for your generous input to this thread. I am curious about how the law is applied when aircraft operate from, to and over different jurisdictions. For example, I think I read that the pilot assumes control once the aircraft door is closed and 'local' law as relevant to the aircraft's origin becomes enforceable? What are the limits to this and would this change again in the event of a diversion? Do such considerations impact flight planning at all? Thanks.

 

[mjt57]

JB, one of the papers had an article about "airline secrets", with gems such as the pilots eating different meals, how bleed air is used in the cabin and so on.

Dunno if you read it, but some of it looked a bit suss.

As for the separate meal eating, I take it that the captain gets first dibs on whatever is the tastier of the offerings...

 

[D747]

JB, has there ever a case of a departure having to taxi to the opposite end of a runway due to a wind change?

 

[Boris spatsky]

In short haul it is not uncommon. Happens a bit at BNE on 01/19 when the downwind component gets above about 5 knots.

Also happens at Sydney as their runway use is predicated on noise sharing provided the wind is ok - have been on taxi there recently when we were a little late off blocks. On the hour they changed to 07/25 and re-directed us (although normally they would tell you to expect this when talking to clearance delivery).

 

[Himeno]

Yesterday, SA286 (JNB-HKG) hit turbulence in Malaysian airspace leading to 28 injuries (25 pax, 3 crew), some serious requiring hospitalization. They continued to HKG.
Why wouldn't they have put down at KUL or SIN for medical treatment?

 

[jb747]

Hi JB and thanks as always for your generous input to this thread. I am curious about how the law is applied when aircraft operate from, to and over different jurisdictions. For example, I think I read that the pilot assumes control once the aircraft door is closed and 'local' law as relevant to the aircraft's origin becomes enforceable? What are the limits to this and would this change again in the event of a diversion? Do such considerations impact flight planning at all? Thanks.

Whilst you have control of the aircraft and all that it contains, laws still apply. In general, once in the air it's the laws of the country of registration, but you're also in someone's airspace, and some countries seem more accepting of that than others. Easy way to think about it is that if a national authority asks you to do something, then you do so, unless that would impact upon the safety of the aircraft.

With regard to diversions...whilst it would be nice to only ever consider aviation considerations, some countries have made the mistake of letting law enforcement and legal take over their accident bureaus. So in any incident, someone has to be guilty, and that's what they'll work towards, with little regard to actual accident investigation or prevention. So, if you have an aircraft issue, and any degree of choice, it would be better to end up in the UK rather than France, or Guam rather than Japan.

 

[jb747]

JB, has there ever a case of a departure having to taxi to the opposite end of a runway due to a wind change?

Occasionally, but not in recent years. We often calculate the data for both runway directions. Sometimes it's so critical that a slight wind change will make a runway unacceptable. So, if, for instance, there was a 30 knot (90º) crosswind on the main runway, we would have zero head/tail component. A slight wind direction change could throw up tailwind, and on long distance ops that's rarely acceptable.

 

[moa999]

Interesting I was on a short SIN-HKG flight where we were next in line. Freighter came in with lots of wobble and aborted.

Assume pilots then got word from tower to change direction.

We then taxied down the runway, did a 180 and then took off.

Assume this may have been a more sudden change is wind direction.

 

[jb747]

Yesterday, SA286 (JNB-HKG) hit turbulence in Malaysian airspace leading to 28 injuries (25 pax, 3 crew), some serious requiring hospitalization. They continued to HKG.
Why wouldn't they have put down at KUL or SIN for medical treatment?

I guess they had some sort of medical assistance/advice, and decided to continue based on that. Hard to say without any real knowledge of what happened and what the conditions were.

 

[Awesom Andy]

I guess they had some sort of medical assistance/advice, and decided to continue based on that. Hard to say without any real knowledge of what happened and what the conditions were.

I suppose unless there is an emergency of critical nature, it's probably best not to fly through that patch of air again in such a short time?

 

[Major]

Is AVV still used for touch and go training and is it normal for Australian airlines to take a big trainee group, such as this incident ?

Accident: Monarch A320 at Prestwick on Apr 10th 2013, rejected touch and go fails shock absorbers, autoflight and flight directors

 

[harvyk]

Is the saying “eight hours from bottle to throttle” or 18 hours from the bottle to throttle? I've always thought the general rule was 18 hours, but (and I should really learn never to trust a news limited site) news.com.au just published it as 8. Just curious which one it is.

 

[Boris spatsky]

Is AVV still used for touch and go training and is it normal for Australian airlines to take a big trainee group, such as this incident ?

Accident: Monarch A320 at Prestwick on Apr 10th 2013, rejected touch and go fails shock absorbers, autoflight and flight directors

I don't know of any jet RPT airlines in our region who train on the aircraft anymore. With Level D simulators, there really is no need to. ANA used to do it at Avalon but as far as i know, that ceased around 2001.

I don't understand why Monarch do it - expensive way of utilising the aircraft (high cycles, nil revenue).

My first RPT jet landing here in Oz was with paying passengers.

 

[Orca]

Is the saying “eight hours from bottle to throttle” or 18 hours from the bottle to throttle? I've always thought the general rule was 18 hours, but (and I should really learn never to trust a news limited site) news.com.au just published it as 8. Just curious which one it is.

The saying is certainly eight hours bottle to throttle but it's just that... A saying. Definitely not a rule these days and anyone (pilots, controllers etc.) that took it as such would be a goose.