Ask The Pilot

[jb747]

Speaking of fuel management, saw this article in the Oz, today...

Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian

If the blurb can be believed they look like scrutinising how pilots manage their in-flight ops in order to get better fuel economies.

Wonder how this will work...

It's behind a paywall.

 

[Major]

Could this incident have been caused by a sudden gust of wind ?

Incident: Mesa CRJ9 at McAllen on Sep 29th 2015, wing tip strike on landing

 

[mjt57]

It's behind a paywall.

Sorry.

Here's the copied text of <part of> the article.

Qantas will centralise its fuel programs and use cutting-edge software to boost fuel efficiency to industry-leading levels.
The airline this week signed an agreement to use GE Aviation’s Flight Efficiency Services to help monitor, analyse and modify its fuel use as well as design Required Navigation Performance procedures at airports across its network.
Qantas head of environment and fuel Alan Milne said the airline was also pulling together fuel efficiency programs in separate business units into one central team within the corporate area.

“One of the reasons we’re doing that is to ensure we’re sharing all the benefits across the air operator certificates appropriately — we’re not working in our little business units and it’s a closed shop,’’ he said.
“We’re going to make sure that happens and, we’ve got to be brutally honest here, there’s going to be level of oversight that we haven’t had before as well to hold the AOCs accountable for the delivery of these fuel savings.’’

<redacted due to copywrite>

 

[jb747]

Speaking of fuel management, saw this article in the Oz, today...

Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian

If the blurb can be believed they look like scrutinising how pilots manage their in-flight ops in order to get better fuel economies.

Wonder how this will work...

As mentioned there are many small savings, such as delaying APU start until just before reaching the gate. Minimising reverse thrust use has savings both with regard to engine wear and also fuel, but needs to be balanced against increased brake wear. Consideration of savings across an entire airline company as a whole avoids the silliness of one division making a small saving by forcing a larger cost onto another division (an example might be terminals not making ground power available so that they save on electricity, but so forcing engineering to run a ground power cart, or operations the APU).

As far as in flight operations are concerned it will make no difference whatsoever, unless they indulge in retrospective fuel ordering. As aircraft don't go on joy flights now, but fly the most direct routes, as permitted by ATC, the weak link is ATC. It doesn't matter how many minutes (and fuel) I can save in flight, ATC can, and do, throw it away without regard as a flight nears its destination. Their priority is spacing, and they don't even start to look at it until a couple of hundred (or even closer) miles out, at which point losing time is easy but expensive. Doing so over many hours is almost free in fuel burn terms.

Retrospective fuel ordering...that's when they look at the fuel you landed with, and think, wow, that's a lot, obviously they didn't need it, otherwise it would have been burnt. Many times the fact that you have X amount of holding, or diversion fuel, simply means that you are able to continue. You don't have to carry out the procedure you ordered it for, but you need the ability to do so. I'd be happy to retrospectively order fuel so that the engines shut themselves down from fuel starvation as we parked...but sadly I have to plan for the future, not the past.

 

[jb747]

Could this incident have been caused by a sudden gust of wind ?

Incident: Mesa CRJ9 at McAllen on Sep 29th 2015, wing tip strike on landing

Whilst a gust of wind could cause a substantial roll, the weather conditions in the report a basically calm. Seems like a nice day. If anyone feels like scrolling through Flightradar 24, it would be interesting to see what the landing before was, and how much separation there was. Wake can give a nasty roll at any time.

 

[juddles]

jb, a small but bizarre (to me) question:

How does aircraft ventilation/cabin airflow work? I was on a flight yesterday (an A320 BOG-CUN), seated in the first row, when all of a sudden a stench of someone's bowell troubles came through the overhead vent. It was appalling - it smelt like we were being directly piped air from the lavatory. How does this happen?? Why on earth can't air from the toilet go somewhere else??

 

[jb747]

How does aircraft ventilation/cabin airflow work? I was on a flight yesterday (an A320 BOG-CUN), seated in the first row, when all of a sudden a stench of someone's bowell troubles came through the overhead vent. It was appalling - it smelt like we were being directly piped air from the lavatory. How does this happen?? Why on earth can't air from the toilet go somewhere else??

It normally does, but I guess some personal problems can overwhelm any engineering.

 

[juddles]

sorry jb, but that is funny but not an answer (btw, not expecting a pilot to understand every single pipe on the plane )

air should NOT be taken from the toilets and piped to the cabin - but it is clear this is the case? Why on earth???

 

[jb747]

sorry jb, but that is funny but not an answer (btw, not expecting a pilot to understand every single pipe on the plane )

air should NOT be taken from the toilets and piped to the cabin - but it is clear this is the case? Why on earth???

It isn't. But, air is recirculated from outside the toilet, in the cabin, and the toilet door isn't proof against something that is virulent enough. When you're at home, even with an exhaust fan, some smells just travel.

 

[juddles]

It isn't. But, air is recirculated from outside the toilet, in the cabin, and the toilet door isn't proof against something that is virulent enough. When you're at home, even with an exhaust fan, some smells just travel.

That makes more sense.

Mind you, as I was in row 1, and the smell only came from the airvents, not from the door area of the front toilet, I must surmise that the horrid smell came from the rear toilet area - nasty how some design engineer who must travel in the back, found a way of getting back at us royalty in the front

 

[legroom]

...... I'd be happy to retrospectively order fuel so that the engines shut themselves down from fuel starvation as we parked...but sadly I have to plan for the future, not the past.

The auditors do not earn the "bean counters" tag for nothing.

It's the ability to plan for / deal with contingencies that separates the pro from the amateur IMO.

Your stance is 100% professionally correct.

 

[jb747]

The next couple of months (subject to change as usual)....

6/10 QF009 DXB-LHR
8/10 QF002 LHR-DXB
11/10 QF10 DXB-MEL

20/10 QF009 MEL-DXB
23/10 QF009 DXB-LHR
25/10 QF002 LHR-DXB
28/10 QF10 DXB-MEL

3/11 QF93 MEL-LAX
4/11 QF94 LAX-MEL

17/11 QF93 MEL-LAX
18/11 QF94 LAX-MEL

24/11 QF93 MEL-LAX
25/11 QF94 LAX-MEL

13/12 QF93 MEL-LAX
14/12 QF94 LAX-MEL

 

[joey1695]

Hi JB.
My questions today regard the AutoPilot. What is the SOP for the use of the AP after take-off? Is it selected immediately or when a certain altitude/waypoint is reached?
Is there an SOP regarding its use Qantas wide or is it different for each aircraft in the fleet or is it simply up to the PF's discretion? Also, are there any circumstances or conditions that require either the use of the AP immediately or the pilot to hand fly the departure?
Many thanks for your dedication to this enlightening thread!
Joe.

 

[jb747]

My questions today regard the AutoPilot. What is the SOP for the use of the AP after take-off? Is it selected immediately or when a certain altitude/waypoint is reached?

Basically there are no rules for when the autopilot is to be used on departure. Individual aircraft will have limitations affecting when it can be engaged (A380, 100 feet and 5 seconds airborne minimum), but outside of that, when you engage it is up to the PF. Airmanship says that you should engage it in poor weather, but on a nice day, if you want a fly, then there is no reason not to.

Is there an SOP regarding its use Qantas wide or is it different for each aircraft in the fleet or is it simply up to the PF's discretion? Also, are there any circumstances or conditions that require either the use of the AP immediately or the pilot to hand fly the departure?

There are some noise abatement procedures that require the autopilot to be engaged. Common sense says that it should be engaged if you encounter anything out of the ordinary, or if it becomes 'busy'. It must be engaged in the cruise in RVSM airspace.

It's acknowledged that flying manually makes it a bit harder for the monitoring pilot to keep an eye on what is going on, but there's generally no objection to aircraft being hand flown during the climb or arrival in benign conditions.

 

[Princess Fiona]

The next couple of months (subject to change as usual)....

6/10 QF009 DXB-MEL
8/10 QF002 LHR-DXB
11/10 QF10 DXB-MEL

20/10 QF009 MEL-DXB
23/10 QF009 DXB-LHR
25/10 QF002 LHR-DXB
28/10 QF10 DXB-MEL

3/11 QF93 MEL-LAX
4/11 QF94 LAX-MEL

17/11 QF93 MEL-LAX
18/11 QF94 LAX-MEL

24/11 QF93 MEL-LAX
25/11 QF94 LAX-MEL

13/12 QF93 MEL-LAX
14/12 QF94 LAX-MEL

Fingers toes and everything else crossed that you're flying QF93 in Jan when mini-me and and I are on it. By the looks of your schedule I'm not hopeful.

 

[jb747]

Fingers toes and everything else crossed that you're flying QF93 in Jan when mini-me and and I are on it. By the looks of your schedule I'm not hopeful.

As we've probably discussed previously, every now and then you are allocated a 'blank line', which is an empty roster. Then you do ad hoc flying, and standby, etc. By the numbers, it would have been my turn to do one in this next roster period. But, whilst you can't bid not to do one, you can bid for one, so I expect that whoever was expecting the blank during the Xmas/NY period has bid to go early... I could have countered that by bidding for one myself, but I don't really care, and have found in the past that you can end up with appreciable flying over that holiday period....so you never know.

 

[Melburnian1]

6/10 QF009 DXB-MEL
8/10 QF002 LHR-DXB
11/10 QF10 DXB-MEL

jb747, should the first line perhaps read 'DXB - LHR' as I assume from what you have said is your roster that you are currently in DXB?

 

[jb747]

6/10 QF009 DXB-MEL
8/10 QF002 LHR-DXB
11/10 QF10 DXB-MEL

jb747, should the first line perhaps read 'DXB - LHR' as I assume from what you have said is your roster that you are currently in DXB?

Quite correct. I'll see if I can still fix it...

 

[coriander]

The next couple of months (subject to change as usual)....

28/10 QF10 DXB-MEL

3/11 QF93 MEL-LAX
4/11 QF94 LAX-MEL

17/11 QF93 MEL-LAX
18/11 QF94 LAX-MEL

I'm on QF94 in between your LAX runs, so miss out flying with you. Next year my flights to US and EU are ex-Sydney for the extra 40SCs each way, but may strike you on QF1/2 in June/July (DXB-LHR). (Edited comment as Melburnian1 beat me to it).

 

[joey1695]

Hi JB.
Was just thinking about flight plans and was wondering whether or not you had any lying around and would consider deciphering one for us? That is of course it is worth doing and not extremely time consuming!
Thanks again, Joe.