Ask The Pilot

[RAM]

Written by someone with no concept of an aircraft beyond it being a building that shakes. 2 cents worth....

and is good of thinking up 'customer serving enhancements' no doubt!

 

[Boris spatsky]

Hi JB and other pilots. Sorry for the following onslaught of questions, however I am quite curious!
First up; What would the monthly roster of a domestic pilot based out of BNE or Gold Coast look like? (Thinking QF domestic, Jetstar, Virgin).

It is so variable based on company, base, any leave planned, if sim is planned in the month or not or other training etc. Just to give you a rough idea of a domestic roster (short haul narrow body, not wide body), this month I have 16 days of flying rostered, 4 days on call, 2 days of leave and 8 rostered days off. Flying hours can vary from about 50 to 80 or more, depending on basing. Some bases get a lot of overnights, some get less. Most days are 4 sectors although you get the odd 2 sector day, and the odd 3 or 5 sector day (normally followed by an overnight). There are specific roster limitations that the company adheres to, as well as fatigue limits imposed by the Civil Aviation Orders.

In some companies, the basing means very little as the roster will see you being away on a lot of overnights. In others, the company tries to avoid overnights so you end up doing a lot of return sectors to your home port.

 

[Himeno]

Not so much an 'ask the pilot' but a 'heads up' to our resident pilots.

Some of us received a Qantas Advisory panel survey recently.

This time it's about how passengers view QF pilots, and what passengers expect from pilots.

The usual raking scale applied to all questions (from 1 'don't like/not helpful' to 10 'like/helpful')

Some of the questions were around:

• should pilots have a presence in Qantas clubs and lounges before flights
• should pilots be at the door to say good bye as pax disembark
• should pilots give an explanation and reassurance when the seatbelt sign is illuminated mid flight
• on international flights, is it important pilots circulate in First and business class cabins
• pilots should issue 'notes' from the flight deck, such as pax anniversaries and personalised happy birthday announcements
• face-to-face greeting at the cabin door during boarding
  
• should pilots (not cabin crew) give detailed information during descent regarding arrival gate and baggage reclaim carousels

(mods feel free to move - but I thought I'd put it here not for discussion, but just a 'heads up')

I got that as well. A few items were "maybe? would be nice if doable", others were "wtf? how would they possibly have the time to even consider doing that?"

Do the people creating these surveys really not think they should pass it through the group that would be affected by the results before releasing it?

 

[Boris spatsky]

I got that as well. A few items were "maybe? would be nice if doable", others were "wtf? how would they possibly have the time to even consider doing that?"

Do the people creating these surveys really not think they should pass it through the group that would be affected by the results before releasing it?

You would be surprised at how little the pilot fraternity in any company is consulted by HR/marketing etc even when it has a direct effect on us.

 

[N860CR]

You would be surprised at how little the pilot fraternity in any company is consulted by HR/marketing etc even when it has a direct effect on us.

It seems to be far more common of late for such stupid things to come out of marketing. I've done a lot of head shaking at some of the recent comments via weekly propaganda communication

 

[Archphoto]

For the very first time in over 25+ years of flying, I found myself on a flight with nobody seated at the exit rows. I was under the impression that this was mandatory for safety reasons, or does it vary from airline to airline?

If so, I now understand why several Thai airlines have been downgraded safety-wise . . . . . and then had to laugh at the "Your safety is our priority!" line in the safety briefing spiel.:mrgreen:

 

[CaviAck]

For the very first time in over 25+ years of flying, I found myself on a flight with nobody seated at the exit rows. I was under the impression that this was mandatory for safety reasons, or does it vary from airline to airline?

If so, I now understand why several Thai airlines have been downgraded safety-wise . . . . . and then had to laugh at the "Your safety is our priority!" line in the safety briefing spiel.:mrgreen:

Which airline was this on? I had a nice surprise once when I was the only pax in the emergency exit row on a 738 with VA. Asked about it and the first thing the FA said in response was "Are you from CASA, are we in trouble?". According to the CSM VA have a special directive from CASA that allows them to not have anyone in the exit rows if the flight is under a certain number of pax. Thought of chasing it up with CASA but then it's VA, I barely ever fly with them and don't rate them at all after the way I was treated by the CSM for raising a safety concern.

 

[mannej]

For the very first time in over 25+ years of flying, I found myself on a flight with nobody seated at the exit rows. I was under the impression that this was mandatory for safety reasons, or does it vary from airline to airline?

If so, I now understand why several Thai airlines have been downgraded safety-wise . . . . . and then had to laugh at the "Your safety is our priority!" line in the safety briefing spiel.:mrgreen:

What aircraft and were there FA's seating at the exits or not?

 

[Archphoto]

Which airline was this on? I had a nice surprise once when I was the only pax in the emergency exit row on a 738 with VA. Asked about it and the first thing the FA said in response was "Are you from CASA, are we in trouble?". According to the CSM VA have a special directive from CASA that allows them to not have anyone in the exit rows if the flight is under a certain number of pax. Thought of chasing it up with CASA but then it's VA, I barely ever fly with them and don't rate them at all after the way I was treated by the CSM for raising a safety concern.

PG907 CNX-BKK

Was delayed out of BKK - no idea why, so we left 90 minutes late today. I was in row 11, with Row 10 totally empty, and it was a *very* light loading!

 

[Archphoto]

What aircraft and were there FA's seating at the exits or not?

Was an A319 - no FAs, completely empty.
I was seated in 11D, with another passenger in 11A - took me by surprise to say the least. :shock:

 

[QF029]

Was an A319 - no FAs, completely empty.
I was seated in 11D, with another passenger in 11A - took me by surprise to say the least. :shock:

I've frequently seen AA 737 aircraft in the US with some or all exit rows vacant.

Passengers often move into them after any safety briefing which may or may not be a concern.

 

[Boris spatsky]

Each operator is required to meet the requirements as governed by the aircraft country of registration - here in Australia we have varying requirements to have the exit row seats completely or partially occupied dependant on the number of people on board. Obviously that is different in other countries.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Question for jb747 or indeed any other knowledgeable person - I was out last night drinking way too many drinks in a location I should never have been in talking to a group of people I would never normally associate with - you know - just a normal Friday night out on town - any how - one of the guys I was chatting to was trying to tell me that QF send their 380s to MNL for maintenance.

Now I have no idea if there is any validity to this so could not answer - but my question is where exactly are the different planes in QF fleet serviced?

From my fuzzy and clouded memory these were some of the points he made:

1. Qantas fly empty A380's into Manila often for services by PAL.
2. Manila can not handle LOADED A380's as they are to heavy and runway won't take them.
3. This comes a Qantas pilot who told us this a few years ago when he was my nerxt door neighbour.
4. Also Singapore airlines have a service center on Clark; a few days ago a Cathy 777 landed there for service.

Would welcome any input from any member re this matter.

 

[Himeno]

Now I have no idea if there is any validity to this so could not answer - but my question is where exactly are the different planes in QF fleet serviced?

From my fuzzy and clouded memory these were some of the points he made:

1. Qantas fly empty A380's into Manila often for services by PAL.
2. Manila can not handle LOADED A380's as they are to heavy and runway won't take them.
3. This comes a Qantas pilot who told us this a few years ago when he was my nerxt door neighbour.
4. Also Singapore airlines have a service center on Clark; a few days ago a Cathy 777 landed there for service.

Would welcome any input from any member re this matter.

Where aircraft maintenance happens depends on what sort of maintenance is needed and if it's planned or not, among other things. For the A380s, normal day to day maintenance is done in SYD, MEL, DXB, LAX and LHR. For the major overhaul C and D checks, QF sends the aircraft to Lufthansa Technik in MNL or FRA.

 

[jb747]

Question for jb747 or indeed any other knowledgeable person - I was out last night drinking way too many drinks in a location I should never have been in talking to a group of people I would never normally associate with - you know - just a normal Friday night out on town - any how - one of the guys I was chatting to was trying to tell me that QF send their 380s to MNL for maintenance.

Now I have no idea if there is any validity to this so could not answer - but my question is where exactly are the different planes in QF fleet serviced?

From my fuzzy and clouded memory these were some of the points he made:
Qantas fly empty A380's into Manila often for services by PAL.

Lufthansa Technik have a heavy maintenance facility at Manila, which does the heavy checks for QF. PAL don't go near the aircraft. They are preferably ferried from HK at the end of a 127 service, with the new aircraft coming back via the 128...but if the timing of that doesn't work, then yes, they are ferried empty from Australia.

Manila can not handle LOADED A380's as they are to heavy and runway won't take them.

Not so much to do with loading, but rather the spacing between taxiways, runway, obstacles, and the width of the taxiways and turning nodes. Basically the aircraft is simply too big. Only one 380 can be on the ground at any time, so that the outbound aircraft is picked up before the next one can arrive. The movements occur right on the start of curfew...so it's the last operation of the day. The aircraft can't go anywhere near the terminal, and is simply taxied to the hangar entrance, then immediately towed inside.

Also Singapore airlines have a service center on Clark; a few days ago a Cathy 777 landed there for service.

Not sure who is there, but Clark was an excellent facility, and is used for lots of things these days. It is one of the 380 alternates for HK.....Manila isn't.

 

[Quickstatus]

Hi JB747

who else uses MNL as an A380 heavy maintenance base?

Am slightly surprised that ferrying an aircraft to an overseas maintenance base is cheaper than doing it inhouse. Is australian engineering that inefficient or is it because OZ dont have the efficiencies of scale?

also does the CSM always have to ask the captain for permission to deal with a passenger in a certain way - such as banning alcohol. I understand it may be the case if drastic action is contemplated such as detaining with handcuffs. The recent QF reality show suggests the captain has to approve any restrictions placed on a passenger.

 

[jb747]

I was on AA64 JFK-ZRH yesterday with a go around at ZRH. As soon as I felt/heard the engines power up, I thought "go around, meh" while others in the cabin were voicing "wtf?" Only 2nd TOGA I've been in (that I remember). This one due to fog and visibility, the last a few years ago on CX711 into SIN when runway conditions changed (sudden thunderstorm) moments before touchdown and aircraft had to be reconfigured for the different conditions.

Is that what they said? A go around if the TS beat them to the runway is fair, but you should needn't to go around to reconfigure.

Both times there were PAs from the flight crew saying what happened once we were back up to a reasonable height.

When you need to do a TOGA, do you later tell the pax why/what happened?

It's normal to give a PA when you get a chance.

For what it's worth, many aircraft don't use TOGA for a go around. On the Boeings, a single push of the go around switches will give you power for a 2,000 fpm rate of climb, using up to TOGA if needed. The A380 has a 'soft' go around mode which does the same thing, and is selected by pushing the levers to TOGA, and then pulling back one notch to MCT.

 

[jb747]

You've mentioned the lengthy preflight on an A380 before. Sorry if this has been asked (I do try to keep on top of this thread) - what could Airbus do to streamline this process and make it more efficient for the pilots? Surely they employ at least one pilot on staff to provide a reality check. Is it due to a lot of variables and there's no better way of allowing for inputs?

There's a lot of stuff to check. It's not just putting the switches in the right position. The exterior has to be checked, some of the internal safety equipment has to be looked at. Tech log checked, and then any MELs have to be looked up and their effects understood. You have to get an ATIS, and then work out the take off data. Jeppesen data has to be set up on the iPad (or you have to get the charts out if still using paper). The FMC route is automatically loaded, but virtually every page of the FMC will need entries and then has to be cross checked. I'm told the AB test pilots didn't take very long, but they used the simple expedient of not checking anything.

On a different topic - how do pilots keep on top of incidents globally so they know of technical/safety issues to be aware of (apart from informal chats with pilots you come across)? My question is not really about the mandatory directives. Are pilots given subscriptions to a journal of some sort? Basically, how do you share knowledge as a profession?

Companies (airlines and manufacturers) will issue orders or information on anything they feel is worthwhile.

 

[jb747]

Hi JB and other pilots. Sorry for the following onslaught of questions, however I am quite curious!
First up; What would the monthly roster of a domestic pilot based out of BNE or Gold Coast look like? (Thinking QF domestic, Jeststar, Virgin).

Rosters vary dramatically depending upon what you fly, and for whom. I don't know what the short haul Jetstar or Virgin rosters would look like, but I expect they contain about 8-10 days off per month, and are full early starts and late nights. Weekends mean nothing. Long haul rosters will generally give a lot more time off, simply because you'll hit the flying hour limitations so quickly. Each LA flight that I do contains about 30 flying hours, so I can only do a max of 3 of them per month....

Second of all. I quite enjoy my Flight Simming and have just purchased Aerosoft's Airbus A320/A321 package. Its a bit of a struggle working it all out coming from PMDG's Boeing products.

Much the same in the real thing. You have to try to forget the other brand...which is hard after multiple decades.

How does the pilot use 'managed mode' vs HDG, ALT and SPD? I have heard that pushing the respective knob towards the (MCP?) activated managed mode and pulling the knob towards you allows the pilot to enter their values.

Push the speed, heading or altitude buttons to 'give' control to the FMC. Pull to open the window and allow you to dial up any of those settings. Pulling heading will also cause the aircraft to drop out of managed ALT (which includes climb and descent) and to go to either OPEN CLIMB/DESCENT or sometimes V/S. Track and flight path angle are also available, but only used in some non precision approaches (mostly in the sim).

Would you be able to give an example of the use of the automated systems in the A380 over the course of a flight?

Pretty much too long a list. On most flights virtually every mode will end up being used at some stage.

Are there any nifty features that pilots can utilise within the (FMC/MCDU?)?

It has a lot of features that aren't used. A bit like typing a letter on MS Word......

Overall, which is the better design (FMC/MCDU) in terms of functionality and efficiency? (In your opinion).

The FMC in the A380 is more capable than the one in the 747-400, but I expect that it's much the same as that in something later like the 787. It's not really a case of one being better than the other. They're just different.

 

[jb747]

For the very first time in over 25+ years of flying, I found myself on a flight with nobody seated at the exit rows. I was under the impression that this was mandatory for safety reasons, or does it vary from airline to airline?

I've never heard of any requirement for them to be used.