Ask The Pilot

[legroom]

QF12 is delayed tonight (fuel pump issue).

The 2-bar officer is doing the rounds in the QF F Lounge to reassure pax that there is nothing to be concerned about.

Good PR from the crew !

 

[jb747]

jb, do the instructors give you a full brief before each exercise, and what outcomes are expected, sort of like you giving a briefing to your FO before an actual flight? Also, do the instructors talk at all during the particular maneuver, giving hints or warnings about such and such, or even stop it and say this or that needs addressing and start again? OR...is it more like this is the exercise, I will watch you and FO and afterwards have a debrief?

It depends on what the exercise is for. On a training course, they'll discuss exactly what you will be given, and expect to see, and then in the sim will talk you through things as necessary. They can freeze the sim, or instantly jump back to points, if needed to emphasise anything.

Cyclic exercises (the renewals) will generally have a quiz beforehand. There's likely to be discussion items, which normally relate to what will be seen in the sim exercise (for instance ECAM management with multiple faults, and loss of air data, for the volcano exercises). Any new company stuff (standing orders) might be brought up too.

The exercise normally consists of modules some of which might be checks, and others training. Normally there won't be any discussion during the check components, until the instructor declares them complete (and ok or not). Training modules may have commentary inserted at any time, but they'll take care not to interrupt the flow of the events.

LOFT modules are simulated line flights, and they are run in real time, with no instructor input. They end whenever you get the aircraft on the ground, having dealt with whatever issues occurred. The recent exercise ended with us diverting to Muscat, but others have gone to Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai World. Some have had plenty of fuel when it finished...others haven't. Some have declared emergencies, whilst others manage to find some runway without fuss. You all start with the same basic weather and event scenario, and fuel, but what you do with it afterwards is up to you. Any faults, even if accidentally inserted by the sim (i.e. the instructor forgot to remove something, or sometimes the sim itself just screws up) are dealt with as if they are real.

 

[Major]

Do flight crew inspect the cargo holds as part of their walk around or is it not necessary/impractical ?

 

[jb747]

QF12 is delayed tonight (fuel pump issue).

The 2-bar officer is doing the rounds in the QF F Lounge to reassure pax that there is nothing to be concerned about.

2 bars is a Second Officer.

The aircraft has many fuel pumps. In most cases two per tank, with one being used and the other as backup. Most of the tanks can even suffer the loss of both pumps with the fuel remaining available via gravity transfer to lower tanks (or the engines themselves).

Some scenarios can cause the fuel in a tank to become unavailable, but the only tanks that can suffer that problem are also the ones that are sequenced early in a flight, so whilst you may not have sufficient available fuel to complete the flight to destination, there will always be plenty to proceed to an alternate.

 

[jb747]

Do flight crew inspect the cargo holds as part of their walk around or is it not necessary/impractical ?

Cargo holds are still being loaded, right up to the last minute, so it wouldn't be safe to enter them, even if you could readily do so. If a hold is closed when the external preflight is being done, the doors will be checked locked.

 

[Flying Fox]

Do flight crews have a maximum baggage allowance?

Can you buy duty free?

 

[747sp]

I was in Melbourne the other day flying to Sydney and there was a lot of late changes to Aircraft due to some bad weather . In that sort of chaotic circumstance , with many late changes, how do the crew get told which aircraft they will be flying ?

 

[joey1695]

Good evening AFF community.
I have a question inspired by FSX, which means my questions could be quite off the mark.
I recently downloaded Aerosoft's A320/321 add-on package and so far am quite impressed.
HOWEVER... immediately after take-off, following the flight directors, when gear up is selected, there is a very rapid nose-down input required to follow the FDs. I remember JB saying that there is a reduction in pitch when the gear doors are open to account for added drag. The thing im interested in is that I have flown a few flights on Airbus' A320/380 and have never really felt or noticed the decrease in pitch. Im aware that it is extremely difficult to judge any pitch change in the cabin and thats why I ask if it is an extreme nose down input or only a slight change in the real thing.
Also when reducing from FLEX or TOGA to Climb Thrust I have noticed the same extreme nose down pitch change as described above, if not more violent. How are these pitch changes managed so they are (or seem) extremely smooth?
I acknowledge that FSX is just a game and is no representation of the real thing and that these questions may seem really jumbled and poorly described, however i would appreciate any attempt to clarify these queries.
Thanks again to the pilots for their valuable input.
Joe.

 

[jb747]

Do flight crews have a maximum baggage allowance?

Yes...but as I only ever take a small wheelie bag, I have no idea what it is.

Can you buy duty free?

In some places you can, whilst in others it's not available at all. In Australia, you have a restricted allowance...

 

[jb747]

I was in Melbourne the other day flying to Sydney and there was a lot of late changes to Aircraft due to some bad weather . In that sort of chaotic circumstance , with many late changes, how do the crew get told which aircraft they will be flying ?

Lots of ways. Sometimes they just ring your mobile. Sometimes they ring the gate, or send an ACARS if you're airborne.

 

[jb747]

I have a question inspired by FSX, which means my questions could be quite off the mark.
I recently downloaded Aerosoft's A320/321 add-on package and so far am quite impressed.

With the package? It isn't the aeroplane.

HOWEVER... immediately after take-off, following the flight directors, when gear up is selected, there is a very rapid nose-down input required to follow the FDs. I remember JB saying that there is a reduction in pitch when the gear doors are open to account for added drag.

Don't follow the flight directors as you become airborne. They generally tell you rubbish until about 200 feet. I doubt that the drag increase is all that great in the A320...it's substantial in the A380, but it wasn't overly noticeable in the 747 or 767.

The thing im interested in is that I have flown a few flights on Airbus' A320/380 and have never really felt or noticed the decrease in pitch. Im aware that it is extremely difficult to judge any pitch change in the cabin and thats why I ask if it is an extreme nose down input or only a slight change in the real thing.

As a general rule in aviation, if you need to do anything 'extreme', then you're doing it wrong. In the A380, at normal weights and power, the pitch target after lift-off is 12.5º. When you retract the gear, you need to reduce the pitch by about 1.5º. It's a very gentle, but quite definite, change.

Also when reducing from FLEX or TOGA to Climb Thrust I have noticed the same extreme nose down pitch change as described above, if not more violent. How are these pitch changes managed so they are (or seem) extremely smooth?

When the autopilot is flying the aircraft, it's always limited in the rate that it makes changes, and so they are always very gentle. When we're flying, when you get the annunciation for the thrust reduction, you reduce the pitch by about two degrees (ignoring the flight director), until you have a speed trend vector that's positive (5-10 knots is enough). Then you pull the thrust back to CLB. It is gentle and smooth. With the thrust reduction, you'll already be at approximately the right attitude, and the FD will drift back to your attitude. Then you can follow it.

 

[flychrisfly]

Is there ever a real world situation when the climb thrust is higher that the thrust used for takeoff?

I ask ask as in just back from South America with a few flights in and around the Andes. Taking off often meant a long climb at high thrust to get over the mountains - and there appeared to be little or no thrust reduction from takeoff to the initial climb, which led me to wonder about the unusual scenario I asked about.

 

[jb747]

Is there ever a real world situation when the climb thrust is higher that the thrust used for takeoff?

I ask ask as in just back from South America with a few flights in and around the Andes. Taking off often meant a long climb at high thrust to get over the mountains - and there appeared to be little or no thrust reduction from takeoff to the initial climb, which led me to wonder about the unusual scenario I asked about.

It's actually a common occurrence. Going a step further, it's not all that unusual for there to be a slight power increase when climb thrust is selected.

In the 380 case, the minimum power we ever use for takeoff is about 67% thrust (at the maximum flex). Climb power has a number of ratings. Normally we use CLB 2, but if less than roughly 490 tonnes, we'll use CLB 3. All of the ratings gently increase with altitude and are approximately the same as max CLB above FL300.

Even the lowest climb rating will initially be a bit over 80%, so if you use max derate for takeoff, you get a thrust increase at CLB selection. Overall, it has a dramatic effect on the longevity the engines. And, even though we are using so little thrust for takeoff, it's still possible to fly away and clean up, with an engine out, without increasing the thrust from the takeoff rating.

 

[mjt57]

Another of your predictions...

Pilots wanted, no experience necessary: JetBlue

 

[jb747]

Roster time. Always an interesting time of year, as people try to juggle Christmas and family events. Over the years, I've had very few Christmases off, but the gods are being kinder to me now.

Anyway, it consists entirely of QF93/94.
QF93 29 Dec, QF94 30 Dec
QF93 5 Jan, QF94 6 Jan
QF93 19 Jan, QF94 20 Jan
QF93 31 Jan, QF94 1 Feb
QF93 6 Feb, QF94 7 Feb

 

[Boris spatsky]

Likewise, i expected to work Xmas and NYE /day but the roster gods have fallen extremely kindly this year with both off.

Unlike a colleague who has a 12 hour short haul shift, including a 4 hour wait in Melbourne. What do you do in an airport terminal for 4 hours on Xmas day?!?!

 

[flychrisfly]

What do you do in an airport terminal for 4 hours on Xmas day?!?!

Leave it!

If flight deck or cabin crew get loadings in their pay for Sunday's, Christmas Day, etc, what happens when that day is skipped? eg in the case of QF 94 or QF12 departing the eve before.

 

[Quickstatus]

Roster time. Always an interesting time of year, as people try to juggle Christmas and family events. Over the years, I've had very few Christmases off, but the gods are being kinder to me now.

Anyway, it consists entirely of QF93/94.
QF93 29 Dec, QF94 30 Dec
QF93 5 Jan, QF94 6 Jan
QF93 19 Jan, QF94 20 Jan
QF93 31 Jan, QF94 1 Feb
QF93 6 Feb, QF94 7 Feb

Aah Im on QF94 jan 18

are christmas decorations of any kind and/or christmas hats allowed in coughpit?
do your ATC communications change for these days?
are you able to call home when at cruise to say merry christmas?

 

[Boris spatsky]

Leave it!

If flight deck or cabin crew get loadings in their pay for Sunday's, Christmas Day, etc, what happens when that day is skipped? eg in the case of QF 94 or QF12 departing the eve before.

No loadings for pay for working those days. It's just another day of the year.

4 hrs in melbourne is really 3 as you have to be back an hour before departure. With such bad public transport from MEL airport, there aren't many options...

 

[jb747]

Leave it!

If flight deck or cabin crew get loadings in their pay for Sunday's, Christmas Day, etc, what happens when that day is skipped? eg in the case of QF 94 or QF12 departing the eve before.

Loadings don't exist. Neither do public holidays, racing carnivals, or anything else. Really no other reasonable way to do it....