Ask The Pilot

[jb747]

One other thing - airport and airspace congestion can vary by time of day or night as might perceptions of same if a tech crew member continually flies into say, LAX when it is super busy as opposed to a schedule when it is not quite as busy.

Of all the airfields that our tech crew contributors see either regularly when working or less often when travelling, which one do you perceive has had the greatest rise in congestion (for aircraft, not necessarily for passengers, although the two may correlate to a degree unless aircraft sizes have varied markedly) in the last decade or 20 years? Or are they all much of a muchness?

Singapore used to be very easy back when I was first flying there. By the time we switched to Dubai, holding had become quite common. London is extremely busy, but just seems to handle it. Never held at LA.

 

[jb747]

Towards the end of our decent into Haneda on Monday, MrsB though we passed "too close" to an aircraft climbing on takeoff.
Is there a Horizontal Separation required to avoid wake vortex (or has she been watching too many airline reality shows)?

You can be very close to another aircraft, and still quite legal. It's just not possible to judge from the cabin. Avoiding the wake is nice, but we actually hit it quite a bit.

 

[Quickstatus]

JB747 and others:

I saw a airline behind the scenes TV show recently. US airline. They had both pilots given their tray meals by the FA at the same time. Whats your company's policy?

 

[jb747]

Are there any facts or pieces of information you wish the flying public knew (better)? As in, is there anything annoying or naive that you are asked or hear that you kinda wish wasn't?

When you kiss the ceiling, it's going to hurt a lot. Seat belts are not for decoration.

We are all annoyed by the inference that the autopilot does 'everything'. It's just a fancy cruise control...and makes no decisions.

And, as previously mentioned, we don't really care about smooth landings. On speed and in the right spot are much more important. Much of the time, those really smooth landings, are also very long.

 

[jb747]

Curious on do we have more turbulence now compared to ten years ago?

No, but we have a lot more people and aircraft flying.

 

[jb747]

I saw a airline behind the scenes TV show recently. US airline. They had both pilots given their tray meals by the FA at the same time. Whats your company's policy?

Airbus...you have a tray in front of you to put the meal on, and can quite easily fly manually with the meal there. Boeing the meal sits on your lap, so you'll need to hand over....so only one at a time.

 

[Quickstatus]

Airbus...you have a tray in front of you to put the meal on, and can quite easily fly manually with the meal there. Boeing the meal sits on your lap, so you'll need to hand over....so only one at a time.

Have you had to deal with accidental spillage. BTW do you do any cleaning of the pilot controls when you get into the aircraft?

 

[andmiz]

Have you had to deal with accidental spillage. BTW do you do any cleaning of the pilot controls when you get into the aircraft?

We're generally good with spillage, and careful when we've got something over the centre pedestal (which we tend to avoid). Drinks are usually passed around the outside along the side windows, not through the centre. On the 747, we're allowed to (and will) often both eat at the same time, and if there's an issue the trays will get moved onto the observer seats.

Controls and headsets get a once over with sanitary wipes when we get in.

 

[jb747]

Have you had to deal with accidental spillage. BTW do you do any cleaning of the pilot controls when you get into the aircraft?

It's something the companies are really on to. Cabin crew are told to NEVER pass things over the centre console, there's plenty of room to pass around the outside (on the bigger aircraft anyway). Occasionally someone forgets, and is gently nudged back on to the rails. But, like everything, people do occasionally get it wrong...I'm told the damage bill for dropping a cup of coffee on the console can be in the order of $70,000, and I'd prefer not to have to explain that to my boss(es).

Last thing I heard of being dropped and causing issues was an iPad. Apparently they are stronger than the aircraft screens.

As for cleaning anything..well, not really. When we are in the coughpit, before flight, we're busy getting things up and running; and in flight, you don't touch anything that doesn't need to be touched. Unlike a Boeing, there's little point in wiping the flight controls/thrust levers, as they are barely touched anyway. The items that are handled the most are almost impossible to clean (mode control panel, and FMCs).

 

[knasty]

If an aspiring pilot suffers from motion sickness to some degree can it be overcome or is it a deal breaker?

 

[JohnM]

Apologies if this is not the right thread to post this, but I can't think of another more appropriate.

I'm about half way through this book and finding it a fascinating 'can't put it down' read:

https://www.allenandunwin.com/brows...y/The-Flying-Kangaroo-Jim-Eames-9781760113551

It's written in an easy-reading anecdotal style and some of the events are just amazing. Highly recommended. The link is to the publisher's website but it is available for less on other sites, and as a Kindle e-book.

 

[marki]

If an aspiring pilot suffers from motion sickness to some degree can it be overcome or is it a deal breaker?

This is sorta my Specialty ...... And as always it depends.
In brief there are desensitisation programs however these programs with Barany chair sessions are not always successful. Called "Failed Desensitisation" .....- but even at this late stage there are certain exercises which can provide a successful outcome in these failed candidates. One pilot made such a full recovery and anecdotally because it was so complete, work ( defence) was going to court-marshal the person for making it up the original compliant.

Interesting parallels with syncope( fainting), in which physiologic systems are not diseased, only temporarily defeated. Desensitization has been utilised in pilots subject to syncope at the sight of blood--exposure to videos of surgical procedures.


Carry over seems to work for similar environments. Other places like driving on the great Ocean road.

Space and microgravity is a very different environment indeed, since it isn't motion inducing the condition, but rather lack of gravity vector and perhaps alteration of intracerebral pressures with the fluid shift.

Vomiting is merely the final common pathway.

Ken Money demonstrated so nicely years ago (1982), Morphine's effect on the CTZ ( an area in the brain triggering nausea and vomit) will give you the same results as motion-sickness.

 

[jb747]

If an aspiring pilot suffers from motion sickness to some degree can it be overcome or is it a deal breaker?

It depends upon the degree, and whether or not he responds to the various treatments. I know one bloke who'd have the occasional chuck on the bombing range. Didn't seem to hurt his bombing either.

 

[Boris spatsky]

And we had a loadmaster who would wear a rubbish bag tied to his shirt during parachuting so that he could vomit and keep going with the drop...

 

[marki]

And we had a loadmaster who would wear a rubbish bag tied to his shirt during parachuting so that he could vomit and keep going with the drop...

It goes to show one can manage. But even in the finest cohort of people picked out for space flight even they would be affected by the lack of a gravity vector and feel nauseous unwell for days. Vomiting intermittently.

Surprisingly a well known medication ( antihistamine ) would be quite effective in ameliorating its effects.

 

[Quickstatus]

And we had a loadmaster who would wear a rubbish bag tied to his shirt during parachuting so that he could vomit and keep going with the drop...

Wouldn't it spray back at his face?

 

[jb747]

Wouldn't it spray back at his face?

I expect he wasn't doing the jumping....though it might be an issue if you stuck your head out a side door.

 

[jb747]

Surprisingly a well known medication ( antihistamine ) would be quite effective in ameliorating its effects.

I think antihistamines are on CASA's aviation banned list....

 

[esseeeayeenn]

I think antihistamines are on CASA's aviation banned list....

Just guessing but I think the older style ones would be because they caused drowsiness.
Not sure there would be any reason for more modern antihistamines which don't cause drowsiness to be banned.

 

[kelvedon]

I think antihistamines are on CASA's aviation banned list....

And cough is on the FAA's list. A 6 hour no fly, due to potential blue/green colour vision impairment.