Ask The Pilot

[jb747]

A couple of months ago two Virgin aircraft collided wing tips at Hobart. There is no push back at HBA and aircraft must do a very sharp turn to exit the ramp. The virgin plane was in the process of turning and his wing tip caught the tip of the plane next door. No clearance there.

Well, pretty much by definition, if they touched, then there can't have been any clearance.

There's nothing particularly unusual about the taxiing situation at Hobart. As long as all of the aircraft are on the guidance lines, and stopped at the correct points, clearance will be maintained. For them to have touched, someone was out of position.

One curious aspect of the geometry of swept wing aircraft and turns, is that as you turn the apparent wing span of the aircraft increases. On the jumbo the figure was 12'. So if you were going to miss something by 1 foot, but turned away, you could end up with an 11' overlap. If any doubt exists, always STOP. Parking by feel is not an option (nor is it in a car, but most people don't seem to understand that).

 

[docjames]

Parking by feel is not an option (nor is it in a car, but most people don't seem to understand that).

Depends on your car.....

 

[747sp]

Hi JB . With the recent diversion of qf10 would the landing parameters be any different to normal and is the plane more difficult to handle when flying ?

 

[JessicaTam]

I landed at CNS this afternoon on a 737. I was sitting in row 30 (the last row) and the yaw back and forth was more than I had experienced before. I was actually concerned that we were going to career off the runway. We swung left/right/left quite a few times before straightening up. And this was all after all wheels down. The approach gave no indication of what was to come.

We landed from the north, and the wind was 26kph from the ESE.

Is that enough of a crosswind to cause that much of a correction and overcorrection? If not, what was the likely cause?

TIA.

 

[jb747]

Hi JB . With the recent diversion of qf10 would the landing parameters be any different to normal and is the plane more difficult to handle when flying ?

It was most likely an overweight landing, as well as being 3 engined. Generally you try to do an auto land if you are overweight...the system tends to be a bit better at guaranteeing greasers.

3 engined is no big deal at all. Autoland is still available. About all that is different is that you stabilise the approach a bit earlier...having gear and flap for about the last 10 miles. From the briefing point of view, you need to ensure that the rudder trim is zeroed at about 500 feet, and obviously any go around would require the engine out procedure rather than a normal cleanup. The aircraft is stable, and the FBW masks most of the asymmetry.

 

[jb747]

I landed at CNS this afternoon on a 737. I was sitting in row 30 (the last row) and the yaw back and forth was more than I had experienced before. I was actually concerned that we were going to career off the runway. We swung left/right/left quite a few times before straightening up. And this was all after all wheels down.

Sounds like he's landed with the drift intact. Was it wet at all? In any event, landing and fixing the drift afterwards is an allowed technique, and is the preferred one in some circumstances. The rudder application on the ground is more abrupt than it is in flight.

The approach gave no indication of what was to come.

Never does really. The dynamics of flight, and the dynamics of landing are quite different.

We landed from the north, and the wind was 26kph from the ESE.

Is that enough of a crosswind to cause that much of a correction and overcorrection?

Solid rudder inputs are very noticeable from the back of the aircraft. I recall passengering in the back row of a 767, and the inputs felt like I was going to end up in the next seat...but they were quite normal. It's just an uncomfortable place to be.

If not, what was the likely cause?

S**tty pilot?

 

[JessicaTam]

Thanks for the answer. It was a dry landing.

It has been ages since I have sat that far back, but chose to due to rear stairs in use. Might be a while before I do again.

 

[jtu]

It's a small world. I was in row 23 on the same flight and had a very similar thought process as you JessicaTam. Having read jb's previous comments on CNS and generally experiencing very solid landings into CNS I thought it still felt out of the ordinary (read: worse).. the lady in the window seat looked like she was about to snap the arm rests as we did our 'sway'.

 

[ChrisGibbs]

An interesting arrival into YSSY for Saturdays 11/2 QF458 service from YMML - YSSY. Not sure if this was as a result of a runway change or whether there was something else going on. From the looks of things the 737 overflew the field and joined the circuit mid downwind for RWY16L/R then did a missed approach for a right circuit on RWY16R. The downwind leg seemed to extend with 2-3 orbits before the aircraft made an approach to 16R off a long final.

Many years ago on a QF Jetconnnect 737 on approach to YMML from Auckland we had an issue with the flap extension (possibly an asymmetric condition) while on approach to RWY16. We ended up out over Port Phillip Bay for about 15-20 minutes while they sorted things out for another approach and landing onto RWY16. Possibly a reach but QF458 may have had a similar situation.

 

[ellen10]

Bookmarking to read this thread later. Lots of interesting information.

 

[Melburnian1]

Somewhere in the world, there will be an RPT pilot (male) who has flown more nautical miles than anyone else on the planet (I'm excluding astronauts.) Does anyone know who he is?

There may be some chance, maximum duty hours notwithstanding, that he works for an airline such as EK, SQ or QF that has A380s or B744s flying long haul sectors. He may be close to or at the top in seniority and perhaps in his 60s. Is there any worldwide blog (not just AFF) that is a place where pilots can record how many nautical miles they have flown? I also exclude pilots travelling passenger.

 

[Quickstatus]

Guinness book of records?
dont discount those ferry pilots or other GA pilots

 

[jb747]

An interesting arrival into YSSY for Saturdays 11/2 QF458 service from YMML - YSSY. Not sure if this was as a result of a runway change or whether there was something else going on. From the looks of things the 737 overflew the field and joined the circuit mid downwind for RWY16L/R then did a missed approach for a right circuit on RWY16R. The downwind leg seemed to extend with 2-3 orbits before the aircraft made an approach to 16R off a long final.

Many years ago on a QF Jetconnnect 737 on approach to YMML from Auckland we had an issue with the flap extension (possibly an asymmetric condition) while on approach to RWY16. We ended up out over Port Phillip Bay for about 15-20 minutes while they sorted things out for another approach and landing onto RWY16. Possibly a reach but QF458 may have had a similar situation.

I don't know what was going on in Sydney on the day, but perhaps a go-around forced by weather, with the orbit a case of waiting for something to resolve itself at the airport. If the aircraft had a problem, you'd go out to sea, and sort it out there...out of ATC's way.

 

[jb747]

Somewhere in the world, there will be an RPT pilot (male) who has flown more nautical miles than anyone else on the planet (I'm excluding astronauts.) Does anyone know who he is?

There may be some chance, maximum duty hours notwithstanding, that he works for an airline such as EK, SQ or QF that has A380s or B744s flying long haul sectors. He may be close to or at the top in seniority and perhaps in his 60s. Is there any worldwide blog (not just AFF) that is a place where pilots can record how many nautical miles they have flown? I also exclude pilots travelling passenger.

Interesting game. There isn't a web site that I know of, and in any event, we only record hours, not miles.

He would have to be an airline or heavy freight pilot. He'd have to fly jet aircraft on long routes. Long routes give higher average speed per flight hour. Using the maximum hours allowed, and using a 35 year career, you're looking at about 15,000,000 miles.

I have no idea how you'd work it out, (I couldn't even work it out accurately for myself), but yes, there must be someone...

Guinness book of records?
dont discount those ferry pilots or other GA pilots

They could have the most hours, but unlikely to be the most miles.

 

[futaris]

15 million miles? Thought it'd be much higher.

Ryan Bingham levels...

 

[casanovawa]

I guess pilots may have mandatory limits to how many hours a month they can fly, unlike passengers...

 

[jb747]

15 million miles? Thought it'd be much higher.

900 hours per year
480 knots TAS
35 years

900*480*35 = 15,120,000

If anything, that is probably the maximum. At a guess, I'd be around 9,000,000.

 

[petercr]

JB, watching a video of an Emirates A388 taxying at BNE and I noticed there appeared to be some form of small hatch or door about 1/2m below the doors on the upper deck and on both sides. Do you know what these would be? Something to do with escape slides?

 

[jb747]

JB, watching a video of an Emirates A388 taxying at BNE and I noticed there appeared to be some form of small hatch or door about 1/2m below the doors on the upper deck and on both sides. Do you know what these would be? Something to do with escape slides?

Correct. The slides are installed on the door bustle on most of the lower deck doors, but externally, within the area you've spotted on the upper deck. Presumably because the much longer length would make them too large and heavy for the normal door installation.

 

[Boris spatsky]

They could have the most hours, but unlikely to be the most miles.

Speaking of hours, i wonder what the highest is? In short haul i have heard of 25000 (ex Long haul captain) but that is it. Any long haul drivers know of more?