Ask The Pilot

[Quickstatus]

I used to make a point of not flying down near Antartica,

Too far from any suitable runway?

 

[mjt57]

JB, I see now why your wife doesn't want you flying on your spare time. Hope your colleagues are OK.

Australian pilots seriously injured in South African plane crash

 

[jb747]

Too far from any suitable runway?

Basically. I didn't care prior to QF30, but that made me tend towards the negative end of any planning assumptions. Basically if s**t is going to happen, it will happen at the worst place, and probably to me.

 

[jb747]

JB, I see now why your wife doesn't want you flying on your spare time. Hope your colleagues are OK.

Australian pilots seriously injured in South African plane crash

I know them both very well. At the moment not much information is around.

Whilst it's often said in the aftermath of an accident that pilot so and so was very good, etc....these two gents really do represent the very skilled end of the spectrum. They both fly a lot of the HARS aircraft, so the Convair was not something out of the ordinary for them (though I would have no idea at all). Fingers crossed.

 

[docjames]

jb747, firstly, adding my best wishes to your colleagues. I hope they recover quickly.

What's worse than totally unappealing?

Can I ask some followups on this one (Re: 747 SYD-PER-SYD)?

- Would the crews fly the return trip in one day or overnight in PER?
- Presumably it would be a 2-man crew?
- What makes it so unappealing? Is it reduced overall flying hours (thereby more trips needed to achieve monthly hours)? Is it "too short" (and is there some particular reason that doesn't appeal)? A night away for "only" 8 hours flying? Non-international? A mix of above or something else?

Thanks as always.

 

[jb747]

- Would the crews fly the return trip in one day or overnight in PER?

Depends upon the timing. Most likely a return journey.

- Presumably it would be a 2-man crew?

It will be 3 man if its planned as a return, 2 otherwise. That can also cause issues with other longer trips, so I'd expect it to be planned as 3 in most cases.

- What makes it so unappealing? Is it reduced overall flying hours (thereby more trips needed to achieve monthly hours)? Is it "too short" (and is there some particular reason that doesn't appeal)? A night away for "only" 8 hours flying? Non-international? A mix of above or something else?

All of the above. I just hate going to work, and the fewer trips required to make up a roster, the better.

 

[I love to travel]

Depends upon the timing. Most likely a return journey.

It will be 3 man if its planned as a return, 2 otherwise. That can also cause issues with other longer trips, so I'd expect it to be planned as 3 in most cases.

All of the above. I just hate going to work, and the fewer trips required to make up a roster, the better.

Sad to hear you appear to have lost your passion for flying

 

[straitman]

Sad to hear you appear to have lost your passion for flying

Most pilots that I know have lost their passion for flying by the time they have been flying for 35 or more years.
I last flew professionally on 19th April 2009 and really don’t miss it. (I only know that date as someone asked me and I looked it up)
I think I have flown twice since then. I don’t even relish flying as a passenger any more no matter what the class.
Having said that I think a lot still keep their interest in aviation in many ways. As an example I’ve just started work at East Sale on the syllabus for the new basic training aircraft for the RAAF.

 

[flyer89]

I’m too young and stupid to be over it yet as I’m just staring out. Nevertheless there are some very strange things you have to contend with. For example friends and family simply don’t understand how you can essentially be given a job and not start that job for 12 months or more, waiting not quite sure when you’ll start (sometimes people don’t ever start). This is more or less the norm, particularly now with significant training capacity issues. A friend of mine was waiting 20 months for a start date at CX. He received a call out of the blue and asked if he could be in adeialde to begin the course a week later. Somehow he made it happen. This is but one example of the eccentricities of an industry that can really do your head in.

 

[jb747]

Sad to hear you appear to have lost your passion for flying

What I said was that I don’t like going to work. That means I prefer to do as few rostered trips (not flights or sectors) per roster as possible. It’s the act of getting to work that I don’t like.

At the same time though, it does wear you down, and I doubt that I’ll miss it.

 

[AviatorInsight]

I’m in the middle. Flying about 15yrs now and while I’m the same as JB in terms of going to work (half the battle with the Blu Emu), I bid for trips to maximise my time at home. I’m still starry eyed and look forward to getting my command again some day so that’s keeping me motivated. Will be interesting to see my response again in 10yrs time.

 

[lastrow]

At the same time though, it does wear you down, and I doubt that I’ll miss it.

If I remember correctly you are due to retire next year. Have you thought about what you will do in retirement?
You could settle in the Melbourne burbs with a new Audi in the drive and grow tomatoes or maybe still maintain a link with the Aviation industry eg training or examining. Having been retired for 13 years now (not from aviation)
I know it takes a bit of getting used to joining the domestic world.

 

[serfty]

Have you thought about what you will do in retirement?

I believe an answer is upthread somewhere ... search for drive and australia.

 

[moa999]

In the lead up to Farnborough appears ATR have sold a few aircraft equipped with Clear vision (to the widely known airlines of Aurigny (Guernsey) and Druk (Bhutan))

This seems to be both an augmented or fully virtualised display.
Brochure here - http://www.atraircraft.com/datas/download_center/108/2017_08_clearvision_108.pdf

And obviously would be very helpful in low visibility.

How useful do you think this might be to pilots?

Could this be the first step in removing / or substantially reducing the amount of physical glass in a coughpit and replacing it with ''glass" displays.

 

[jb747]

If I remember correctly you are due to retire next year.

An exact date is still to be decided, and probably won't happen until exactly 28 days prior (the contractural requirement). Nevertheless, I don't expect it to be far after Christmas.

Have you thought about what you will do in retirement?

Oh yes. We have plans. But for a start I'll be able to say yes when people invite me to something, instead of fobbing them off until a roster decides for me.

You could settle in the Melbourne burbs with a new Audi in the drive and grow tomatoes or maybe still maintain a link with the Aviation industry eg training or examining.

We left Melbourne 5 years ago. And I have a new Range Rover. My little Audi will probably not be replaced. And if I want a tomato...I'll go to Coles!

Any link I maintain with aviation will probably be something like this forum. I have no intention of having any dealing with CASA, or being at anyone's beck and call.

 

[jb747]

In the lead up to Farnborough appears ATR have sold a few aircraft equipped with Clear vision (to the widely known airlines of Aurigny (Guernsey) and Druk (Bhutan))

This seems to be both an augmented or fully virtualised display.
Brochure here - http://www.atraircraft.com/datas/download_center/108/2017_08_clearvision_108.pdf

And obviously would be very helpful in low visibility.

How useful do you think this might be to pilots?

It would be extremely useful in low vis operations. In many ways it's just an extension of HUD technology...many of which already place a computer generated runway on the display.

Could this be the first step in removing / or substantially reducing the amount of physical glass in a coughpit and replacing it with ''glass" displays.

Not a chance. Without making up a long list of the things I could see that would be problematic...let's just start with the most obvious. Windows don't need a power source to operate, and they rarely fail.

 

[Ansett]

JB if you find yourself in the UK when retired and would like to go up in A Hawker Hunter please let me know.

 

[harvyk]

Would the ground handling of a 747 be much different than the ground handling of a 777? For example would there be taxiway weight issues or other ground handling issues that would be unique to the 747?

Just wondering as someone in another thread suggested that CBR airport would have trouble with the extra size of a 747, and whilst I know that going back 20 years ago they used to have problems dealing with diversions (a friend of mine worked for CBR airport back then, and I remember him telling me about some of the problems they had to deal with back then) these days they get a couple of international 777 there daily.

 

[jb747]

Would the ground handling of a 747 be much different than the ground handling of a 777? For example would there be taxiway weight issues or other ground handling issues that would be unique to the 747?

I don't know that much about the 777, but from what I do recall of it, I think it actually has a slightly bigger footprint than the 747. Similar weight, but less wheels, so very likely a heavier wheel loading too. The upshot is that I think any ground handling difference is imaginary.

 

[Melburnian1]

Aviators, on occasion when viewing FR24 and similar tracking sites, aircraft that have pushed back and are taxiing disappear from the screen (of say LHR) and reappear typically in a few minutes, or occasionally when in the air.

Given transponders are on, is there any technical reason re the aircraft or is it just a quirk of these useful but imperfect tracking sites?