Ask The Pilot

[747sp]

Hi
In regards to flights from Australia to Honolulu, assuming the weather is bad and you can not land on another island . Where would you divert too ?
Also with diversions,during the flight, do you dicuss the options when you get a change in information or only when it may impact the flight ? For example things such as weather updates at the destination.

 

[jb747]

Hi
In regards to flights from Australia to Honolulu, assuming the weather is bad and you can not land on another island . Where would you divert too ?
Also with diversions,during the flight, do you dicuss the options when you get a change in information or only when it may impact the flight ? For example things such as weather updates at the destination.

The weather doesn’t generally just become ‘bad’. You should see it happening for quite a while, starting with the forecasts, and then later the actuals. The point at which you require an alternate varies from destination to destination, but it’s a couple of hundred feet vertically, and a km or so horizontally, beyond the minima (and you’ll need to be considering the higher of a couple of possible approaches)....which means you need an alternate well before the weather reaches the point at which you can’t land. Within the Honolulu area there are a number of airfields, though the only ones I’ve ever considered are Kona and Hilo. They’re far enough away, and geographically quite different, so normally their weather isn’t the same as Honolulu.

On the journey from Aus, there are any number of islands (Samoa, Fiji) etc. which you can use if needed along the way.

If you were going to a place that is so isolated that diversion could not even be considered (Tahiti), then you’ll generally be given a very large amount of holding fuel....or if the weather really looks iffy (Hong Kong typhoons), you just don’t go in the first place.

 

[RooFlyer]

I wonder if Santiago to Easter Island (SCL-IPC) at 3,760 km would get the prize for the longest scheduled commercial route with no alternative airports in the vicinity or in between?

EDIT PPT to IPC at 4,250 km a bit longer

 

[tgh]

I wonder about the fuel load for these flights, do they really carry enough to fly all the way back ?

 

[cambriamarsh]

I wonder about the fuel load for these flights, do they really carry enough to fly all the way back ?

Hi pilots,

Thoughts on the Riverfire fly by done by a C-17 in Brisbane recently? NZ Herald has some clickbait on it today saying it was dangerous etc etc.

 

[jb747]

I wonder about the fuel load for these flights, do they really carry enough to fly all the way back ?

There is a relevant comment about ops here: Mataveri International Airport - Wikipedia

A 787 would certainly be capable of carrying a full return fuel load, though I have no idea whether they would do so as a matter of course.

 

[jb747]

Thoughts on the Riverfire fly by done by a C-17 in Brisbane recently? NZ Herald has some clickbait on it today saying it was dangerous etc etc.

Wish I’d seen it, the video looked tremendous.

In the good old days the Kiwi air force was known for getting down there...perhaps they’re just jealous.

That fly past would not have been something done off the cuff. Even in my day, display flying was carefully planned, and flown exactly according to the plan. I expect the modern RAAF is even more strict. I’m just glad that they are still prepared to put on a show.

 

[straitman]

Wish I’d seen it, the video looked tremendous.

In the good old days the Kiwi air force was known for getting down there...perhaps they’re just jealous.

That fly past would not have been something done off the cuff. Even in my day, display flying was carefully planned, and flown exactly according to the plan. I expect the modern RAAF is even more strict. I’m just glad that they are still prepared to put on a show.

From my recent work at East Sale I can assure people that what jb747 says here is correct.

Nothing happens without the ultimate level of scrutiny.

 

[cambriamarsh]

From my recent work at East Sale I can assure people that what jb747 says here is correct.

Nothing happens without the ultimate level of scrutiny.

Thanks gentlemen, pity the paper is resorting to clickbait.

 

[ChrisGibbs]

Over the years being a passenger on QF 744 night time sectors to LHR via BKK, SIN and HKG and to LAX and DFW I noticed that when a step climb was initiated the wing mounted landing lights would be turned on and when the climb stopped the lights were extinguished. Is this standard procedure for just the 744 only or does it apply to the A380 as well? The about of visibility you get on the A380 (depending on where your sitting) is way less than the 744.

With the transition of most of these sectors to A380 I longer see the lights come on during a step climb.

Thanks

 

[mjt57]

Clear Air Turbulence. Fact or Fallacy?
Did I read here that it’s a rubbish term?

Here’s an article which tells us all about it.

10 Things You Need to Know About Turbulence

 

[AviatorInsight]

Clear Air Turbulence. Fact or Fallacy?
Did I read here that it’s a rubbish term?

Here’s an article which tells us all about it.

10 Things You Need to Know About Turbulence

I didn't read it was a rubbish term? Perhaps I'm just waiting for the coffee to kick in. But CAT is definitely fact. It's the most annoying type because it gives us little indications as to how far it'll extend or the thickness of it. As is the case we often get ride reports from aircraft ahead of us and then we base our decision on whether to climb or descend to find a smoother level.

 

[jb747]

Over the years being a passenger on QF 744 night time sectors to LHR via BKK, SIN and HKG and to LAX and DFW I noticed that when a step climb was initiated the wing mounted landing lights would be turned on and when the climb stopped the lights were extinguished. Is this standard procedure for just the 744 only or does it apply to the A380 as well? The about of visibility you get on the A380 (depending on where your sitting) is way less than the 744.

With the transition of most of these sectors to A380 I longer see the lights come on during a step climb.

It was a requirement in some particular bits of airspace, but offhand, I don’t think there are any now.

It disappeared as TCAS came into service. Using the lights to try to avoid a conflict would be just as likely to lead you astray, whereas rigidly following a TCAS instruction should give a safe outcome.

 

[jb747]

Clear air turbulence is very much a thing, and as the article says, there is no warning as it doesn’t appear on the radar. It’s generally that jiggly stuff...like a rough road.

But, I don’t agree that it’s the one that causes injuries. Mostly I’d put that down to people who (for whatever reason) elect to ignore the seat belt sign during a transit of convective weather...or pilots who don’t see it coming, or manage it correctly.

 

[Quickstatus]

Clear air turbulence is very much a thing, and as the article says, there is no warning as it doesn’t appear on the radar. It’s generally that jiggly stuff...like a rough road.

But, I don’t agree that it’s the one that causes injuries. Mostly I’d put that down to people who (for whatever reason) elect to ignore the seat belt sign during a transit of convective weather...or pilots who don’t see it coming, or manage it correctly.

Can convective weather be visualised by aircraft synthetic vision? or otherwise predicted?

 

[jb747]

Can convective weather be visualised by aircraft synthetic vision? or otherwise predicted?

I don't know anything about synthetic vision...but I doubt that it sees through cloud. Radar does nicely, and will see most convective stuff that's worth avoiding.

The sort of convective weather I'm talking about, you'd call a storm, or even thunderstorm, if you were on the ground looking at it. Huge, puffy, clouds, with lots of vertical development.

 

[Quickstatus]

Thanks yes I meant “synthetic vision” as a catchall for tech like Radar

 

[flyer89]

JB,

Has the “positive takeoff/landing clearing clearance confirmed” call been a mainstay for some years at QF or is it a more recent addition to the SOP’s?.

 

[D747]

In reference to this incident: Accident: India Express B738 at Tiruchirappalli on Oct 12th 2018, impacted localizer antenna and wall on departure Given the aircraft was 305 meters from the end of the runway, what altitude should it have been at versus what altitude was it at when it struck the wall? It would seem, from my completely uneducated guess, that it was well below a safe altitude?

 

[BABENS]

Hi - my apologies if this has been asked and answered in previous posts - what are the best noise cancelling in ear headphones that pilots use. I have seen a number of pilots recently heading back as passengers on flights with in ear headphones but didn’t want to interrupt their downtime to ask. Thank you in advance