Ask The Pilot

[Tortuga]

Command training in many airlines is measured in weeks...if you lower the goal posts enough, nobody fails. So, the answer to your question would have to be 'easier'. Bear in mind, this is not all airlines, but I'm sure the obvious ones will jump out at you.

The problem is that within a short period of time, and probably in some airlines already, the number of experienced people is far outweighed by the new brigade. Their knowledge and standards become the average, so they don't even realise how low the bar is.

Why not train them before they get into the seat? On the job training, in aircraft, assumes that nothing happens in the early days. Bad things can happen on any flight.

That would be the best course of action if management took a firm stance and decided to actually take responsibly to ensure pilots were properly trained before getting in the coughpit. Unfortunately from what you have told me this isn't the case for quite a few airlines. I'm quite ignorant about the quality of each airlines pilots, if you asked me honestly I wouldn't be able to tell you who I thought had the best quality pilots. From what I have read Qantas and BA are somewhere near the top of the food chain, after that I wouldn't have a clue. I understand you are not in a position to start reeling off names, however if someone has an informed opinion I would be happy to receive a PM about it. I don't know whether to laugh or actually believe the good old "If it ain't Boeing I'm not going"....

All I can really judge an airline on is accidents and incidents, but like you say - who knows how many "near misses" there actually are that we never know about. I have QF17/18 on my travel itinerary next month, looking forward to flying with Qantas again on the 747 - it's been a long time and some of my fondest childhood memories are at the airport looking at the big 747's and wishing that was the plane we would be getting on, unfortunately it was always the smaller 767's !!!

 

[ajw373]

Air fares have increased a lot over the years too. The first time I went on the Concorde ISTR it cost me around £4k return. (About £1k more than First Class) last time I flew it was Round £12k. If it were still flying today I'd expect it to be around £20k.

I'd LOVE it if Virgin Galactic or something similar can eventually fly from London to Melbourne or Sydney in a few hours! I'd be prepared to spend 10 x a First Class fare to save that amount of time.


Sent from my iPad using AustFreqFly App

The absolute cost is not a good measure, but how much the cost is relative to average income (or a big mac).

 

[medhead]

A bit off topic here. maybe it should be in the "ask the soldier" thread, lol

Both weapons still had the option for a BFA

I'll limit my off topic reply to clarify that a BFA wasn't involved in my question.


Sent from the Throne (80% chance) using Aust Freq Fly app

 

[jb747]

I have QF17/18 on my travel itinerary next month, looking forward to flying with Qantas again on the 747 - it's been a long time and some of my fondest childhood memories are at the airport looking at the big 747's and wishing that was the plane we would be getting on, unfortunately it was always the smaller 767's !!!

Actually the 767 is my favourite aircraft.

 

[jb747]

I don't know whether to laugh or actually believe the good old "If it ain't Boeing I'm not going"....

They all have issues. Any simplistic solution will never be a real solution.

All I can really judge an airline on is accidents and incidents, but like you say - who knows how many "near misses" there actually are that we never know about.

You have no idea how many incidents any given airline has. The media do not (for instance) tell you anything about Singair or Emirates. In fact, as a generalisation, if it's in the media, then it's wrong.

 

[AVC]

Back on topic. (I have a close friend who I would normally ask but he's always away flying)

Does the A380, or the 747 for that matter have a RAT, or do they just rely on windmilling for power in the event of an all-out?

Furthermore, I was talking to my friend about back up analogue intsruments (altitiude, attitude, compass, height) on the 747, which he says they no longer have. Only an electronic MFD (which strangely enough he did not know the name of) which had an independednt battery supply of around 3 hours.

Does airbus just use all glass coughpit with no analogue back up?

 

[yo yo ma]

I travel monthly into and out of Cairns and have always in 5 years (to the best of my memory) landed and taken off from the North to South runway. Last time however, we landed and took off South-North. Why was this? I assume it was due the the wind that day?

 

[jb747]

Back on topic. (I have a close friend who I would normally ask but he's always away flying)

Does the A380, or the 747 for that matter have a RAT, or do they just rely on windmilling for power in the event of an all-out?

A380 has a RAT which provides about 10% of the normal amount of electricity. The 747 doesn't. 747 engines will still provide hydraulics, and the batteries will provide electricity for the amount of time you'd need it.....

Furthermore, I was talking to my friend about back up analogue intsruments (altitiude, attitude, compass, height) on the 747, which he says they no longer have. Only an electronic MFD (which strangely enough he did not know the name of) which had an independednt battery supply of around 3 hours.

Does airbus just use all glass coughpit with no analogue back up?

All of the later aircraft (747ER, 777, A3xx) have an electronic backup display, with it's own batteries.

 

[jb747]

I travel monthly into and out of Cairns and have always in 5 years (to the best of my memory) landed and taken off from the North to South runway. Last time however, we landed and took off South-North. Why was this? I assume it was due the the wind that day?

Cairns only has an ILS on 15, and the approach from the south is quite obstacle limited, so landings to the south are preferred up to the tailwind limit (10-15 knots)...and that then means you take off to the south too.

 

[Limewood]

I travel monthly into and out of Cairns and have always in 5 years (to the best of my memory) landed and taken off from the North to South runway. Last time however, we landed and took off South-North. Why was this? I assume it was due the the wind that day?

Yes that is correct, I live in North Cairns and we hear them going over when wind is NE, only happens about 10% of the time though as winds in FNQ are predominately from SE.

 

[yo yo ma]

Thanks jb747 & Limewood too.

 

[mjt57]

I'd have killed for anything like our current DSLRs.

Like Nikon's new 36.3 MP D800 DSLR? (just saw a news item on it PC Authority's newsletter...)

 

[Flying Fox]

Like Nikon's new 36.3 MP D800 DSLR? (just saw a news item on it PC Authority's newsletter...)

Oh yeah, launched yesterday.........

Or the Nikon D4 launched last month.

 

[jb747]

Known sectors for the next few weeks:

17/2 QFA0031 SYD/SIN
18/2 QFA0031 SIN/LHR
21/2 QFA0032 LHR/SIN
24/2 QFA0032 SIN/SYD

4/3 QFA0009 MEL/SIN
5/3 QFA0009 SIN/LHR
8/3 QFA0010 LHR/SIN
11/3 QFA0010 SIN/MEL

18/3 QFA0093 MEL/LAX
19/3 QFA0094 LAX/MEL

 

[simongr]

Now this post might get me into trouble but that schedule looks like 10 days work out of a possible 20 working days. A lot of it seems like fly sector 1 then fly the onward sector the next day (which seems reasonable) - I guess you lose available work days as you have 24/26 hours between sectors.

Do you have sim time or other admin/office work in between that?

 

[jb747]

Now this post might get me into trouble but that schedule looks like 10 days work out of a possible 20 working days. A lot of it seems like fly sector 1 then fly the onward sector the next day (which seems reasonable) - I guess you lose available work days as you have 24/26 hours between sectors.

Do you have sim time or other admin/office work in between that?

That's an eight week roster, though it also includes leave.

Long haul operations have mandated stand down periods between sectors, although, in general, they tend to fit in with the next flight that you could reasonably do anyway. Short haul looks much more like a normal job, in which you fly for blocks of 4 to 5 days. The company also plans longer than minimum slips in some cases to allow coverage for disruptions. If everyone always had the legal minimum, then any aircraft that arrived late would invariably result in the next departure for that crew also having to be delayed. Coverage for downline illness etc is also gained that way.

CASA/ICAO flight time limitations come in to play...two London trips have an elapsed time of roughly two weeks, but will take up almost 100 flight hours...which is the limit for 30 days. The legal limit is 900 hours per year...and the flight rate in that roster is about 1100 hours per year.

You can't reasonably compare the hours to normal 9 to 5 stuff. Have a think about how your work would look if you changed shifts, every time you went to work.

Sim exercises, and any classroom work go on top of that roster. Standby, could also have to be added in. Line pilots don't do 'admin' work.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Drew the short straw on LAX, jb747?

 

[jb747]

Drew the short straw on LAX, jb747?

With leave on the roster, you can't fit 3 Londons in...

As I do a lot of standby duties, no matter how much I dislike LA, it makes sense to go there occasionally. A bit of familiarity (recency) helps avoid embarrassing yourself.....

 

[harvyk]

The company also plans longer than minimum slips in some cases to allow coverage for disruptions. If everyone always had the legal minimum, then any aircraft that arrived late would invariably result in the next departure for that crew also having to be delayed. Coverage for downline illness etc is also gained that way.

Reminds me of a flight I did between PVG-HKG, the crew arrived into PVG later than expected the night before, and thus they had to leave later the next morning otherwise they wouldn't have had their minimum rest period.

It was a little annoying sitting there, with a perfectly serviceable aircraft, and crew, but unable to go anywhere because their minimum rest hadn't yet expired.


A question which I'll also ask in the ask a crew member thread (because it would be valid for them as well), given that you may never have flown with any of the crew on a flight, outside of public address announcements to the pax, do you refer to each other by name, or would you simply refer to each other by position? (eg First Officer, CSM etc...)

 

[jb747]

A question which I'll also ask in the ask a crew member thread (because it would be valid for them as well), given that you may never have flown with any of the crew on a flight, outside of public address announcements to the pax, do you refer to each other by name, or would you simply refer to each other by position? (eg First Officer, CSM etc...)

Names, or sometimes 'skipper'.

I came from the military. I have no doubt that I can make people jump if needed, no matter what I call them.....