The great big "ask an airline pilot" thread!

Growler!!! · 25-02-2014 11:14pm

amen wrote: »

The reason I ask is because this a thread called "ask an airline pilot" and I'm sure I could find out by finding the relevant faa/european agencies documents and reading them but though a pilot could help

If you are concerned about security then security through obfuscation is not security.

Why does the more restrictive apply ? what happens if rule in two licensing juristrictions are totally different ?

what about over flights ?

The more restrictive rule applies because it is the safest rule to follow. Another example would be - you are a German national with a German driving licence and driving a German registered car. On the autobahn you can travel at whatever speed you are comfortable with. You cross the border into France with a 120kph speed limit. What rules do you follow?

Same in aviation. You must follow the rules of the airspace you fly in, or your own national rules - whichever is more restrictive. It's up to you as PIC to know the rules.

billie1b · 25-02-2014 11:31pm

ProfessorPlum wrote: »

I've a vague recollection of a crash involving a sports team (ice hockey??) where the 'bulk' of the team caused the aircraft to be overweight. Can't remember the details, but it certainly could be significant for, say a charter operation where all the pax may be eh, 'well built'. I wonder do city jet use standard or actual weights when they're transporting Leinster for instance.

I remember a couple of years ago for an audit Boeing asked us to weigh the pax getting off the aircrafts in Dublin (so many flights per day, same stand) and compare it to the load sheets to see if the average weights were ok. I always remember a flight I did and the average weight on the loadsheet was 13745kg just for the pax, full flight, 189 pax, the weight added up when they all finished on the scales was 13670kg. Always stuck in my head how close it was to the loadsheet figure.

ProfessorPlum · 26-02-2014 1:11am

billie1b wrote: »

I remember a couple of years ago for an audit Boeing asked us to weigh the pax getting off the aircrafts in Dublin (so many flights per day, same stand) and compare it to the load sheets to see if the average weights were ok. I always remember a flight I did and the average weight on the loadsheet was 13745kg just for the pax, full flight, 189 pax, the weight added up when they all finished on the scales was 13670kg. Always stuck in my head how close it was to the loadsheet figure.

Wow, that's pretty reassuring alright! Gives us a few more years to pile on the pounds

smurfjed · 26-02-2014 8:14am

Why does the more restrictive apply ? what happens if rule in two licensing juristrictions are totally different ?

For airline type operations you would have to have your own national certification, then for the USA you are expected to comply with FAR129 and as the aircraft is involved in international travel, then you have to foliow ICAO Annex 2/6/8 (at least)

There are many ICAO rules that the FAA doesn't cover, so for FAA operators flying into Europe, they can find themselves getting violations for things like "no date of expiry on rating", "medical out of date".

It can get quite messy trying to work out which rules apply where, but generally the Jeppesen ATC section will give you a list of differences.

robertxxx · 26-02-2014 9:02pm

When an aircraft takes flight for a distension is there ever any issues/problems with the aircraft that the captain is aware of and knows its safe to fly with these issues/problems.

Or is the plane always faultless when leaving.

Growler!!! · 26-02-2014 9:19pm

robertxxx wrote: »

When an aircraft takes flight for a distension is there ever any issues/problems with the aircraft that the captain is aware of and knows its safe to fly with these issues/problems.

Or is the plane always faultless when leaving.

Yes, there may often be small snags which are carried on a flight. For instance a tray table at a seat my not be working or broken.

There can also be times when a major system is degraded due to a loss of one of two or more components. Ie. an air conditioning pack may be inoperative but this will have restrictions associated with it such as a maximum flight level the aircraft can fly at.

We use a book called the M.E.L. Or Minimum Equipment List which tell us what can or cannot be inoperative for dispatch. Once a fault is written in the Tech Log the aircraft is grounded until an engineer works on the problem or the captain can sign off a small problem in conjunction with a call to engineering.

SamAK · 28-02-2014 1:52am

I flew civvie on an A-380 a while back and was wondering if it would be possible to fly it with only one engine?

I assume yes, and if so, would there be any noticeable difference with the thrust only coming from one side of the aircraft?

Loved the A-380, ridiculously large

smurfjed · 28-02-2014 10:19am

if it would be possible to fly it with only one engine?

Depending on the weight, it will fly but at an altitude of only around 7-9000 feet and thats only possible by drifting down to that altitude rather than climbing up there.

i got to fly the A380 simulator in Toulouse, it was incredibly manoeuvrable and easy to fly, especially when compared to the B747.

Ridiculously large, but somehow i think that the wing and tail were designed for the forthcoming -900 series

SamAK · 28-02-2014 10:53am

Thanks smurf!

I've been in the A380 and a teeny-tiny 4 seat Cessna so I guess that's the extremes at both ends covered for now

islanderre · 02-03-2014 11:58pm

Evening all,

Has the pleasure of flying on the DC 10 out of Birmingham last Monday on the one hour joyride special.

Took the below photo but would love to know what these openings are for...... Would I be right in that they are associated with the pressurisation system???? Only other reference I can think of from other aircraft is the A320 where @ the rear of the fuselage on taxi I sometimes see a 'Flap' open too.

[IMG][/img]

Seems like a very intricate linked system.... ,ove design pieces like this!!!!!

Thanks all.

Tenger · 03-03-2014 9:45am

islanderre wrote: »

Evening all,

Has the pleasure of flying on the DC 10 out of Birmingham last Monday on the one hour joyride special.

Lucky fecker....I was hoping to do this with 2 mates....but it just happened in between 2 birthdays and a weekend away so I couldn't justify the trip away with the Boss.
Wasn't it £100 or £150 for a window seat? Not a lot in relative terms but it was the getting over and back that made it awkward for me.

smurfjed · 03-03-2014 9:57am

Pressurisation outflow valves, primary and secondary would be my guess. Congrats on getting to fly on it.

islanderre · 03-03-2014 9:15pm

Tenger wrote: »

Wasn't it £100 or £150 for a window seat? Not a lot in relative terms but it was the getting over and back that made it awkward for me.

Tenger,
It was £100 for an aisle and £150 for a window...... none of the middle rows of seats were sold at all so it was very easy to walk about the aircraft once the cruise started.
I flew out of DUB on the ATR-42 (the all white one EI-CPT) on the Sunday evenign; overnighted in Birmingham on the Sunday and then back to DUB via AMS on the Monday evening.
Really enjoyed it,

b757 · 04-03-2014 12:04am

http://www.cosmopolitan-view.com/five-types-of-airline-pilots/

Bit of fun, which one are you lot?

adam88 · 04-03-2014 4:50pm

islanderre wrote: »

Tenger,
It was £100 for an aisle and £150 for a window...... none of the middle rows of seats were sold at all so it was very easy to walk about the aircraft once the cruise started.
I flew out of DUB on the ATR-42 (the all white one EI-CPT) on the Sunday evenign; overnighted in Birmingham on the Sunday and then back to DUB via AMS on the Monday evening.
Really enjoyed it,

Why via Ams

Tenger · 04-03-2014 8:21pm

adam88 wrote: »

Why via Ams

He got to fly on a Fokker. (I think that's what it was)

islanderre · 04-03-2014 8:43pm

adam88 wrote: »

Why via Ams

Yep..... Wanted to fly on the Fokker 70 so went Birmingham to Amsterdam and then onwards to Dub......

A bit mad but why not!!!!!!

hidinginthebush · 04-03-2014 10:19pm

Hi all, just wondering is there anything particularly special about the DC10?

I flew on one from Chicago to San Fran a few years back, did I blow my chance on storing up some aviation history?

islanderre · 04-03-2014 10:24pm

I dont think so hidinginthebush....... for some like me getting to fly one was a chance not to be missed as when Northwest used them transatlantic; financials at the time did not permit me to fly them.
Also; they are the last bar the 747 of the original widebodies which date from a different era especially with their 3 man cockpit crew and steam / round guages..... some say the A300 & A310 are also from this era but these Airbus' simply don't float my boat!!!!!!

Now if I could only turn the clock back to ..... Concorde........

Just my 2 cents on it

pclancy · 04-03-2014 11:18pm

Just a friendly reminder folks that this thread is for asking airline pilots questions...other general discussion should go in the main forum

Cheers

Suasdaguna1 · 05-03-2014 11:53am

hidinginthebush wrote: »

Hi all, just wondering is there anything particularly special about the DC10?

I flew on one from Chicago to San Fran a few years back, did I blow my chance on storing up some aviation history?

Dc10 was a fine aircraft with a chequered history to begin, starting with a cargo door blowing off ex paris. For me the MD11 its sucessor was a cow.....tricky to land with limited tail authority.

Pal of mine did the BIMAN flight ex BHX and it was anorak heaven.

de biz · 05-03-2014 1:25pm

Suasdaguna1 wrote: »

Dc10 was a fine aircraft with a chequered history to begin, starting with a cargo door blowing off ex paris. For me the MD11 its sucessor was a cow.....tricky to land with limited tail authority.

Were you type rated on the MD-11?

Suasdaguna1 · 05-03-2014 2:58pm

de biz wrote: »

Were you type rated on the MD-11?

Nope but i know enough about the aircraft re incidents and accidents to say same.

keith16 · 05-03-2014 10:58pm

I spent a lot of time driving today and had a lot of stuff on my mind and found my concentration on the road slipping a few times.

How do pilots deal with non-work (or work) related stresses and putting stuff to the back of their mind to maintain the required concentration levels?

KnotABother · 06-03-2014 12:55am

keith16 wrote: »

I spent a lot of time driving today and had a lot of stuff on my mind and found my concentration on the road slipping a few times.

How do pilots deal with non-work (or work) related stresses and putting stuff to the back of their mind to maintain the required concentration levels?

The prospect of being hanged in the morning concentrates the mind.

uck51js9zml2yt · 06-03-2014 1:02am

Where is the safest spot to sit on a plane.

Looking a the tv last nght where they crashed a plane to see what happened suggeste the middle section.

basill · 06-03-2014 12:41pm

Depends how it crashed. The mid section was only relevant to that particular experiment. 1a, 46f or anything inbetween could be the place to be on another day.

Garrigai · 06-03-2014 12:43pm

The safest spot is clearly the back of the plane. When have you ever heard of a plane reversing into a mountain??

Darwin · 06-03-2014 2:29pm

Anton Scruffy Searchlight wrote: »

Where is the safest spot to sit on a plane.

Looking a the tv last nght where they crashed a plane to see what happened suggeste the middle section.

A University of Greenwich study (commissioned by the Civil Aviation Authority) found that the safest place to sit is within six rows of the nearest exit - I guess this is assuming the plane is still intact when it lands. Think it was this study.

hidinginthebush · 06-03-2014 5:23pm

I've asked this before in relation to passenger jets, but for smaller propeller driven planes, is there a large difference in how to fly / control them? ie if you can fly one type, is it transferable to other small planes? There's less controls and automation (I presume?), so is it easier to hop into different types of plane?

Do any of you commercial pilots ever take a spin on a little one or two -man propeller plane just for kicks?

Do many pilots start off flying small planes, or is it a case that you did your training with a large company and they stuck you straight into Boeings and Airbuses?

faceman · 06-03-2014 5:23pm

On the topic of safety, I've read about incidents where one of the flight crew was rendered unconscious due to illness.

In the event that both the flight crew rendered unconscious or there was a problem with the air supply in the cockpit, would those of us in the back ever know? Is there a fail safe for that kind of thing?

ProfessorPlum · 06-03-2014 11:24pm

faceman wrote: »

On the topic of safety, I've read about incidents where one of the flight crew was rendered unconscious due to illness.

In the event that both the flight crew rendered unconscious or there was a problem with the air supply in the cockpit, would those of us in the back ever know? Is there a fail safe for that kind of thing?

Cabin crew are required to check the cockpit at regular intervals to check that both crew are still alive, (and more importantly, don't need more coffee:), but take a look at Helios http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helios_Airways_Flight_522

Many airlines changed their procedures after that crash, so that in the event of a depressurisation, if the cabin does not get communication from the cockpit, they are required to go to the cockpit to physically check on the crew to see if they are conscious. While the masks drop down automatically in the cabin, there is no automatic system in the cockpit, so it could happen that there is a loss of pressurisation and the cockpit crew may not be aware.

KnotABother · 11-03-2014 7:33pm

I was told a story the other day that got me thinking.

An aircraft is sitting at the gate being fuelled and loaded etc with pax on board. The Captain looks out and see's the guy who is operating the bowser lighting up a cig. He calls an emergency evacuation of the aircraft immediately.

I'm not sure if this really happened but interested to hear from some guys their thoughts on such an issue and if they would do something similar?

Thanks

youknowwho · 11-03-2014 10:03pm

KnotABother wrote: »

I was told a story the other day that got me thinking.

An aircraft is sitting at the gate being fuelled and loaded etc with pax on board. The Captain looks out and see's the guy who is operating the bowser lighting up a cig. He calls an emergency evacuation of the aircraft immediately.

I'm not sure if this really happened but interested to hear from some guys their thoughts on such an issue and if they would do something similar?

Thanks

As far as I know pax are not permitted on board during fueling, hence the need to kick everyone off for an hour on refueling stops.

Tenger · 11-03-2014 10:15pm

youknowwho wrote: »

As far as I know pax are not permitted on board during fueling, hence the need to kick everyone off for an hour on refueling stops.

There are SOP's in place to allow fuelling with pax on board

Growler!!! · 11-03-2014 10:26pm

But but but, I'm in the left seat looking out the left window. All the service vehicle are on the right hand side. How do I see the refueler smoking......

ProfessorPlum · 11-03-2014 10:30pm

Some aircraft can fuel from the left wing, but tbh, unless this is a story from some remote strip in deepest darkest previously undiscovered jungle, I'd say its bull. Nobody who pumps fuel for a living would be that stupid.

Jimmy444 · 12-03-2014 1:34am

youknowwho wrote: »

As far as I know pax are not permitted on board during fueling, hence the need to kick everyone off for an hour on refueling stops.

I don't think this is right. Maybe things have changed but I have definitely been on aircraft while refuelling was happening. I know this because we were asked to undo our seatbelts for the duration (in case a quick exit is needed?:eek:)

Skuxx · 12-03-2014 8:01am

Jimmy444 wrote: »

I don't think this is right. Maybe things have changed but I have definitely been on aircraft while refuelling was happening. I know this because we were asked to undo our seatbelts for the duration (in case a quick exit is needed?:eek:)

This is correct! You may refuel with pax onboard but they must be made aware refueling is taking place and to leave seat belts off for the duration!

basill · 12-03-2014 11:05am

All airline dependent but there will be further procedures in place to safeguard pax and crew whilst fuelling. Things like boarding in small groups, ccm's manning emerency exits, avoiding having catering or other vehicles attached to doors, cockpit crew in contact with someone on a headset so that fuelling can be stopped for any reason etc etc. Also since wide cut fuels have largely been abandoned in the civilised airline world the risk of a fire is significantly reduced.

BeardySi · 12-03-2014 11:20am

Wide cut fuels?

ProfessorPlum · 12-03-2014 11:26am

Treadhead wrote: »

Wide cut fuels?

"wide cut fuels" are fuels that are more volatile and more likely to catch fire while fueling, such as JP 4. Jet A1 and Jet A is pretty much all that you'll get in 'the civilised world' nowadays

BeardySi · 12-03-2014 12:01pm

Cheers

KnotABother · 12-03-2014 7:01pm

I'm less concerned with the truth and/or mechanics of the story and more what a captain would do if he looked out and saw the bowser operator having a smoke?

CaliforniaDream · 13-03-2014 9:50am

Something that popped into my head while reading the MH370 thread.

When an aircraft is sent to the manufacturer for repairs, how does it happen? Are repairs done on the ground without the plane going anywhere and then it's sent to the manufacturer for a secondary inspection? If so, who volunteers to fly the plane in such conditions?
I hope it's not a silly question.

basill · 13-03-2014 11:50am

Generally the aircraft doesn't physially go to the manufacturer for repairs. The repairs will be carried out by the airlines inhouse engineers, or contracted out. If its a "big" repair then a manufacturers representative might need to inspect the work and complete a final sign off. In this technological age we live in it is quite normal to photograph damage and upload to manufacturer specific technical databases where engineers in for example Toulouse can appraise it and recommend a solution.

On routine maintenance flights the pilots will be rostered. If a test flight is required then it will usuually require training/instuctor pilots. The specifics will be dictated in the companies Ops Manuals which have been approved by the regulator eg:IAA/CAA etc.

Peregrine · 13-03-2014 11:54am

What are your opinions on cockpit image recorders?

Would it be violating pilots' privacy too much? Too expensive?

View Profile · 13-03-2014 5:00pm

KnotABother wrote: »

I'm less concerned with the truth and/or mechanics of the story and more what a captain would do if he looked out and saw the bowser operator having a smoke?

I would go downstairs and give the bowser operator a bollocking, he should know better.
Then I would fill out a safety report so the airline could follow up the incident with the relevant authorities.

Nimrod 7 What are your opinions on cockpit image recorders?

Would it be violating pilots' privacy too much? Too expensive?

As long as its similar to the voice recorder tape, ie it records over itself every 2 hours and isnt beemed live back to the Chief Pilots office, I wouldnt really mind too much.
However I dont see what a video recorder could tell you that the flight data recorder and voice recorder already do?!

ProfessorPlum · 13-03-2014 5:32pm

I agree. I'd want to see some fairly convincing evidence that it would add significantly to an investigation. I'm not convinced.

fussyonion · 14-03-2014 12:44am

New to this forum and I hope this isn't a totally newbie question..

When a plane leaves Dublin Airport, it's obviously in communication with the ATC.
But as the plane flies over England or France, is it in contact with Dublin still or the UK/France?

I always wanted to know!

The great big "ask an airline pilot" thread!

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