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The great big "ask an airline pilot" thread!

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Comments

  • #812
    Tenger
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 10,129 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tenger


    Priority Right wrote: »
    It never feels like work if the guy in the seat beside you is sound. Captain said to me as I was leaving work "imagine, some people had to work today" and he's right. It's like having a laugh with a mate most days.
    That's a good working environment, and of course this helps CRM......but most importantly it helps you enjoy your job.

    I have heard some stories from BA, apparently they do not have the same cordial environment on their flightdecks.


  • #813
    host_found
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13 ✭host_found


    Do pilots have ear ache as they descend??
    If you do, i would you concentrate on landing!!

    My ears pains like they are gonna blast :mad:


  • #814
    LeftBase
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 743 ✭✭✭LeftBase


    host_found wrote: »
    Do pilots have ear ache as they descend??
    If you do, i would you concentrate on landing!!

    My ears pains like they are gonna blast :mad:

    It can happen sometimes. Remember I was flying at 10,000 in a twin and when we descended I felt a slight discomfort in my ears. It didn't have a pressure system mind you.

    Any problems can be solved by the valsalva technique(had to get that in somewhere!:D)


  • #815
    smurfjed
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,803 ✭✭✭✭smurfjed


    it never was a novelty but a career
    Bearcat, for you it was a career, but for someone like Left Base, what is his future career path? He certainly cant continue forever on that salary, in 4 years he will have circa 2500 hrs right seat on the A320, what's next?

    For me, this is the saddest part of our industry, extremely experienced First Officers are having less and less career opportunities, the airlines appear to prefer flexi workers on 50 pounds per hour. The Middle East carriers have stopped recruitment for the present time, so what other options are there?

    For me I fly because it was a dream and i love it, but that doesn't give my employer the right to walk all over me.

    Anyway its time for me to go back to work, standby 0000z :)

    smurfjed


  • #816
    ronan45
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,584 ✭✭✭ronan45


    Do pilots (be true now) ever get scared when going through severe turbulance?
    I was in heavy turbulence once and i crapped my pants i was 100% sure the plane would not be able to withstand the movement lol.
    So if you encounter heavy turbulence do you ever get scared or is the equivalent of me going over some speed ramps in my car?


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  • #817
    LeftBase
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 743 ✭✭✭LeftBase


    ronan45 wrote: »
    Do pilots (be true now) ever get scared when going through severe turbulance?
    I was in heavy turbulence once and i crapped my pants i was 100% sure the plane would not be able to withstand the movement lol.
    So if you encounter heavy turbulence do you ever get scared or is the equivalent of me going over some speed ramps in my car?

    It's always less scary when you have the stick and are in control(or at least feel you are) of the situation.

    Smurfjed -
    Bearcat, for you it was a career, but for someone like Left Base, what is his future career path? He certainly cant continue forever on that salary, in 4 years he will have circa 2500 hrs right seat on the A320, what's next?

    If my salary does not change significantly I'll be moving on when I can. However I don't think it's too much of a mystery where I may try and apply my A320 type rating!;)(which incidentally I received the thumbs up on today).


  • #818
    seller567
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29 ✭seller567


    eatmyshorts wrote: »
    That is just the sound of the engines being reduced to idle in order to start the descent from cruising altitude. Depending on aircraft type and altitude, that may be anywhere from 30 minutes prior to landing onwards.
    Just think of it like being in a car; in order to slow down, you have to take your foot off the accelerator and let the engine idle. With an aircraft, you are having to lose altitude as well as speed and also a hell of a lot of inertia, so it takes a lot longer!

    Thanks, that makes sense. I've got used to the noise of the landing gear going down, instead of thinking the arse has just fallen off the aircraft.
    bluecode wrote: »
    Years ago I was taking some people flying in a Cessna 172. As I came into land I reduced power quite abruptly. A girl in the back screamed. She thought the engine failed. Lesson learned. An easy mistake to make. .

    :oCould easily be me. I nearly died a thousand deaths after an aborted landing in Newark shortly after 9/11. I was breathing into a brown paper bag, I got such a fright. Thankfully more frequent flyers around me, saying is was quite common.


  • #819
    PapaQuebec
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 555 ✭✭✭PapaQuebec


    LeftBase wrote: »
    It's always less scary when you have the stick and are in control(or at least feel you are) of the situation.

    Smurfjed -

    If my salary does not change significantly I'll be moving on when I can. However I don't think it's too much of a mystery where I may try and apply my A320 type rating!;)(which incidentally I received the thumbs up on today).

    Congrats on that!!


  • #820
    Shamrock231
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 726 ✭✭✭Shamrock231


    LeftBase wrote: »
    my A320 type rating!;)(which incidentally I received the thumbs up on today).
    :) Congratulations. :)


  • #821
    Bearcat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,326 ✭✭✭Bearcat


    Brill Left Base......love to hear guys moving up the ladder. Onwards and upwards!


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  • #822
    Tenger
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 10,129 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tenger


    Some-one was asking a day or two ago about whether flight crew see icebergs in their travels:
    Got this last week heading West, a few small bergs bobbing among the fjords of Western Greenland.
    7962369476_fe63e250c6.jpg
    Western coast of greenland by tearbringer, on Flickr


  • #823
    eatmyshorts
    Closed Accounts Posts: 821 ✭✭✭eatmyshorts


    Taken several years ago around Greenland I think.

    [IMG][/img]7969494268_ef62e0b77e.jpg
    Pic (1540) by r_and_j1701, on Flickr

    [IMG][/img]7969493204_29551b421d.jpg
    Pic (2251) by r_and_j1701, on Flickr

    [IMG][/img]7969491890_e5878f0de2.jpg
    Pic (2267) by r_and_j1701, on Flickr

    [IMG][/img]7969490610_7d085ac43f.jpg
    Pic (1545) by r_and_j1701, on Flickr


  • #824
    Bearcat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,326 ✭✭✭Bearcat


    Here's my travels over Greenland.

    e8f60e1c.jpg
    2053eea4.jpg
    e8f60e1c.jpg

    Here's one routing southbound abeam Portland......you can see the tip of cape cod on the horizon
    802d279d.jpg

    Over the pond
    6a81d4bd.jpg


    The Alps
    06d6b220.jpg


  • #825
    cavanman112
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27 ✭cavanman112


    Great Pic's Bearcat, what Aircraft type were they taken from ?


  • #826
    CaliforniaDream
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 813 ✭✭✭CaliforniaDream


    Flight I was on recently flew over Greenland. First time I've seen it as most flight paths seem to go near it but not over.
    My pictures look a lot like Bearcats.

    It was gorgeous to look at but it was scary how close to the ground you seem compared to the ocean you've just come from and somewhere like US or Ireland.

    I hate flying and when over the ocean all I think about is flight 447 and when over somewhere like Greenland all I could think about was Alive.
    I despair! I'm only happy when I'm flying over a well developed country and we've begun the descent.


  • #827
    seller567
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29 ✭seller567


    I'd be similar CaliforniaDream. I really don't like transatlantic flights at all. I flew from Jamaica to London and nearly didn't get on the plane that night, I was so terrified. It was directly across the Atlantic. It didn't help that we had been delayed 24 hours due to technical problems with the plane. The airline were telling us they were troubleshooting the problem. Then they told us, they had fixed the plane and we were ready to go. Honestly I was in tears walking up the steps to the plane.


  • #828
    Tenger
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 10,129 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tenger


    seller567 wrote: »
    ...... It didn't help that we had been delayed 24 hours due to technical problems with the plane. The airline were telling us they were troubleshooting the problem. Then they told us, they had fixed the plane and we were ready to go. Honestly I was in tears walking up the steps to the plane.
    The main thing to remember here is that the 2 guys in the cockpit would never ever depart in an aircraft they were not confident in. The Captain has the absolute authority in this regard. You can be sure that in your particular incident the flight crew were very closely involved/informed of the 'troubleshooting' and had a good chat to the engineers before deciding to depart. Pilots want to get home safe every day too.


  • #829
    Wise Old Elf
    Moderators Posts: 3,554 ✭✭✭Wise Old Elf


    Quick Q for the pilots, relevant to flying over Greenland, etc:

    I've only ever been transatlantic once, Air Canada Heathrow to Calgary and return Toronto to Dublin. I noticed when we were west of Ireland, and I presume over the ocean, the engine noise was extremely loud (IIRC, it was a 767).

    Is it a case that the pilot can go full throttle when over the ocean and unpopulated areas? It's not something I've ever noticed on short haul European flights.

    Thanks. This is a very entertaining thread. :)


  • #830
    John_Mc
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,793 ✭✭✭John_Mc


    Disco Stuart wrote: »
    Quick Q for the pilots, relevant to flying over Greenland, etc:

    I've only ever been transatlantic once, Air Canada Heathrow to Calgary and return Toronto to Dublin. I noticed when we were west of Ireland, and I presume over the ocean, the engine noise was extremely loud (IIRC, it was a 767).

    Is it a case that the pilot can go full throttle when over the ocean and unpopulated areas? It's not something I've ever noticed on short haul European flights.

    Thanks. This is a very entertaining thread. :)

    I'm not a pilot but can tell you that airplanes rarely go full throttle. At take off they would come close, especially at high altitude airports and in hot climates at heavy loads, but where possible they try to reduce wear and tear on the engines.

    At cruise you'd usually be about 90% but the actual level depends on your cruise speed.

    The noise you heard was probably high winds in the Jet stream but maybe the real pilots can offer some insight here


  • #831
    smurfjed
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,803 ✭✭✭✭smurfjed


    Airliners are generally flown at a specific speed that is either constant, (Mach Number) or variable based on a cost calculation, (Cost Index). It is extremely rare for them to be flown at maximum speed (MMO). In cruise, they are limited by a number of factors such as maximum cruise thrust, which is a different limitation to Takeoff Thrust or Climb Thrust.
    It is possible that an aircraft with a specific oceanic entry time, might slow down to achieve that time, then accelerate to the normal ocean crossing speed. You would therefore hear an increase in thrust that appears to indicate that the aircraft is "going full throttle" :)

    As for the idea that you can hear the jetstream, this isnt the case.

    These days, the vast majority of takeoffs are conducted using some form of reduced takeoff thrust, these reductions can be up to about 45% of the original thrust. I was talking to a corporate B747-400 Flight Engineer yesterday that stated that even on their longest flight, 16.5 hours, they reduced the takeoff thrust to less than 90% of the installed reduced thrust.

    smurfjed


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  • #832
    host_found
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13 ✭host_found


    Do pilots watch Aircrash Investigations?;)


  • #833
    LeftBase
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 743 ✭✭✭LeftBase


    host_found wrote: »
    Do pilots watch Aircrash Investigations?;)

    I've always watched that for no other reason than I thought put in a similar situation maybe an episode would pop into my head and I would catch what the guys in crash didn't.


  • #834
    Tenger
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 10,129 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tenger


    LeftBase wrote: »
    I've always watched that for no other reason than I thought put in a similar situation maybe an episode would pop into my head and I would catch what the guys in crash didn't.

    While I acknowledge that value of watching the dramatised version for descriptive purposes, personally I would prefer that flight crew rely on updated SOP's and SIM training than remembering an episode of Aircrash Investigation. What I like about Aircrash is how each incident adds to the training of commercial pilots.


  • #835
    LeftBase
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 743 ✭✭✭LeftBase


    Tenger wrote: »
    While I acknowledge that value of watching the dramatised version for descriptive purposes, personally I would prefer that flight crew rely on updated SOP's and SIM training than remembering an episode of Aircrash Investigation. What I like about Aircrash is how each incident adds to the training of commercial pilots.

    I dont base my entire working knowledge on it. It's just useful to have in the bag.;)


  • #836
    pclancy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,941 ✭✭✭pclancy


    Sometimes the sets they use in Aircrash Investigations are cringeworthy. The cockpit and instrumentation often look totally different to the real things and are totally dramatized.


  • #837
    eatmyshorts
    Closed Accounts Posts: 821 ✭✭✭eatmyshorts


    I watch it, but sometimes the over-dramatisation is annoying. My personal peeve is that the pilots are always wrestling the controls with both hands, even during normal flight. Sometimes both pilots at the same time!


  • #838
    Lustrum
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 761 ✭✭✭Lustrum


    Lustrum wrote: »
    Question: Split rudders, some have them and some don't, why? And if anyone is flying three engine jets, is there much of a difference? If the middle one fails, would you divert or carry on with two?

    Anyone got any answers for the above?

    Do you get to bring your razor and other forbidden items through security being the pilot?


  • #839
    smurfjed
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,803 ✭✭✭✭smurfjed


    Do you get to bring your razor and other forbidden items through security being the pilot?
    Depends on the airport to be perfectly honest. In Europe the answer is generally no.

    Our 3 Engine aircraft all have "Land As Soon as Possible". I have never flown a 3 engine airliner, with the exception of doing the MCC in B727, but from colleagues flying 3 engine airliners or corporate jets, they say that losing the middle engine is the easiest.

    smurfjed


  • #840
    smurfjed
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,803 ✭✭✭✭smurfjed


    Host_found, you might be interested in this, reports such as these are a much better source of factual information than TV shows.

    http://www.aaiu.ie/sites/default/files/report-attachments/REPORT_2012_015.pdf

    smurfjed


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  • #841
    smurfjed
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,803 ✭✭✭✭smurfjed


    A day in the life…..

    Up bright and early, 2 hours in the gym followed by breakfast. Jeans and T-shirt day, got collected and driven to large international airport, straight to the aircraft door without getting out of the transport.
    Requirement to refill pax oxygen system, can't be done at this airport, so filed for another destination about 100 nms away. Fuel and catering finally showed up! 3 on the aircraft, awesome clear blue skies day, cleared takeoff with immediate right turn due "protocol" (whatever that means), after initial contact with radar, cleared to IAF at destination FL160, amazing view of the Atlantic coastline on the left. After IAF cleared for approach, no traffic, autopilot, auto throttle and Flight director off, visual approach. Touchdown after 19 minutes. Entered the military ramp to find them all ready for us, got greeted by the base commander (A general no less :)). Finished in 10 minutes, airborne in 20, and a nice 30 minute flight back to departure point. Driven straight from the aircraft back to the hotel.
    Gotta love this job :)


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