The great big "ask an airline pilot" thread!

Tenger · 04-03-2014 07:21PM

adam88 wrote: »

Why via Ams

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

islanderre · 04-03-2014 07:43PM

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 09:19PM

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 09:24PM

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 10:18PM

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 10:53AM

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 12:25PM

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 01:58PM

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 09:58PM

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 · 05-03-2014 11:55PM

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 12:02AM

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 11:41AM

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 11:43AM

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 01:29PM

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 04:23PM

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 04:23PM

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 10:24PM

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 06:33PM

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 09:03PM

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 09:15PM

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 09:26PM

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 09:30PM

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 12:34AM

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 07:01AM

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 10:05AM

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 10:20AM

Wide cut fuels?

ProfessorPlum · 12-03-2014 10:26AM

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 11:01AM

Cheers

KnotABother · 12-03-2014 06:01PM

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 08:50AM

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.

The great big "ask an airline pilot" thread!

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