Ladies and gentlemen, from the Flight Blog, this is Cap'n Aux speaking. I've been having a blast corresponding with y'all, both at my email capnaux@gmail.com, and over on our Facebook page . . .
Lately, I've been getting lots of questions from you, many of which are identical. So, I thought we'd have a little Airline Tutorial 101, as directed by YOUR curiosity!
One of our readers, Bill K. from LAS, sent me a whole battery of Q's. They are so good, I will use his list as a template. This will be Part 1 of a 4 (at least) -Part series. Today, Part I, "Have you ever..." type Q's. Part II will cover the life and times of an airline pilot. Part III+, an airplane-specific battery of Q's about the A320-class Airbus and cockpit, different controls and components, nav equipment, etc. And the last Part...
Depends on you! As you read through this series, think about any aviation-related question that you've always had, and then email them to me at capnaux@gmail.com!
OK, deep breath, here goes...
OK, deep breath, here goes...
Cleared for takeoff!
—perform a go-around upon landing?
While not a daily occurrance, a go-around is very common, and is a standard procedure. Basically, to abort the landing, you go from an approach mode, with gear and flaps down and flight-idle power, to climb out. Cob the power, raise the gear and flaps, and circle around to try again.
If a plane is "shooting an instrument approach," such as an ILS, through the clouds, there's a point at which the pilots must land visually, or go-around. This is called a "Missed Approach."
Despite all the melodramatic, "I thought we wuz gonna die!" tales that passengers inevitably babble about to their friends afterwards, both maneuvers are totally routine. Personally, I would say we execute a go-around on average about once every 6 months. I talk about go arounds at the end of my video, "Zen and the Art of Landing":
—abort a take-off?
While nowhere near as common as a go-around, a take-off abort is still somewhat routine. Like the go-around, we practice them all the time in the sim.
In my career, I've only had to abort a takeoff once, in LAX, when a fuel valve went nuts and surged the Number 2 engine in our DeHavilland Dash 8. I gotta tell ya, those autobrakes during an abort are something else. I got plastered to the windshield! (And, by the way, our abort prompted the airplane behind us to go around—a bit of a domino effect!)
The most common reason for a go-around is that the plane ahead has not cleared the runway fast enough. Other factors may be weather—a strong gust or rain squall obscures the runway, for instance. Or, we just don't like the approach for some reason—comin' in too hot, too high, etc.
Once in LAS, the winds were so gusty, the FO had to do 3 go-arounds! I took over and landed on the 4th try—barely. If we had not been able to land on that try, we would have diverted to LAX or PHX.
But again, go-arounds are totally routine.
While nowhere near as common as a go-around, a take-off abort is still somewhat routine. Like the go-around, we practice them all the time in the sim.
In my career, I've only had to abort a takeoff once, in LAX, when a fuel valve went nuts and surged the Number 2 engine in our DeHavilland Dash 8. I gotta tell ya, those autobrakes during an abort are something else. I got plastered to the windshield! (And, by the way, our abort prompted the airplane behind us to go around—a bit of a domino effect!)
—deal with a low-fuel situation?
Airline dispatchers are super good at figuring the proper amount of fuel. From time to time, I'll boost the fuel a bit if I feel the need. Knock on wood, in 22 years of flying for my airline, I've never had to cut into my emergency reserve fuel before landing.
The only time I "ran out of fuel" was as a student. There were 2 tanks in my single engine Grumman Cheetah, and I was on a cross country. I forgot to switch tanks to burn them evenly. On short final, the engine sputtered! I pounced on that tank switch at lightning speed, and got the engine right back. But I landed with my heart in my throat! That was a lesson well-learned!
Airline dispatchers are super good at figuring the proper amount of fuel. From time to time, I'll boost the fuel a bit if I feel the need. Knock on wood, in 22 years of flying for my airline, I've never had to cut into my emergency reserve fuel before landing.
—handle an in-flight emergency?
I've had a few "in-flight emergencies" over the years, but really nothing to "write home about." As a flight instructor, I used to teach my students to declare an emergency if you get a hangnail! You get priority ATC handling, and the fire trucks roll. It's always better to be safe than sorry.
Much along the same lines, I'll default to "declaring an emergency" when something's a bit suspect. Still, (again knock on wood), nothing news-worthy.
But the paperwork's a b*tch!
I've had a few "in-flight emergencies" over the years, but really nothing to "write home about." As a flight instructor, I used to teach my students to declare an emergency if you get a hangnail! You get priority ATC handling, and the fire trucks roll. It's always better to be safe than sorry.
Much along the same lines, I'll default to "declaring an emergency" when something's a bit suspect. Still, (again knock on wood), nothing news-worthy.
But the paperwork's a b*tch!
—handle an in-flight medical emergency?
A medical emergency is by far the most common emergency. We have a nationwide system called Medlink, where the pilots can patch in and talk to an MD. The flight attendants relay the patient's info to us, and we relay back to them what to do. However, if it involves breaking into the onboard emergency medical kit, it requires a qualified medic. On an average airliner flight, there is usually at least one doctor, nurse or EMT aboard, which helps immensely.
If things get really dire, we have to divert to the nearest suitable airport to get the patient on the ground and into a hospital stat.
More than just pretty faces, Flight Attendants are also trained in basic medical procedures, including using the onboard defibrillator. Airlines have saved a few lives aboard over the years!
A medical emergency is by far the most common emergency. We have a nationwide system called Medlink, where the pilots can patch in and talk to an MD. The flight attendants relay the patient's info to us, and we relay back to them what to do. However, if it involves breaking into the onboard emergency medical kit, it requires a qualified medic. On an average airliner flight, there is usually at least one doctor, nurse or EMT aboard, which helps immensely.
If things get really dire, we have to divert to the nearest suitable airport to get the patient on the ground and into a hospital stat.
—had to do an emergency descent because of pressurization issues - what are the procedures for that?—from Mark L.
While it does happen from time to time, I've never experienced the real thing. However, we practice it in the sim quite often. It's one of the few "memory items" we have--basically, don our O2 masks, turn 90° off course (if on an airway), and dive! Followed up, of course, by the emergency checklist, declaring an emergency with ATC, landing at the nearest suitable airport, etc.
Let's see what Myth Busters has to say about "Explosive Decompression!"
A "rapid depressurization" is not nearly as dramatic as it seems. Unless there is serious questionable structural damage, the technique is fairly routine. The most important part is getting the O2 mask on to stay conscious!
Here's a link to an Airbus tech pub. (pdf) on Depressurization:
. . . and, unlike in Hollywood, at airliner altitudes, nobody gets sucked out of a 2" gap in the hull!
Another fun and dramatic vid, but not sure what the "altitude" is of this simulation. I suspect it's closer to "outer space"--i.e., a near-total vacuum!
More common is a "slow depressurization." Say, a door seal is not working that great, and the air pressurization can't keep up with it. So, slowly, the cabin altitude rises (i.e., the air gets thinner.) This may result in the same thing—the oxygen mask "jungle" drops in the cabin, and we have to make a high dive to lower altitude—but again, it would be a relatively benign "emergency."
What is the worst storm situation you have dealt with?
Hmm, we deal with weather so much, that's tough to answer.
Hands down, however, would be my Hurricane Hugo adventure in the Virgins Islands, which I wrote about last year:
Gone With the Hurricane:
http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2012/11/there-i-wuz-gone-with-hurricane.html
Part II:
http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2012/11/hurricane-hugo-part-2.html
But as for "normal" storms...
99.9% of the time, it means diversion, delay and avoidance—diverting to an alternate, circling, or just sitting on the ramp until the storm passes.
My record wait time onboard was 8 hours on the ramp in EWR! That was the slowest moving storm front I ever saw, but there was nothing we could do about it! I simply kept the passengers informed the whole time, and to a one they were all nice and understanding. I didn't mention that, when we finally took off, it was within minutes of our "drop dead" legal maximum time to work—we nearly had to cancel the flight!
By the way, weather RADAR is for thunderstorm avoidance, not penetration!
Hmm, we deal with weather so much, that's tough to answer.
Hands down, however, would be my Hurricane Hugo adventure in the Virgins Islands, which I wrote about last year:
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| Planes & Hurricanes don't mix... |
Gone With the Hurricane:
http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2012/11/there-i-wuz-gone-with-hurricane.html
Part II:
http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2012/11/hurricane-hugo-part-2.html
But as for "normal" storms...
99.9% of the time, it means diversion, delay and avoidance—diverting to an alternate, circling, or just sitting on the ramp until the storm passes.
My record wait time onboard was 8 hours on the ramp in EWR! That was the slowest moving storm front I ever saw, but there was nothing we could do about it! I simply kept the passengers informed the whole time, and to a one they were all nice and understanding. I didn't mention that, when we finally took off, it was within minutes of our "drop dead" legal maximum time to work—we nearly had to cancel the flight!
Can you vaguely talk about co-workers (up front / back) that you don't like working with?
Honestly, very few people come to mind with that question. By and large, "quirky personalities," shall we say, can be dealt with by treating that person with dignity and respect. Truly hearing to what they have to say, and then validating their concerns. Most often, a conflict comes from lack of communication and understanding.
Google CRM, or Crew Resource Management (Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crew_resource_management). This is one of the best concepts to come down the pipe for flight crews in the past 30 years.
Air disasters of the past have been studied for human factors, and we are now much more "evolved" and "enlightened" as to how to work with each other in the cockpit.
To see this evolution, look no further than Star Trek's Captain Kirk vs. Captain Picard.
Pre-80's, our concept of the Captain was that of a tinhorn Dictator. Nowadays, it's the egalitarian that trusts and respects his crew, and in so doing builds a team.
That said, the mark of a good FO is one who can almost psychically adapt to the quirks of the Captain's personality and still do his job. There's a lot of big, overinflated egos in this business, that are easily chafed. Several times as an FO, I detected a potential conflict brewing. But rather than getting upset and "tuning out," I found a way to validate the Captain's concerns. Suddenly, I was their best friend!
Captains don't have that burden. My job is MUCH easier in the Left Seat!
For an example of the perfect FO, see "Zen and the Art of Pilot Maintenance" (http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2012/02/zen-trois-zen-and-art-of-pilot.html)
For more on Captains, see "Go Ahead: Make Captain's Day" (http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2012/09/go-ahead-make-capns-day.html)
Honestly, very few people come to mind with that question. By and large, "quirky personalities," shall we say, can be dealt with by treating that person with dignity and respect. Truly hearing to what they have to say, and then validating their concerns. Most often, a conflict comes from lack of communication and understanding.
Air disasters of the past have been studied for human factors, and we are now much more "evolved" and "enlightened" as to how to work with each other in the cockpit.
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| Cap'n Picard: Hears from his team. Makes an informed, intelligent decision. Everybody wins! (Except the Romulans!) |
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| Cap'n Aux: Makes a decision. You don't like it, there's the emergency slide! |
For an example of the perfect FO, see "Zen and the Art of Pilot Maintenance" (http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2012/02/zen-trois-zen-and-art-of-pilot.html)
For more on Captains, see "Go Ahead: Make Captain's Day" (http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2012/09/go-ahead-make-capns-day.html)
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RELATED POSTS
PART II
A day in the life of an airline pilot
PART III
Technical Questions, Part 1
PART III, 2.0
Technical Questions, the Sequel
PART IV
Question Potpourri
PART IV, 2.0
Question Potpourri, the Sequel
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Posting April 3 @ 12:00PHX:
Cap'n Aux answers readers' Q's—Part II
We explore the life of an airline pilot,
and a "typical day at the office!"
Sample Q's:
—What is your typical work day/week/month schedule?
—Bill K.
—How do you balance the need for the flight attendants to do their job, versus, the need for them to "sit down?"
Cap'n Aux answers readers' Q's—Part II
We explore the life of an airline pilot,
and a "typical day at the office!"
Sample Q's:
—What is your typical work day/week/month schedule?
—Bill K.
—How do you balance the need for the flight attendants to do their job, versus, the need for them to "sit down?"
—————————————
Posting April 10 @ 12:00PHX:
Cap'n Aux answers readers' Q's—Part III
Cap'n Aux answers readers' Q's—Part III
Now we get technical and detailed about the A320!
Sample Q's:
—What is the "TO SHIFT" in the MCDU used for?
—Rory F.
—Do you have to use both left / right hands on the control stick, based on where you sit?
—Bill K.
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Posting April 24 @ 11:00 PHX:
VLOG (Video Blog)!
Cap'n Aux's Excellent Philippine Adventure!
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Posting May 1:
"Around the World in 80 Jumpseats"
A Pilot's Eye View of the World from the Cockpit Jumpseat!
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This is just the most awesome post! Thank you for sharing all that information!! Will have to get you my question for next week soon!!! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, Mark! Get 'er in! I have the next couple already finished, but can always add more. However, I'm giving u all several weeks' heads-up to compile more, for "Part IV!"
DeleteGlad you like!
Excellent questions and answers too! Did I tell you I'm writing the next airplane movie. :) You brought back great memories.
ReplyDeleteHaha Karlene, I want in on "Airplane! 3!" LOL!!
DeleteThis is a great post Eric and awesome questions! I loved hearing your answers from the Captain's perspective.... really cool stuff!
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
Swayne Martin
Glad you like, Swayne! Getting lotsa good feedback! Send me your Q's for Part IV!!
DeleteI like the plane video and pictures. They are really great and exciting for not only readers but also for the travellers and passengers.
ReplyDeletecompare airport parking