LoL was wondering if that was a technical term for some condition.

It's not often publicized to avoid causing panic but there are priests set up near the hold short lines of airport runways to take confessions of any Catholic pilots. Just in case something goes wrong in flight.

I'm currently sitting on a plane at YVR 90 minutes past scheduled takeoff time due to a sick flight attendant. We're on a 737-800 and they said we have to switch planes because this one can't be crewed by only 3 flight attendants.

But if they are just going to cram the same number of passengers on a smaller plane, why is it that 3 flight attendants can handle all of us on the other plane but not this one? Does it have to do with the number of emergency exits or something?

Also, because you clear U.S. Customs at the airport at YVR, they have to get permission from CBP for us to deplane into the departure lounge because it is technically U.S. soil. And of course Customs is closed now!

Finally boarding 4.5 hrs after the original departure time.

Ugh, I feel your pain.

The number of flight attendants required for the flight is a function of the number of passenger seats on the plane, as follows:

<19 seats - 0 FA
19 - 50 seats -1 FA
51-100 seats - 2 FAs
101-150 seats - 3 FAs
151-200 seats - 4 FAs
etc. etc.

Note, the requirement is for the number of seats, not the number of passengers. So if you're the only passenger on our 757-200, you'll be joined by five FAs (seating capacity 224).

Also, we usually have eight FAs on our 767-ERs to Europe (capacity 209), a company decision driven by customer service requirements, but we can downsize to as few as five for operational necessity

Thanks. I was going to ask sarcastically about us switching planes if there were only 10 of us. Then I guessed it must be something that was independent of the number of souls on board.

What's the likely cause for the Amazon plane dropping out of the sky in Texas yesterday?

Above average turbulence or something else going wrong?
https://www.euronews.com/2019/02/25/...anding-attempt

A British Airways flight was forced to abort its landing at Gibraltar Airport on Monday afternoon, amid strong winds in the area.

Dramatic video shows the flight, BA492, from London, rocking violently back and forth as it attempted to land in Gibraltar.

The pilot eventually aborted the landing and diverted to Malaga instead.

"At no point was there a risk to safety," a British Airways spokesperson told Euronews.

"Due to strong winds in the Gibraltar area, our pilots decided to land in Malaga as a precaution."

"The flight landed safely and passengers left the aircraft normally."

Saw a doc on Air Force One on Presidents' Day. Does flying that sound as awesome to a professional pilot as it does to me?

Insufficient lift

One of the local articles had some hypothesizing about windshear given the poor weather we have had lately...not unheard of as a cause of major accidents in Texas (I recall an L-1011 at D/FW many years ago). However, the Delta accident was on short final, occurring about a mile out, and Chambers County is far enough away from IAH that I would not have considered it short final...

I've been thinking more about this subject and I have a little to add. On a recent flight, I took a few pictures during cruise flight at 38,000' which might shed a little light on this.

Here we are at FL380, 248 KIAS or .784 Mach...





Here is the Flight Management Computer, showing that the Static Air Temperature (SAT) is -62 degrees Celsius. SAT is the temperature you would register if you were suspended in the atmosphere at this alititude.




At the same time, the engine instrument display shows a Total Air Temperature (TAT) of -36 degrees Celsius. TAT is SAT adjusted for the heating effect of friction. TAT is always equal to or greater than SAT.




And last, here is the overhead fuel panel, showing the fuel temperature, -26 degrees Celsius.



The freezing point of Jet A is around -47, so we are still safely above that which is interesting considering how cold it actually is outside the plane at FL380.

I don't know anything about this accident. I just read one article that said the plane "nose dived" into the water. Right away, that makes me suspect a flight control issue.But then there was talk of weather issues, perhaps windshear. But this seems inconsistent with a "nose dive."

We're going to have to wait for the report from the NTSB on this one.

The rocking of the wings is very odd and looks like the effect of following too closely behind another large aircraft and encountering the wingtip vortices of that aircraft, but nothing was said about any other aircraft. I've never had turbulence with that rolling effect, though perhaps the local terrain results in vortex-like winds. Very strange.

That post about the temperatures with pictures from the cockpit is why I love this thread

Crap. I lost the masterpiece of a reply I'd drafted. Briefly, nice pics.

Is there an alarm for when the fuel temp gets close to freezing?

Theoretically (because you said you've not heard of this actually happening), how would it affect the engine if the fuel started to get close to freezing?

Would you buy this explanation from Mentour Pilot?



Cliffs: wind colliding with the rock of Gibraltar causing rotor turbulence.

W0X0F,

have you been following / what are your thoughts on the Shoreham Airshow case from the UK?

I wasn’t aware of this accident until reading your post. It's tragic, of course, but I think the pilot does bear responsibility. I would consider this differently if it had been a routine flight where some catastrophic mechanical failure resulted in the same type of crash. Airshow flying is inherently more dangerous and it's the responsibility of the pilot and show organizers to ensure the safety of innocent bystanders. I'm not sure what good a manslaughter verdict would do, but civil penalties certainly seem to be in order.

W0X0F,

How much loyalty would you say commercial airline pilots feel toward their respective companies?

Also, is there a sense that certain airlines have more rigorous selection standards, resulting in hiring “better” pilots? For example, would Delta put a candidate through more hoops than Allegiant?

I have noticed that a number of Delta pilots are quite active in online communities, such as answering questions on Quora (e.g., Steve Bazer, not sure if you’ve run into him). Not to mention you know who It got me thinking that maybe this is an airline that hires good writers (essay entrance exam?).

May be a stretch, but through all the online “outreach,” you all may be creating a very loyal following. Personally, I now have this impression in my mind that Delta hires a high caliber of people, and it probably contributed to my choice to get the SkyMiles card last year.

Do you find plausible his argument - that he blacked out? Seemed much likelier he pushed a stunt too hard. The verdict surprised me.

I was surprised too. The video of the plane (cuts before impact) is on the BBC website here. Would be interested in OP's opinion if the video provides some insight.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-47495885

WOXOF, thx for the cabin pics at 38K feet

you mentioned the hydraulic oil is cooled with a heat exchanger in the fuel tanks. How many things are controlled by the hydraulics? landing wheels, up an down, rudder, flaps, ..?

Is there a generator and hydraulic pump that runs in the fuselage or are these activities tied in with the jet turbines?

Thanks for doing this thread. Flying always makes me anxious... I want to start flying some more places, but the thought of the whole process makes me avoid it.. Have you addressed fear of flying in this thread and what you say to people?

Read the thread. It is addressed repeatedly. And most people in your position say that it's actually reading the thread that helps them.