I would have to agree. Not that you couldn't learn using a Cirrus, but the 172 is just a better primary training airplane (imo, of course). The 172 should be cheaper too.

The tip for the driver is traditionally a buck a person, so they do ok when they pick up a crew from an international trip (three pilots and eight FAs), but not so great when it's just two pilots on a domestic trip (because the FAs are continuing on another flight).

It's been a buck per person for as long as I've been flying and while I have seen come Captains tip two bucks, most pilots still tip a buck...iow, it hasn't been adjusted for inflation.

I'm not sure what most people do for the hotel maid (or even if they tip the maid), but I usually throw a couple of bucks on the desk or the pillow before I leave. More importantly, I try not to leave a room that needs much service — trash is all in the bin, all towels are rolled up in one neat wad and no mess is left behind.

I'd tell them that they better be making the decision for the love of flying and not in pursuit of a comfortable, secure income or career (which might have been a valid consideration up until 9/11 and the resulting decimation of pilot contracts and retirement plans). It wouldn't matter if this was for a regional airline or one of the "majors," though usually a pilot has to start at the regional level (major exception: ex-military pilots).

At ACA I had a written test followed by an interview in front of a three-person panel. In later years, ACA added a short flight check in a J-32 simulator (I actually conducted many of these checks on potential new hires).

At Delta, I had a battery of timed computer-based tests which took most of the day. Some of these tests focused on aeronautical knowledge and others covered cognitive and logic skills. There was also a psychological test which had a lot of strange questions (I think it was called an MMI test, but I can't remember what that stands for).

At the end of these tests, some of us were asked back for an interview, conducted by two people. One was from HR and the other was a retired pilot. That interview took about an hour and after this I was told that I was hired, conditional on passing their physical exam and a one-on-one interview with their psychologist. Both of these took place the next day.

Assuming this isn't just a perception problem, the only thing I can think of is that they routinely take off using full takeoff power rather than using reduced thrust like every other airline in the world. With full power, the nose could be rotated to a higher angle.

I'd be surprised if this is actually the answer because I can't imagine they would operate this way.

I'd be willing to bet it was the MMPI, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneso...lity_Inventory

It's probably the most popular mental health test out there.

After every flight Quatas pilots fill out a form, called a "gripe sheet", which tells mechanics about any problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems with aircraft, document their repairs on the form, and the pilots review these sheets before the next flight. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Quantas' pilots (marked with a P), and the solutions recorded by the maintenance engineers (marked with an S).

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
P: Test flight OK, except Auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft
P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
P: Auto-pilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
P: DME unbelievable loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you are right.
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.
P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.
P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

And the best one for last:
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pouncing on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget

yeah, copy pasting chain emails in this forum is pretty frowned upon

In the EU you're considered to be on duty when you are traveling to work.. pretty **** set up you got in the states for the likes of you having to do so much traveling!!

Yes, that's it! I knew "Minnesota" was in there somewhere. That test had some pretty strange questions. I can't remember any of them exactly, but there were questions about hearing voices or having feelings of suicide.

The interview with a psychologist used to be a "do or die" step in the process. The psychologist could give a thumbs down and that was that...no appeal process. Until, that is, the psychologist blew his brains out. I think they still have the psych eval, but now it's just one piece of the interview puzzle and the psychologist doesn't have complete veto power.

This list (and others like it) have been circulating on the internet since it began. I've seen these attributed to the Navy, Air Force and a handful of airlines. This is the first time I've seen Quantas get the credit.

A lot of them are pretty funny, even thought they're probably apocryphal. Here's one I remember seeing on other lists that yours didn't have:

Pilot: Oil seepage noted on prop blade #2
Mech: Amount of oil seepage is normal
Pilot: Below normal oil seepage on prob blades #1, #3 and #4.

When you say "on duty," do you mean that they are getting paid or just that they are not considered to be "on rest"? If it's the former, sign me up! I know guys who commute from the west coast to NY and they'd love to be getting paid for that 5-6 hour commute. If it's the latter, who tracks it and keeps a record of when the commute begins and ends (i.e. when the rest period begins), and does it apply to pilots driving to work or just those flying?

I'm really curious how they even begin to monitor such a thing as each individual pilot's travel to work.

I dont care if you frown or not!
I am sure that anyone with half a brain does not think this is real. It is funny though.

are you ******ed? it's not frowned upon because people would think it's real. it's frowned upon because posting chain emails is lame, everyone's seen them a million times, and you posted material you didn't write without quoting it or mentioning you stole it from somewhere, which is not allowed.

hmmm actually I don't know if they get paid or not and maybe I picked up what I heard wrong, but I know that their commute to the airport is considered a sector. Though again, maybe I got it wrong and this is only if they are based for instance in Heathrow and have commute to another London airport to fly out of.
I was reading about the guys who fly the all business class BA A318 transatlantic from London City. EU op's state that any duty travel/positioning including their cab to LCY is classed as full time duty. So at Shannon they switch pilots but I think this is because their normal base is Heathrow and they'd check in there and have to travel to LCY. This could take over 3 hrs from Heathrow to LCY and then on to SNN and could run over their allowed sector time.
So it's probably best to disregard what I said originally lol.

Grunching because I don't have 502 hours right now (but do intend to read later):

A friend of a friend flies for a private jet company that flies all over, mainly the west coast, transporting organs. He seems to be on call most of the time, rarely actually flying. Any idea what these guys can/do make? I know that he's salary. I'm curious because it didn't take him long to get there. He's only 28, and didn't take up flying (like, at ALL) until he graduated from college without a job.

I know next to nothing about airlines, but it's certainly not unusual for former state-owned companies to have some very good working conditions/benefits for their employees, so it wouldn't surprise me if the airlines had similar conditions.
For instance, the employees of the national railways would be stationed somewhere close to home, but if they had to substitute for someone at another station they'd be paid extra just for the trouble and whatever extra travel time they incurred would be paid out as overtime. Similar rules applies for the drivers of the trains, like getting paid from late evening to early morning(resting, sleeping, eating) if your trip ended somewhere in a corner of the country. Add on to that above-market salaries and close to 100% job security, it was a pretty good gig to be employed by the government. Those days are mostly gone but there are plenty of oldish(50+ year old) people working under the old conditions everywhere in government jobs here in my country: teachers, government administrative positions, and anyone working for old national companies(transportation, telecommunications, national TV station etc.). All pilots working for the, now privatized, national airline, as well as all state-employed people hired in the last 15 years or so, have lost the old priviliges though.

I don't know if you are talking about Ireland but it sounds pretty much the same as it is here.. I know a former Captain who used to fly the big green bus for a certain previously completely state owned airline.. he was on about 250k(euro) a year.. and pretty much picked whatever flights he wanted so he picked the shortest TA flight which was DUB-BOS.. and flew minimum flights

When planes descend, why do my ears go bad/pop???? I thought as the cabin is pressurized, altitude difference doesn't matter but obviously it does.

What's the longest ever flight you've made?

Been following this thread for quite a while and i must say WOXOF you are living my dream

You mentioned earlyer that you have flown into shannon airport in ireland (EINN). Do you fly this route often? I ask because i live about 5 mins from the airport.

Also i understand that when departing a airport pilots use SID's (Standard Instrument Departure) which tell the pilot the route to take when departing an airport by providing waypoints and what altitude to be at at each waypoint. Are these SID's saved on the FMC and the pilot simply selects the relevant SID and inserts it into the flight plan ? Or will the pilot enter the waypoints manually ? Are the SID'S for every airport saved on the FMC ?

If the autopilot is switched on after takeoff will the aircraft fly the SID automatically? Will the aircraft climb at a rate which will satisfy the SID? ie if the SID speculates to be at 3000ft at point A and 5000ft at point B will the aircraft modify its climb rate to pass Point A at 3000ft and B at 5000 ft

You say sometimes you like to hand fly on takeoff. Is it a challenge to hand fly the SID?
Will the flight director display the attitude required to fly the SID? And you simply follow the director?

Is the procure the same for the STAR ?

Thanks very much

This effect can be noticed on both climbs and descents. Air is trapped in the inner ear and as the pressure in the airplane cabin changes, a pressure differential is created. When climbing, the higher pressure air in the ear presses outward on the eardrum and can reduce your audio acuity (i.e. things can sound muffled); when descending, it's the cabin pressure which is higher and it presses inward on the eardrum (also causing a temporary hearing impairment in many cases).

Your ears will try to maintain zero pressure differential but will be unable to do it effectively on an unpressurized airplane that is climbing or descending rapidly (>500 fpm). The mechanism for achieving equilibrium is the Eustachian tubes, which allows air to pass between the inner ear and the nasal cavities. On pressurized planes, the climb/descent rates are kept low enough to allow a healthy person's system to maintain equilibrium. A cold can cause congestion which blocks the Eustachian tubes and results in an inability to equalize pressure. This can be painful and in severe cases it can do permanent damage. A simple head cold is considered a very good reason for a pilot to call in sick.

The longest solo flight I made was probably about five hours. As part of a crew, I've made flights slightly in excess of 12 hours (SVO-ATL; JFK-AMM; JFK-CAI; JFK-TLV)

Thanks again for the wonderful thread.

By the way, you are the reason I am over my long long fear of flying and the reason my brother recently achieved his PPL (I never knew Cessna's were so small and LOUD) and is on his way to Oxford to get his flight rating? After reading your thread I bought him a 1 hour lesson for fun and he has fallen in love with it...

Solely by reading this thread I had an understanding that the cockpit door should be locked at all times unless of toilet breaks/food being taken in etc.

Whilst flying home two days ago I was sitting in the third row and had a clear view of the cockpit door. It was obvious the pilot had a few friends on board as they were chatting whilst people were getting on the plane.

About 2 hours in to the flight, the pilot came out and was chatting away with his friends. What alarmed me was that the door was left wide open and the curtains not drawn etc. You could clearly see the buttons of the cockpit. This happened 2-3 times during the flight and for 5-10 minutes each time. They then huddled around the cockpit door and one was actually leaning across the door as they chatted away.

The most amazing thing to me was that one of the friends didn't return to his seat even as we landed (I imagine he sat in the jump seat or something) and the pilots didn't come out to say goodbye once we'd landed either.

On the flight there the air hostess told my wife and I that the airline was forcing them to fly from Cyprus to England and back without a night stop over as they were under budget constraints. This means 9 hours of flying in 24 hours which I assumed meant going over the allowance of hours and she confirmed it was the same pilots and crew each time and it was killing them...

I wasn't sure what to do with either and honestly considered calling the airline to complain about the door being open etc, but haven't yet. On one hand it's bad to be paranoid but on the other it could be a flight with my family on when the worst case scenario actually occurs. What would you do as a pilot in this situation?

Another training question...

With more and more FBO's adding Cessnas, etc with glass cockpits to their fleets, would you suggest training for the PPL in a plane with just steam gauges (and maybe just a GPS) or an all glass cockpit?

No, not too often. I think I've been to Shannon two times in the last year. One thing that's nice about the flights to Ireland is that everyone (crew and passengers) clears U.S. customs before taking off from Ireland on our trip home. This is unique to Ireland out of all international destinations and I'm not sure why this is the case.

Yes, all the SIDS are stored in the database on the FMC so we simply select the appropriate departure. The waypoints, along with altitude and speed restrictions, are automatically loaded.

The database is updated every 28 days and I check it for currency before doing any other initialization of the FMC. Two databases are stored on the FMC, with one selected as active. The other database will be the future database.

Here's a sample I cut out of a training document:



The active database shown on this screen expires at 0900Z on July 23, 1999. If I get on the plane and see that the active database has expired, then I select the secondary database and make it primary (an operation that requires two button pushes). At some point over the next few weeks, Maintenance will load in the next database cycle so that it will be there when it's needed.

It will if we have LNAV and VNAV selected. The Flight Director (which is what drives the autopilot) requires a vertical mode and a lateral mode. A simple example would be to select HDG for the lateral mode, which will cause the FD to track whatever heading we've selected, and Flight Level Change (FLCH) for the vertical mode, which will cause the FD to command a climb or descent to the selected altitude.

When we select LNAV, the FD will track the entire route loaded into the FMC. VNAV will do the same for altitude and speed restrictions, except that it won't exceed the altitude we've selected in the Altitude window on the Mode Control Panel (MCP). That's not usually an issue for a SID because the initial climb clearance is usually to an altitude at or above that for the fixes on the SID.

No, it's not that challenging...I just follow the Flight Director. The one thing that will get you is a large heading change at a fix. If you wait for the FD to tell you when to bank, you'll overshoot the path by as much as 0.4 miles. So you have to recognize that the turn is coming and initiate the turn early.

For a big heading change, I'll start the turn using a distance from the fix equal to about 1% of my groundspeed (a little less if the heading change isn't that big). I can monitor my path by looking at the magenta line on my Nav Display and I can watch my deviation from the path by having the Progress Page up on my FMC display.

At some airports in Europe, there's a big emphasis on being precisely on the departure path and some hefty fines for the company for any deviations. In these cases, it's not a bad idea to just let the autopilot do the job. If I hand-fly it, no one's going to give me a pat on the back for being right on course, but I'll have a lot of explaining to do if I incur a fine. If the plane incurs a deviation while the autopilot is engaged, I'm blameless since I've followed company procedure.

Yes, except that the plane won't start any descent, even if the STAR (Standard Terminal Arrival Route) calls for it, until we've selected a lower altitude in the Altitude window on the MCP. There's a good reason for this. Although we expect a STAR and know what it is from our original clearance, we can't change altitudes until we're cleared to do so.

If we're getting close to the point where we need to start down to comply with the planned arrival route, we'll just let ATC that we're "looking for lower." Occasionally, ATC puts us in a box by keeping us high too long and then clearing us to descend and still expecting us to comply with the STAR. Although we can increase our descent rate pretty dramatically and still make most crossing restrictions, it can be impossible to do if there's also a speed reduction associated with the fix. The 757, much more than the 767, does not like to come down and slow down at the same time. It's a slick airplane and the pilot has to stay ahead of it to manage the descents. In these cases, we sometimes have to tell the controller that we can make the altitude or the speed, but not both. We leave it to the controller to decide which is the more critical parameter.

That reminds me of an old story I've heard about a 727 crew being cleared by ATC to descend to cross a fix at a certain altitude. The controller had been late with the clearance and it would require a big descent rate to comply. The Captain told the FO to tell the controller that they'd be unable to make that restriction. But the FO knew that the 727 was perfectly capable of making the restriction and told the Captain "We can make that easily if we use the spoilers." The Captain replied, "Those spoilers are for my mistakes, not his."

After making a diversion, what do you have to do before you're ready to depart back to your original destination? Even when the intended airport starts allowing departures shortly after, the diversions I see take at least an hour before they're ready to go again, and that seems like a long time.

Thanks for the answer

It was introduced to boost the traffic numbers true shannon, The airport has been struggling for the last few years since modern aircraft can easily fly from anywhere in Europe across the pond without the need for a fuel stop at shannon. British airways recently set up a new business only route from London city airport to JFK using a A318 in an all business class config. They can't take off from london city with the fuel required for the trip because the runway is short so they make a fuel stop in shannon. While the aircraft is been refuelled the pax clear customs. Id imagine being able to clear US customs was a big factor in choosing shannon for BA. It uses call sign "SPEEDBIRD 1" which is pretty cool.

Another question:

Shannon airport has one main runway (24/06), When aircraft are using 06 they have to taxi via taxiway ALPHA and then backtrack on the runway to get to the threshold. Sometimes the aircraft don't require a backtrack and just line up at ALPHA, they lose about a 1/3 of the runway's length by doing this. I would imagine also that their V1 speed would be lower. Is their a option when calculation the V speeds on the FMS to allow for this?

Also similarly when landing on 06 some aircraft will try and slow quickly to make taxiway ALPHA as it leads strait to to apron. Is this often a factor when landing? Will a pilot often aim for a specific taxiway and break accordantly?

Thanks

Not sure if you consider Pearson an International destination , but you do the same thing there. I believe there are a few other Canadian airports that do it as well. It's nice to get off the plane right away in the States, but it means you have to worry about one more potential delay at the airport before your flight takes off.

Yes, several other airports in Canada do this. Also Bermuda, Aruba and the Bahamas

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/c..._locations.xml