I'm gonna be a diver driver! Started training on the twotter August 1. I need 100 hours to get checked out.

Any experience flying that?

Is there a switch in the HVAC system that goes between recirculation and taking in outside air? It seem that frequently when in line to take off, the system is sucking in exhaust fumes from the other aircraft.

There is no such switch. And you're right about the exhaust. The air used by the packs is tapped off of one of the compressor stages, but the original source is simply ambient air being sucked into the engine.

WOXOF, What is your take on this? What went wrong and how bad of a decision was it to continue the take off rather than abort?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kle80KB_s3I

Hopefully this doesn't violate protocol, but from reading 100s of posts in this forum my understanding is that once you hit V1 you're committed to flying, so aborting wasn't an option. But it also looked like they started rotating before VR was reached.

Assuming the basic competency of the pilots, they wouldn't just ignore the VR speed, so they believed they'd reached VR. This suggests those numbers were wrong. My follow up questions to W0X0F (assuming the foregoing is correct):
1) How frequently are V1 and VR miscalculated? I assume total weight of the aircraft (including passengers, luggage, and freight) are a factor, and is that calculation sometimes wrong? I know where humans are involved there is some error, so I mean how frequently is it wrong by an amount that matters.

2) Is there a safety factor built in to VR in case the weight was underestimated?

3) Given how important these values are, are there independent calculations performed that have to agree with each other before they're accepted?

My first thought upon seeing this is that the PM (Pilot Monitoring) called "Rotate" prior to the actual rotation speed and the airplane failed to actually get airborne. This mistake could be a simple consequence of not correctly setting the speed bugs on the airspeed indicator. This would be a mistake that should definitely be caught during the taxi or before takeoff check list (sitting here typing this, I can't remember which checklist covers this). Both pilots call out and confirm the V speeds but, humans being fallible, it's always possible to fail this simple task due to some distraction (perhaps the tower called during that checklist and this item got missed).

STinLA raises the possibility of an incorrect rotation speed being used. In this scenario, the PM calls "Rotate" at the agreed upon speed, but it's incorrect and hilarity ensues. (Sorry, I shouldn't be flippant about such matters.)

Our V speeds are calculated by computers and GIGO applies. If the plane is loaded in a manner completely different than what's reported, weight and/or CG can be in error. As pilots, we place a lot of trust in this process and we aren't involved.

NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System is probably the best source to try to quantify this number. You can actually go this website and search their database. I'm sure some weight and balance discrepancies don't get reported, but anytime it actually affects safety of flight I think a pilot would report it. My guess is that it's an extremely small percentage (which, of course, it had better be!).

Not that I'm aware of.

I'm not at all sure what system of checks and balances exist in the load planning/dispatch process. But I can tell you that everyone knows how extremely important proper weight and balance is to safety of flight and safety is always #1. Sounds like a slogan, but it's definitely true.

After typing the previous response, I started poking around in the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) and saw a link for "ASRS Report Sets." I clicked on it and it shows some links to some of the major types of reports that NASA receives. I was hoping there might be a report set for weight and balance issues, but I don't see one.

However, readers of this thread might find some of the other report sets interesting. Here's a list of what they have there (note, these report sets are large PDF files):

Air Carrier (FAR 121) Flight Crew Fatigue Reports
A sampling of reports involving air carrier (FAR 121) flight crew fatigue.

Altitude Deviations
A sampling of altitude deviation reports.

Air Traffic Controller Reports
A variety of reports from ATC Controllers.

Bird or Animal Strike Reports
A sampling of reports referencing a bird or animal strike incident.

Cabin Smoke, Fire, Fumes, or Odor Incidents
A sampling of air carrier reports concerning cabin smoke, fire, fumes or odor related events.

Checklist Incidents
A sampling of reports from all aviation arenas referencing checklist issues (design, procedures, distraction, etc.).

Commuter and Corporate Flight Crew Fatigue Reports
A sampling of reports referencing Commuter and Corporate flight crew fatigue issues and duty periods.

Commuter and GA Icing Incidents
A sampling of aircraft icing encounter reports from GA and Commuter flight crews.

Controlled Flight Toward Terrain
A sampling of reports referencing inadvertent controlled flight towards terrain.

CRM Issues
Crew Resource Management (CRM) inflight situations (conflicts, NMACs, and emergencies).

Emergency Medical Service Incidents
A sampling of reports concerning Emergency Medical Service (EMS) incidents.

Flight Attendant Reports
A sampling of Flight Attendant reports involving aircraft cabin issues.

Fuel Management Issues
A sampling of reports referencing incidents of fuel mismanagement, and operational concerns for fuel planning.

General Aviation Flight Training Reports
A sampling of reports involving general aviation flight training.

Global Positioning (GPS) Reports
A variety of incident reports involving the use of GPS devices.

Inflight Weather Encounters
A sampling of reports from both air carrier flight crews and GA pilots referencing encounters with severe or unforecast weather.

Maintenance Reports
A sampling of reports from aircraft maintenance personnel.

Multi-Engine Turbojet Aircraft Upsets Incidents
Reports concerning turbojet uncommanded control surface movements and unusual aircraft attitudes.

Near Midair Collision Incidents
Reports concerning near midair collision events.

Non-Tower Airport Incidents
A sampling of reports involving operations at non-tower airports.

Parachutist / Aircraft Conflicts
A sampling of reports involving parachuting activity and conflicts with aircraft.

Passenger Electronic Devices
A sampling of reports referencing avionics problems that may result from the influence of passenger electronic devices.

Passenger Misconduct Reports
A sampling of reports referencing disruptive passenger encounters with cabin crew or flight crew members.

Penetration of Prohibited Airspace
A sampling of reports involving TFR and ADIZ incidents.

Pilot / Controller Communications
A sampling of reports which highlight issues involving communications between pilots and controllers.

RNAV Arrival Reports
A sampling of reports that reference RNAV Arrival related incidents.

Rotary Wing Aircraft Flight Crew Reports
A sampling of reports from flight crew of rotary wing aircraft.

Runway Incursions
A sampling of reports from all aviation arenas referencing runway incursions.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Reports
A sampling of reports involving Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) events.

Wake Turbulence Encounters
A sampling of reports from flight crews encountering, or affected by, turbojet wake turbulence.

Are co-pilots or "auto pilot" feature mandatory on all smaller planes? I am curious as I am flying to a remote location in the near future on a non commercial flight. What if there is one pilot and he encounters a medical emergency.

I've been on a commercial flight with a single pilot before, it was a Pilatus PC-12 on a EAS route. I wasn't really worried, but I'm not exactly in a hurry to take another flight on a single-engine plane with a single pilot.

As a pilot, how nervous would you be if you were a passenger on this plane in view of the engine when it f'ed up?
http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/27/us/sou...ble/index.html

Some great reads in there. This one I found particularly amusing, the synopsis reads like a sitcom episode!

Synopsis
Two flight attendants reported being booked into a sexual oriented hotel for their layover
in Japan by crew scheduling. After numerous calls to scheduling the flight attendants are
able to find a suitable hotel and move, greatly reducing their rest period.

Damn Priceline.

If I were close to the engine when it exploded, I'd be damn thankful I wasn't cut to ribbons by shrapnel.

And lol at CNN for making sure to mention the aircraft manufacturer, but not the engine manufacturer, when an engine blows up in midflight.

I'm not a pilot, but if I survived the initial explosion, there hasn't been a massive catastropic depressurization (I realize there was a partial depressurization, I'm talking about a huge gaping hole that would drop the pressure inside a massive amount instantaneously), and the aircraft isn't spiraling out of control, I'd feel pretty good about the ability to get the plane safely on the ground. By the time you've got your phone out and snapping pictures of the engine, you will know whether you're going to die or not.

Do they have enough flaps down? Looks like only minimal or no flaps takeoff attempt.

You cite another possibility. If they had the flaps completely retracted for takeoff, then the plane would need more than the calculated speed to fly. In the MD-88, we use a takeoff flap setting in the range of 5 to 18 degrees, but never zero.

We set our flaps before even beginning our taxi and then we both confirm the setting in two different checklists prior to takeoff. Shame on any crew that starts a takeoff roll without the proper takeoff flap setting.

The result of that error can be deadly:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northw...nes_Flight_255

So I have a non-refundable ticket on Allegiant Airlines next week. I hate to fly anyway but today I came across this.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...204_story.html

I would not normally choose a non-major airline but it was the only one offering non-stop service where I as was traveling, saving me about 4 hours.

Interesting read. Glad I have been avoiding the budget carriers, that by the time you reserve a decent seat and pay for baggage, charge the same as the major airlines.

Do you know what plane is flying your route? Allegiant's MDs have been pretty obviously neglected but their A320s are newer so they aren't falling apart yet

pretty stoked about the new Sully movie, Sully Sullenberger: Airport Pilot

MD-80.

The good news I guess is that the recent flights have all been running on time. I stumbled on this site, which I am sure others may be familiar with, you can look up flight data:

https://flightaware.com/

Have you ever been flying as a passenger and heard a noise you knew meant trouble? Or maybe, have you ever known what the captain was saying was a crock? If so, how do you react, both internally and externally? Ever had to offer a hand?

I'm thinking of a couple of years ago, on a flight from San Jose, Costa Rica to Denver; prior to taking off, the captain told us that because we had to go over to the other runway to go, that would burn enough fuel to require a stop in Houston. The guy next to me told me he used to work ground somewhere or another, and the captain was full of ****. No idea if he was right.

Is it just me or does Macdonald seem like he is is on drugs or something? Maybe he has had a few drinks but his speech is all slow and he seems spaced out.

Norm as Conans guest are some of the best talk show appearances ever.