I love those oral histories. Bill Weaver was USNA '51, a year behind my dad.

should have mentioned: scrub to 1:03:03 for the SR-71 story

W0X0F,

I'm seeing airline ads claiming they're pulling in fresh air every 2-3 minutes. Is this different from the pre-covid rate? I remember thinking the cabin air was entirely sealed off from the outside which is why flying turned into guaranteed super spreader events but I might be making that up. Any reason to believe flying might be safer now?

I haven't seen those ads, but unless they've redesigned the Pressurization/Air Conditioning systems (which seems almost inconceivable to me, as any change like that would require certification; probably an easy thing to research) there has been no change in the amount of fresh air.

There was no control on any airplane I flew that controlled the amount of "fresh air" allowed into the aircraft. Our only control was to adjust the mix of hot bleed air with the air conditioned air to provide a (hopefully) comfortable cabin temperature, and we could also adjust cabin altitude through manual control of the outflow valve.

I assume that "pulling in fresh air every 2-3 minutes" means that the entire volume of cabin air is recycled at that rate. This is not something that was ever presented to us as part of our systems knowledge and perhaps that's the rate it's always been, but now it serves a PR purpose to tell that to the flying public. It could also vary, of course, from one aircraft type to another I suppose. Again, not something we were ever concerned with or knew about.

.

Playing airplane like a boss...

pro level

I've been flying for 30 years and never knew this.

That is true in the CONUS, though not necessarily on the NATS (North Atlantic Track System). Up until about 15 or 20 years ago (can’t remember when this change came about), the even/odd thing applied for altitudes up to FL280. Above that, only odd altitudes were used and the high jet traffic had 2000’ of separation minimum. Thus planes flying east flew at FL290, FL330, FL370, etc, while westbound traffic flew at FL310, FL350, FL390. The even altitudes weren’t used. This was due to limitations of the altimeter at high altitudes. The degree of error dictated larger buffers. Now, with improvements that have come about, the even/odd scheme is used throughout the flight levels.

Occasionally ATC will assign a “wrong way” altitude for a brief period to avoid a conflict. This is normally done just within that controller’s airspace. I’ve had occasions where we’re stuck right in the top of a layer and so we request higher to be clear of clouds (often a smoother ride once you clear the layer). If that altitude is unavailable due to traffic, I might ask if the controller can approve the wrong way altitude for a while and they often do.

btw, GA traffic follows the same altitude guidelines flying VFR, though they add 500’ to the altitude (eastbound VFR might be at 5500’ while westbound would be at 6500’). Of course, that only applies up 18,000’ where you transition to flight levels and only even thousand foot altitudes are used.

Wow, thanks for expanding on that! Interesting.

I know I have seen SWA not subscribe to the even/off flight numbers in the not too distant past. I was always aware of the east/west numbering, I clearly fly way too much for work. Getting back to SWA they might have flight 100 that goes DAL HOU DAL. Unusual.

Am i crazy or is there way less turbulence than, say, 20 years ago? Obv my sample size isn't huge flying and I might have just been more cognizant of it when I was ten years old. it seems like the planes barely bounce around anymore except when flying into vegas or descending/ascending through the cloud cover. have i just been running hot the last 10 years or have you guys been up to something?

I think maybe you have been on a good run. I had the opposite impression and I've even made comments to my copilot on several occasion that it seems rare to fly a transcon trip without having to put on the seat belt sign several times, and even keep the flight attendants seated for their safety.

Perhaps we're both just victims of small sample sizes, but I can remember very few flights where it wasn't necessary to keep people seated for at least a portion of the flight.

And btw, those glassy smooth flights are really nice. I've had night flights where I can almost convince myself I'm just in the simulator in Atlanta. Nestled in a dark cockpit, looking up at the milky way, it's difficult to believe that just 20' below my butt it's a seven mile drop to terra firma. On occasion, I've turned down all the instrument backlighting to make the cockpit completely dark and optimize my night vision. The view on a moonless night cruising above the tropopause is pretty amazing.

On an unrelated note: I'm thinking that once COVID is in our rear-view mirror, I'll use my non-rev flying privileges and fly around the world to see some places I've missed. Maybe in a year or less, I hope.

It's my impression that pilots are putting the fasten seat belt sign on more frequently but then there really isn't all that much turbulence. Maybe I'm just getting old and don't care as much.

That sounds fantastic. I look forward to the updates.

This sounds sublime. Would love to hang out for awhile with that view.

Pics of both would be awesome! Best wishes on the trip.

W0X0F - curious what destinations are on your list?

You are probably right. I think I've mentioned it before, but management of the seat belt sign is the bane of a pilot's duties. It is largely ignored by the passengers, unless it's accompanied by an unusually stern or dire sounding PA, but it has liability problems for the airline. If we fly into turbulence and someone gets hurt, they sue. But it turns out that even if we do turn on the sign, they will still sue when they ignore it and get injured as a result.

I've been on many planes (as a passenger) where the Captain turns on the sign in anything other than silky smooth conditions, and then leaves it on for the duration. It's just one less thing to deal with, I guess, but it invites the passengers to disregard it.

My practice on this issue was to consider whether I really thought it was safe to negotiate the aisle for someone going to the lav. I don't like to just turn on the sign at the slightest burble. One problem, though, is that it can feel fine up in the cockpit but much different in the aft section of the plane. For that reason, I always briefed my cabin crew to call us if they want the seat belt sign on. (The 757-300 was particularly bad this way. The 300 is an extended version of the 757, carrying 224 passengers, and thus the tail was at the end of a very long moment arm and the effects of turbulence were amplified there.)

The next level of severity was considering the safety of the cabin crew. Delta has had FAs injured while performing their duties during turbulence. They will not normally remain seated when the seat belt sign is on unless directed to do so by the Captain. Unless it was obvious that I need to sit them down, I again relied on the crew to let me know.

I always tried to make the FAs feel comfortable with calling us, inviting them to "bug [FO's name here] as much as you need to if it's hot or cold. He lives for that." Sometimes I would add Northwest's old motto: "Remember, we're not happy until you're not happy."

Australia for sure. I've never been there.

I'd like to visit Asian countries. I never flew there as a crew member, but back in my pre-airline days working as a programmer and systems engineer, doing contract work for the Navy and Air Force, I was fortunate enough to go to Guam, Korea, and Japan. I actually lived on Yokota AB (Japan) for three months at one point and took weekly excursions into Tokyo. I also flew light planes there, and flew around Mt. Fuji and over the Ginza at night. But I'd like to see China, Vietnam, and Thailand.

I've seen most of Europe, but I'd love to revisit many places. I think I'd like to get a EuroRail pass and really explore the areas I've haven't seen.

I've been to a little bit of Oz, it's pretty awesome. I hope you're able to go and enjoy.

Oz?

Short for Australia.

Wow, I should have been able to puzzle that one out. Never heard that before. Do Australians use that?