Ask The Pilot

[markis10]

With the topic of Volcanic Ash popping up, how dangerous can it be and how responsible/irresponsible is it to be flying into Volcanic Ash conditions?

I am aware of BA009, was that a one off event, or is it a big possibility if due diligence is not exercised. The Indonesian carriers GA and QZ seemed to fly between AU and DPS whilst the likes of JQ and DJ seemed to cancel services when the issue popped up earlier this year.

BA009 is probably the best known incident, however the very same cloud almost claimed a SQ jet three weeks after Speedbird, while a few years later KLM had a flight lose all 4 engines in the northern hemisphere, but was able to restart all 4 once clear.

 

[mannej]

BA009 is probably the best known incident, however the very same cloud almost claimed a SQ jet three weeks after Speedbird, while a few years later KLM had a flight lose all 4 engines in the northern hemisphere, but was able to restart all 4 once clear.

So with the current information available, is it a safety issue? What would you gauge as the responsible course of action?

 

[jb747]

Two questions
What percentage of flights are done as autoland?

Low. Varies with aircraft, but I'd guess about 5%. You need the airport/runway to have the equipment, plus the aircraft, and then the 'protected areas' have to be kept clear, so it isn't something you can just go and do. Aircraft in front, on runway, or even at holding points can affect the ILS performance.

When you arrive at a destination how much freedom do you then have at that destination? Eg if you had a long enough layover would you be able to hire a car and drive to nearby cities \ towns provided you where back at the airport in time for your next flight?

They don't want you going too far, but there are no specific restrictions. You may need to be contactable to fill in for somebody else, either sick, or diversions, etc. And, you'll need most of the slip just to get some sleep...to get over the last flight, and prepare for the next. Most long haul slips vary between 24 and 50 hours, but generally you'll be on the first aircraft you can reasonably be put on. You never get used to the jet lag, you just end up feeling lousy all of the time.

 

[jb747]

With the topic of Volcanic Ash popping up, how dangerous can it be and how responsible/irresponsible is it to be flying into Volcanic Ash conditions?

The ash is extremely dangerous, and some of the ignorant comments we heard after the last European ash cloud really showed how little knowledge some airline execs have. The stuff is abrasive. It is conductive. And it melts at about the temperature in the engine core, and then sticks to the turbine blades, changing their shape, and destroying the engines. There is no guarantee whatsoever that an engine that is snuffed by this stuff will ever start again. None of those features make it a good mix with aviation.

I am aware of BA009, was that a one off event, or is it a big possibility if due diligence is not exercised. The Indonesian carriers GA and QZ seemed to fly between AU and DPS whilst the likes of JQ and DJ seemed to cancel services when the issue popped up earlier this year.

The fact that carrier X does something does not mean that it's even slightly a good idea.

The world is better at keeping eyes out for volvanoes these days, but I've seen a couple of clouds over the years that had not been reported. One was in the USA (from Alaska, it was known but just not being reliably reported), whilst the other was over the Pacific. Not all places in the world are constantly monitored. A repeat is unlikely but most certainly not impossible.

 

[mannej]

Would you be comfortable flying at lower levels (i.e ANZ) to "mitigate the risk"?

 

[jb747]

Would you be comfortable flying at lower levels (i.e ANZ) to "mitigate the risk"?

It can be in very definite layers, in which case going over or under might be viable. It's just a case of reliably knowing those layers....although one would have to wonder where reliable information would come from in that part of the world.

 

[RSD]

What is the role of a Check Pilot? And do they fly as regular pilots when not "check-piloting"?

 

[jb747]

What is the role of a Check Pilot? And do they fly as regular pilots when not "check-piloting"?

The names used vary around the world, but we had a couple of variations on term. They were really called 'check and training', and that sums up what they normally do. We all have an annual 'check' in the aircraft. They do that sitting in the back, watching a normal operation. They will also do whatever training is required in the aircraft, in which case they will be in either of the operating seats.

Senior check captains, do all of that, but they also do most of the simulator training.

They do fly normal trips, with nobody to check or train, but probably not as often as they would like.

 

[Nigelinoz]

One thing I have always wondered is why aircraft always board from the left hand door? I know that catering trucks etc use the right door for loading etc
but is there a reason why airports etc use aerobridges etc that load on the left ? does it have anything to do with the fact that the captain always sits
in the left hand seat ?.
Cheers
N'oz

 

[jb747]

One thing I have always wondered is why aircraft always board from the left hand door? I know that catering trucks etc use the right door for loading etc
but is there a reason why airports etc use aerobridges etc that load on the left ? does it have anything to do with the fact that the captain always sits
in the left hand seat ?.
Cheers
N'oz

Cargo doors are on the right....

 

[Major]

Pilots fly through some clouds with no turbulence, other clouds produce turbulence and some clouds are avoided all together. What is the difference ?
Also what causes clear air turbulence ?

 

[NM]

One thing I have always wondered is why aircraft always board from the left hand door? I know that catering trucks etc use the right door for loading etc
but is there a reason why airports etc use aerobridges etc that load on the left ? does it have anything to do with the fact that the captain always sits
in the left hand seat ?.
Cheers
N'oz

Cargo doors are on the right....

Is that a hang-over from shipping where a ship usually births with the "port" side against the port? And its just become convention for common airport and aircraft design (i.e. why the cargo doors are on the right and boarding gates/bridges only point at the "port" side of the aircraft?

 

[JohnM]

You never get used to the jet lag, you just end up feeling lousy all of the time.

Are measures taken to mitigate the effect of jet lag on pilot performance? And are simulator training exercises done in a way that has pilots in a jet-lagged mode?

 

[jb747]

Pilots fly through some clouds with no turbulence, other clouds produce turbulence and some clouds are avoided all together. What is the difference ?

Anything that is flat (i.e. stratus) you can just fly through. Convective clouds (coughulus) range in size from puffy little things, to huge monsters. Little doesn't matter, but it's generally a good idea to at least strap everyone down for a larger one. If it has lightning, then don't enter it if you have any choice at all. Convective cloud will have vertical motion, and that's what gives you the bumps.

Oh, and contrary to the media, the atmosphere does not contain 'air pockets', nor do aircraft that encounter turbulence 'drop thousands of feet'. Imagine what driving over a plowed paddock would be like at 100 kph...you only need a foot or so to make it very uncomfortable. A really huge bump might drop the aircraft 10 feet, but that will be more than enough to throw those would don't like seat belts all the way to the ceiling, from where they will fall back onto whatever/whomever is below.

Also what causes clear air turbulence ?

The air isn't homogenous. There are layers, and they often travel at quite different velocities and directions. Normally, in the middle of a layer it will be smooth (which is how we can use jet streams to dramatically increase the ground speed on the Perth - Melbourne flight), but anywhere near the junction, where the layers mix, the air will be rougher. Climbing or descending, even as little as a thousand feet, can often get you clear of the boundary and find smoother air.

 

[jb747]

Is that a hang-over from shipping where a ship usually births with the "port" side against the port? And its just become convention for common airport and aircraft design (i.e. why the cargo doors are on the right and boarding gates/bridges only point at the "port" side of the aircraft?

Well, if the makers randomly positioned the doors, then you'd end up with very inefficient bay and aerobridge spacing at the airports. I doubt that it has anything to do with whatever ships do, and it has nothing to do with where the pilot sits, so I expect that it's simply an agreement to ensure the maximum use of space at the terminals.

 

[Simsy85]

Man I love reading this thread.....

 

[jb747]

Are measures taken to mitigate the effect of jet lag on pilot performance?

Well, if we use a quote from a Jetstar management pilot, to pilots who complained about fatigue, "harden up princesses", then I'd have to say that fatigue is not treated seriously by many airlines. One major airline was paxing crew into Australia, and then they would immediately put on their uniform and operate the aircraft out...having supposedly had sufficient rest to do so in the cabin on that previous flight.

And are simulator training exercises done in a way that has pilots in a jet-lagged mode?

My licence, and so right to work, depends upon my performance in the simulator. I will not even turn up if I haven't had a decent sleep beforehand. Plus, you are supposed to learn things in the sim...what would you even remember if you went there jet lagged.

There have been exercises run with jet lagged pilots. We participated in a study on the effects of fatigue a few years ago, and part of that study was to run sim exercises just after pilots had arrived back in Sydney from long trips. Those sims were 'no jeopardy'....otherwise nobody would have turned up. The aim of the study was to come up with a fatigue management system, that would be applied to the way trips were built and crewed. As far as I know, no system is in use anywhere in the world, and many jurisdictions (EU) have actually been increasing crew work limits.

A number of years back now, CASA were actually going to hand the management of flight time limits over to the airlines, on the basis that 'they would not do anything dangerous', and 'there has never been a fatigue related accident'. At about the same time, NASA released a real report on fatigue, that related the levels of fatigue to blood alcohol concentrations...and the results were not pretty. Saner heads perhaps realised that the airlines would do anything for a buck (they only have to say they are safe, not actually be safe), and they perhaps realised that there were probably liability issues that could affect them, and so they rules were not changed. But a number of exemptions still exist, which were not based on any form of scientific study, one way or the other. And for the 'no fatigue related accidents', well they perhaps realised that there have been an awful lot of 'pilot error' accidents, and perhaps, just perhaps, some of them might have been fatigued. Possibly even most....

 

[markis10]

AA1420 is a good example of an accident where fatigue was a significant contributing factor:

American Airlines Flight 1420 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[mannej]

Were there not links drawn to fatigued pilots after the emirates tail strike?


Sent from my iPhone using Aust Freq Fly app

 

[jb747]

Were there not links drawn to fatigued pilots after the emirates tail strike?

Fatigue gets a mention now. As recently as 5 years ago, it did not. But, now it will simply be another reason to blame the pilot. He came to work fatigued, and so broke the rules by not getting enough sleep. I can't sleep to order. Can you? Airlines will never accept responsibility for it.

It's a big issue. The study that equated it to blood alcohol basically said that at the end of a long flight, the crew were at about the 'lock up' stage. Sadly though, accountants look at safety issues and they invariably come up with unsafe answers. Safety is not cheap...nor is it something you can buy cheaply. Something always has to give.