Ask The Pilot

[jb747]

Do you think there will ever be Qantas 787-9s?... Understand if you feel you can't comment on this...

Or indeed A350s or 777-X's as more longer term 747 replacements

I truly don't know.

I'm not actually a fan of the 787, in any of its forms.

 

[docjames]

I truly don't know.

I'm not actually a fan of the 787, in any of its forms.

Could you elaborate?

- design (looks)?
- batteries?
- twin? (but then you liked the 767!)
- composites?
- other?

 

[jb747]

Could you elaborate?

- design (looks)?
- batteries?
- twin? (but then you liked the 767!)
- composites?
- other?

It's not actually a big aircraft. The -8 is roughly 767 sized. The idea of being in a long range, but smaller aircraft, isn't all that appealing. The advertising for it (like all aircraft I guess) shows very low density configurations, but the reality will likely be a lot more like Jetstar with well over 300 seats. If you want to go a long way, with 300 plus seats, it's hard to go past a 777.

I do not like what they've done with the batteries. All because they don't want to use some form of RAT system. The idea of a uncontrolled battery fire, in the middle of nowhere, isn't nice. I find it very hard to believe that the authorities granted it such long ETOPs based on Boeing claims.

Twin. Doesn't matter.

Composites also don't matter as long as they actually know what they are doing, and have their quality control under control. That does seem a bit doubtful though.

The perfect aircraft to replace the 747 is the 777X. Maybe the A350, but I don't know much about it. At best I see the 787 as a 767 replacement and 330 competitor.

Feedback from the one bloke that I know who is flying it, (and also flew 777 and 767) isn't positive.

 

[mjt57]

If you want to go a long way, with 300 plus seats, it's hard to go past a 777.

Depends on where you're sitting, I s'pose.

Our experience with Emirates' 777 MEL-DXB, DXB-MEL via Kuala Lumpur and Singapore was not pleasant. The A380 was better, particularly on the way home as we had a row of seats each to ourselves.

We won't fly Emirates again. We wanted to go with Qantas but at the time it couldn't accomodate our travel requirements.

 

[defurax]

Hi JB,
Is the procedure to tow all A380 to the gate at LAX TBIT still in place? On my last two trips on QF93 I don't remember the engines being shut before being towed to the gate. Maybe I was just not paying attention to what was going on last time as the FO pointed to the presence of a LAN 787 parked nearby while we were taxiing to the gate. ( I guess this FO likes the 787 )

 

[oz74]

Hi JB,
Is the procedure to tow all A380 to the gate at LAX TBIT still in place? On my last two trips on QF93 I don't remember the engines being shut before being towed to the gate. Maybe I was just not paying attention to what was going on last time as the FO pointed to the presence of a LAN 787 parked nearby while we were taxiing to the gate. ( I guess this FO likes the 787 )

I thought it was JFK where they tow you to the gate?

 

[petercr]

I remember in Feb arriving at TBIT on both QF16 and QF108 being advised by the flight crew that we needed to be towed in due to construction that was going on at the time.

Edit: arriving at JFK (term 7) we just drove on in... even with snow all around

 

[serfty]

Heading to gate 134 at TBIT in November the Pilot as part of a post flight annoiuncment during the taxi that since we were docking at one of the new gates there was no requirement for a tow in.

 

[jb747]

Hi JB,
Is the procedure to tow all A380 to the gate at LAX TBIT still in place? On my last two trips on QF93 I don't remember the engines being shut before being towed to the gate. Maybe I was just not paying attention to what was going on last time as the FO pointed to the presence of a LAN 787 parked nearby while we were taxiing to the gate. ( I guess this FO likes the 787 )

Depends upon the gate. The new bays, which don't have aircraft on the apron behind them, are all taxi in. Still tow in for the others. JFK was, last time I visited, a mix of tow and taxi. The taxi problem wasn't due to blast on adjacent aircraft, but rather the very close obstructions.

 

[Jaskel]

Hi Everyone...im new to this site so excuse if this has been asked.

I am 37 my 2 sons are 5 and 3, my 5 year old is even more obsessed than I am with aviation especially commercial jets! My 5 year old can tell me every jet that flies over us, my 3 year old just thinks everything is a A380 lol.

I would love to get at least my 5 year old or both boys if I can into the coughpit of a airliner, my oldest love 787 and A380 where as I am a fan of those but have a special like for the 777 since I took it to KL last year.

I hope im in the right section but id love to speak with a pilot in Sydney that may be able to help us out for a visit at the base one day...we would love it and would be forever grateful

Feel free to shoot me an email or private message

Thank you

Jason

auairmonitoring (@) gmail.com

 

[jb747]

Hi Everyone...im new to this site so excuse if this has been asked.

I am 37 my 2 sons are 5 and 3, my 5 year old is even more obsessed than I am with aviation especially commercial jets! My 5 year old can tell me every jet that flies over us, my 3 year old just thinks everything is a A380 lol.

I would love to get at least my 5 year old or both boys if I can into the coughpit of a airliner, my oldest love 787 and A380 where as I am a fan of those but have a special like for the 777 since I took it to KL last year.

I hope im in the right section but id love to speak with a pilot in Sydney that may be able to help us out for a visit at the base one day...we would love it and would be forever grateful

Access to the Jet Base is extremely tightly controlled. I doubt that I could get my own family into the place.

 

[harvyk]

Hi Jaskel,

You could always book a flight somewhere and ask the cabin crew if the pilot would mind your boys coming up to the flight deck at the end of the flight (if you call up the airline and make the arrangements whilst booking you may have a better chance). Alternatively, CBR airport is probably going to have it's open day sometime next year (I think they run them every two years). Whilst you probably won't see the really big boys there, last year among the aircraft on display was an ATR-72, a Dash-8 Q400, and a B737-800. They had all the planes open to see and the public was welcome to wonder around them and explore inside them.

Just some ideas for us mere mortals to get into the pilots seat.

 

[knasty]

What about taking them along to one of the commercial simulators in most major cities? I've seen them for ~$100 on scoopon etc every once in a while. I bet the kids would be able to watch/participate while dad flies the plane.

 

[bass_ke]

If you fly with your young ones a bit consider getting them a logbook, crew have been more than happy to fill ours out so far and in one case the captain personally delivered it to us. Maybe one would let you pick it up from the coughpit once landed!

I've written a short report at the below link.

http://mylittleearth.net/2013/10/04/our-little-aviatrix/

Have you been out spotting at SYD?

 

[mjt57]

What about taking them along to one of the commercial simulators in most major cities? I've seen them for ~$100 on scoopon etc every once in a while. I bet the kids would be able to watch/participate while dad flies the plane.

I did "Flight Experience" in Melbourne last year. It's a static B737-800 and I'm told it's quite realistic, other than the fact it doesn't move around.

 

[erkpod]

I've done the Flight Experience at Darling Harbour & on Satutday, I'll be doing a full motion A320 sim at Bankstown on Saturday.

 

[petercr]

JB, hopefully nice easy one... do you arrive/depart from the new or old terminal in DXB?

Watching the latest episode and interior of the new terminal looks like an absolute mess and the project CEO (female) was giving the construction teams an absolute bollocking about it and told them that there would be no more Friday weekends until complete...

 

[Sprucegoose]

Hi Everyone...im new to this site so excuse if this has been asked.

I am 37 my 2 sons are 5 and 3, my 5 year old is even more obsessed than I am with aviation especially commercial jets! My 5 year old can tell me every jet that flies over us, my 3 year old just thinks everything is a A380 lol.

I would love to get at least my 5 year old or both boys if I can into the coughpit of a airliner, my oldest love 787 and A380 where as I am a fan of those but have a special like for the 777 since I took it to KL last year.

I hope im in the right section but id love to speak with a pilot in Sydney that may be able to help us out for a visit at the base one day...we would love it and would be forever grateful

Feel free to shoot me an email or private message

Thank you

Jason

auairmonitoring (@) gmail.com

failure there try Longreach, the qantas museum

the world has changed, we used to wander onto a certain RAAF base and once did the paddles on the PM's plane. My god how simple life used to be!

 

[jb747]

Watching the latest episode and interior of the new terminal looks like an absolute mess and the project CEO (female) was giving the construction teams an absolute bollocking about it and told them that there would be no more Friday weekends until complete...

The new terminal (unless there's another that I haven't noticed). Looks finished to me.

 

[Simo]

The new terminal (unless there's another that I haven't noticed). Looks finished to me.

When does the runway work start at DXB or is it under way.

Has that had an impact on schedules or just general delays?