Ask The Pilot

[AviatorInsight]

Would appreciate an aviator’s comment.
The video suggests that the wind direction is toward the camera and
This wind pressure on the vert stab caused the aircraft to pivot as it did.
what I don’t understand how it travelled from left to right?
I’m thinking the aircraft is somehow acting like a sail??

DOH
QR B787 went nose into fuselage of an A350

Seeing aircraft turn into wind like that is not uncommon, but moving forward like that is something I've never seen before. I couldn't understand how it did that either. I'm sure there's some explanation though, like perhaps it is actually moving down the leading edge of the A350 but appears on the camera to be moving into wind?

I dare say with a lot of aircraft now sitting on the ground for long periods of time, had they run out of chocks? Had the hydraulic pressure leaked out of the brake lines from sitting for so long?

 

[HW]

Hi pilots - this aircraft was tracking back and forward across Brisbane today, any thoughts on what this flight pattern is for? Is it some sort of land survey? After this the aircraft tracked north, orbited Caboolture several times, and then returned to Archerfield. Also lately there have been AIS tracks for a number of vehicles trundling around the Brisbane airfield.

 

[Ansett]

With the slow down in Aviation globally what is happening with the Qantas Flight Training centers recently announced and or opened?

Seems to me there may well end up now being an over supply of pilots for some years.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Seeing aircraft turn into wind like that is not uncommon, but moving forward like that is something I've never seen before. I couldn't understand how it did that either. I'm sure there's some explanation though, like perhaps it is actually moving down the leading edge of the A350 but appears on the camera to be moving into wind?

I dare say with a lot of aircraft now sitting on the ground for long periods of time, had they run out of chocks? Had the hydraulic pressure leaked out of the brake lines from sitting for so long?

I assume the areas around most terminals is flat, or very close to it.

This video makes me wonder what degree of slope would be required for an aircraft of this size to roll forward. Assuming no wind and no brakes.

 

[Quickstatus]

but moving forward like that is something I've never seen before

I’m thinking that the aircraft is like a sail.

The lee side of a sail (or in this case the aircraft fuselage )has lower pressure so there is lift on that side. As there is resistance on the ground by the wheels against sideway movement of the aircraft, the “lift” pulls the aircraft forward. ???

 

[jb747]

I assume the areas around most terminals is flat, or very close to it.

This video makes me wonder what degree of slope would be required for an aircraft of this size to roll forward. Assuming no wind and no brakes.

Not a great deal. There are quite a few places where the aircraft will roll back on you if you stop too soon approaching the gate. It would also do so in the gap between the 25s in LA. There's a gate in Melbourne too, but I can't recall the number.

 

[ChrisGibbs]

Did the 0700 QF A330 SYD-MEL departure earlier this week. Take-offs were from 16L with arrivals onto 34L. On the taxi down to 16L i noticed a bunch of JQ and QF aircraft parked diagonally on RWY25/07. As we get closer to winter and some of the strong westerlies come into play you would typically see RWY25 being used for some arrivals and departures. IIRC many years back I landed into RWY25 at SYD on an A380 from DFW early one Sunday morning. What happens if RWY16/34 becomes un-useable due to cross-wind limitations? As an aside I have my first ever Dash-8 MEL-SYD (via CBR) sector/s later this week.

 

[jb747]

IIRC many years back I landed into RWY25 at SYD on an A380 from DFW early one Sunday morning. What happens if RWY16/34 becomes un-useable due to cross-wind limitations? As an aside I have my first ever Dash-8 MEL-SYD (via CBR) sector/s later this week.

I’ve landed a 380 on it too.

As they’re using it for parking at the moment, it’s simply closed. I guess they hope that by the time the winds turn up, some more aircraft are back in service, and the parked ones have been moved. But, it’s not different to the long periods we’ve had over the years where runways are closed for works.

 

[AviatorInsight]

Hi pilots - this aircraft was tracking back and forward across Brisbane today, any thoughts on what this flight pattern is for? Is it some sort of land survey? After this the aircraft tracked north, orbited Caboolture several times, and then returned to Archerfield. Also lately there have been AIS tracks for a number of vehicles trundling around the Brisbane airfield.

I used to fly UJN. It is still registered to GAM Aviation. Those tracks look like aerial survey. Same has been happening in SYD too I've noticed. I guess it's easier now to coordinate with minimal traffic in the terminal areas around the major airports.

 

[Quickstatus]

how’s your RC heli going @jb747 ?

 

[AFF Editor]

The Ask The Pilot thread now has almost 15,000 posts! That's a remarkable achievement, but with so many posts spanning 748 pages, it can be quite difficult to find specific topics that have already been discussed. As a result, some questions have been asked & answered multiple times already.

To help AFF members to navigate this amazing thread, I've created an index with links to the most common/popular Ask The Pilot questions & topics: Index of Popular "Ask The Pilot" Topics | Australian Frequent Flyer

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If you think there is a relevant topic/post missing from the index, please send me a link to it via a conversation.

 

[jb747]

With the slow down in Aviation globally what is happening with the Qantas Flight Training centers recently announced and or opened?

Seems to me there may well end up now being an over supply of pilots for some years.

Only time will tell. Certainly, I don’t expect the industry to look the same in 2 years, but 5 years from now might be a totally different story. And even if pilots aren’t flying now, there is still a constant trickle who are hitting retirement age and won’t be back.

My advice to young people has always been to get a degree or qualification that will put bread on the table. The vast majority of people who start the journey to be airline pilots do not complete it. Nothing has really changed.

 

[flyer89]

There’s talk this could exacerbate the shortage in the future. You’ll have the retirements that you were always going to have paired with the longer term effects of COVID. So whilst you’ll have a short to medium term surplus it may well become problematic in a couple of years.

And JB is correct. Most don’t make it much beyond the training stage of flying, if at all. For some of them, we should be thankful for that.

 

[ChrisGibbs]

I have my first ever Dash-8 MEL-SYD (via CBR) sector/s later this week.

QF1420 on a Dash-8 6th May was 51 minutes MEL-CBR then 52 minutes on the ground in CBR with all passengers transiting through to SYD being able to stay onboard followed by a short 30 minute flight to SYD. Looked to be a little track shortening by joining a left base for 34L from overhead Cronulla rather than having to join downwind on 34L over the Royal National Park. Both sectors where less than 50% full with all passengers having a spare seat next to them. Interestingly they moved me from 2A/B into 2C/D as they needed to have a passenger sitting in the exit row (2C/D).

 

[AviatorInsight]

Looked to be a little track shortening by joining a left base for 34L from overhead Cronulla rather than having to join downwind on 34L over the Royal National Park.

When 34L is in use and it’s quiet, the controllers will give us direct to SOSIJ. It marks the start of the ILS for 34L.

My best direct to SOSIJ was leaving MEL chasing curfew, from EBONY (Albury) we got changed to the next MEL centre frequency. I had to come up with a way to tell them that we were pushing curfew, this is what I came up with...

”MEL Centre Velocity 899 Flight Level 390, we have SOSIJ in sight” (bear in mind this is a waypoint and no landmark actually exists )
After a slight pause and some chuckling from the controller, we got given direct to SOSIJ at maximum speed and to cancel all speed restrictions.

 

[jb747]

”MEL Centre Velocity 899 Flight Level 390, we have SOSIJ in sight” (bear in mind this is a waypoint and no landmark actually exists )
After a slight pause and some chuckling from the controller, we got given direct to SOSIJ at maximum speed and to cancel all speed restrictions.

I can see how that comment could be misconstrued.

 

[AviatorInsight]

I can see how that comment could be misconstrued.

Yet very effective and achieved the desired result.

 

[p--and--t]

we have SOSIJ in sight

the things pilots get up to on the other side of the locked door

 

[Captain Halliday]

@AviatorInsight I noted this comment in another thread.

I’m putting my question here so the other thread stays on topic (it won’t, but I tried )...

None for the past 5 weeks. I’ve got one more week to go before I run out of currency.

What’s required if you run out?

Is it expensive to regain currency if it lapses?

Who pays to get you current again, you or VA?

If VA, would it be more cost effective to give people in your situation some circuits, or does SIM time reset the clock?

 

[AviatorInsight]

@AviatorInsight I noted this comment in another thread.

I’m putting my question here so the other thread stays on topic (it won’t, but I tried )...


What’s required if you run out?

Is it expensive to regain currency if it lapses?

Who pays to get you current again, you or VA?

If VA, would it be more cost effective to give people in your situation some circuits, or does SIM time reset the clock?

It’s pretty simple, as I’m (currently) still employed by VA, and I’m part of a cyclic program, my hours and requirements are with VA, so they pay for it. Crew don’t pay for any sims. Same situation applies after taking 2 months off on annual leave.

If they can’t get me a flight by the 17th May, I’ll have run out and a sim session will be required to get me current again. Whether that’s just 3 take offs and landings in the sim, or another cyclic session will be yet to be determined.

My guess is that they won’t get me current again until my sim is due (valid until end of August), or until they start standing us back up again due to increased demand, whichever occurs earlier.