Ask The Pilot

[jb747]

Jb, does that mean that a 'high speed' turn-off is somewhat of a misnomer?

If I am interpreting what you've written correctly, you would generally exit at a high speed turn at 30 knots (not 50 knots unless you want to end up in the grass) and you transition to tiller at 'normal' taxi speed of 30 knots - therefore meaning that a 'high speed' turn-off is effectively at normal taxi speed?

30 knots is the maximum taxi speed in a straight line. Heavy aircraft going to the runway would rarely exceed 20 knots. But, for a turn you need the speed to be much lower. For the 380 less than 10 knots, and the 747 about 15 knots. Faster than that and the nosegear just skids, and you get a good lesson in understeer. So, anything you enter faster than that is ‘high speed’.

The issue is that these taxiways often have an entry that you could do at pretty high speed, but they don’t have a similar exit. In fact, there’s a couple that I can think of in Oz, that have quite nasty turns in them…so an avenue to the grass. My theory was always that if you have an issue, then you should be able to exit the ‘high speed’ link and get back on to a straight at the same speed you entered. So, control your entry speed to ensure that’s the case.

It doesn’t look like QF has its cabin lights dimmed for takeoff?

Seems an equal mix of airlines that do, and don’t, have their cabin lights dimmed for takeoff and landing.

To be quite honest, I always though it was a load of the proverbial, and I didn’t care whether the lights were on or off.

Landed on QF BNE 01L and exited the runway very quickly yesterday and reverse wasnt cancelled until about 100 meters down the taxiway. Mind you the new runways and taxiways are very spacious on the new runway, but we were doing more than 30knots

There are heroes everywhere. Perhaps he only got around to cancelling reverse when he got the slide back under control. Remember too, that I’m generally talking about wide bodies, not 737 guys who might land there 20 times a week. You can’t read anything into reverse. You could leave it engaged right down to a couple of knots, as long as the engine is at idle. Any deceleration you felt in the turn off was from brakes, not reverse thrust. It has virtually no reverse, and provides almost zero braking.

 

[Flying Fox]

Just thinking about QF moving from B737s to A320s.

How many pilots will need to be retrained?

How long would it take for a B737 pilot to convert to an A320?

 

[jb747]

Just thinking about QF moving from B737s to A320s.

How many pilots will need to be retrained?

I'd guess at about 800 or so. The motion won't be simple 737 to 320; there are many other permutations. For instance, when the 380 arrived, all of the first year or so of conversions were from the 330. QF has many Airbus pilots to use. And the 737 will coexist with the 320 for a few years. Knowing the rate at which QF gets aircraft, probably decades.

How long would it take for a B737 pilot to convert to an A320?

Well, from the day I started, to the first flight after completion of the conversion, my 380 course took 3.5 months. Realistically, I'd expect the training would be geared around the 3 month level. My course had a bit of dead time in it, and sectors are a bit harder to come by on long haul.

But, I had never had any involvement with Airbus before, and a large percentage of the 737 crew will have been on the 330/380, and some even on the 320. For them, the training might be in the order of 2 months, and even less if their Airbus time wasn't more than a couple of years in the past.

The 320s won't come in a hurry, so changes will be quite slow.

 

[Saab34]

Do you think they would send 737 crews on secondment to Jetstar? I assume the whole thing (manuals, training etc) would be based on the Jetstar SOPs?

 

[D747]

I assume the whole thing (manuals, training etc) would be based on the Jetstar SOPs?

I certainly hope not! I'm not a pilot but I've read enough on here to know that Qantas has a different standard, particularly in the First Officer flying hours and experience prerequisites, to make training and SOPs very different.

 

[oz_mark]

Might be worth remembering that QLink have a bunch of roo-tailed A320s as well....

 

[Saab34]

I understand back of house behind all the Network A320 is Jetstar as such (ie it’s people, processes used to set up the operation)

 

[jb747]

Do you think they would send 737 crews on secondment to Jetstar? I assume the whole thing (manuals, training etc) would be based on the Jetstar SOPs?

No. Not a chance.

QF has it’s own Airbus SOP, and it has tonnes of Airbus experience.

 

[AviatorInsight]

AV, what exactly are you guys up to during that 30 or so minute turnaround in the coughpit? I always see pilots shuffling paperwork, on the phone, working our calculations, always wondered what exact jobs you are up to?

JB, in Pilot land is it a ‘coughpit’ or ‘flightdeck’. And are Pilots ‘Pilots’ or ‘Flight Crew’

As soon as the engines are shut down, I'm doing my shutdown scan flow. Once that's complete, I'll complete the paperwork for that flight, who flew the sector, the flight times, etc.

Then it's into the next flight. Passengers from the previous flight would now be disembarking. I get the weather, flight plan (for fuel to then tell the refueller), and coordinate with the cabin when they're good to board.

Then the duties are split. One pilot will go do the walk around while the other will set up the flight management computer. We then re-group, complete before start scan flows, and then do the briefing.

By this stage, most of the new passengers have boarded and we are then waiting for the final load sheet before the door closes. All of that in 35mins. And that's if we stay on the same aircraft.

 

[ChrisGibbs]

Was on the Monday 21/2 QF545 BNE-SYD 738 service. We were scheduled to arrive at 6:45pm and were delayed by about 30 minutes due to the Sydney thunderstorm. During the flight I was taking a look at FlightRadar24 and there was bunch of traffic (domestic and international, interstate and regional) coming in from the NT, QLD and Northern NSW. There didn't seem to be any uniformity in where aircraft were being placed into a hold. Some aircraft were doing a sector entry to the hold but doing variable leg lengths while others were tracking a standard length / time racetrack profile. Likewise aircraft approaching from the South West on the MEL-SYD or CBR-SYD sectors were also holding at various locations flying various profiles. Years back I recall Bindook was a regular holding point for flights from the South / West on approach into Sydney. As standard procedure do ATC put aircraft into a hold at a common navigation point (at varying altitudes) and its FIFO to make the approach or is there some other procedure based on priority that dictates entry and exist from the hold?

 

[AviatorInsight]

Was on the Monday 21/2 QF545 BNE-SYD 738 service. We were scheduled to arrive at 6:45pm and were delayed by about 30 minutes due to the Sydney thunderstorm. During the flight I was taking a look at FlightRadar24 and there was bunch of traffic (domestic and international, interstate and regional) coming in from the NT, QLD and Northern NSW. There didn't seem to be any uniformity in where aircraft were being placed into a hold. Some aircraft were doing a sector entry to the hold but doing variable leg lengths while others were tracking a standard length / time racetrack profile. Likewise aircraft approaching from the South West on the MEL-SYD or CBR-SYD sectors were also holding at various locations flying various profiles. Years back I recall Bindook was a regular holding point for flights from the South / West on approach into Sydney. As standard procedure do ATC put aircraft into a hold at a common navigation point (at varying altitudes) and its FIFO to make the approach or is there some other procedure based on priority that dictates entry and exist from the hold?

Ahhh good old Bindook. The place where thunderstorms used to magically form and sit.

Along the airways, there are a number of waypoints (not necessarily navigation aids) that have chartered holding patterns. ATC will usually stack aircraft one on top of the other and then slowly step aircraft down before being cleared to resume the arrival route.

Technically aircraft can hold in any position and create their own holding patterns. I like to ask ATC to extend the outbound leg longer than the standard 1.5mins. This is more for passenger comfort than anything else.

Some common waypoints around Sydney with published patterns are: CULIN, TARAL, MAKKA, SADLO, BOREE, RIKNI.

 

[Saab34]

One pilot will go do the walk around

I’ve noticed some flights over the years especially if late, they won’t do a walk around. Last flight I was seeing someone off I sat in the terminal (A320) and the crews didn’t do a walk round. Is that a firm company sop?

I can’t imagine the lawyers would be too impressed if one got lazy, then missed something which caused an issue later on.

 

[AviatorInsight]

I’ve noticed some flights over the years especially if late, they won’t do a walk around. Last flight I was seeing someone off I sat in the terminal (A320) and the crews didn’t do a walk round. Is that a firm company sop?

I can’t imagine the lawyers would be too impressed if one got lazy, then missed something which caused an issue later on.

I'm really surprised by this if that's the case. I don't care how late we are, a walk around is mandatory in our SOP before each flight.

 

[eric2011]

Can someone else do a walk around like a ground based engineer or someone else suitably qualified

 

[AviatorInsight]

Can someone else do a walk around like a ground based engineer or someone else suitably qualified

Yes. During the height of the pandemic this is what happened on a flight from SYD-ADL that had to divert to MEL.

Because of the different quarantine and state laws, the 1L (front left) door was not to be opened. The problem becomes that the aircraft needed to refuel. And with passengers on board that door needs to be open.

So the gate agent put the aerobridge on and ran back into the terminal. No one, not even flight crew were allowed to get off. So a LAME (licensed engineer) performed the walk around on behalf of the captain.

Once refuelling was complete, the 1L door was closed and the aircraft continued to ADL having never technically “entered VIC” according to SA Health.

 

[jb747]

I’ve noticed some flights over the years especially if late, they won’t do a walk around. Last flight I was seeing someone off I sat in the terminal (A320) and the crews didn’t do a walk round. Is that a firm company sop?

I'm not sure how you would know that for sure. The walkaround could occur at any stage. I've had other qualified pilots (paxing) do the walkaround on late flights, so in that instance you wouldn't see anyone leave the coughpit. But, if nobody did it, then find another airline.

Can someone else do a walk around like a ground based engineer or someone else suitably qualified

Yes, though generally an engineer does an engineering walkaround, which isn't necessarily the same thing as a pilot would do.

 

[albatross710]

Question for the regular YBBN pilots. In the current weather 01R/19L and quite a few taxiways are closed due to water and all ops are on the new 01L/19R. In previous rain events before the new runway, do you recall water issues?

Also, big shout out to ATC and pilots making it into YBBN today. So nice to be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here.



Seems the weather changed it's mind and the runway was changed back to 01L. Everyone lined up to depart on 19R has done a conga line via the runway down to the other end.

 

[Captain Halliday]

BNE RWY 01R/19L




Credit: ABC Brisbane

 

[AviatorInsight]

Question for the regular YBBN pilots. In the current weather 01R/19L and quite a few taxiways are closed due to water and all ops are on the new 01L/19R. In previous rain events before the new runway, do you recall water issues?

Can‘t say I have seen any water issues at BNE before this event. I’m scheduled to fly out of there for the next couple of days so I’ll get a chance to see the effects the rain has had.

 

[jb747]

Can‘t say I have seen any water issues at BNE before this event. I’m scheduled to fly out of there for the next couple of days so I’ll get a chance to see the effects the rain has had.

Seaplane endorsement in your past perhaps.