Ask The Pilot

[markis10]

Things must be getting stretched staffing wise at Sydney tower, unable to cover a doggo calling in sick last night!

B264/25
ATS AT SYDNEY AERODROME ARE SUBJECT TO CONTINGENCY DUE TO OPERATIONAL
RESTRICTIONS
AERODROME CTL SER NOT AVBL
MANDATORY BROADCAST PROC AS DETAILED IN AIP APPLY ON FREQ 120.5 MHZ
APP AND DEP CTL SER PROVIDED TO SFC ON FREQUENCY 123.0 MHZ. ALL
AIRCRAFT REQUESTING CLEARANCE INTO THE AIRSPACE MUST CONTACT DEP ON
FREQUENCY 123.0 MHZ. NO LANDING OR TAKE OFF CLEARANCES WILL BE
ISSUED.
PILOTS-IN-COMMAND ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR COLLISION AVOIDANCE ON
THE MANOEUVRING AREA.
PRIOR TO OPERATING ON THE MANOEUVRING AREA PILOTS MUST:
1. OBTAIN A BRIEFING ON CONTINGENCY PROCEDURES FROM AIRSERVICES
AUSTRALIA ON +61 3 9235 7420
2. OBTAIN A LANDING OR DEPARTURE TIME.
3. IF DEPARTING, OBTAIN AN AIRWAYS CLEARANCE ON FREQUENCY 123.0 MHZ.
PRIOR TO ENTERING THE RWY FOR DEPARTURE, PILOTS MUST:
4. REPORT READY ON FREQUENCY 123.0 MHZ
5. OBTAIN DEPARTURE INSTRUCTIONS AND REPORT AIRBORNE WITHIN THREE
MINUTES.
AFTER LANDING, REPORT CLEAR OF THE RWY ON FREQUENCY 123.0 MHZ.
FROM 09 091430 TO 09 091730

 

[jb747]

FWIW believe it was fumes in the coughpit, not a leak.

Fumes should have a source, but nothing found?

If they really existed. Fumes/smells can be affected by what you might call "group think".

@jb747 - do you have any insights how recovering of this BA16 aircraft works?

Does BA need to have their own engineers certifying the plane back to service or can Qantas / a third party do that in Sydney given that London / Singapore are far away where BA presumably has the right expertise.

Any work would probably be done by QF engineers. A BA endorsed person would sign it off. BA may have a multi licensed engineer in Sydney, though they're just has likely to have contracted that to QF.

I didn't look to see if the aircraft had been test flown. Some issues can crop up in flight, but not on the ground. I recall a couple of 767 events that QF had, in the 90's (I was a passenger on one, and strangely it was the same Captain both times). In that case, the air conditioning packs had recently been serviced by a company in the USA. They had used a different chemical for the cleaning, and as it turned out, when the partial pressure became low enough, any residual would give off gas (sublime?).

And yes, it may have been the curry.

 

[Comoman]

If they really existed. Fumes/smells can be affected by what you might call "group think".

Interestingly enough - the recent LHR T4 evacuation and 20 pax “injured” due to a smell was ascribed to as being a mass hysteria event.