Geek in the Cockpit » Random Airplane Stuff

Very interesting video

Geek Pilot — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:08:26 +0000

Taken at an airshow. Not so comfy with the wing scrapes on the runway….I assume they are re-enforced?

Click on the link below for the video (WMV file)

Original link http://www.franklinairshow.com

Always have a back up plan

Geek Pilot — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:43:52 +0000

During private pilot training pilots all go through the, “you just lost your engine, where are you going to land?” scenario. I had it done to many times. It’s a non-event once you realize you’re not going to just fall out of the sky. Of course I always had it done during VMC conditions. Sully had it during VMC conditions. This guy had it happen in real life (single engine plane) during IMC conditions. Not only did he walk away….but the plane wasn’t damaged at all.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/fedex_plane_goes_down_outside.html

Cicero man safely lands FedEx plane outside Rome; no injuries

By Debra J. Groom / The Post-Standard

December 03, 2009, 12:09PM

Rome, NY — A Cicero man is OK aftering ditching his plane in a field north of Rome this morning.

The Cessna plane owned by FedEx and being piloted by Peter May of Brewerton went down north of Rome near the intersection of Elmer Hill and Chmielewski roads. Oneida County sheriff’s Sgt. Matthew J. Bauer said May, 46, had to think quick to figure out where to put down his doomed plane.

Oneida County Sheriff’s Capt. Richard Antanavige said May was the only person on board and he was not injured. The plane was not damaged.

The Cessna C208B Caravan turbo prop was flying from Syracuse to Plattsburgh with 300 pounds of overnight packages on board. At about 7:45 a.m. at an altitude of about 7,500 feet, the single engine turbo prop lost power, Bauer said.

At the time, the plane was about 15 miles away from the airport at the former Griffiss Air Force Base. May radioed air traffic control with a mayday, Bauer said. While on approach to the Griffiss runway, the plane rapidly lost altitude and air speed.

“These factors made it apparent to the pilot that the aircraft was going to under shoot Griffiss and crash,” Bauer said.

Upon dropping out of the clouds at about 1,000 feet, May decided to either crash land in Lake Delta just north of Rome or a less populated area west of the lake. May chose to land in the hayfield of the Von Matt farm.

“He had the good wisdom to drop the flaps,which gave him lift,” said Vernon May, commissioner of aviation in Oneida County. “He did everything right.”

May has worked for Wiggins Aircraft, of Manchester, N.H., since 1994. Wiggins leases aircraft from FedEx and supplies pilots for routes throughout New England, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Assisting at the scene were Rome Fire Department, Griffiss Crash Crew and AmCare Ambulance. The incident will remain under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration out of Albany.

The aircraft will be partially disassembled and trucked to Griffiss, where the FAA will attempt to determine the cause of the engine failure.

Heated Discussion or deep sleep?

Geek Pilot — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:38:14 +0000

Seems that a Northwest crew overflew the airport by….150 miles. Investigation to follow:
http://ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2009/091022.html

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N…135Z/KSAN/KMSP

National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

October 22, 2009

************************************************** **********
NTSB INVESTIGATING FLIGHT THAT OVERFLEW INTENDED MINNEAPOLIS AIRPORT

************************************************** **********

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an
incident where an Airbus A320 overflew the Minneapolis-St Paul
International/Wold-Chamberlain Airport (MSP).

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, at 5:56 pm mountain daylight time,
an Airbus A320, N03274, operating as Northwest Airlines (NWA) flight
188, became a NORDO (no radio communications) flight at 37,000 feet.
The flight was operating as a Part 121 flight from San Diego
International Airport, San Diego, California (SAN) to MSP with 147
passengers and unknown number of crew.

At 7:58 pm central daylight time (CDT), the aircraft flew over the
destination airport and continued northeast for approximately 150
miles. The MSP center controller reestablished communications with
the crew at 8:14 pm and reportedly stated that the crew had become
distracted and had overflown MSP, and requested to return to MSP.

According to the Federal Administration (FAA) the crew was
interviewed by the FBI and airport police. The crew stated they
were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost
situational awareness. The Safety Board is scheduling an interview
with the crew.

The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) have
been secured and are being sent to the NTSB laboratory in
Washington, DC.

David Lawrence, the Investigator-in-Charge, is leading the team of 3
in investigating the incident.

Parties to the investigation are the FAA and Northwest Airlines.

A few good pilots

Geek Pilot — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:40:15 +0000

Saw this on this message board. Worth reposting.

Remember the movie “A Few Good Men”??
Remember Jack Nicholson’s famous soliloquy when on thewitness stand, being questioned by Tom Cruise…

Here is the civilian Airline version….

Captain: “You want answers?”

Chief Pilot: “I think we are entitled”

Captain: “You want answers?!”

Chief Pilot: “I want the truth!”

Captain: “You can’t handle the truth!!!”

Captain (continuing): “We live in a world that requires revenue. That revenue must be flown by people with elite skills. Who’s going to do it? You, Mr. CEO? You Mr.. Finance? You, Ms. Human Resources? We have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You scoff at the Line Pilots and you curse our mediocre incentives. You have that luxury.You have the luxury of not knowing what we know. And my very existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, drives REVENUE! You don’t want to know the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at staff meetings, you want me in that airplane. You NEED me in that airplane!! We use words like working radar, good weather, on time departures, airworthiness, upgrades, commuting, another round, medium-rare,on-the-rocks, Cohiba. We use these words as the backbone of all Professional Aviation. You use them as a punch line! I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to people who rise and sleep under the very blanket of service I provide and then question the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said “thank you” and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a flight bag. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you’re entitled to!”

Chief Pilot: “Did you expense the lap dancers?”

Captain: “I did the job I was hired to do.”

Chief Pilot: “Did you expense the lap dancers?!”

Captain: “You’re goddamn right I did !!!!

Retired Pilot Saved In a Horse-Back Riding Mishap

Geek Pilot — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 21:14:32 +0000

A retired mainline pilot narrowly escaped serious injury recently when he attempted to horse-back ride with no prior experience.

The retired pilot mounted the horse, unassisted, and the horse immediately began moving. As it galloped along at a steady and rhythmic pace, the pilot began slipping sideways from the saddle.

Although attempting to grab the horse’s mane the pilot could not get a firm grip. He then threw his arms around the horse’s neck but continued to slide down the side of the horse. The horse continuted to gallop along, seemingly oblivious to its slipping rider. Finally, losing his grip, the pilot attempted to leap away from the horse and throw himself to safety. Unfortunately his foot became entangled in the stirrup and he was at the mercy of the horse’s pounding hooves as his head and upper body repeatedly struck the ground.

Moments away from unconsciousness and probable death, to the retired pilot’s great fortune a Regional Airline First Officer, working as at Wal-Mart to supplement his meager salary, observed the situation and quickly unplugged the horse.

Wow…this is just wrong

Geek Pilot — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:11:00 +0000

Saw this on Comedy Central. Poor passenger is already sick….and then it gets worse.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNK9DiP1oV8

About time! Carry on thugs beware!

Geek Pilot — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:52:38 +0000

http://www.ajc.com/search/content//business/stories/2009/06/24/carry_on_luggage_legislation.html

I can pack 5 days of clothes in a standard carry on bag. This includes when I travel for work and for vacation. If I can do it so can 95% of travelers. The exception? Those with kids. They should just check bags anyway!

Bill would limit airline carry-on bags

Carry-on bags would have to be 22 inches by 18 inches by 10 inches

By KELLY YAMANOUCHI

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Airline fees for checked bags are yielding an unintended consequence that’s adding to the hassle of travel: Some travelers are lugging bigger bags onto planes, crowding overhead bins and slowing the boarding process.

“You’ve got people lugging huge bags aboard taking up more than their fair share of space, and whoever gets on last as a result is forced to check a bag,” said Nathaniel Zimmer, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, D.-Ill. And when bags fall out of overhead bins, “the bigger the bag, the higher the likelihood of some sort of injury.”

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Elissa Eubanks/eeubanks@ajc.com

Darren Cox, 42, from Columbus, OH, tries to change his flight from a kiosk at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Wednesday.

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Lipinski has introduced a bill in Congress to set a standard limit on the size of carry-ons and put the Transportation Security Administration in charge of policing it. The Association of Flight Attendants supports the measure to lessen hassle and safety risks during boarding, but airlines oppose additional regulation that would force them to adopt a federal standard.

The bill would limit carry-on bags to 22 inches by 18 inches by 10 inches. It also dictates that the TSA use templates on its screening conveyor belts to enforce the limit, as airlines once did before the TSA took over security in 2002 and had the templates removed. Passengers whose bags exceed the size limit would need to check them.

The TSA said its policy is to not comment on pending legislation.

The government after 9/11 put a limit on the number of carryons — one bag, plus one “personal item” — and airlines continue to use that rule. But size rules vary by carrier.

The proposed federal limit is slightly larger than the size allowed by Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines and other major carriers, but smaller than the size allowed by AirTran Airways, which has its largest hub in Atlanta, and JetBlue Airways.

The bill includes the standard limit of one carry-on bag and one personal item, and would also allow airlines to set smaller size limits. Exempt from the limits would be child safety seats, musical instruments, coats and hats, and items for disabled passengers like wheelchairs, canes and crutches.

The Association of Flight Attendants has pushed for carry-on baggage limits for years, and Lipinski’s father Bill also introduced legislation to limit carry-on bags as a Congressman.

Federal carry-on size limits would “reduce a lot of the frustrations that go on inside the cabin as well as increase safety and security,” said Association of Flight Attendants spokeswoman Corey Caldwell.

“Flight attendants suffer a great deal of injuries from carry-ons, whether they’re too heavy, too big, the passenger can’t physically manipulate it into the overhead bin themselves,” Caldwell said.

The Air Transport Association, which represents Delta and other major carriers, and the Air Carrier Association of America representing carriers including AirTran, oppose the legislation.

“Every airline has different size baggage compartments, so you can’t really set a Congressionally-mandated standard on the size of bags,” said Edward Faberman, who heads the Air Carrier Association of America. He said the bill would also “tell TSA that TSA should focus less on possible threats and look at sizes of bags.”

As it stands now, airline employees can enforce the limits for bags too big to fit, but exercise some discretion, he said. “If I’m the gate agent and I know the plane is only 50 percent full, I may let you on with one extra bag or so,” Faberman said.

Faberman said he believes the bill, which as of Wednesday had no co-sponsors, will not advance very far.

Phil Bush of Atlanta feels business travelers like him, who often carry on only and do not check any bags to save time, are being targeted by the proposal. He disagreed with a carry-on policy that returns to a template system, which he called “a pain.”

“We don’t need the hassle,” Bush said.

Lipinski, a member of the House transportation subcommittee on aviation, is also working on a proposal to limit checked baggage fees charged by airlines, Zimmer said.

Being a pilot has made me much more health conscious

Geek Pilot — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:52:56 +0000

Before I started flying I was really unhealthy. No exercise, horrible diet and way overweight. My first medical scared the crap out of me. I had rushed to the AME after a stressful day at work where I regularly drank 5 cups of coffee minimum. By the end of the exam my chest had been shaved and I was doubting I would ever fly.

Since then I exercise more often. I normally exercise 30 minutes a day 3 to 4 times a week. Sometimes I skip a week. Don’t know why. Always feel better when I exercise.

Prior to flying, whenever I was sick I would go to the doctor and open wide. I didn’t care what they put in me or gave me a script for. Not anymore. I am much more cautious.

With this sinus issue I have been having I have had to walk a very fine line. There are tons of great drugs that are not approved by the FAA for pilots to take. My current doctor is not an AME. Before I visit, I research whatever illness I have and possible drugs. I then compare it to a list of approved FAA drugs. I then take the list with me. I advised the doctor that I am a pilot and that I can’t have just anything. Last week I went to the Doctor right before having to be back on duty. He wanted to give me steroid shot to help with the sinus issue. Problem is the steroid he wanted to use requires me to not fly for 24 hours after injection. Thus I left with just an antibiotic and a decongestant. I was fine for the two day trip I was assigned.

Monday I felt a little more congested. I gave the antibiotic till Tuesday afternoon and threw in the towel, another call to the Doctor. I went back and got the steroid. I didn’t mention me being a pilot again, but apparently should have. On the way out I was given a prescription for Astepro nasal spray. When I got home I took one look at the back of a coupon for the nasal spray and realized I can’t take it. Why? Well “Do not operate a car or heavy machinery”. Hmm yeah. No big deal as I know I can use Afrin nasal spray if I need it.

Feeling better today. I am back on reserve tomorrow. From my crystal ball (me pouring through uncovered flights/shifts) I feel I will be up early in the morning for airport standby. I am going to try to bid for a trip in another base though.

Hmmm maybe it’s time to switch headsets

Geek Pilot — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:47:27 +0000

When I started flying I bought a set of David Clark H10 13.4′s. They were great. But I have a big head. After 2 hours in a hot 172 my head was ready to explode. I did a lot of research ( I research EVERYTHING I buy). I ended up buying a wonderful Telex Stratus 30XT. I loved that headset. I wanted to keep it…but it’s not TSO approved. Booooo.

I did MORE research. I ended up buying a Telex 500 ANR. The headset is very good. I love it.

Before I bought it I did take a look at a product from UFlyMike. They make an adapter for use with the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 headphones. My awesome wife bought me a set of Bose QC2′s a few years ago. I truly love them. At the time I was looking for a head set the UFlyMike setup was NOT TSO approved. I didn’t want to risk using a non-TSO approved headset at my airline.

Recently I flew with a Captain that had the UFlyMike setup. I asked if it was finally TSO approved and he indeed said it was. Nice. I just visited the website and am very interested again in the product. I think this might be something I will save up for/beg my wife for as it would be nice to have a smaller headset to carry around.

Continental Captain Dies Mid-Flight

Geek Pilot — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:23:09 +0000

Another mistake by the media. First a pilot has died while enroute to Newark. Very sad indeed. The story below has a photo mistake….can you spot it?

http://wcbstv.com/breakingnewsalerts/continental.pilot.dies.2.1049850.html

HORROR: Continental Captain Dies Mid-Flight

Plane Departed From Brussels, Destined For Newark; Reserve Crew On Flight To Manage Emergency Landing

NEWARK, N.J. (CBS) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: Continental Airlines airplane (File)CAL

Close

A Continental Airlines flight from Brussels will be making an emergency landing at Newark Liberty International Airport after the plane’s captain died mid-flight Thursday morning, CBS 2 has learned.

Federal Aviation Administration officials say Continental Flight 61 will land at Newark at noon. Newark was the flight’s final destination. It left Brussels at 9:45 a.m.

It’s not known what caused the pilot to become ill or how he died.

Officials say there are two first officers on the flight and a reserve crew as well. One of the first officers is piloting the plane.

____

Yeah it’s an ERJ from Expressjet. The flight in question is actually a 777. There is another First Officer on board who is now sitting in the Captain seat.

Ok…back to sitting airport standby.
Stay with wcbstv.com for more on this developing story.