The Ebersole Disaster

What a terrible tragedy! It's easy to be an armchair quarterback, but it appears that the Captain of the Challenger jet did not take the time to de-ice/anti-ice. It was snowing at the time of, or had been snowing immediately before, their departure, which is in itself problematic. You can take-off in a snowstorm safely but it must be done by the numbers. Airliners do it daily...very carefully. The problem is that if a Captain has not personally experienced the unbelievable lift destroying properties of a contaminated upper wing surface, he or she has no real fear of it. It becomes an annual lecture about the hazards of winter flying during recurrent ground school training. De-icing/anti-icing becomes something the company forces you to do by regulation.

The ugly truth is that a very small area of contamination on the upper wing surface will doom the take-off. I have experienced it up close and personal a few times when I was flying a corporate jet and also during my freight flying days, or rather, nights. The aircraft will not climb...period. It will lift off the runway but it absolutely will not climb. There are only two things that will happen in this situation.

1. The flying pilot will try to force a climb which will lead to a stall and crash.
2. If luck is with you, and the terrain is lower than you are, the crew can wait until enough of the contamination sublimates/blows off the wing surface to allow a slow climb to safety.

As you can see, the second choice is much preferred. It is a helpless feeling when a little bit of snow and/or ice negates the awesome power of turbine engines and lift coefficients. I will be watching this investigation closely, mainly because of the "But by the grace of God there go I" factor.

"No, but they can look at me."

In 1934, when my father was a first grader, their teacher had taken them to a local airport for a field trip. The famous aviatrix of the day, Amelia Earhart, was in the coffee shop. She had landed to refuel. The teacher approached Earhart and asked if she would speak to her students. Earhart said, "No, but they can look at me." So, very quietly, the little troopers walked past Earhart as she ate her apple pie and drank coffee. To this day, Dad remembers it well. I wonder what the reaction would be today if a similar event happened. The teacher would probably accuse Earhart of being insensitive to the children's self esteem.

Groundspeed

I woke up in San Diego this morning at 7:00 A.M. I peeked out the window and saw a beautiful sunrise illuminating the office buildings in the downtown area with orange light. Our day started at 8:30 A.M. with a flight to Phoenix with 150 passengers. My dispatcher warned me about turbulence along my route at 25,000 feet, so I decided to fly at 21,000 feet with the hope of sneaking under the grumpy air. I told the flight attendants there would be no service due to the danger of being thrown around the cabin. They were happy since that meant no slinging drinks. I also warned the passengers about a rough ride. Of course, you know what happened. Smooth air all the way to Phoenix! The passengers probably thought we didn't want to work. Oh well...

We had a lunch break at the Phoenix airport, then loaded up 150 passengers for Las Vegas. From Las Vegas we flew to Boston with 147 passengers. Those were the first empty seats I have had in a few days. The Thanksgiving rush is winding down. The ride was rough enroute to Boston until we crossed a low pressure area located over the western U.S. On the east side we found smooth air at 37,000 feet and also a jet stream tube of 170 mph winds on our tail. We had an average groundspeed of 670 mph with a high of 703 mph. The ride in the jetstream was glassy smooth. Major cool stuff!

My young and new copilot was the flying pilot to Boston. He had a bit of trouble with the approach into Boston, which is understandable because of his lack of Boston operating experience. The air traffic controllers typically keep the inbound traffic high and then slam dunk you into the final approach airspace. This requires the flying pilot to be very aggressive with the airplane to lose the altitude. New copilots are generally timid with the aircraft because they are on probation and do not want to anger the Captain. It is understandable. I helped him a bit on his path control and he eventually caught up to the aircraft and made a good landing. After a short ride to the hotel, our day is over at 11:45 P.M. This chain of hotels is known for their wonderful beds. The mattresses are pillowtops. The only thing that could make it better would be the wife of my youth under the covers.

Wind

We winged it back to Arizona for an on time arrival at 1:30 PM. I was able to sleep in my bed last night! Today back in the flight deck...four day trip. My wife and I had fun in Toronto and hope we can do it again when it is not so cold and windy. Desert living makes one soft concerning cold weather. Today, we left Phoenix for the Bay area, then a 180 degree turn to Las Vegas. The wind was howling out of the northwest for our landing in Las Vegas. I had previously briefed the flight attendants about the possible crosswind landing. I instructed them to clean the cabin early for our Las Vegas landing, then told the 150 passengers that the landing would be very turbulent. The co-pilot, a new guy, was at the controls. Now what? If I let him try the landing, it could get even uglier. If I take over the controls, it will knock his self esteem hard and he might be worthless for the remainder of the trip. I've seen it happen before. I'll let him try it; worst case scenario- I grab the controls and get out of Dodge. On final approach I could see multiple wind socks on the airfield standing straight out indicating a 40 degree crosswind. I suggested that we land with a reduced flap setting (this makes a balked landing recovery easier). The airplane rocked and rolled all the way down to the runway. He pulled a soft landing out of the bag for the finale. These young co-pilots can make up for lack of experience, to some extent, with quick reflexes. Very nice! My buddy, landing in the airplane behind us, had to go around because of low level windshear. Naturally, I told him we made a successful landing because of superior airmanship. Tee, hee...

After a quick aircraft swap, onward and upward to Reno, Nevada. Yesterday morning (Saturday) a snowstorm caused the instrument landing system to fail at the Reno airport effectively shutting down the whole operation. Seventy (70) flights were cancelled into and out of Reno. Yikes! Stranded Thanksgiving passengers everywhere. The runway had been plowed and de-icing chemicals applied prior to our arrival with 150 passengers. Because the wind was from the north, we were forced to do a localizer back course instrument approach to the airport. This makes flight crews cringe. The terrain on all sides of the Reno airport is dangerously high, so the flying pilot must stay on the course and the required altitude loss is done at predetermined fixes on the course line. I studied the approach all the way from Las Vegas. The approach went well and we broke out of the clouds to see the plowed runway ahead. I set her down firmly and began the stopping program. I could feel the anti-skid feature working hard as I applied heavy braking and maximum reverse thrust. At the end of the runway, I gingerly turned left and began our taxi to the gate. The Reno snow crews had done a great job! Kudos! Brakes set at the gate and engines off...Relax.

Toronto skyline on a cold winter day.

A blue glass icon set in a window of the "Blue Dot Art Gallery" - Toronto, Ontario

Thanksgiving in Canada?

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in blogger land! This morning, after flying all night, we landed in Toronto, a beautiful Canadian city on Lake Ontario. The temperature was 30 degrees Fahrenheit with a 30 mph northerly wind. Sky conditions were not too bad - 1,000 feet overcast and light snow. During the descent we picked up a load of clear ice between 18,000 feet to 7,000 feet. I had the engine and wing anti-icing systems operating, but I was worried about the tail which is not protected. We have a little ice measuring stick that protudes into the slipstream which is easily seen from the flight deck. I decided to add some speed to our computed final approach speed just in case the tail decided to get nervous during landing. The runways were slick, but not impossibly so. However, the taxiways were very slippery. It feels so good to set the brakes at the gate and shut down the engines after a tough night of flying.

I was able to bring my lovely wife on this trip to keep me company during the holiday away from home. After a short nap, we rented a car and drove into the heart of Toronto, no easy feat in itself. The Canadians, of course, do not celebrate Thanksgiving, so the traffic was horrendous. Even so, it was worth it. We drove to The Gooderham & Worts Distillery Center, a really chic art gallery and coffee shop district. Just a perfect day!

Winter Ops in Phoenix

Believe it or not, we had to do an instrument approach into Phoenix this morning. A low pressure area has been hanging around Phoenix for two days dumping much needed rain on our drought stricken area. An instrument approach is a very rare event at the Phoenix airport. We got out of bed this morning at 2:00 AM to start our day. Then, after 5 hours and 30 minutes against the wind from New York, we arrived at the Skyharbor Airport eleven minutes late. I get to spend the night with my lovely wife, then back in the cockpit tomorrow.

Instrument Flight Rules

Well, the winter hiatus is done. All my vacation is gone and the company wants their pound of flesh. So, I am back on the line in a big way. For the next twelve days I will be flying here, there, and everywhere. I just arrived in my hotel room in downtown Manhattan after seven hours of flight time. We left the desert for LAX, then across the country to JFK for an early morning arrival. The weather at JFK was typical for this time of year; low visibility with low clouds and light rain. My young copilot was the flying pilot and he did a fine job. We did an ILS (instrument landing system) approach to runway 4 Right. The minimum descent altitude is 213 feet on the glideslope and that is exactly where we acquired the approach lights at the end of the runway. The main gear touched down firmly on the wet runway ten minutes ahead of schedule, then we were able to taxi to our gate before the morning rush started. I shutdown the engines and breathed a sigh of relief...it's been a long night.

Fireplace

A few days ago, my Domestic Goddess decided the fireplace along with the mantel needed to be painted. Little did I suspect I would be the painter. After protesting and whining did little to get me out of the chore, I agreed to do it. I went to a local Frazee Paint shop and told the guys about my assignment. They sold me the correct paint, brushes, masking tape, caulking, drop cloth, mixing sticks, rollers and pan, and gave me a few hints that would make the job easier.

Two days later, the job is done and looks great. My wife signed it off as completed.

Thank you Frazee Paint Shop guys.

Saturday Stuff

Today I drove the wife of my youth to Prescott, a lovely community about one and one-half hours north of Phoenix. She likes to antique shop and there is no better place than Prescott. I drove my pick-up truck in anticipation of hauling her purchases home, but it rained most of the day, so we had to stuff everything behind the seats in the extended cab area. She bought a small Bentwood chair, two lamps, and various other small items that people of yesteryear discarded not knowing their true value in 2004 A.D.

Big Night

Last night and early this morning were particularly gratifying for me as an aviator. We had a full schedule of flying with three legs; the first being a transcon from the east coast to the west coast, then the west coast to Lost Wages, and finally Lost Wages to Southern Cal arriving at 1:00 AM on schedule. Leaving the east coast was problematic because of computer problems on the aircraft. It was very frustrating as we worked the problem intelligently and systematically with maintenance control, but it kept coming back to haunt us. It was a drinking water quantity indication failure, of all things. Finally, one hour late, we lifted off the runway into the darkness heading west. This is where it got interesting...I've got to say the company did a stellar job.

Because of headwinds there was no way we could make up anytime, so the leg from the west coast to Las Vegas was going to be one hour late, no matter what I did. This would cause a bunch of misconnects out of Las Vegas back to the east coast, west coast, Florida, Canada, Mexico, and the northwestern U.S. Someone in management was using their little grey cells. There were no passengers on our flight from the east coast that were connecting to Las Vegas. Because we have multiple flights going to Las Vegas from this west coast airport, they decided to put all of the passengers that were waiting for my airplane onto another airplane, then change their flight number to our outbound flight number and off they went. When we arrived one hour late, we unloaded, put on a smidgen of fuel and flew empty to Las Vegas to pick up our third and final leg to Southern Cal. Our flight attendants loved it because they could rest for a leg. We loved it because we didn't have to follow all the passenger carrying regulations, so we could relax a bit, too. We arrived at the gate in Las Vegas 37 minutes before scheduled departure to Southern Cal. Of course, we had a bag drag (plane change). We got our new bird ready and loaded in 30 minutes and were able to push three minutes ahead of schedule. We arrived on time in Southern Cal. Beautiful!! To borrow an old cliche from the A-Team; I love it when a plan comes together.

Liquid Gold being pumped into our aircraft.

Running with the Wind

I did manage, under protest, to leave my beautiful wife this morning before the first hint of dawn on the eastern horizon. Of course, it was raining...but early Sunday morning traffic was not a factor. I checked in one hour early for my flight and met my co-pilot, a young Etheopian male. He has been on the line for a year and as it turned out, is an excellent aviator with really good energy management skills. We flew to the west coast, then, after a 37 minute turn around, back to Phoenix. After quickly unloading the passengers, cleaning, and resupplying, we filled every seat for the east coast. We closed the doors five minutes early and departed for KIAD (Dulles).

One Hour Later...

We are over the land of my youth, northern New Mexico. I can see the house where I was reared: my father still lives there. It's a tiny white rectangle down there, barely perceptible. Only last week I was a pimply faced kid looking up at the impossibly high contrails overhead in the deep blue New Mexico skies fantasizing about what it must be like to fly so high and fast. I can also see the little airport where I started trading labor for flying lessons as a teenager. I learned to fly in little tin and fabric kites that weigh less than a few minutes of fuel burn for the V2500 engines on my wings. My old flight instructor, long deceased, would be amazed at the power and complexity of the airliner overhead piloted by one of his students of yesteryear. Such cool introspection, but it does not last long at nine miles per minute. Already, the Great Plains are stretching before us as far as the eye can see.

Into the Night

The night sky has rolled over us from the east. It is an amazing thing to see from the flight-

deck. At first, only a sliver of black appears on the horizon; it is the earth's shadow appearing. Then it becomes a black dome increasing in size as the aircraft races eastward. The shadow moves over the aircraft and closes the day behind you. Finally, you transition from the leading edge of the shadow to the realm of the stars. Instrument and flightdeck lighting is adjusted and sunglasses are put away.

Aurora Borealis

A planetary size donut of green light is hanging over the northern hemisphere. It is the northern lights at their best. As we run with the wind toward the east, the heavenly lights become brighter with long rays shooting toward the stars. The lights are bright enough to warrant a special PA announcement to the passengers. Absolutely gorgeous! Obviously, there has been heightened solar activity recently to generate these beautiful lights.

The Realm of Man

Back to reality, the main gear smoothly mated with the concrete on schedule at KIAD. I am tired for it has been a long day.

Especially for a pilot that has been fat catting it at home.

Packing My Bags

My little winter break is interrupted tomorrow by a three day trip with an early morning
report time. I fly to the west coast, then to the east coast for the overnight. I will pack my bags tonight to prevent forgetting something in the morning at 4:00 AM. I do not like getting out of bed in the morning because of wife-of-youth problem. She still looks good, feels good, smells good. It's hard to leave...but I have become used to living indoors and eating hot food, as has she, so I will get out of bed in the morning and go to work!

Three uniform shirts, check. Three pairs of uniform socks, check. Three t-shirts, check. Etcetera...

Nationquake

Another political post...
Wow! What an election yesterday! The earliest election I can remember is 1960 when JFK won the presidency. So, that is twelve presidential elections with which to compare this latest one. I can easily say that this was the most contentious, aggressive, and vicious that I have ever seen. I think it is a miracle that the Republicans won, since the Democrats pulled out all the stops and then some, and then some more. Amazing! A nationquake that was felt around the world.

A couple of thoughts on this:
+ The Bin Laden tape, last Friday night, was a huge tactical error on the part of the Kerry media support machine. That tape should have never been shown to the public. Perfect example of blowback.

+The Bush AWOL story that CBS got tangled up in was a disaster. The Viacom executives should have fired a bunch of folks then made a huge public apology trying to generate public sympathy. Bringing Uncle Walter out of retirement to handle this would have been a good idea. You know, the same Walter that broke down in tears of emotion when the unearthly, ground shaking thunder rolled over his outdoor desk from the mighty Saturn 5 rising on a pillar of flame behind him. I will never forget that as long as I live. It causes a lump in my throat thinking about it.

+The goose hunt in Ohio was unbelievably stupid. Easy pickings for the Republicans. Heck, he is possibly the most anti-gun Senator in America. You have got to be kidding! Whose idea was that? I am not a Democrat but I appreciate the party of FDR, Truman and JFK to name a few. It is embarrasing...

If this is obvious to a journalistic layperson, why can't the pros see it?

Little Goblins

I was home for Halloween and it was great! The wife of my youth and I went to a neighbor's for a driveway potluck dinner. We combined our candy into one big pot, then sat back to watch the parade of goblins and ghosts. Quite a show!

I am home on a mini-vacation until Saturday morning. Then, at 7:15 AM, back to the cloud mines.