Saturday, April 30, 2005
Ten Empty Seats
We awoke to moderate rain showers and IFR weather conditions this morning in DCA. Thankfully, the outside air temperature was well above freezing. However, a wet runway presents a performance problem which is compounded when the runway is short, as in DCA. I worked with my dispatcher to tweak the take-off weight to the last ounce, but we still had to ask for volunteers to get off the airplane. Ten empty seats were needed to make the reduced take-off weight. The airline offered $300 vouchers which did the trick.
Our V2500-A5 engines blasted us off the wet runway and into the low rain clouds. The co-pilot banked left to intercept the 328 degree course away from DCA and the maze of prohibited airspace. At 1,500 feet above the ground, I reduced the thrust to climb power and watched the engine temperatures decline. Flaps up at 220 m.p.h., climb at 235 m.p.h. until 3,000 feet above the ground, then 280 m.p.h. climb speed until 10,000 feet above sea level. Above ten thousand feet the co-pilot lowered the nose and let her go fast. Five hours and one minute later we touched down in Las Vegas to change aircraft for our leg to Seattle.
When the fueler, while fueling our new aircraft, tried to close the small door covering the single point refueling station, the latch broke. I called maintenance control which sent three technicians to our gate with tools at the ready. Our flight to Seattle was a linchpin flight which must depart on time to keep the master schedule intact. The maintenance techs quickly fixed the latch and we were on our way to Seattle nine minutes late. Two hours and ten minutes later we touched down in Seattle. The weather is beautiful in Seattle and all the little earth muffins are out playing their guitars and selling beads. I walked to an Italian coffee shop, then down to the Farmer's Market.
All is well...
Our V2500-A5 engines blasted us off the wet runway and into the low rain clouds. The co-pilot banked left to intercept the 328 degree course away from DCA and the maze of prohibited airspace. At 1,500 feet above the ground, I reduced the thrust to climb power and watched the engine temperatures decline. Flaps up at 220 m.p.h., climb at 235 m.p.h. until 3,000 feet above the ground, then 280 m.p.h. climb speed until 10,000 feet above sea level. Above ten thousand feet the co-pilot lowered the nose and let her go fast. Five hours and one minute later we touched down in Las Vegas to change aircraft for our leg to Seattle.
When the fueler, while fueling our new aircraft, tried to close the small door covering the single point refueling station, the latch broke. I called maintenance control which sent three technicians to our gate with tools at the ready. Our flight to Seattle was a linchpin flight which must depart on time to keep the master schedule intact. The maintenance techs quickly fixed the latch and we were on our way to Seattle nine minutes late. Two hours and ten minutes later we touched down in Seattle. The weather is beautiful in Seattle and all the little earth muffins are out playing their guitars and selling beads. I walked to an Italian coffee shop, then down to the Farmer's Market.
All is well...
