Monday, February 25, 2008
The Black Hole
Position: The Black HoleGroundspeed: 563 mph (490 kts)
Altitude: 37,000 feet
Passengers: 65 + 2 dead heading pilots + 1 wife of my youth
This place gives me the shivers. We are half way between PANC (Anchorage) and CYVR (Vancouver). By nature, I am mildly paranoid... It comes with the territory of seeing small children boarding with their parents. They are not cool yet and still look into the cockpit as they enter the forward cabin door. Once in awhile, between checklists, I see one of their innocent faces looking at me...
Below us, the cold waters of the Pacific. Outside; 150 mph westerlies, -60 C., and almost no oxygen. I cannot help but to think about the DC-4 that went down at Sandspit in 1952. They lost number one engine. A bunch of folks survived the ditching, but froze to death in the icy waters. Oh, Lord, I pray that you bless our V-2500 engines...
The moon is ten degrees above the eastern horizon and giving just enough heavenly light to illuminate the undercast. A heavy 747 freight wagon just passed 1,000 feet over us in the opposite direction. As usual, one of that companies pilots is hitchhiking on our aircraft. I briefly wonder if any of our pilots, who live in Alaska, are hitchhiking on that freighter. Probably so...
The lead flight attendant reports that the beautiful wife of my youth is sound asleep wrapped in airline blankets. She has been able to fly with me on the last two trips to PANC. The famous Iditarod sled race is about to begin. The loads have been heavy going to PANC, but light coming back, and for a non-revenue passenger, the coming back leg is the most important. Basically, you have to be in the industry to appreciate this concept. Think of a lobster trap...
Number one engine is young; number two engine is old and burning more fuel. We will have to open the cross-feed valve and balance the inner fuel cells over Seattle. Somewhere between here and there, we will pick at our crew meals. Thankfully, my wife put a few ketchup packets in my flight bag to, uh, enhance the taste.
Life on the Line continues...
Comments:
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Hi Dave: were you flying during the eclipse a few days back? Wonder what that was like from the air.
Keep up the great blogging.
-Mike
Keep up the great blogging.
-Mike
# posted by 
: 8:36 PM, February 25, 2008
: 8:36 PM, February 25, 2008
Maybe my geography is worse than I thought, but why would you be over Seattle at some point if enroute from Alaska to Vancouver?
I find this funny. For the first time last evening, I tried to fly from PANC to Vanvouver as well in my flightsim. I chose PANC since I've been reading how much you enjoy flying to that place. Anyways, I shuold be studying criminal law, and not hang around in a virtual cockpit. But as always, I really enjoy reading your stories, and I check for new ones every single day.
To Jon : Vancouver is in BC, Canada. Though, there's also a Vancouver in Southern Washington, though, that's not the airport he was headed for. (Former Seattle resident) :)
anonymous 836(mike)- yep, I was airborne during the eclispe. It was very beautiful. Seriously rust colored.
jonathan b- we fly a few miles east of Vancouver going and coming to Anchorage. We re-enter lower 48 airspace over TOU vor, which is the most northwestern point of the lower 48. Seattle and Vancouver are in the area. In reality, most of our nav points are virtual, i.e., not names that you would recognize unless you spend a lot of time at high altitudes. Your geography is OK.
jonathan b- we fly a few miles east of Vancouver going and coming to Anchorage. We re-enter lower 48 airspace over TOU vor, which is the most northwestern point of the lower 48. Seattle and Vancouver are in the area. In reality, most of our nav points are virtual, i.e., not names that you would recognize unless you spend a lot of time at high altitudes. Your geography is OK.
Dave,
Thanks for another insightful posting. You never said where you were flying to, just where you were. Hence Jonathan's geographic confusion. Presumably final destination was somewhere beyond Seattle... I assume home, with your wife aboard?
Tim G in MN
Thanks for another insightful posting. You never said where you were flying to, just where you were. Hence Jonathan's geographic confusion. Presumably final destination was somewhere beyond Seattle... I assume home, with your wife aboard?
Tim G in MN
# posted by : 9:21 AM, February 26, 2008
: 9:21 AM, February 26, 2008
What a neat feeling it must be for your wife to fly with you and to think, thats my love at the helm, commanding this bird of beauty.Do you two have favorite restaurants in PANC?
Dave, bear with me, but yet another question. What does it mean when ATC announces to all pilots that the "Addis" (sp) has changed? I hear that often.
Thanks for another beautiful piece of writing.
Dave, bear with me, but yet another question. What does it mean when ATC announces to all pilots that the "Addis" (sp) has changed? I hear that often.
Thanks for another beautiful piece of writing.
# posted by : 10:06 AM, February 26, 2008
: 10:06 AM, February 26, 2008
Suzanne:
Since I was here reading, I might as well answer your question. ATIS is what they are referring to, and it stands for automated terminal information service. It is a recorded (or nowadays sometimes computer generated) radio announcement broadcast from an airport that gives departing and arriving pilots information like winds and local weather, and the barometric pressure (for setting their altimeters). The broadcast is changed regularly, and each version is given a letter identifier, and pilots tell the tower upon contact which version they have to prove they have the current information.
Since I was here reading, I might as well answer your question. ATIS is what they are referring to, and it stands for automated terminal information service. It is a recorded (or nowadays sometimes computer generated) radio announcement broadcast from an airport that gives departing and arriving pilots information like winds and local weather, and the barometric pressure (for setting their altimeters). The broadcast is changed regularly, and each version is given a letter identifier, and pilots tell the tower upon contact which version they have to prove they have the current information.
Dave, what do the crew meals actually consist of?
BTW, when boarding I still steal a glimpse into the cockpit for a peek at the fascinating instruments and the pilots who use them! At my age, I hope I still look innocent and not rude...
BTW, when boarding I still steal a glimpse into the cockpit for a peek at the fascinating instruments and the pilots who use them! At my age, I hope I still look innocent and not rude...
Dave -- love your blog... question coming out of the recent story from Germany re: an A320 landing in a strong crosswind at Hamburg airport. The video is pretty scary (http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,538926,00.html), but what got my attention was the report of 100mph+ crosswinds; I had gathered from your blog that the maximum crosswind component on landing for an A320 was less than half that. What do you make of the decision to attempt a landing?
# posted by : 8:40 AM, March 03, 2008
: 8:40 AM, March 03, 2008
noella- crew meals that are prepared as crew meals are bad. Lowest bidder...Crew meals that are siphoned off of first class food are OK.
anonymous and paradise driver- yep, I saw that. I don't believe the wind speed that is being reported. I can land a 320/319 in a 45 mph 90 degree xwind. Anything over that would be imposssible because you run out of control authority. Also, I don't believe any captain would intentionally attempt to land in wind speeds being reported that high.
anonymous and paradise driver- yep, I saw that. I don't believe the wind speed that is being reported. I can land a 320/319 in a 45 mph 90 degree xwind. Anything over that would be imposssible because you run out of control authority. Also, I don't believe any captain would intentionally attempt to land in wind speeds being reported that high.
Dave, does it look like a gust or did the pilot just fail to apply sufficient right aileron when he pushed out of the crab?
# posted by : 9:32 PM, March 03, 2008
: 9:32 PM, March 03, 2008
The report I read said it was a 90KPH, as in "Kilometer" Per Hour, wind. That's a bit different than a 90 "knot" wind. Still... that was either great skill or shear luck. God smiled on them either way.
Tim G in MN
Tim G in MN
# posted by : 9:35 PM, March 03, 2008
: 9:35 PM, March 03, 2008
I dont know if you have told us anywhere in this blog but what Airline are you flying for ?
Frequent flyer to PANC and A320 = Frontier ?
Maybe its nothing you want to write here.... thats ok :)
Frequent flyer to PANC and A320 = Frontier ?
Maybe its nothing you want to write here.... thats ok :)
anonymous 932- it looks like he/she did everything ok, but did not have enough control authority to hold the centerline, i.e., the wind was too strong.
timmy- I don't want to get into that on this blog for various reasons, mainly the legal department.
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timmy- I don't want to get into that on this blog for various reasons, mainly the legal department.
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