Position: On the ramp; KSFO (San Francisco)The SFO maintenance chief is scratching his head. The number one brake did not activate when I applied pedal pressure on the runway at 92 mph (80 kts). I could tell immediately that we were not getting symmetrical braking. Also, the number one brake temperature is cold, while the other three are hot. Interesting... Foot pressure on top of the rudder pedals sends a signal via braking computers to the hydraulics activating the brake pads. Somewhere in the labyrinth of Fi-Fi's Star Trek bay, the signal for number one brake disappeared into the ozone.
The maintenance chief and the lead mechanic have removed the anti-skid core from the center of the wheel and are using a volt meter on the wiring harness. The chief looks like he might be a bit testy at the moment, so I should probably leave him alone. Anyway, we are supposed to blast off in 50 minutes.
My co-pilot is a young women back from family leave... New baby boy. She is glad to be back in the flight deck, but misses her baby. The father is leaving messages on her I-Phone every time we land asking how to do this or that and where can I find this or that? It is kind of funny listening to her side of the conversation. I have been doing the post flights and running to Starbucks so she can talk the new daddy through the latest crisis. He has two more days of being a single parent.
The maintenance guys are pointing at something and waving me over. It is a broken wire on a wheel skid sensor. Yep, that would do it. They tell me five minutes to fix the wire, ten minutes to put the core back in the wheel, and a few minutes to secure the wheel cover. We might actually leave on time.
In the jetway, I tell the gate agent to "load 'em up." She is visibly relieved. Back in the flight deck, the co-pilot is still on her I-Phone, "Oh, you big baby. Well, can you call your mother over?" Poor guy...
Life on the Line continues...
10 comments:
Now I've got this vision in my head of Mr. Scott digging around the bowels of Fi-Fi..
"Oh, my bairns! My poor, poor bairns..."
And, upon closer inspection of the photo..
Is Fi-Fi all dolled up in the new livery there, Dave?
Presumably by means of skillful pilot shit you were able to keep Fi-Fi on the runway.
Doesn't Fi-fi veer off to one side in that situation? I remember that the reverse thrust isn't enough to stop you, so what happens?
Lucky you weren't at Midway or the like.
Skillful pilot!
Hello Dave,
What's the largest/heaviest aircraft you have flown? Have you tried the new A380 in a simulator or such?
I was boarding a united plane from lga to ord this week. As I passed the cockpit, I can see the pilot peeling off the email feed and reading it. There was a third person in there with the two pilots, and he was explaining how some manual was re-written and how it was some idiot's full time job to word things a certain way. The pilot then says, "well, Jim this manual was written by some desk jockey who wants to sit nice and safe behind a desk and be home every night instead of having the balls to put on the gold bars and come out here to make a living!" Needless to say this guy in the left seat was a more than a little disgruntled with the state of affairs at United. The rest of his commentary to the pax was equally sarcastic, always with a hint of disdain for everything up to and including "well folks, buckle up and get ready for the LANDING!!!" I thought, normally I want a grumpy old codger who can put the 757 down on a park bench, but with this guy I was starting to think it was time for him to be put out to pasture. His attitude scared me more than reassured me that he was in control. Dave, thanks for the insight, otherwise I wouldn't have the same perspective on these things.
Dave,
I'm not sure what your normal procedures are for Captain doing the post flight...but what a great guy for doing that and making the Starbucks run so the FO can man the baby hotline!
Great post, as always.
Love your blog, but can't stand men who become fathers and have no clue.
I admit that I have a warped sense of humor but a guy probing with volt meter getting testy tickled me?
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