Position: Over VER (Veracruz, Mexico)
Altitude: 37,000 feet
Groundspeed: 602 mph (523 kts)
Equipment: A319
Pax-on-Board: 123 + 2 jumpers
Destination: MMUN (Cancun)
Airborne...
One of the motley crew of discontents I hang around with, i.e., aviators the Chief Pilot's office is looking for, but does not know it yet, asked if I would trade my standard-issue three day red-eye trip for his primo four day Latin American trip. Pressing family matters... Teenage daughter.
Would I trade for his Latin American trip?
Is the Pope Catholic?
Over VER... 37,000 feet
The co-pilot is the same age as I, making our combined age, uh... Shockingly old; into three digits old. The lead flight attendant commented, gently, that she had never seen so much gray hair on a flight deck before. The co-pilot is a retread; that is aircrew lingo for somebody that has been at multiple failed airlines. Thankfully, this retread is not bitter about his position on the seniority list. Otherwise, it would be a long, long trip.
Our A319 is full of spring-breakers plus two off-duty flight attendants riding jump. My cabin crew, three senior Sky Babes whom I have flown with for decades, told me their liquor sales were soaring, and that they had already cut off a few revelers, mostly young males. Those boys had better be careful; these flight attendants are the real deal.
Outside... Daylight conditions. That is a little bit scary for a professional night pilot; Revos are in the ON position. A quartering tailwind of about 135 mph is giving us a free push of about 80 mph. Not too bad for this latitude.
The flight attendants asked if it would be possible to arrive at the beaches of Cancun sooner than flight plan time, i.e., fly faster, so that they can catch some extra rays. I explained that I could probably shave off fifteen minutes, but that the sun would be low on the horizon no matter the airspeed. They had not considered sun angle in their tanning calculations and were clearly disappointed. Anyway, we might need the fuel over Cancun for unexpected landing delays. We will stay on flight plan fuel burn.
Maybe an evening stroll on the beach?
The top-of-descent into Paradise is about eighty minutes away.
Life on the Line continues...
20 comments:
It looks so strange there without the yoke. At least the pilots are still there! Good thread.
Another *awesome* post, Captain Dave! You made me giggle more than once and this, sorely needed, given the most recent hours in my life is very much appreciated.
I've cut way back on the amount of time I spend on the web these days, but your blog is a keeper; my #1 go-to every day. Thanks for the ongoing education and entertainment!
No offense, but did anyone else think of Waldorf and Stadler?
;-)
Such a tough job sometimes! Glad someone gets to enjoy good times. Teaching doesn't have much in the way of opportunities for sunshine and warm beaches. Darn it.
Dave, great post as always. Why do the airlines fly over Veracruz and then to Cancun instead of right over the Gulf?
Hi Capt. Dave,
A fan from Kenya, Africa. Your posts keep my dreams flying.
eric vander- some of our 319 and 320 aircraft are not overwater approved, i.e., no life rafts. We have to stay within 50 miles of the coast in those a/c
oliver lemke- probably, but they would not dare say it.
Great post Captain! Been reading through these for the last few months. I'm planning a trip to PVR, do you ever fly there?
Dave - what does the button to the left of the autoland warning light do? Can't find any reference to it in the FCOM and can't recall seeing it when I did my type conversion.
Cheers,
Dave.
" . . these flight attendants are the real deal."
Love the light-heartedness here, but this line made me wonder just what tactics are used when revelers remain rowdy.
Maybe these women have just perfected the evil eye?
I had to Google Waldorf and Stadler. I'm too old for the muppets.
@Cathy:
I'm guessing some VISINE in their drinks still sends them RUNNING for the restrooms!
There are plenty of other tricks used on unruly passengers.
Hey Dave, Thanks for another post! Really appreciate the more frequent updates lately. I notice in your picture that the steam gauges are much easier to read than the screens with the glare from the sun coming in over your shoulder. Do you ever end up flying blind, due to the glare on the screens?
Tim G in MN
Wow - I almost need my sunglasses for this post! The sun streaming in is nice, but I really enjoy the soft glow of the panel lights. Does the "energy" from the passengers seep into the flightdeck?
Dean- yeah, it would be hard to go back to using a yoke again.
Maura- thanks very much
Alex- yep, all the time
Tim G in MN- mostly the camera. You can see them pretty well in daylight. The A321 have LCD screens; much better.
DeAnn- can't say that any pax energy seeps into the cockpit. We can hear screaming babies in first class. Does that count?
Cool. We are flying Seattle to Phoenix, then Phoenix Puerto Vallarta. Would be awesome if you happened to be flyinf us. Hmmm, not sure which airline you fly though.
I'm going with the "Evil Eye" enforcement option for FA's.
@Tim 12of13
Don't drink visine. It's poisonous, and not very funny:
http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/visine.asp
Great blog, Captain Dave! Comments get me too,"What does this button do?" in a commercial jet. They forgot that one in Airplane. Keep up the good work.
Well, it's nice to be back in the FL390 community again after two and a half weeks waiting for reconnection after moving house! Withdrawal symptoms were agonizing, with only a borrowed peek and quick check of email from library and work.
But the good part is, I have a feast to enjoy now, and as one follower put it: entree, main course and dessert. Hmm, delectable...
Good afternoon Captain Dave,
Good choice of eye wear you have there.
I have a couple of questions related to approaches to 07L/R at LAS and how they could be applied to the world of MS Flt Sim. May ask the question(s) here, or would it be okay to e-mail you directly through your profile?
Also, did you and your crew get that evening walk along the beach?
Thanks for another great post...
Kind regards,
IanH
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