Independence Day Over Pensacola

Position: Over Pensacola

Altitude: 30,000 feet

Groundspeed: 552 mph (480 kts)

Equipment: 321 stretch Fi-Fi

Pax-on-Board: 183 + 4 jumpers

July 4, 0800 hrs

Oh Lord, what a beautiful day. Ahead, dark blue morning skies and light headwinds. Below us, the home of Naval Aviation. In my opinion, one of the finest places to be over on this fourth day of July.

The Disney World airlift is underway. Yesterday, we flew 183 kids and parents to Orlando. This morning, we are taking 183 back home. As the pax were boarding, several kids asked the lead flight attendant if they could see the flight deck. As is my practice, burned into my very being by a long gone Connie Captain, I sat them in my seat, showed them how to work the electric seat controls and a few buttons to push causing Fi-Fi to squawk. The thing they really notice is the side stick controller (joystick) and most had a look of understanding in their eyes. They get it... Children of the digital age.

The Electric Jet is heavy this morning, fat with fuel, baggage, and mail. The flight management computers want to cruise at 30,000 feet, even though we have performance for 32,000 feet and are, in fact, flight planned by Mother's main frame at 32,000 feet. The outside air temperature and wind component are causing the difference. If I plug 32,000 feet into the fuel computers, they actually show an increase in burn. This is one of those little things that falls into the major cool category. Admittedly, we are talking about measuring with a micrometer and cutting with an axe, but Mother is hounding her captains about every pound of Jet-A, so I guess we will cruise at 30,000 feet for awhile.

This morning is easy money compared to yesterday afternoon.

July 3, 1730 hrs (5:30 PM)

The Orlando vicinity forecast is 100% accurate today; thunderstorms and heavy rain. Our plan is to land between storms in moderate rain. Jacksonville ATC Center is doing a marvelous job of vectoring us around the heaviest weather. Before we started down into this mess, I told the lead flight attendant to prepare the cabin for a rough ride... Strap those kids in extra tight.

The 321 fuselage is twisting, flexing and emitting little thumping noises in the turbulence. Her digital, multi-scan radar is showing a hi-def return of the weather ahead. It is, without a doubt, the finest radar I have ever seen or used in my career. It brings me to tears just thinking about the difference between this radar and the early, mono-chromatic, non-stabilized units of my youth... Excuse me while I wipe my eyes.

Two hundred miles prior to this point, I memorized the first two nav fixes to the alternate airport, KJAX. Also, the co-pilot and I reviewed the likely ILS approaches and the engine failure procedure for each of them. It is good policy to move all the big things to the front of your mind in bad weather, i.e., hope for the best but expect the worst. Then, if you have to get out of Dodge in a hurry, the transition will be much smoother.

Sixty miles to the airport... It is looking dark, wet, and rough ahead. The co-pilot is asking for small vectors left and right around the heaviest stuff. There is a 737 behind us with an ATC assigned 300 kts speed limit; we have a 300 kts or greater ATC speed assignment.

Forty miles to the airport... We are in it now, heavy rain and moderate turbulence. This is lightning strike territory, but we are descending rapidly and will be out of the critical temperature band in a moment. Thick clouds are darkening the flight deck. JAX center hands us off to Orlando approach control who advises ILS to runway 18 Right, low level wind shear advisories are in effect. The co-pilot sets us up for a partial flap approach. It makes the escape maneuver more effective, i.e., more energy (speed) to deal with wind shear.

Twenty miles to the airport... Flaps and slats are coming out. We are approaching the radio beam to the runway at a 45 degree angle and are still above the glideslope. I have taken the radar out of Fi-Fi's network and am using raw microwave returns to peek at the weather around the runway. Actually, not looking too bad... Sort of a typical afternoon summertime arrival in Florida.

Ten miles to the airport... Merging with the localizer radio beam, still above glideslope. I ask for the landing gear DOWN and the remainder of the flaps to be lowered. The increased drag allows me to push the nose over slightly without an increase in airspeed. The final approach controller hands us off to the tower five miles from the outer marker. The tower clears us to land, visibility two miles and moderate rain; no wind shear reported.

Over the marker... On glideslope, speed, and configured for the approach.

Six hundred feet above the ground... Runway environment in sight. The rain is moderate to heavy... Wipers on HIGH. The runway's lead in lights are bright, beautiful, and welcoming.

Over the fence... Remember, it is a 321. The tail is way back there... Seven degrees max pitch. Fight the illusion of being high; wet Plexiglas tricks the human eye. Fi-Fi helps with radar altimeter digital voice call outs... "50-40-30-20-10-5."

Touchdown... On a wet runway at the 1,000 foot marker, wipers furiously slinging water, all spoilers forced to full extension, reverse thrust triggers pulled up and over... This is the time to be very careful. There is a micro-thin layer of water between the tires and the grooved concrete. With peripheral vision, I am watching for both green REV annunciations on the engine instrument display... ENG 1- REV/ENG 2- REV.

Yeah baby, we've got reverser vanes open for business. My right hand pulls both thrust levers and reverse triggers to the rear stops. Deceleration is awesome, but, unfortunately, not much noise. The 321 engines are too far behind the flight deck. Except for the nose and the top of the tail, an observer would see the aircraft disappear in a cloud of mist from the reverse thrust.

As far as the children in the back are concerned, we have arrived in paradise.

Thirty minutes later...

The crew van is rolling as iPhones and Droids come out of pockets and purses to call loved ones. It is raining hard outside. We landed in the proverbial nick.

I figure we have enough time for twenty minutes on the treadmill, a light dinner, and one episode of American Pickers before hitting the rack for an o'dark thirty get-up.

Life on the Line continues...