Position: Over Fargo, N.D.
Altitude: 33,000 feet
Groundspeed: 640 mph (556 knots)
Compass Heading: 095 degrees
Equipment: A321
Pax-on-board: 183
Airborne... Day number three of four.
As it was, America remembered the horror of 9-11-01 for a couple of days with news bites of falling human bodies and serious looking reporters walking towards their cameras asking, "Could we have stopped the un-thinkable? Did we do enough?" And then a toothpaste commercial... Oh, well.
Outside: -55 degrees C.
Atmospheric Pressure: 3.9 psi
The moon has just slipped beneath the horizon in our six o'clock. Ahead, a black void; all starlight hidden by thin clouds blown from the tops of gigantic storms in our three o'clock. Even with the flight-deck lights at minimum setting, there is nothing to see outside. It is as if a thick, dark blanket has been spread over the front of the aircraft. The distance to those storms is about 240 miles, measured by Fi-Fi's outstanding weather radar.
Kudos to my dispatcher who flight planned a good trans-con route for us tonight.
The original co-pilot called in sick before report time. The replacement co-pilot is a junior reserve pilot. He has flown twice in sixty days, being the flying pilot on (only) one of those legs. By his own admission, he is rusty. But, we are working on that... He is flying every leg on this trip and I am showing him a few Electric Jet-isms; methods of adjusting the mirrors to gain better vision through the smoke, even when he has not been flying much.
It is difficult to get good rest on these red-eyes, sleeping during the day, then flying back west and trying to sleep at night, and then... Another red-eye the following night. New pilot rest rules are coming out soon. It will be interesting to see what changes with back side of the clock flying.
Until more fuel weight burns off, Fi-Fi is too heavy for anything above 33,000 feet. Thirty knots separates high and low speed regimes... Big load tonight.
Industrial strength flying, as in nothing out of the ordinary happening here, i.e., a standard issue trans-continental flight. With these tailwinds, three more hours before we sleep...
Life on the Line continues...
21 comments:
What happened to the "Heavy" Post.
Nice to have a small spot on this planet where things make sense, and commonsense thinking prevails. Good to know that, with all we see every day, there are solid individuals with solid training who perform their jobs and get it done.
I really appreciate and enjoy your blog. I used to hate to fly, but now two of our kids live far from us so we fly often. I just don't mind it anymore, and your blog helps give me lots of interesting things to think about when I'm in the air. It helps me to know what's going on up there, and what kinds of things the pilot and copilot are thinking about and doing. I like to imagine I'm on your aircraft whenever we fly! Thanks for using your hobby of writing to produce this blog!
Hi Dave - another interesting post - your co-p must not only have been rusty but absolutely itching to get at the controls again. I'm sure he learned a lot, too.
Nice to see Dick Bong on the honours board - P-38 pilot. Maybe I ought to start one on my blog (Gibson, Park, Summers, Duke.... Yep, I'm British!!!)
Ja....
There are some strange juxtapositionings in this world huh Captain Dave... ?
Your rusty Co-pilot is a fortunate chap to have you alongside him.
Many thanks for this blog.
Happy flying Captain.
Bev
Cape Town
Great post as usual, captain.
Btw, I am a 12-year old aspiring to become a pilot in the future. Right now, I practise on FS X when I have time, and also visit some aviation-related forums. What more advice would you give me? It will be very much appreciated since no one from my immediate or extended family comes from an aviation-related background.
Yours from Singapore,
Han Chen
"He has flown twice in sixty days, being the flying pilot on (only) one of those legs."
Wow! I suppose he/she at least flies the simulator several times a week.
Prophead -
Please be sure to also include Mannock, Bader, Richey, Tuck, Johnson, Deere and Cunningham. I think Donaldson might also rate a mention, and perhaps both Alcock and Brown?
Cap'n Dave,
May I nominate Blackburn, Boyington and Lovell, (all USN!), and the Forrest Gump of WW2, Steve Pisanos (USAAF).
IIRC Major Bong's plane is sitting in a park in Wisconsin. Somewhere in my rusty memory banks, I can remember my dad taking us there and saying he was a hero.
A backward question if I may.
With all the references to 'your six', I was wondering what means do you have and/or need to view your hind quarters and what's behind you while flying FiFi?
Rearview mirrors? VidCams?
Are you restricted to electronic sensors and organic passengers & flight crew 'in your six' to be your eyes & ears on the wing and tail control surfaces?
... nothing outside to see. And yet from the outside looking in it's easy to see a Captain appreciative of his team and a person with enough genuine strengths to provide leadership on the flight deck. I'm a big fan of "the moonlight amid the mountains" and all those amazing photos that you've share, but it's also very cool to see someone compassionately rolling up their sleeves and helping out with rust removal.
Fly safe, and when you're not, pleasant dreams!
~DeAnn
Great post, as always. A friend flew last Saturday to San Jose from Burbank. At TOC, the port side engine went bang, spat a fireball and quit. The airline has re-stated the facts to say a vibration caused the crew to electively shut it down. I think this does a disservice to the men or women up front who handled the situation effectively in a situation that gave no warning. No monetary compensation can adequately reward such grace under pressure. I think we, at least, owe then the acknowledgment.
All the elements here:
Darkness, cold, the void.
Fifi giving her harness a shake.
Always the questions waiting for answers.
The void is lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
(With aplogogies to R. Frost :-)
_____________________
Andrew- my fingers got ahead of my brain... Oops!
Robin- thanks...
Bev- As always, thanks...
Han Chen- thanks... I would advise you to excel in your studies; lots of math and science. Get selected for military pilot training and the world is yours...
Dave- simulator every six months, or every 90 days if you do not make three take-offs and landings within that 90 days.
DB- yep, some of those guys are being looked at for inclusion...
PeterC- good question; no sensors on the tail of my aircraft. Maybe missile sensors in the near future, if the FAA mandates such. No vidcams on the tail, either. Yes, flight attendants and pax do, on occassion, report something amiss.
DeAnn- thanks again...
Stephen Mitchell- thanks, and I agree with you on kudos to that crew...
Cathy- thank you...
Great Post as usual, Dave.
I have, however, a small quibble. In the post you refer to "New pilot rest rules.........." I take it it's the rules that are new not the fact that it relates to new pilots.
Maybe you could clarify, it's not like you to leave a bit of ambiguity on the flight deck.
Long time reader of your blog Dave,
great work.Anyone interested in Dick Bong, can see a P-38 in his color scheme at the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior, Wisconsin. See www.bhvcenter.org
Your comments about news coverage of 9-11 remind me of a quote from Rod Serling:
"It is difficult to produce a television documentary that is both incisive and probing when every twelve minutes one is interrupted by twelve dancing rabbits singing about toilet paper."
Ecuaprof- excellent! Twelve dancing rabbits...
Jack the Lad- yeah, you are correct; new rest rule for pilots. Thanks...
norwis1- thanks. By the way, as we were waiting for take-off in KPHX, we saw a P-38 land. I think it was Glacier Girl.
amulbunny's random thoughts- I hope they have moved it indoors...
Hey Dave! Hope that wasn't you who nearly got tangled with a Beech 99 on departing KMSP last week! They were in the clouds at about 1500' and the A322 crew HEARD the Beech go by...
I wonder, if he's flown twice in 2 months, and only once at the controls, how does he retain currency (especially with the limited simulator schedule you mention)?
Or is it at the airlines like it is in our air farce (not the US), and pilots have to pay for rental of private aircraft just to get the legally required hours to keep their licenses?
KFAR is my home airport. Glad to see you flying up above!
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