Jumping Wake Turbulence

Position: Taxiway Hotel... KSLC
Groundspeed: 30 knots
Equipment: 319
Pax-on-board: 123

Max forward taxi speed limitation on the 319 is 30 knots. I taxi at 30 knots when I can do so safely. Dry surfaces, light winds with smooth concrete joints are required, and of course, no one ahead blocking the way.

The heavy loads of Christmas and New Years are behind us, as is 2011. In my six... Another year on the Line... Poof! Gone.


We are on the last leg of a four day trip... Been short-hopping across the southwest in a 319 today. My kind of flying! The right seat is a retread captain, now a co-pilot, from two bankrupt airlines who is glad to have a flying job... An aspect of this career that is very unpleasant. If you lose your job at Divided Airlines and are lucky enough to get another job at Oceanic Air, guess where you start?

You say you have 12,567 hours in the B-757? Too bad... Seniority #7124, and, oh, by the way... One year of probation. One more thing, you don't know squat about the 757, so don't get cocky. We are going to teach you the correct way to fly.

There is a lot of silver hair and weathered skin in this cockpit. The lead flight attendant has been harassing us most of the day about a geriatric flightdeck. Should I check on you two every 15 minutes to make sure you're awake? Boys, call me when you want your Ensure. Are you two going to need extra lav breaks? And on it goes... Poking the old lions with a stick through the cage bars.

Is this sexual harassment? Shattering our fragile egos? Damaging on our self-esteem? I'll call an assistant Chief Pilot later and check on this matter.

The co-pilot and I are and have been in the operational groove. We are moving metal and hauling pax with minimum delays. It's nice to fly with someone who speaks the language of my era. A Holley double-pumper has nothing to do with pornography and a Rolls-Royce Merlin is not the latest project from Pimp My Ride. We announce proudly to anyone who asks that we do not have a clue what a tweet is, nor do we want to know.

Salt Lake tower asks, You guys ready? We have just finished the before take-off checklist and the co-pilot alerts the cabin. The co-pilot and I are giddy with last leg euphoria. Home to momma leg.

You ready boss?

Is the Pope Catholic?

The tower releases us for take-off, 16 Left, while we are still on Hotel. We have to make two 90 degree turns to the right... On my last checkride I got dinged for taxiing too fast in turns (again). Ten knots is max for 90 degree turns, although she will do 12-14 knots comfortably. Ten knots it is... These 319s require a lot of braking to keep them below limitation speeds.

All lights ON... Check flaps, trim, and fuel one more time.

On the center line with the nosewheel straight, I hand the aircraft over to the right seat with Your aircraft, I have the radios.

The engines roll past the critical harmonic zone quickly in the -5 C outside air temperature. Professor Energy's invisible force mashes us back into our seats as the engines spool up to a reduced thrust setting. We do not need max thrust in this cold air. I check the engine instruments for excessive vibration and temperature. Both running cool and very strong...

Yikes! We are blowing through 80 knots. I am supposed to call that out... Eighty, uh... ninety, hundred knots. Wow-ee! This baby is getting with it! Not an approved call out, but...

The gap between 80 knots and V1 is covered in two, maybe three heart beats; she is ready to fly. I call out vee one rotate five knots before V1. When the last syllable is out of my mouth, we are 20 knots past V2. The Electric Jet leaves a rolling vortex of runway dust as she leaps into the cool night sky.

Positive rate and the landing gear green lights change to red as the gear doors open.

We reach our KSLC departure altitude limit of 14,000 feet very quickly. Altitude capture happens at 12,700 feet to level at 14,000 feet. The controller points out a heavy freighter at 15,000 feet crossing in our 12 o'clock.

Uh, yeah we got him... Red, green, and white strobes ahead. It's a Mad Dog-11. Big boy!


Roger, maintain visual with the MD11, continue climb to 21,000 feet... Caution wake turbulence...


The freighter is disappearing in our two o'clock, but the wake is still in front of us and slowly descending toward our altitude. The flight attendants are up and working in the galleys. I look at the co-pilot and before I say anything, he asks You want to jump this wake? He is reading my mind, which, admittedly is not hard. Yes, no broken flight attendant ankles, please.


Fi-Fi responds to the co-pilot's commands and soars high over the wake turbulence with minimum effort. The twinkling lights of the freighter are in our three o'clock low now. We crossed 1500 feet or better above the wake trail.

Salt Lake City is falling away rapidly us as we ascend into dark and thin air. It has been a long day, but we are pumped up about off-duty time in our twelve o'clock. Less than an hour to the nest.

Life on the Line continues... 2012. Unreal...