Okay.. at first this sounds FUNNY! Co-Pilot has a nervous breakdown while crossing the pond and the flight attendant helps to remove the co-pilot from the cockpit, and then the FA assists the captain for an approach and landing into Dublin. Hell... that sounds like a bad movie plot as well... If it wasn’t actually true.
This all happened on an Air Canada flight from Toronto to London in January. Not only did the poor chap have to be removed from the flight deck, but he had to be sedated by two doctors on board. My question is this, what caused the breakdown? Was it that he was just one of those people who was due to have one? Was it because he had chronic fatigue from months or years of poor schedules? We may very well never know, but ask yourself this, at 58 years of age putting up with the schedules most airlines, especially commuter airlines dole out, would you be prone to “loosing it”? Granted, most of us would not loose it in the cockpit, but everyone has their breaking point.
Regardless of the type of flying you do, ask yourself this: What would you do if someone in the cockpit became a safety hazard? You should have a plan of action if you are flying alone, with a crew on a part 91, part 135 and part 121 flight. During certain simulator training sessions it is not uncommon to run through an incapacitated crew member scenario, but I have not heard or witnessed anyone running through an out-of-control crew member scenario. You can read more about the Air Canada flight here.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Squawks
How many of you have ever flown with a broken airplane? That of course depends on your kind of operation, are you a part 91 Cessna 172 driver, or do you fly for a 135 on demand charter? 121 Air Carrier? Chances are regardless of your type of day to day operations you have flown broken airplanes.
If you fly under part 91 light general aviation aircraft, you probably use something liken to GOOSE A CAT or other saying to help you remember what REQUIRED equipment you must have on board. PART 91.213 and 91.215 help us with this. Remember though, if something is broken and NOT required, you MUST either remove the inoperative equipment or, placard it INOP; the airplane is NOT legal to fly until that is done.
For those of us who fly 135 or 121 this is a whole different ball of wax. Chances are you deal with an Minimum Equipment List. The first action you must take with a mx discrepancy is to WRITE IT UP. If someone tells you that your nav light is not on and you know that it is, how would you write that up? Nav light inop is the only correct way to write it up, If you state, NAV LIGHT BURNED OUT, now you are diagnosing the problem and that leads down a whole dark path with the FAA.
After you have written up the discrepancy, then chances are your company procedures are to call MX, look in the MEL, etc.. Remember, once you are in flight if something breaks, you are not required to write it up till the end of that LEG. You are considered in flight once you leave the blocks for purposes of flight.. i.e. taxing to the runway the tower calls and says your nav light is not on, you know it is, you may continue the flight and write it up at your destination.
A word to the wise... there are many of us who write things up at home base, or at the end of the day either for our own connivence or to save the company money or both. Please head this warning.. the FAA and local FSDO’s are cracking down on this and making spot inspections specifically for write ups. This may apply more the 135 operators, but either way, if it breaks.. simply write it up and let MX do their job. No one can fault you for that.
If you fly under part 91 light general aviation aircraft, you probably use something liken to GOOSE A CAT or other saying to help you remember what REQUIRED equipment you must have on board. PART 91.213 and 91.215 help us with this. Remember though, if something is broken and NOT required, you MUST either remove the inoperative equipment or, placard it INOP; the airplane is NOT legal to fly until that is done.
For those of us who fly 135 or 121 this is a whole different ball of wax. Chances are you deal with an Minimum Equipment List. The first action you must take with a mx discrepancy is to WRITE IT UP. If someone tells you that your nav light is not on and you know that it is, how would you write that up? Nav light inop is the only correct way to write it up, If you state, NAV LIGHT BURNED OUT, now you are diagnosing the problem and that leads down a whole dark path with the FAA.
After you have written up the discrepancy, then chances are your company procedures are to call MX, look in the MEL, etc.. Remember, once you are in flight if something breaks, you are not required to write it up till the end of that LEG. You are considered in flight once you leave the blocks for purposes of flight.. i.e. taxing to the runway the tower calls and says your nav light is not on, you know it is, you may continue the flight and write it up at your destination.
A word to the wise... there are many of us who write things up at home base, or at the end of the day either for our own connivence or to save the company money or both. Please head this warning.. the FAA and local FSDO’s are cracking down on this and making spot inspections specifically for write ups. This may apply more the 135 operators, but either way, if it breaks.. simply write it up and let MX do their job. No one can fault you for that.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The Coverup and Blame Game
Thursday, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel confirmed that local managers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport air traffic control center had hidden controller mistakes ... and that makes it twice in three years. The FAA has responded by initiating an amnesty program to help make sure the errors are properly reported and resolved. Controllers are being told they may now report any unsafe situations without concern of reprisal, which some feel risks retention of sub-par controllers. Local managers have been assigned responsibility for the misclassifications, but it seems FAA administrators at the facility may have escaped blame.
I think that pilots should be given the same treatment as the controllers. Everyone case needs to be looked at on a case by case basis.
These are the same people that report flight crews for violation. At the end of the day, we are all human and all make mistakes, albeit hopefully we learn from our mistakes, and the are not such as to cause tragic results.
Thoughts? Sound off by clicking the comment link below this post.
I think that pilots should be given the same treatment as the controllers. Everyone case needs to be looked at on a case by case basis.
These are the same people that report flight crews for violation. At the end of the day, we are all human and all make mistakes, albeit hopefully we learn from our mistakes, and the are not such as to cause tragic results.
Thoughts? Sound off by clicking the comment link below this post.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Stabilized Approach
I was recently in a recurrent class with some VERY experienced international jet Captains and the question was asked, what is the definition of a stabilized approach and when do you need to be stabilized? Out of a room of 10 people, 2 had the correct answer. Before reading ahead, do you know the answer?
Now this can have minor differences from company to company, but either way there are 9 standard steps for defining what a stabilized approach is. To be honest, I went my whole career as a CFI only knowing about 3 of the 9. It wasn’t until I started flying jet aircraft that I became familiar with the rest.
In IMC you should be stabilized no later than 1,000 feet above airport elevation, and when VMC no later than 500 feet above airport elevation.
The following are the recommended elements of a stabilized approach.
The aircraft is on the correct flight path
Only small change in heading/pitch are required to maintain the correct flight path
The aircraft speed is not more than Vref +20 knots indicated airspeed and not less than Vref
The aircraft is in the correct landing configuration
Sink rate is greater than 1,000 feet per minute; if an approach required a sink greater that, 1,000 feet per minute, a special briefing should be conducted.
Power setting is appropriate for the aircraft configuration and is not below the minimum power for approach as defined by the AFM
All briefings and checklists have been conducted.
Specific types of approaches are stabilized if they also fulfill the following: ILS must be flown within one dot of the glideslope and localizer and during circling approaches the wings should be level within 300 feet above airport elevation.
Unique approach procedures or abnormal conditions requiring a deviation from the above elements or a stabilized approach require a special briefing.
You can find the Flight Safety Foundation ALAR tool kit here that goes into greater detail regarding the stabilized approach.
Now this can have minor differences from company to company, but either way there are 9 standard steps for defining what a stabilized approach is. To be honest, I went my whole career as a CFI only knowing about 3 of the 9. It wasn’t until I started flying jet aircraft that I became familiar with the rest.
In IMC you should be stabilized no later than 1,000 feet above airport elevation, and when VMC no later than 500 feet above airport elevation.
The following are the recommended elements of a stabilized approach.
The aircraft is on the correct flight path
Only small change in heading/pitch are required to maintain the correct flight path
The aircraft speed is not more than Vref +20 knots indicated airspeed and not less than Vref
The aircraft is in the correct landing configuration
Sink rate is greater than 1,000 feet per minute; if an approach required a sink greater that, 1,000 feet per minute, a special briefing should be conducted.
Power setting is appropriate for the aircraft configuration and is not below the minimum power for approach as defined by the AFM
All briefings and checklists have been conducted.
Specific types of approaches are stabilized if they also fulfill the following: ILS must be flown within one dot of the glideslope and localizer and during circling approaches the wings should be level within 300 feet above airport elevation.
Unique approach procedures or abnormal conditions requiring a deviation from the above elements or a stabilized approach require a special briefing.
You can find the Flight Safety Foundation ALAR tool kit here that goes into greater detail regarding the stabilized approach.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Duty Time, Flight, Rest, and The FAA
The airlines aka 121 Air Carriers are and On Demand Charter aka 135 operators are generally held to the same standards by the FAA. Almost all the rules are Identical albeit with one major difference... DUTY and FLIGHT time.
Duty time is that which is spent On Duty. The second you show up to the airport with the intention of flying, you are on Duty. That Duty does not end until you leave the airport. Flight time is that time from Engine Start to Engine Stop.
Airline Pilots are allowed to be on duty for up to 16 hours and fly up to 8 hours in any 24 hour period. The rest time a pilot must have is 9 hours and can be reduced to 8 hours. Charter pilots can be on duty for 14 hours, fly 10 hours and MUST have 10 hours rest, and cannot be reduced. Both airline and charter pilots are professionals who do the same thing at the end of the day. Both are tired, albeit sometimes for different reasons, but why the double standard? Why not one system for commercially employed pilots? How about 14 hours of duty, 8 hours of flight, and 10 hours of rest with NO reduction available?
I spent much of my time at the airlines in a state of constant fatigue. The NTSB has stated time and time again that crews need more rest and less duty time. Why hasn’t the FAA stepped up to the plate in an effort to reduce accidents and incidents due to crew fatigue?
What say you? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Duty time is that which is spent On Duty. The second you show up to the airport with the intention of flying, you are on Duty. That Duty does not end until you leave the airport. Flight time is that time from Engine Start to Engine Stop.
Airline Pilots are allowed to be on duty for up to 16 hours and fly up to 8 hours in any 24 hour period. The rest time a pilot must have is 9 hours and can be reduced to 8 hours. Charter pilots can be on duty for 14 hours, fly 10 hours and MUST have 10 hours rest, and cannot be reduced. Both airline and charter pilots are professionals who do the same thing at the end of the day. Both are tired, albeit sometimes for different reasons, but why the double standard? Why not one system for commercially employed pilots? How about 14 hours of duty, 8 hours of flight, and 10 hours of rest with NO reduction available?
I spent much of my time at the airlines in a state of constant fatigue. The NTSB has stated time and time again that crews need more rest and less duty time. Why hasn’t the FAA stepped up to the plate in an effort to reduce accidents and incidents due to crew fatigue?
What say you? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Weekend Warrior
If you have spent more than an hour in or around aviation, you have undoubtedly heard the term “weekend warrior” or “weekend pilot”. It is generally used in a degrading sense in regards to general aviation pilots aka GA Pilots who only come out on the weekends, or every other weekend or so fly.
There is an expectation that the “weekend warrior” will get a free pass for their lack of airmanship, knowledge of the airplane, communication skills etc. The FAA does not define weekend warrior, or pilots who only fly every other week. We are all held to the same standard every time we go fly.
I bring this up because the “weekend warrior” mentality not only effects and jeopardizes that pilot and his or her passengers, but other airplanes that share the same airspace. I cannot tell you the countless times that I have heard controllers working multiple airplanes and without fail there is someone mumbling and stuttering and drawing out a request or read-back on the frequency.
If you find yourself not flying as much as you feel you should for currency and safety, PLEASE, grab a flight instructor or even a fellow pilot to go with you and help you share the workload. There is no shame in asking for help or remedial training.
Remember, “The best safety device in any airplane is a well trained pilot”
There is an expectation that the “weekend warrior” will get a free pass for their lack of airmanship, knowledge of the airplane, communication skills etc. The FAA does not define weekend warrior, or pilots who only fly every other week. We are all held to the same standard every time we go fly.
I bring this up because the “weekend warrior” mentality not only effects and jeopardizes that pilot and his or her passengers, but other airplanes that share the same airspace. I cannot tell you the countless times that I have heard controllers working multiple airplanes and without fail there is someone mumbling and stuttering and drawing out a request or read-back on the frequency.
If you find yourself not flying as much as you feel you should for currency and safety, PLEASE, grab a flight instructor or even a fellow pilot to go with you and help you share the workload. There is no shame in asking for help or remedial training.
Remember, “The best safety device in any airplane is a well trained pilot”
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Stuck on the tarmac?
Stuck on the tarmac? Airlines not required to help passengers. This is the title of a story today on cnn.com
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/11/12/airline.delays.ap/index.html
True, airlines may not be REQUIRED to help passengers, but common customer service and people skills dictates that they should. I recall a time flying for a commuter airline; we had landed on 9R in PHL and due to traffic delays in the new york area, it took us over an hour and half to make the slow crawl from taxiway S, then onto runway 35 which was being used as a taxiway over to the gate area.
I recall another time flying out of O’Hare, ground control put out a blanket message: “Shut em down, welcome to the parking lot called O’Hare”. Every airplane regardless of position on the field shut down their engines to save gas, as the airport was closed for departures.
The above examples are in no way the fault of the airlines, however, unless you were a first class passenger there was nothing done to help make the hour+ of sit any easier on the passenger. I know passengers get upset and think we should taxi back to the gate, but is most cases, not only is there not a gate to go to, logistically we couldn't get to the gate if we had too.
I agree something needs to be done to help ensure these kinds of things don’t happen. While the airlines are not at fault for the situation, they are at fault for their inaction, the lack of treatment, amenities, and customer service for their passengers AND crew.
What do you think should be done to help change the situation?
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/11/12/airline.delays.ap/index.html
True, airlines may not be REQUIRED to help passengers, but common customer service and people skills dictates that they should. I recall a time flying for a commuter airline; we had landed on 9R in PHL and due to traffic delays in the new york area, it took us over an hour and half to make the slow crawl from taxiway S, then onto runway 35 which was being used as a taxiway over to the gate area.
I recall another time flying out of O’Hare, ground control put out a blanket message: “Shut em down, welcome to the parking lot called O’Hare”. Every airplane regardless of position on the field shut down their engines to save gas, as the airport was closed for departures.
The above examples are in no way the fault of the airlines, however, unless you were a first class passenger there was nothing done to help make the hour+ of sit any easier on the passenger. I know passengers get upset and think we should taxi back to the gate, but is most cases, not only is there not a gate to go to, logistically we couldn't get to the gate if we had too.
I agree something needs to be done to help ensure these kinds of things don’t happen. While the airlines are not at fault for the situation, they are at fault for their inaction, the lack of treatment, amenities, and customer service for their passengers AND crew.
What do you think should be done to help change the situation?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Checklist
From day one, we are all taught to use checklists for everything. When I was a student my instructor would kill me if he didn't see me using a checklist. As I have advanced in my aviation career, checklist usage is every bit as important. How many of you I wonder like I have, from time to time have hopped in an airplane without a checklist and taken off? I mean after all, kick the tires and light the fires... what could go wrong?
I recall a certain pilot who would commute from central California to a Los Angeles area airport 5 days a week. Every afternoon this pilot would go to the airplane hop right in and be airborne within 5 minutes, no checklist, no run-up and worse yet.. no preflight.
One day I confronted this pilot about the lack of preflight after watching this for several weeks. The pilot’s response to the lack of preflight was that a preflight was conducted every morning at her home airport, and she did a full run up at that time. The pilot never gave thought that during the 6 hour sit on the ramp that the plane could have been inadvertently hit by a fuel truck, struck by another airplane, damaged by a rock, have a spider crawl in the pitot tube etc..
It is up to us to fight complacency daily.
Please post any experiences you would like to share in the comments section.
I recall a certain pilot who would commute from central California to a Los Angeles area airport 5 days a week. Every afternoon this pilot would go to the airplane hop right in and be airborne within 5 minutes, no checklist, no run-up and worse yet.. no preflight.
One day I confronted this pilot about the lack of preflight after watching this for several weeks. The pilot’s response to the lack of preflight was that a preflight was conducted every morning at her home airport, and she did a full run up at that time. The pilot never gave thought that during the 6 hour sit on the ramp that the plane could have been inadvertently hit by a fuel truck, struck by another airplane, damaged by a rock, have a spider crawl in the pitot tube etc..
It is up to us to fight complacency daily.
Please post any experiences you would like to share in the comments section.
Monday, November 10, 2008
State of the Industry
I remember when I first got into flying, the romance of the 152. After my first flight I remember thinking wow.. people actually get PAID to do this. Little did I know how off I was. Well.. at the time people actually did get paid to fly. This wasn't that long ago either, 1995 was the year. Since then the whole world has changed, and with it the face of aviation.
My dream was to fly a 747 around the world going to new and exciting destinations. I would have NEVER worked for a 135 company, no way no how. Now, not only do I work for a 135 company, I LOVE IT! Albeit, I am working for one of the best 135 company's out there. I am going all around the world to new and exciting destinations on an expense account no less.
What is your take on aviation? Will we see a return to regulation in the airline industry?
A penny for your thoughts.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Welcome
This blog is a social experiment for the pilot community. I am a a former 121 pilot and current 135 pilot for a prominent company on the west coast of the US.
The format of this blog has not yet been decided beyond that this will consist of aviation related material. Your suggestions are more than welcome in regards to the direction you would like to see this blog take.
Please feel free to leave any comments or questions you may have.
Check back tomorrow as this blog will be updated daily.
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