Some questions for HAMRAH

[swashplate]

Cap'n HAMRAH!!

Recently bought the ITVV GO 737 Video starring your good self - excellent!!!
Nearly a good substitute for a Jumpseat ride......NOT!!!!!

Anyway;

1. I noticed during both takeoffs at Stantead & Lisbon there was no V1 call. Did I hear right???
Presumably, you didn't forget, so does this mean that you could stop the 737 right on rotation...even with one engine stopped???

2. The blurb said you'd flown A320s - which aeronautical transportation devices do you prefer - Boiing or Scarebus???

3. I know that the APU is used to start engines. What do you do if it isn't working, get out and push??

4. What will you be flying at British World?

Look forwards to answers.

[CrashDive]

I'm sure that Hamrah won't mind me answering some of this on his behalf.

1). Yep, there was no "V1" call because the performance of the B737-300 out of either Stansted or Lisbon (the two airports featured in the Video) on the day of filming (based on numerous factors - do a Performance 'A' course to see just what I mean) was such that V1 & Vr were coincident.

So, and to keep it simple, the call "V1 Rotate" is simply made as "Rotate" (i.e. the V1 part is implied).
Once the call to "Rotate" is made the handling pilots takes the hand that was managing the thrust levers off these levers and both hands should now be holding the control yolk - so reducing the likelihood of being tempted to stop, should an engine failure occur.

Thus once the call to "Rotate" is made you are going !

2). Hamrah will have to answer that himself.

3). To start the engines without a serviceable APU you must attach an 'air start unit' (ASU) to the aircraft's pneumatic duct system (it basically looks like, and is, an air compressor - much like what you see the blokes who dig up roads using to power their pneumatic drills - but with a bit more grunt).
Of course with no APU you also have no electrics and so this need is supplied by the attachment of a ground power unit (GPU).

Now on a B737-300 without an APU available we reverse the procedure to start the engines, i.e. in this instance we start the left (#1) first - this is because the GPU and ASU are attached to the a/c on the right hand side and starting the right (#2) first would be dangerous as this equipment and the personnel operating would be standing just in front of that engines inlet.

So, on our signal, the ground guys start pumping air to the pneumatic duct from the ASU and we then start the #1 engine in the normal manner.

Once #1 is running, we put the a/c's electrics on to the bus-bar being powered now by the #1 engine electrical generator. Thus with the aircraft having internal sources of electrical and pneumatic power we then tell the ground folks to remove the GPU and ASU.

Once they and the equipment are clear we can start the #2 engine - to do this we have to take 'bleed-air' off the number #1 engine and route it to the #2, via the pneumatic duct. We also have to make sure that there is sufficient pressure to start the #2 by powering-up the #1 until a gauge on the flight-deck overhead panel shows that enough air is available to turn the #2 engines starter motor. The engine is then turned/started in the normal manner and once it's self-sustaining we can throttle back the #1.

That's it !

4). I'll let Hamrah answer this one.

[Hamrah]

Swashplate,

You need to get out more :)

2) I must say that , as a place to work, the Airbus beats the Boeing

3) Initially the 737, but in the future.....

Cheers

H

p.s. Thanks Crashy, thats your tech questionaire completed for the year ;)

[swashplate]

Many thanks, HAMRAH!!!

Will be getting out considerably more at the bash............

[reverserdeployed]

Might I just add that I recently bought a couple of vids from www.justplanes.com (http://www.justplanes.com) and they were rubbish.

The first, covering a 747SP flight from Namibia to LHR, is just some bloke sitting on the j/s with a camcorder. As the flight begins in darkness, and the crew isn't miked up, all you can hear is engine whine and all you can see is a few blurry outlines of instruments. The pilots obscure most of the view, and upon landing the camera tries to focus on the moving runway which just results in another big blur.

Things improve a little when the sun comes up, but the lack of narration or being able to hear the crew exchanges result the viewer not really knowing what is happening and boredom quickly setting in.

The other vid, which covers Gabon Express, the last airline using the Caravelle for passenger use is a little more interesting from a plane-spotting point of view and at least has a little narration, and the footage of the Caravelle landing on a rough strip was quite captivating.

But the technical quality of picture, sound and editing are appalling and poor value for money.

I have a video of my sim session in a 737, and that is beter filmed, edited and a damn sight more gripping. Especially the bit with the 35 knot crosswind one-engine landing!