Hi guys,
Three Holer,
One could take offence at such remarks - I hope you are not implying that our Nelspruit operation is illegal?
Nope no manual(olden day stuff)We have a computer program that gives us RTOW's for EROS. We put into it the length, elevation and slope, as well as on obstacle profile. It gives us a printout showing the weights for spread of temperatures and wind. We have one for each runway(runway 19 obstacle limited rather than length), as well as flap setting and whether we are using reduced thrust or full.
Basically out of Eros on runway 01 with a temp of 28, we lose about 1500kgs off our structural MTOW.
SAX has also questioned our figures(we do the route at their behest) and we have had the factory test pilot out here from Brazil looking into it for us and he has come back and said we are too conservative in our figures, so looks like we will be up-ing them.
About Nelspruit - Link has gone to great effort to specialy certify the J41 for operation there, including using only aircraft fitted with water meths injection. Also, they are very strict about payload limits. They were there the other day getting the CAA to re-declare the clearway(something to do with those props again). The whole operation enjoys the benefit of Bae's blessing.
Speedbird59 - sure feel free to e-mail me anytime. About the cadets - I don't know much and have never flown with them. Their intake criteria is very high - in fact I am not sure I would have been successful had I applied, and they are undergoing some of the very best training in the world, so I am sure they not a bunch of fools. I also think SAX did not want them at one stage because of some or other problem, but they are also competing with pilots that have 4 times their experience.(SAX wouldn't even talk to me before I had 1000 hours)
There has been a lot to say about why the training went to Australia - I am sure SAA had good reason(not the least being an objective assesment ie they don't want to be accused of racism should a non-white be thrown off the course). I know the ground school is done here(I think 43)
I will certainly keep you updated claw, but I think things are just going to be gossip for the next 3 months. Link at this stage is also a political hot potato - internal politics with the pilots. The J41 drivers are not impressed about guys coming in from outside the company to fly the ERJ.
ANyway, see ya all later
