Its freezing flippin cold, overcast with low blowing dry snow. The a/c has been de-iced, all of the permitted de-icing systems on the a/c are functioning normally. There is no ice on the pitots, or, in the pitots rather.
It looks like cold s--t outside the wings are clear except for the low blowing snow everywhere. Subject to ice or stuff on the wings can we go, we are ready to line up and take off. Can we go?
It is a bright sunny day, but cold as s--t. There is residual hoar frost covering the upper surface of the wings, some bozo even decided to refuel it, the latent heat of the re-fuelling makes this stuff stick tight. Can we go?
The holdover time for this aircraft is 15 mins in today`s conditions, the de-icer guy has just frozen his goolies off by de-icing the entire (relevant surfaces for de-icing) aircraft and it has taken him 15 mins in the freezing bloody cold the wind covering him with rapidly cooling chemical s--t. The aircraft is ready for doors closed, can we go?
The aircraft is within its holdover time and although de-iced has a covering of the recent precipitation (big fat fluffy snowflakes) we are taxying for line up and take off. All deicing systems are wroking correctly and there is no abnormal engine indication. Can we go?
Moral? From a pax perspective: Not all stuff on the upper wing surface is gonna hurt anything. Not every shoddy day in the winter with obvious precipitation looking like something out of Ice Station Zebra is going to do anything wrong, bad, or unsafe.
Some naughty stuff (see above) like hard hoar frost - should be cleared prior to taxi.
Its the P1, who has a foot. When this foot is put down people respond.
Whether or not he is on the job market the next day with his wife and kids starving - he will ever hold his head high and say to himself, well, at least I did not kill all thos poor m--- f---s.
Y`all know the rules. Either it is 100% safe and flyable and there are warm smiles all round as you drink your coffee and snaffled do-nut, knowing that this flight is going to be as safe as houses, because of your knowledge, experience and and training. Fearless.
Or, something is wrong but you can`t find your foot. Full of trepidation. ("but we`ve run out of killfrost") Tough titty, we aint going until that alpine ski resort has been cleared off the wings. Coffee anyone?
Note the children on the terminal floor playing up and giving the parents a hard time, the entire family is thirsty, the place is packed, the parents are tearing their own hair out, YOUR flight has caused this delay, while you look for the do-nut bar, a manager is trying to get to you through the crowd, you continue to the coffe and do-nut stand with your hostie Juicia Lucia, maybe later go somewhere for a quick ciggie? Until they have de-iced the mother.
As you survey the crowded concourse, you see 150 living souls, whose lives you have just saved, shouting, screaming, bit-hing, wishing they were dead, anything but here in this stuffy old terminal building with three screaming kids and unable to move as they are in line waiting to know if the flight is going to be cancelled or not, some freaking out not knowing where they are going to stay (not used to sleeping on benches specifically designed to stop people from sleeping on them. airport terminals are cruel places, especially for familes - the designers should be shot)
Little do the pax know how close to their wishes they actually came, as they see a flash captain eating a soggy do-nut and drinking coffee with a babe of a hostie Tis` you - the P1 focused on de-icer, coffee and donuts with Jucia who has just saved everyone of their lives.
Either something is right or it is wrong.
Either it will fly (safely) or it won`t - we all know this. If in doubt, go back to flight school.
Last edited by Natstrackalpha; 28th Jan 2013 at 10:58.