|
Air Canada B-787 TLV-YYZ Diverts to FRA for Dog
This story is starting to make the rounds in the international news cycle.
Looks like yet another 787 technical divert but with some good publicity this time. :D Air Canada pilot diverts international flight to save dog by News Staff and Shauna Hunt Posted Sep 14, 2015 8:33 pm EDT An Air Canada pilot is being credited with saving a dog’s life by diverting a flight from Tel Aviv to Toronto after a heating system malfunction in the plane’s cargo area. The seven-year-old French bulldog named Simba was taking its first flight when the pilot noticed the problem just as the plane was about to head over the Atlantic Ocean, where temperatures plummet. With the dog’s well-being in peril the pilot decided to land the plane in Frankfurt, Germany. Simba was placed on another flight and the plane continued on to Toronto. The dog’s owner was more than grateful. “It’s my dog, it’s like my child. It’s everything to me,” he said after they were reunited at Pearson Airport. Aviation expert Phyl Durby said the pilot made the right call, despite tacking on about $10,000 in fuel costs and delaying the flight by 75 minutes. “If you look at the outside temperature, if it’s minus 50 or 60, there is some insulation but it will probably still get down to below freezing (in the cargo area),” Durby said. “The captain is responsible for all lives on board, whether it’s human or K-9.” Here is the divert on FlightAware: Air Canada (AC) #85 ? 13-Sep-2015 ? LLBG / TLV - CYYZ ? FlightAware Air Canada (AC) #85 ? 13-Sep-2015 ? EDDF / FRA - CYYZ ? FlightAware |
The dog makes a good news story, but I'd guess there's other cargo that might not take well to being unexpectedly frozen. Besides, how much insulation is there between the cargo area and the passenger cabin?
|
“It’s my dog, it’s like my child. It’s everything to me,” he said after they were reunited at Pearson Airport.
Applause, applause. A good CAPTAIN's decision. My wife approves. What would you have done if it was your own dog? I hope he told ops rather than asked permission. Good +ve publicity for Air Canada. |
One would have to be a cold hearted person to question this decision. And even cold hearted bean counters will probably approve of the publicity, this is much better marketing than a lot of advertising.
Finally, from a legal viewpoint, air navigation law presumes a PIC possesses special skills and expertise, and an enhanced duty of care is expected of the pilot in view of such special skill and expertise. This duty of care extends to everyone and everything on board. Nicely demonstrated here. |
I'm almost more impressed by the apparent fact that the total arrival delay, following the en-route diversion, seems to have been only 75 minutes.
Prior to this, I would have described that as theoretically possible, but in practice unachievable! |
Lucky there were not flying MJN air....
For those not in the know... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabin_...(radio_series) - Abu Dhabi, and well worth a listen. |
Divert for Dog
I have diverted twice in my 31 years of airline flying for this exact reason. One diversion was a US domestic flight and one international. I would guess it is a little more common practice than one would think.
|
A follow-up statement from AC corporate communications as USA Today picks up the story:
"After takeoff the pilot got an indicator that one of the cargo hold heaters had malfunctioned and that the temperature was falling, as it is very cold at the high altitude where our planes fly," Air Canada spokesman John Reber said in a statement to Today in the Sky. "While a heater is not normally a critical component, on this particular flight there was a live animal in the hold." "Air Canada's pilots are professionals who are responsible for the entire flight," the airline added in its statement. "As soon as the crew became aware of the temperature issue, the Captain grew rightfully concerned for the dog's comfort and well-being. With the altitude it can become very uncomfortable, and possibly the situation could have been life threatening if the flight had continued." The dog makes a good news story, but I'd guess there's other cargo that might not take well to being unexpectedly frozen. Besides, how much insulation is there between the cargo area and the passenger cabin? The earlier jet airliners were short on excess bleed air to run the packs, particularly at low power settings. The B-727 had a cargo heat switch on the flight engineer's panel. It's been a long time, was this switch off for takeoff? Or, was it one that you closed at top of descent before you pulled the lever to silence the gear horn as the throttles came back? I do remember being told by my PFE instructor that improper manipulation of the B-727 cargo heat switch could endanger live animals in the hold. |
Was that the 'cargo heat outflow valve' AB ?
Memories a bit foggy. If so, then yes we had it on for take off, unless we were packs off in which case we opened it after placing the first pack on to help avoid a pressure surge. |
Was that the 'cargo heat outflow valve' AB ? And, if you forgot to leave it open on the next leg, the hold would freeze. := As a measure of how far we've come, looks like the 787 doesn't use bleed air at all for airconditioning and pressurization. It's all electrical. And we all know how reliable the electrics are. Nothing can go wrong, go wrong, go wrong...;) Kinda like back to the future with the L-188 engine driven compressors. |
The B-727 had a cargo heat switch on the flight engineer's panel. It's been a long time, was this switch off for takeoff? Or, was it one that you closed at top of descent before you pulled the lever to silence the gear horn as the throttles came back? When I flew 727s the only time the forward baggage heat valve switch would be closed would be for a pressurization problem in the cabin and one needed additional bleed air for the cabin. All other times it was left on during normal operation. Therefore no live animals were to be placed in the forward baggage compartment. The switch on the FE's panel was called the puppy snuffer switch. The captain in this situation made the correct decision. |
Out of curiosity, how cold does it get in the hold on a transatlantic flight?
Just considering that there are a few dogs out there that has no problem with below 0 temperatures, though the ones here in greenland that goes well below minus 40 is kind of a special case... But interresting to see our animals are treated like familymembers and cared for like our children these days even thought higher off than people in distress, world is surely an odd place ;) |
When I flew 727s the only time the forward baggage heat valve switch would be closed would be for a pressurization problem in the cabin and one needed additional bleed air for the cabin. All other times it was left on during normal operation. I think the old manual pressurization planes had the worst door seals. You had to be ready with the cargo heat outflow switch, or sometimes leave a little power on in the descent with the speedbrake out a bit, to maintain pressurization on the way down. The switch on the FE's panel was called the puppy snuffer switch. |
If the captain had taken any other course of action, he would have been hounded by the media.
|
If the captain had taken any other course of action, he would have been hounded by the media. |
One more for the Pun Police !!
Sorry for the slight deviation off track but I remember years ago I inadvertantely had an apple in my flight bag. The bag was xrayed by Quarantine and subsequently I was 'grilled' by Quarantine Officer Bacon. I had to write a report and my superiors were not impressed by the so called pun in my report. Ah well those were the days !!!! |
Don't know about those new-fangled 787's. But most recent aircraft have enough bleed air from the high bypass turbofans to keep the cabin comfortable even with a fault in the cargo holds. Or so I've been told in ground school. |
Tried to avoid closing the C H Outflow valve when I was on the B727.
If we had a leaky cabin we would leave some power on the #1 and #3 engines during the descent (#2 engine did not normally supply bleed air) We always assumed we had animals up front in those days as we weren't always informed they were on board. |
787s-No Bleed Air
Beechnut,
Yes that's correct, there's no bleed air (except for the engine anti-ice). It's all CAC's (Cabin Air Compressors). I presume the dog was in the FWD cargo as that is the Cargo compartment that you have manual temp control but if the FCAC (FWD Cargo Air Conditioning) fails then you'd lose the ability to control the temp. Could have been in the bulk cargo as well but the temperature there is automatically adjusted to maintain 19c-21c. Good call on the crew to divert. Nice to see that life still matters more than profit in some parts of the world:ok: |
Animals, especially vertebrates, are considered as sentient beings. This is a very modern western intellectual concept. I doubt that certain (if not most) non-western carriers piloted by non-western nationalities would have diverted for a dog.
https://news.vice.com/article/thousa...ummer-solstice |
| All times are GMT. The time now is 17:14. |
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.