CX Topgun
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Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Hong Kong
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CX Topgun
What’s it like heading off on a LRO
flight to HK when a typhoon
encounter is likely?
Here are the own
words of one of our 777 Captains:
Guys , as an FO , although diligent, I found
that my duty started at sign on, with the
command you quickly realise it starts long
before that! For this reason, I had been
checking the CX website for flt updates, The
HKO to keep an eye on the Typhoon, the
relevant TAFS to try and judge its position for
our arrival and of course Crew Direct.
On the CX website I discovered CX250,
departing one hour after us was cancelled so
in the interest of an evening down by the river
in some old pub I checked our Flt number,
only to find we are still scheduled to depart.
I received an email from Mark Hoey advising
at that time we would be the last CX flight to
land before ceasing operations for the
afternoon period where the TAFS indicated
winds gusting 60kts from the NW.
On checking Crew Direct I acknowledged an
OCN which unusually brought our departure
time forward by around 45 mins or so, a well
received bit of planning in an attempt to
“beat the worst of the weather” into HKG.
This of course meant an earlier wakeup and
pickup for a mixed HKG and LON based
crew both in the cabin and cockpit.
To make sure things were underway to contact
everyone, I called Crew Control from my
room, ( yes you are going to have to use your
5CX BOEING FLEET NEWS 01 November 2016
The Typhoon Challenge
Haima and Signal 8
coin sometimes but I am sure that would be
refunded with receipts ), they confirmed the
plan and that the LON based FO and ISM
had been contacted.
I then called LON office and spoke to MOD
regarding the option of processing all the pax
pronto for our departure and they were all
over it, a notifly had been sent to request pax
come early and a Dep slot had been arranged
with ATC, Cargo and Cleaning had been
primed for a rapid turn of the A/C also.
I wasn’t trying to micromanage, just wanting
to make sure everyone was in on the plan
because as we all know the smallest of
things can unravel the best laid plans, and
when Gus and Mark tell you you are the last
flight to HKG and have everything and
everyone at your disposal to make it happen,
you try your best to make sure it gets done
safely.
At pickup a quick check of the latest forecast
showed 1500m +RA and 320/35G45 for
our arr, followed the next hour by
300/50G60 , I was definitely keen on
getting away as early as we could.
HKG based crew are ready early as requested
and we left the hotel in good time only to
come to a grinding halt in the London Traffic
, and sat still on the motorway for a good
twenty minutes, during which our steed flew
overhead on the arrival. At least we know the
A/C is here.
Very frustrating, I emailed Mark to update
him with our progress and he advised me that
the Russians had rejected our Flt Plan,
therefore we may need to look at a re-route so
we immediately started discussing some route
options, none of which were attractive due to
the increased time involved, we also discussed
the option of getting airborne, with a good
amount of fuel over and above plan, start on
the flt planned route and as we were
confident it was simply an administrative
glitch given the change in dep time, there is a
good chance the issue will be resolved before
entry into russian airspace and experience has
shown it is possible to get airborne with one
ATC unit not accepting your plan providing
its not the first one ! Not sure Flt Ops would
have given us the green light on that one and
we couldn’t come up with a reasonable option
if the approval was not forthcoming as we
neared the FIR.
The good news is as our driver was now off
the motorway trying to get us to Heathrow
through the side streets , Mark mailed again
to say the plan had been resubmitted and
approved so all go.
We finally arrived at the customs side gate
who were operating in their usual “go slow
and make this as painful as possible” mode,
with only 30 mins to departure.
We arrived at the A/C to find it now on a
remote stand, it transpires they had been
allocated two standard gates, both of which
had BA ground tech returns ! So as we pull
up the pax are still disembarking and waiting
for buses.
I began thinking there is absolutely no chance
of potentially even departing at our original
sched time! certainly with a remote stand, one
set of stairs and a full load to bus from the
terminal, I would have bet money on it.
So now I am thinking about the latest
forecast, and regardless of departure time, we
should probably try for HKG, and see if
conditions are suitable at the later time, if
not, we have the fuel to continue to our ALT
TPE with 45mins to spare thanks to some
proactive flight planning from Flt Ops, then
potentially we could get a recovery crew to
TPE ready to take us all back to HKG when
ops resume later that evening.
6CX BOEING FLEET NEWS 01 November 2016
The Typhoon Challenge
Haima and Signal 8
Thankfully the MOD Matt was doing an
outstanding job with the whole turnaround,
The cleaners, caterers were in and off in a
flash and the security checks completed
within about ten mins of sitting down in the
cockpit! In fact five mins later, the first bus
of pax arrived.
Even though I was flying the sector I got the
FO to complete the setup as he was a local
lad, some additional help with local
knowledge provides some additional
situational awareness when so many things
are running through the brain! and this
meant I was free to keep things moving.
All pax on and waiting for fueling to
complete only ten mins after our planned dep
time!
While waiting for the fueling to complete we
checked in with ATC to see if the slot would
be still valid and they advised they had only
our original departure information and slot
available, no idea about the earlier departure
and in fact he could not locate a plan, you
have to laugh sometimes.
A quick chat to the MOD and a phone call
later, all was resolved with a new TOBT
at :45 , ( 25 mins later than planned but
still 30 mins earlier than original sched. )
I think the refuelers hi vis jacket almost got
caught in the L1 door it was closed so fast !
I was just trying to constantly stay one step
ahead of ‘the next thing that might hold us
up ‘, so I asked the RQ to ask the ISM to get
all pax seated a.s.a.p. and make that call so
we would be in a position to push straight
away.
Push back at :45, 25 mins later than our
early escape plan time, thats a turnaround on
a remote stand in about 40 mins, awesome
stuff.
Great I think to myself , we can get some
shortcuts and potentially make up a bit more
time , the plan already CI250 so I don’t
think we could do any better.
As we rounded the corner to the Hold Point,
we discovered seven other A/C waiting to
depart. Its like someone doesn't want us to
get to HKG!
Once airborne, OPT levels and CI250
showed an ETA of 11:45 local, not quite
the 11:10 we were going for and that put us
closer to the TEMPO 50G60 period.
As there was a real possibility of diversion to
TPE, the FO and I got the RQ and SO to
work for a longer period than normal
( 6:20 ), and that would allow us the
remaining flt time plus a second approach,
plus diversion to TPE, without being in the
seat for 8 hours.
We achieved a good rest and when back in
the seat we set about reviewing ;
Fcom3 Limitations : AFDS and X Wind etc
SUPP INFO : Windshear
FCOM 1 : Flaps Load Relief, Protections,
PWS system inhibits and indications, WS
GA procedure including a manual GA with
TOGA not available as I believed this to be
the most likely reason for a GA given the
NW wind ( 60kts at RIVER ), and the wx
on the base leg approach for 25R.
GA from above, how we would fly this and
whether the standard MAP route would be
appropriate.
We then discussed how many approaches we
would be prepared to fly so there would be
little need for discussion/decision making
while getting flogged around in nasty weather,
fully dependant on the reason for the GA.
If it was due to rain, i.e. VIS, we would
7CX BOEING FLEET NEWS 01 November 2016
The Typhoon Challenge
Haima and Signal 8
have sufficient fuel to hold for a lengthy
period if necessary waiting for conditions to
improve, or if rapidly changing we could
shoot three approaches if we thought it likely
to result in a successful landing.
If the GA was due windshear, more
consideration is placed on pax comfort and
with the wind increasing in strength, we
would limit our approaches to either one or
two max.
We agreed that as it was a very dynamic and
gusty environment , regardless of surface
wind, if we found ourselves starting with
more than 38kts XW on the ground in the
G55 or G60kt period, we would commence
an approach to 1000ft and make the call at
that point if X/W outside limits, a GA
would be a no brainer.
At about an hour out we sent IOC an
ACARS asking for a typhoon update,
however I think we should have been more
specific because the reply, although prompt,
was simply the last known lat/long of the
centre. So a Satcall to IOC followed, and a
request to talk with Mark who had said he
would be on hand throughout the day to
assist.
Mark let us know what conditions the last
CX and KA A/C had experienced and what
the HKO had suggested would be occurring
at our ETA which was very nice info to
have.
The issue now was shifting from Windshear
to Vis as the latest ATIS showed 1500m in
Mod SHRA with CBs, with the potential
for being rained out we considered mitigating
this by requesting a CAT2 approach in the
event of a return following a GA, however
this would prohibit an AUTOLAND as the
X/W when based on LVO conditions is
limited to 25kts, and we need the full 38!
So the next discussion was would it be legal
to fly a CAT2 then disengage at 100ft, and
still comply with the limitations by
conducting a manual landing, but regardless
of this point, given the max X/W and the
heavy landing weight ( TPE fuel plus 45
mins ), the chance of a pod strike if not
handled correctly in the visual segment is very
real , therefore we really want to fly a CAT1
APP to a F30 ( This particular A/C not
F25 A/L proved ) AUTOLAND at max
X/W onto a wet, possibly contaminated
( water ) RWY, the decision to use a slightly
lower A/B setting ( 3 in this case ) and
accept a longer rollout.
TOD ATIS gave 320/30G40 with the
wind gradually increasing in strength as
forecast, so we requested flew high speed
through SIERRA until approaching the green
and yellow weather returns soon after. As
there was generally very little traffic we were
given direct TD and cleared 4500ft for the
ILS25R from TD.
As the wind direction was backing but
steadily increasing in strength, we had the
SO constantly updating the CX Pilot Toolkit
X/W calculator to ensure we were going to
be within limits.
There was a collection of cells along the base
leg but we managed to sit just inside the
yellow, and as expected we started
experiencing some turb approaching River,
Spot wind 340/60 at River so the LNAV
intact depicted a turn inside the final
approach, however halfway through the turn
this corrected so no need to intervene.
From this point I was pretty much rehearsing
the Windshear GA procedure that I would
fly at that ALT and config, established on the
ILS now and experiencing some very healthy
transient changes in speed and bank, two
areas of return lay between us and the RWY
so we configured to F15 with Gear Down to
provide a little stability and a safe upper and
8CX BOEING FLEET NEWS 01 November 2016
The Typhoon Challenge
Haima and Signal 8
Windcheck from the Tower is 310/35G45
( 38kts across ) , suggesting some very
accurate forecasting.
During this approach I was feeling some
pressure I have to admit, the apprehension of
the nasty conditions , in fact my first
approach into a T8 , and even though it
shouldn’t make a difference, we also had one
of the Swires and Rupert Hogg on board,
combined these carried some weight.
However I felt we had talked over every
contingency , and we had been given amazing
support from the fleet office which means
everything was on our side, and that provided
me with a good level of confidence in flying
this approach.
From D10 to D5 there were two occasions I
was in the process of moving my fingers to
the TOGA buttons in preparation of a GA
as it had the ‘feel' of
an excursion which would not return to
original, speed or bank, however thankfully it
wasn’t necessary.
I thought afterward, its strange how we rely
so much on ‘feel' in a modern A/C huh?
We had briefed that the most likely WS GA
would occur around RIVER and be pilot
observed, again probably between there and
somewhere around D5 when we clear the
terrain to the North, then we can expect a
PWS below 1200ft, where there was
moderate rainfall, but we were assuming the
wind would settle to a more constant speed
and direction from D4 with a more laminar
flow across the water which is exactly what
happened.
We cleared the moderate rain at 800ft agl
into a very black scene, with lots of
whitecaps on the water, and to my surprise,
no RWY out the window!
I was looking to the left off the windscreen
near the pillar but I had too look behind the
pillar through the sliding window to see the
RWY due to the amount of drift we were
holding off, In the past I have been visual a
lot earlier and the picture did not look right.
so this was a real eye opener.
The RWY surface looked like a peaceful
place to be right now.
The ER did the most perfect Auto landing I
have ever seen in 38kts across, ( W/V
300/45 ), in fact the only disturbance to
this came when I took the AP out and was
surprised at just how much rudder and C/W
input was required to continue tracking the
CTR line with the wings level.
We taxied off at A5 as planned and I
remember just exhaling as I was stowing the
Speedbrake to initiate the cleanup.
That weight had just been lifted.
Mission accomplished ;-)
Overall I found this a really good flight in
terms of learning for all of us as tech crew
on the day, more so for me personally.
The backing from FLT OPS through Mark
and Gus communicated to us directly, and
often, was not only a massive confidence
boost, but made me want to go the extra mile
to get the job done.
with the obvious discontent that the whole
industrial situation has created, I found that
because we all had ownership in this flight ,
because so many people had been
instrumental in making this flight get off the
ground, we just focused on the task , and I
honestly had a feel good moment after
landing, like the good old days!
Post flight we sat in the cockpit and had a
brief discussion about what went right and
what didn’t, a few passengers stopped at the
9CX BOEING FLEET NEWS 01 November 2016
The Typhoon Challenge
Haima and Signal 8
cockpit door to say thank you, I haven’t seen
that in some time.
On the way home I received a “well done,
thank you” e-mail from both Mark and Gus,
and a day later an e-mail from CX GM
Europe thanking us for the part we played.
This was an awesome flight for me
flight to HK when a typhoon
encounter is likely?
Here are the own
words of one of our 777 Captains:
Guys , as an FO , although diligent, I found
that my duty started at sign on, with the
command you quickly realise it starts long
before that! For this reason, I had been
checking the CX website for flt updates, The
HKO to keep an eye on the Typhoon, the
relevant TAFS to try and judge its position for
our arrival and of course Crew Direct.
On the CX website I discovered CX250,
departing one hour after us was cancelled so
in the interest of an evening down by the river
in some old pub I checked our Flt number,
only to find we are still scheduled to depart.
I received an email from Mark Hoey advising
at that time we would be the last CX flight to
land before ceasing operations for the
afternoon period where the TAFS indicated
winds gusting 60kts from the NW.
On checking Crew Direct I acknowledged an
OCN which unusually brought our departure
time forward by around 45 mins or so, a well
received bit of planning in an attempt to
“beat the worst of the weather” into HKG.
This of course meant an earlier wakeup and
pickup for a mixed HKG and LON based
crew both in the cabin and cockpit.
To make sure things were underway to contact
everyone, I called Crew Control from my
room, ( yes you are going to have to use your
5CX BOEING FLEET NEWS 01 November 2016
The Typhoon Challenge
Haima and Signal 8
coin sometimes but I am sure that would be
refunded with receipts ), they confirmed the
plan and that the LON based FO and ISM
had been contacted.
I then called LON office and spoke to MOD
regarding the option of processing all the pax
pronto for our departure and they were all
over it, a notifly had been sent to request pax
come early and a Dep slot had been arranged
with ATC, Cargo and Cleaning had been
primed for a rapid turn of the A/C also.
I wasn’t trying to micromanage, just wanting
to make sure everyone was in on the plan
because as we all know the smallest of
things can unravel the best laid plans, and
when Gus and Mark tell you you are the last
flight to HKG and have everything and
everyone at your disposal to make it happen,
you try your best to make sure it gets done
safely.
At pickup a quick check of the latest forecast
showed 1500m +RA and 320/35G45 for
our arr, followed the next hour by
300/50G60 , I was definitely keen on
getting away as early as we could.
HKG based crew are ready early as requested
and we left the hotel in good time only to
come to a grinding halt in the London Traffic
, and sat still on the motorway for a good
twenty minutes, during which our steed flew
overhead on the arrival. At least we know the
A/C is here.
Very frustrating, I emailed Mark to update
him with our progress and he advised me that
the Russians had rejected our Flt Plan,
therefore we may need to look at a re-route so
we immediately started discussing some route
options, none of which were attractive due to
the increased time involved, we also discussed
the option of getting airborne, with a good
amount of fuel over and above plan, start on
the flt planned route and as we were
confident it was simply an administrative
glitch given the change in dep time, there is a
good chance the issue will be resolved before
entry into russian airspace and experience has
shown it is possible to get airborne with one
ATC unit not accepting your plan providing
its not the first one ! Not sure Flt Ops would
have given us the green light on that one and
we couldn’t come up with a reasonable option
if the approval was not forthcoming as we
neared the FIR.
The good news is as our driver was now off
the motorway trying to get us to Heathrow
through the side streets , Mark mailed again
to say the plan had been resubmitted and
approved so all go.
We finally arrived at the customs side gate
who were operating in their usual “go slow
and make this as painful as possible” mode,
with only 30 mins to departure.
We arrived at the A/C to find it now on a
remote stand, it transpires they had been
allocated two standard gates, both of which
had BA ground tech returns ! So as we pull
up the pax are still disembarking and waiting
for buses.
I began thinking there is absolutely no chance
of potentially even departing at our original
sched time! certainly with a remote stand, one
set of stairs and a full load to bus from the
terminal, I would have bet money on it.
So now I am thinking about the latest
forecast, and regardless of departure time, we
should probably try for HKG, and see if
conditions are suitable at the later time, if
not, we have the fuel to continue to our ALT
TPE with 45mins to spare thanks to some
proactive flight planning from Flt Ops, then
potentially we could get a recovery crew to
TPE ready to take us all back to HKG when
ops resume later that evening.
6CX BOEING FLEET NEWS 01 November 2016
The Typhoon Challenge
Haima and Signal 8
Thankfully the MOD Matt was doing an
outstanding job with the whole turnaround,
The cleaners, caterers were in and off in a
flash and the security checks completed
within about ten mins of sitting down in the
cockpit! In fact five mins later, the first bus
of pax arrived.
Even though I was flying the sector I got the
FO to complete the setup as he was a local
lad, some additional help with local
knowledge provides some additional
situational awareness when so many things
are running through the brain! and this
meant I was free to keep things moving.
All pax on and waiting for fueling to
complete only ten mins after our planned dep
time!
While waiting for the fueling to complete we
checked in with ATC to see if the slot would
be still valid and they advised they had only
our original departure information and slot
available, no idea about the earlier departure
and in fact he could not locate a plan, you
have to laugh sometimes.
A quick chat to the MOD and a phone call
later, all was resolved with a new TOBT
at :45 , ( 25 mins later than planned but
still 30 mins earlier than original sched. )
I think the refuelers hi vis jacket almost got
caught in the L1 door it was closed so fast !
I was just trying to constantly stay one step
ahead of ‘the next thing that might hold us
up ‘, so I asked the RQ to ask the ISM to get
all pax seated a.s.a.p. and make that call so
we would be in a position to push straight
away.
Push back at :45, 25 mins later than our
early escape plan time, thats a turnaround on
a remote stand in about 40 mins, awesome
stuff.
Great I think to myself , we can get some
shortcuts and potentially make up a bit more
time , the plan already CI250 so I don’t
think we could do any better.
As we rounded the corner to the Hold Point,
we discovered seven other A/C waiting to
depart. Its like someone doesn't want us to
get to HKG!
Once airborne, OPT levels and CI250
showed an ETA of 11:45 local, not quite
the 11:10 we were going for and that put us
closer to the TEMPO 50G60 period.
As there was a real possibility of diversion to
TPE, the FO and I got the RQ and SO to
work for a longer period than normal
( 6:20 ), and that would allow us the
remaining flt time plus a second approach,
plus diversion to TPE, without being in the
seat for 8 hours.
We achieved a good rest and when back in
the seat we set about reviewing ;
Fcom3 Limitations : AFDS and X Wind etc
SUPP INFO : Windshear
FCOM 1 : Flaps Load Relief, Protections,
PWS system inhibits and indications, WS
GA procedure including a manual GA with
TOGA not available as I believed this to be
the most likely reason for a GA given the
NW wind ( 60kts at RIVER ), and the wx
on the base leg approach for 25R.
GA from above, how we would fly this and
whether the standard MAP route would be
appropriate.
We then discussed how many approaches we
would be prepared to fly so there would be
little need for discussion/decision making
while getting flogged around in nasty weather,
fully dependant on the reason for the GA.
If it was due to rain, i.e. VIS, we would
7CX BOEING FLEET NEWS 01 November 2016
The Typhoon Challenge
Haima and Signal 8
have sufficient fuel to hold for a lengthy
period if necessary waiting for conditions to
improve, or if rapidly changing we could
shoot three approaches if we thought it likely
to result in a successful landing.
If the GA was due windshear, more
consideration is placed on pax comfort and
with the wind increasing in strength, we
would limit our approaches to either one or
two max.
We agreed that as it was a very dynamic and
gusty environment , regardless of surface
wind, if we found ourselves starting with
more than 38kts XW on the ground in the
G55 or G60kt period, we would commence
an approach to 1000ft and make the call at
that point if X/W outside limits, a GA
would be a no brainer.
At about an hour out we sent IOC an
ACARS asking for a typhoon update,
however I think we should have been more
specific because the reply, although prompt,
was simply the last known lat/long of the
centre. So a Satcall to IOC followed, and a
request to talk with Mark who had said he
would be on hand throughout the day to
assist.
Mark let us know what conditions the last
CX and KA A/C had experienced and what
the HKO had suggested would be occurring
at our ETA which was very nice info to
have.
The issue now was shifting from Windshear
to Vis as the latest ATIS showed 1500m in
Mod SHRA with CBs, with the potential
for being rained out we considered mitigating
this by requesting a CAT2 approach in the
event of a return following a GA, however
this would prohibit an AUTOLAND as the
X/W when based on LVO conditions is
limited to 25kts, and we need the full 38!
So the next discussion was would it be legal
to fly a CAT2 then disengage at 100ft, and
still comply with the limitations by
conducting a manual landing, but regardless
of this point, given the max X/W and the
heavy landing weight ( TPE fuel plus 45
mins ), the chance of a pod strike if not
handled correctly in the visual segment is very
real , therefore we really want to fly a CAT1
APP to a F30 ( This particular A/C not
F25 A/L proved ) AUTOLAND at max
X/W onto a wet, possibly contaminated
( water ) RWY, the decision to use a slightly
lower A/B setting ( 3 in this case ) and
accept a longer rollout.
TOD ATIS gave 320/30G40 with the
wind gradually increasing in strength as
forecast, so we requested flew high speed
through SIERRA until approaching the green
and yellow weather returns soon after. As
there was generally very little traffic we were
given direct TD and cleared 4500ft for the
ILS25R from TD.
As the wind direction was backing but
steadily increasing in strength, we had the
SO constantly updating the CX Pilot Toolkit
X/W calculator to ensure we were going to
be within limits.
There was a collection of cells along the base
leg but we managed to sit just inside the
yellow, and as expected we started
experiencing some turb approaching River,
Spot wind 340/60 at River so the LNAV
intact depicted a turn inside the final
approach, however halfway through the turn
this corrected so no need to intervene.
From this point I was pretty much rehearsing
the Windshear GA procedure that I would
fly at that ALT and config, established on the
ILS now and experiencing some very healthy
transient changes in speed and bank, two
areas of return lay between us and the RWY
so we configured to F15 with Gear Down to
provide a little stability and a safe upper and
8CX BOEING FLEET NEWS 01 November 2016
The Typhoon Challenge
Haima and Signal 8
Windcheck from the Tower is 310/35G45
( 38kts across ) , suggesting some very
accurate forecasting.
During this approach I was feeling some
pressure I have to admit, the apprehension of
the nasty conditions , in fact my first
approach into a T8 , and even though it
shouldn’t make a difference, we also had one
of the Swires and Rupert Hogg on board,
combined these carried some weight.
However I felt we had talked over every
contingency , and we had been given amazing
support from the fleet office which means
everything was on our side, and that provided
me with a good level of confidence in flying
this approach.
From D10 to D5 there were two occasions I
was in the process of moving my fingers to
the TOGA buttons in preparation of a GA
as it had the ‘feel' of
an excursion which would not return to
original, speed or bank, however thankfully it
wasn’t necessary.
I thought afterward, its strange how we rely
so much on ‘feel' in a modern A/C huh?
We had briefed that the most likely WS GA
would occur around RIVER and be pilot
observed, again probably between there and
somewhere around D5 when we clear the
terrain to the North, then we can expect a
PWS below 1200ft, where there was
moderate rainfall, but we were assuming the
wind would settle to a more constant speed
and direction from D4 with a more laminar
flow across the water which is exactly what
happened.
We cleared the moderate rain at 800ft agl
into a very black scene, with lots of
whitecaps on the water, and to my surprise,
no RWY out the window!
I was looking to the left off the windscreen
near the pillar but I had too look behind the
pillar through the sliding window to see the
RWY due to the amount of drift we were
holding off, In the past I have been visual a
lot earlier and the picture did not look right.
so this was a real eye opener.
The RWY surface looked like a peaceful
place to be right now.
The ER did the most perfect Auto landing I
have ever seen in 38kts across, ( W/V
300/45 ), in fact the only disturbance to
this came when I took the AP out and was
surprised at just how much rudder and C/W
input was required to continue tracking the
CTR line with the wings level.
We taxied off at A5 as planned and I
remember just exhaling as I was stowing the
Speedbrake to initiate the cleanup.
That weight had just been lifted.
Mission accomplished ;-)
Overall I found this a really good flight in
terms of learning for all of us as tech crew
on the day, more so for me personally.
The backing from FLT OPS through Mark
and Gus communicated to us directly, and
often, was not only a massive confidence
boost, but made me want to go the extra mile
to get the job done.
with the obvious discontent that the whole
industrial situation has created, I found that
because we all had ownership in this flight ,
because so many people had been
instrumental in making this flight get off the
ground, we just focused on the task , and I
honestly had a feel good moment after
landing, like the good old days!
Post flight we sat in the cockpit and had a
brief discussion about what went right and
what didn’t, a few passengers stopped at the
9CX BOEING FLEET NEWS 01 November 2016
The Typhoon Challenge
Haima and Signal 8
cockpit door to say thank you, I haven’t seen
that in some time.
On the way home I received a “well done,
thank you” e-mail from both Mark and Gus,
and a day later an e-mail from CX GM
Europe thanking us for the part we played.
This was an awesome flight for me
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Would this cock kindly identify himself.
I suppose I could check crew direct but cannot be bothered.
The whole moon landing was described in about a paragraph less than that rubbish.
I suppose I could check crew direct but cannot be bothered.
The whole moon landing was described in about a paragraph less than that rubbish.
Join Date: Aug 2014
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Wow, you watched an autoland! Well done!
Why would anyone have a chat with a GM, sitting in his office, about flying an approach?
Why would anyone have a chat with a GM, sitting in his office, about flying an approach?
He went out of his way to help Cathay and in return we get
- no 25 year housing
- cancelation of RPs
- C-scale
- no more temp bases
- no fleet allocation in seniority
- handwritten rosters
Did I forget anything?
- no 25 year housing
- cancelation of RPs
- C-scale
- no more temp bases
- no fleet allocation in seniority
- handwritten rosters
Did I forget anything?
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: uk
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Well that's fantastic . I'm so impressed that you got an email from GL and MH .
I didn't get one when I landed in Europe in a 38 kt crosswind in vicious turbulence . It's what we do when required
I certainly wouldn't bother to write a load of drivel about what a hero I was , and how I had thought of everything during the flight .
Aren't we supposed to be in Contract compliance ? Screw it . depart when you are ready take lots of fuel , have a go and then divert it's really very simple .
And why promote yourself when Mr Boeing did the landing not you ?
Did you remember to pack extra sick bags for those reading this ?
I didn't get one when I landed in Europe in a 38 kt crosswind in vicious turbulence . It's what we do when required
I certainly wouldn't bother to write a load of drivel about what a hero I was , and how I had thought of everything during the flight .
Aren't we supposed to be in Contract compliance ? Screw it . depart when you are ready take lots of fuel , have a go and then divert it's really very simple .
And why promote yourself when Mr Boeing did the landing not you ?
Did you remember to pack extra sick bags for those reading this ?
I am curious about an Autoland 13 kts above the FCOM Limitation. How is that in any way a 'Good' decision-unless of course you have an unconfined fire!. Muppet!!!!!
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The 25 knots autoland limit is for LVO operations only. In VMC you can autoland to the aircraft crosswind limit. Obviously he had the runway in sight and was visual.
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i like this narrative better:
http://http://thebulletin.org/harrowing-story-nagasaki-bombing-mission8592
http://http://thebulletin.org/harrowing-story-nagasaki-bombing-mission8592
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As we enter Movember and think about men's health perhaps it's time to reflect on men's values also. In an era when masculity is under attack, what does it mean to be a man. Many of us can do no better than look at the example of our fathers. Strong, stoic, considerate, honest, self sacrificing for the good of their family.
Also often quiet, not good at self promotion, in fact abhorred by the idea. Not ones to brag about their new car, or house or their job. They knew that bragging, no matter how seemingly humbly presented, is a need to feel self important. They understood that you don't win the respect of your circle of friends or colleagues by trying to impress them with tales of how good you are.
But we live in a different world. A world of social media, constant connectivity and for many a need to allow everyone and anyone to peer in to their life.
But the example of the strong, silent type stills resonates today, (think Clint Eastwood) because I would like to think that the way we express ourselves hasn't become akin to a slumber party for 12 year old girls.
Also often quiet, not good at self promotion, in fact abhorred by the idea. Not ones to brag about their new car, or house or their job. They knew that bragging, no matter how seemingly humbly presented, is a need to feel self important. They understood that you don't win the respect of your circle of friends or colleagues by trying to impress them with tales of how good you are.
But we live in a different world. A world of social media, constant connectivity and for many a need to allow everyone and anyone to peer in to their life.
But the example of the strong, silent type stills resonates today, (think Clint Eastwood) because I would like to think that the way we express ourselves hasn't become akin to a slumber party for 12 year old girls.
That's pretty much how it was in the heady days of "A" Scales. We were all very well paid and were included by Managers as 'part of the team'. They used to put on a few beers after coming to Kai Tak and giving us a "Commercial orientation" briefing. We would discuss their jobs and ours so there was a lot of mutual understanding and respect - and you could put a face and personality to a name. It felt very inclusive and everybody went the extra mile to get the job done.
Oh dear Sir Adrian - what have you done??
Oh dear Sir Adrian - what have you done??
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Not an Aussie - try 3 hours further east..
Pushing to get the job done by management/management wannabie at whatever cost - sound familiar?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_1420
Lucky for CX2_8 20th Oct, this wet behind the ears moron didn't make 'em join the stats
Pushing to get the job done by management/management wannabie at whatever cost - sound familiar?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_1420
Lucky for CX2_8 20th Oct, this wet behind the ears moron didn't make 'em join the stats