The Jump Seat
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 76
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The Jump Seat
I have heard rumours that the jump seat ride has been "abolished" in light of the recent terrorist activities. This is something which a pilot friend of mine had offered in his 737 (well not HIS 737 obviously) and which I was looking forward to because it must be the only way to see what REAL atpls's actually do in their day job.
So - if this is the case can someone actually doing the job give us an insight into a "normal" (if there is such a thing) day in the life of an ATPL.
All of us posting into this forum are obviously keen to do the job but I bet none of us really know what the job entails from start to finish.
So - if this is the case can someone actually doing the job give us an insight into a "normal" (if there is such a thing) day in the life of an ATPL.
All of us posting into this forum are obviously keen to do the job but I bet none of us really know what the job entails from start to finish.
Dancing with the devil, going with the flow... it's all a game to me.
Join Date: May 2000
Location: England
Posts: 1,688
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bummer that. I had the great privilage of jumpseating with our very own PPRuNe Towers a coupla years back. Bladdy good insight into the job it was too. Cheers again PPT.
I am sure that a few of the pro's on here will get round to giving you their insight into the job when they get the chance, the good folks they are.
My experience jumpseating was very rewarding, for a kick off I realised it was what I wanted to do and the said before chap was brill in letting me observe the normal routine day without trying to "spruce" it up, not that he needed to obviously!
Word has it that there are a few laid-back Captains around that DO allow a jumpseater even in the light of recent events. Rare breed now though so don't get your hopes up matey.
Await the response from the pro's, I'm sure they'll respond soon enough.
VFE.
I am sure that a few of the pro's on here will get round to giving you their insight into the job when they get the chance, the good folks they are.
My experience jumpseating was very rewarding, for a kick off I realised it was what I wanted to do and the said before chap was brill in letting me observe the normal routine day without trying to "spruce" it up, not that he needed to obviously!
Word has it that there are a few laid-back Captains around that DO allow a jumpseater even in the light of recent events. Rare breed now though so don't get your hopes up matey.
Await the response from the pro's, I'm sure they'll respond soon enough.
VFE.
Last edited by VFE; 21st May 2002 at 23:27.
Join Date: Dec 1997
Location: Suffolk UK
Posts: 4,927
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
'Jump seats' (ie in-flight cockpit visits) are not allowed in any UK airliner at any time unless you have a company-sponsored reason to be there. If you think about it, the 'relaxed' captains you speak of are putting the safety and security of everyone on their aeroplane at risk, not to mention putting their jobs in jeopardy - IF what you have heard is true. Don't forget that companions of flight and cabin crew may well be accommodated on the flight deck entirely legally, but persons unknown to the crew will not be given access.
As for describing the job, let me get a night's sleep and I'll see what I can do in the morning. In the meantime, you might like to search for the last time I or WWW did this - yes, this request is regularly posted!
As for describing the job, let me get a night's sleep and I'll see what I can do in the morning. In the meantime, you might like to search for the last time I or WWW did this - yes, this request is regularly posted!
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
hi,
I once wrote a letter to britannia, (before sept11) asking for a chance to visit thier ops department at glasgow,
A few weeks later the training captain phoned me and asked me if i would like the chance to join them on a trip to palma and back, i was so excited, this was going to be amazing, he told me all the details and i was set, I was to meet the crew at gla(thats were they were based and then we got on a coach to edinburgh airport to meet the plane a 757,
it was the last flight for that specific season so the aircraft flew out empty and we certainly did go up like a rocket, because there was only crew on the aircraft and me, the f/o was away for about 30mins talking to the trolly dollys, chatting them up more like!!!! the captain told me to sit on his seat as i was on the jumpseat at the time, they also gave me a headset to listen to atc, we flew down to palma at 41500 ft and you could begin to see the curvature of the earth, it was amazing.The captain told me they dont usually fly this high when they have pasengers for safety reasons, the captain recieved info from atc on heading changes and told me to make the nesecery changes to the autopilot, I turned the litle knob and watched the aircraft turning whilst sitting on the RHS with a headset on in a 757 at 41500ft,
OH MY GOD, i was so excited, the smile on my face went from ear to ear,
We landed at palma and picked up the passengers, we took of again 1 hour later for the 2.45hr flight back to glasgow, This time it was a night flight and it was an amazing sight with all the lights and then looking down at barcelona all lit up.
We were passing over bristol on the way home and the captain said look ahead and you can see the light pollution from gla and edinburgh, look down to your right, theres london, straight ahead and theres bhx and man, down to your left and theres cardiff, how cool was that, and then he said it, the captain sat back and said to the 1st officer, (((((We are getting paid for this!!!!!!)))))
IT was possibly the best experience of my life and I thank the crew for the trip, I thank britannia airways for giving me the opportunity,
It is very sad that the possibility of anyone getting that opportunity these days is slim,
anyways see ya later
I once wrote a letter to britannia, (before sept11) asking for a chance to visit thier ops department at glasgow,
A few weeks later the training captain phoned me and asked me if i would like the chance to join them on a trip to palma and back, i was so excited, this was going to be amazing, he told me all the details and i was set, I was to meet the crew at gla(thats were they were based and then we got on a coach to edinburgh airport to meet the plane a 757,
it was the last flight for that specific season so the aircraft flew out empty and we certainly did go up like a rocket, because there was only crew on the aircraft and me, the f/o was away for about 30mins talking to the trolly dollys, chatting them up more like!!!! the captain told me to sit on his seat as i was on the jumpseat at the time, they also gave me a headset to listen to atc, we flew down to palma at 41500 ft and you could begin to see the curvature of the earth, it was amazing.The captain told me they dont usually fly this high when they have pasengers for safety reasons, the captain recieved info from atc on heading changes and told me to make the nesecery changes to the autopilot, I turned the litle knob and watched the aircraft turning whilst sitting on the RHS with a headset on in a 757 at 41500ft,
OH MY GOD, i was so excited, the smile on my face went from ear to ear,
We landed at palma and picked up the passengers, we took of again 1 hour later for the 2.45hr flight back to glasgow, This time it was a night flight and it was an amazing sight with all the lights and then looking down at barcelona all lit up.
We were passing over bristol on the way home and the captain said look ahead and you can see the light pollution from gla and edinburgh, look down to your right, theres london, straight ahead and theres bhx and man, down to your left and theres cardiff, how cool was that, and then he said it, the captain sat back and said to the 1st officer, (((((We are getting paid for this!!!!!!)))))
IT was possibly the best experience of my life and I thank the crew for the trip, I thank britannia airways for giving me the opportunity,
It is very sad that the possibility of anyone getting that opportunity these days is slim,
anyways see ya later
Join Date: May 2000
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 724
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You may find that the rules and regulations vary between airlines, but the CAA has not imposed a ban as such on all travel on the jump seat full stop. In BA, to be able to use the jump seat, you must be either a family member or very well known to one of the pilots, take that position at the start of the flight and remain there throughout, only leaving for pysiological reasons.
If as you say it is a friend who has offered you a trip, and you are well known to him, and he is confident that you are a sane and sensible person, then provided the company allows travel within such restrictions I see no reason whatsoever for your jumpseat ride to take place. As scroggs says, you need to be a companion of the crewmember, or as close to as possible.
If as you say it is a friend who has offered you a trip, and you are well known to him, and he is confident that you are a sane and sensible person, then provided the company allows travel within such restrictions I see no reason whatsoever for your jumpseat ride to take place. As scroggs says, you need to be a companion of the crewmember, or as close to as possible.
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 317
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ALternative to jump-seating
If you can't get a jumpseat ride get the next best thing - a 'from the cockpit' video. I bought the Virgin 747-400 video by ITVV and it is interesting and informative (if a little over the top with all the verbal cross-checking going on compared to jump seat rides I have experienced)
I'd recommend these videos to anyone who would like an insight into being on the flight-deck - they're not cheap (well not at Transair anyway!) but worth owning one or two.
Hope this helps,
Desk-pilot
I'd recommend these videos to anyone who would like an insight into being on the flight-deck - they're not cheap (well not at Transair anyway!) but worth owning one or two.
Hope this helps,
Desk-pilot
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Stansted
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
IMO Lucifer is spot on. In the company I worked for last year, post sept for a non crew member to occupy the jump seat you needed prior permission from the ops director. Don't know what the situation is in my current company though. However if you ask at the end of a flight most guys will happily show you around the flight deck, answer any questions and have a general chat time permitting of course
:o
:o
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: u.k,
Posts: 50
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Had a ride into Punta Cana in the Dom' Rep once, the best terminal building ever, open sided with a coconut thatched roof and gorgeous dusky "birds" playing the merengue!
No approach aids, ala tropicana, with a conventional downwind join and circuit to land in a 763- looked a mighty small strip on finals I can tell you, and didn't realise the American controllers actually say " reading you 5 by 5"!!!
Best start to holiday I can think of, shame it's stopped for actions that seem so un-real/ unthinkable.........
And the airline- Britannia, friendly aren't they!
No approach aids, ala tropicana, with a conventional downwind join and circuit to land in a 763- looked a mighty small strip on finals I can tell you, and didn't realise the American controllers actually say " reading you 5 by 5"!!!
Best start to holiday I can think of, shame it's stopped for actions that seem so un-real/ unthinkable.........
And the airline- Britannia, friendly aren't they!
Last edited by schuler_tuned; 22nd May 2002 at 20:25.
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: London
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
just wondering???
Just a thought, not too sure if it would be possible.
If i had booked a flight, say a few months from now, would it be possible to write a letter to the director of operatoins and ask nicely if there was a possibility of a jumpseat ride? Stating to them that you were willing to undergo all security checks necessary. (these checks being the same that their regular flight crew get)
Or is this too expensive an option for the airlines to undertake? (how much do security checks cost) or is it still a security risk?
what do you reckon?
If i had booked a flight, say a few months from now, would it be possible to write a letter to the director of operatoins and ask nicely if there was a possibility of a jumpseat ride? Stating to them that you were willing to undergo all security checks necessary. (these checks being the same that their regular flight crew get)
Or is this too expensive an option for the airlines to undertake? (how much do security checks cost) or is it still a security risk?
what do you reckon?
Join Date: Dec 1998
Location: EMA
Age: 56
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well I can't speak for those chaps flying long haul in heavies, but a shorthaul typical day is sumat like this.
Turn up 1 hour and fifteen minutes before departure. Typical report time is 1 hour before, but being a keen F/O it's politically correct to get there before the captain and have made a start on the paperwork.
Enter crewroom, check white board to see if you have to phone crewing. Wander round, say 'ello to everyone. Pick up flight docs from appropriate destination slot. Envelope is pre-prepared for us by ops. So it will include SWORD flightplan, big picture weather (you know the one that covers europe and the upper winds chart), battery for mobile phone and crew list. And Voyage report..almost blank. (except on weekends, turn up extra 15 mins earlier as we have to do all paperwork)
Find empty desk and spread out paperwork over it. Write crew names on SWORDS and fill in voyage report. Wander over to notice boards and see if your aircraft has any tech notices against it. Wander over to computer and check loads for flight, slot delays, stand aircraft is on and whether it is there or is inbound.
Dump all this paperwork on desk, wander over to computer and get latest weather for destination and en-route alternates....not hard to do as computer is pre-setup so you hit the key for your destination and it vomits out the AIS and forecasts for all airfields en-route and alternates.
Pick up printout which is normally about 8-10' long. Depending on your frame of mind...cut it into little page size bites, seperating wx from AIS, and stapling the AIS into one doc and wx into another.
Sort out mound of paper on desk into neat piles, put SWORD flight plans into two piles (your copy and Capt Copy).
Get coffee, find FCN folder (flight Crew Notices) see if your up to date and have signed for them all. Note FCN from Chief pilot telling all flight deck not to write on FCN's as they are legal documents. Write 'I agree' on FCN alongside other assorted comments from other flight deck. Check to see if capt is up to date. If not leave folder open on appropriate page.
All this takes around 10 mins. Drink coffee, Capt turns up as minute hand clicks on report time....bundles in and starts to rummage around in your neat piles of paperwork. pauses to scan FCN's, writes 'bollocks' on chief pilots FCN. Meanwhile you offer to get him a coffee from machine. Inexplicably coffee machine breaks down and then resumes working when Capt tries. Both sit down together. Capt scans wx and then having decided that its okay for you to have a shot says 'what do you fancy doing'. You say which leg you want to fly. Pilot who is flying first leg briefs wx and AIS and decides fuel for outbound leg. Return pilot decides fuel for return leg. Capt asks about load, tech faults, stand of aircraft, is it in yet. Being smart F/O you already have got this. Capt briefs cabin crew, you phone up the despatchers and ask for fuel.
All this takes about 15 mins. Wander out to aircraft P1 outbound does walk round and P2 gets in cockpit and presses lots of buttons. P1 returns to cockpit and says 'what can I do to help', P2 asks P1 to do FMS. P2 works out performance and requirement for ant-icing etc. P1 checks performance, p2 checks FMS.
P1 gets clearance from ATC. Despatcher asks if they can board aircraft, Capt normally says 'yes if its okay with the purser'. Despatcher wanders off. Appropriate checklists caried out. First cup of tea arrives. P1 briefs departure, speeds, emergencies and other significant items, then nominates a return airfield if it all goes tits up..normally the one you are leaving from. Second cup of tea arrives. Pax gets on. Capt says hello over PA. Final paperwork from despatcher arrives. Perfomance checked against final loadsheet and amended as necessary. Capt gives despatcher copy of tech log page. Despatcher gets off. Purser confirms pax on board against manifest with Capt and Capt tells purser to close door. Have chat with captain waiting for departure time. P1 Calls ATC for start...standard hassle ensues as all ricraft want to go at same instant. Get start clearance. PI liases with engineer. Having got all the above discover you've got no tug or crew, cancel start, call for tug and crew, get start clearance. Commence pushback. P2 starts engines, P1 monitors. After start checks. Engineer disconnects and leaves hopefully taking tug and crew with him.
P1 calls for taxi, Capt taxis regardless of whether he is P1 or not. Appropriate checks carried out, confirming flap settings and speeds. Get transferred to tower, get cleared to line up. Appropriate last second checks carried out. Cleared to take off. P1 takes control and takes off, get gear up on positive climb, 500' get the FMS on and working, 600' switch autopilot on. clean up aircraft. 'Bing' cabin crew (one bing on chime button') to let them know they can work. 3rd cup of tea arrives with biscuits. talk to lots of people during climb P1 flies, p2 works radio. get to cruise altitude, sit back look out of window. Drink lots of tea, B'fast, lunch, dinner arrives. Complain about standard of catering (SOP), get second b'fast, lunch, dinner..complain about standard of catering, get more tea. 10 mins goes by, trays taken away, more tea arrives. 10 mins go by, tea and biscuits arrive, fight for jammy dodgers with capt. Capt eats jammy dodgers. More tea arrives. look at Alps..the mountains that is. P1 talks to pax. Drink tea. read newspaper. Go off on one about something you've read in paper. Drink tea. P1 Gets weathers en-route. P1 briefs for descent and approach. Descend and approach as briefed...unless it's Italy when strange things happen. 10 mins before landing tell crew its ten mintues to land. or forget to tell crew ten minutes to land. Crew finds out its near landing time as gear goes down. All hell breaks lose in pax cabin as Cabin crew attempt to carry out full club service and clear up in the 2 minues before touch down. Shortly before touch down, purser tells capt cabin is secure. Capt asks for another cup of tea. tea arrives, Capt doesn't drink it. P1 lands disconnecting AP at appropriate time. Dsicussion ensues as you tear down runway with reversers and lift dump devices deployed as to why the landing was crap...light winds, cross winds, no winds, too hot, too cold, Monday etc. etc. Aircraft slows down. Capt becomes P1 or stays P1. Taxi onto stand. pax gets off. Turn aircraft round. More of same till get home.
Get off aircraft. Fill tech log with lots of little things you thought were wrong. Engineers write 'thank you, please report further'. Head into crewroom. Capt signs voyage report, put paperwork into old paperwork box. Dump mobile phone battery into battery box.
Say goodbye. walk to car. Go home.
Current record is 8 cups of tea and one can of coke before having to leave flight deck for physiological reasons.
That's about it really.
Great fun.
Turn up 1 hour and fifteen minutes before departure. Typical report time is 1 hour before, but being a keen F/O it's politically correct to get there before the captain and have made a start on the paperwork.
Enter crewroom, check white board to see if you have to phone crewing. Wander round, say 'ello to everyone. Pick up flight docs from appropriate destination slot. Envelope is pre-prepared for us by ops. So it will include SWORD flightplan, big picture weather (you know the one that covers europe and the upper winds chart), battery for mobile phone and crew list. And Voyage report..almost blank. (except on weekends, turn up extra 15 mins earlier as we have to do all paperwork)
Find empty desk and spread out paperwork over it. Write crew names on SWORDS and fill in voyage report. Wander over to notice boards and see if your aircraft has any tech notices against it. Wander over to computer and check loads for flight, slot delays, stand aircraft is on and whether it is there or is inbound.
Dump all this paperwork on desk, wander over to computer and get latest weather for destination and en-route alternates....not hard to do as computer is pre-setup so you hit the key for your destination and it vomits out the AIS and forecasts for all airfields en-route and alternates.
Pick up printout which is normally about 8-10' long. Depending on your frame of mind...cut it into little page size bites, seperating wx from AIS, and stapling the AIS into one doc and wx into another.
Sort out mound of paper on desk into neat piles, put SWORD flight plans into two piles (your copy and Capt Copy).
Get coffee, find FCN folder (flight Crew Notices) see if your up to date and have signed for them all. Note FCN from Chief pilot telling all flight deck not to write on FCN's as they are legal documents. Write 'I agree' on FCN alongside other assorted comments from other flight deck. Check to see if capt is up to date. If not leave folder open on appropriate page.
All this takes around 10 mins. Drink coffee, Capt turns up as minute hand clicks on report time....bundles in and starts to rummage around in your neat piles of paperwork. pauses to scan FCN's, writes 'bollocks' on chief pilots FCN. Meanwhile you offer to get him a coffee from machine. Inexplicably coffee machine breaks down and then resumes working when Capt tries. Both sit down together. Capt scans wx and then having decided that its okay for you to have a shot says 'what do you fancy doing'. You say which leg you want to fly. Pilot who is flying first leg briefs wx and AIS and decides fuel for outbound leg. Return pilot decides fuel for return leg. Capt asks about load, tech faults, stand of aircraft, is it in yet. Being smart F/O you already have got this. Capt briefs cabin crew, you phone up the despatchers and ask for fuel.
All this takes about 15 mins. Wander out to aircraft P1 outbound does walk round and P2 gets in cockpit and presses lots of buttons. P1 returns to cockpit and says 'what can I do to help', P2 asks P1 to do FMS. P2 works out performance and requirement for ant-icing etc. P1 checks performance, p2 checks FMS.
P1 gets clearance from ATC. Despatcher asks if they can board aircraft, Capt normally says 'yes if its okay with the purser'. Despatcher wanders off. Appropriate checklists caried out. First cup of tea arrives. P1 briefs departure, speeds, emergencies and other significant items, then nominates a return airfield if it all goes tits up..normally the one you are leaving from. Second cup of tea arrives. Pax gets on. Capt says hello over PA. Final paperwork from despatcher arrives. Perfomance checked against final loadsheet and amended as necessary. Capt gives despatcher copy of tech log page. Despatcher gets off. Purser confirms pax on board against manifest with Capt and Capt tells purser to close door. Have chat with captain waiting for departure time. P1 Calls ATC for start...standard hassle ensues as all ricraft want to go at same instant. Get start clearance. PI liases with engineer. Having got all the above discover you've got no tug or crew, cancel start, call for tug and crew, get start clearance. Commence pushback. P2 starts engines, P1 monitors. After start checks. Engineer disconnects and leaves hopefully taking tug and crew with him.
P1 calls for taxi, Capt taxis regardless of whether he is P1 or not. Appropriate checks carried out, confirming flap settings and speeds. Get transferred to tower, get cleared to line up. Appropriate last second checks carried out. Cleared to take off. P1 takes control and takes off, get gear up on positive climb, 500' get the FMS on and working, 600' switch autopilot on. clean up aircraft. 'Bing' cabin crew (one bing on chime button') to let them know they can work. 3rd cup of tea arrives with biscuits. talk to lots of people during climb P1 flies, p2 works radio. get to cruise altitude, sit back look out of window. Drink lots of tea, B'fast, lunch, dinner arrives. Complain about standard of catering (SOP), get second b'fast, lunch, dinner..complain about standard of catering, get more tea. 10 mins goes by, trays taken away, more tea arrives. 10 mins go by, tea and biscuits arrive, fight for jammy dodgers with capt. Capt eats jammy dodgers. More tea arrives. look at Alps..the mountains that is. P1 talks to pax. Drink tea. read newspaper. Go off on one about something you've read in paper. Drink tea. P1 Gets weathers en-route. P1 briefs for descent and approach. Descend and approach as briefed...unless it's Italy when strange things happen. 10 mins before landing tell crew its ten mintues to land. or forget to tell crew ten minutes to land. Crew finds out its near landing time as gear goes down. All hell breaks lose in pax cabin as Cabin crew attempt to carry out full club service and clear up in the 2 minues before touch down. Shortly before touch down, purser tells capt cabin is secure. Capt asks for another cup of tea. tea arrives, Capt doesn't drink it. P1 lands disconnecting AP at appropriate time. Dsicussion ensues as you tear down runway with reversers and lift dump devices deployed as to why the landing was crap...light winds, cross winds, no winds, too hot, too cold, Monday etc. etc. Aircraft slows down. Capt becomes P1 or stays P1. Taxi onto stand. pax gets off. Turn aircraft round. More of same till get home.
Get off aircraft. Fill tech log with lots of little things you thought were wrong. Engineers write 'thank you, please report further'. Head into crewroom. Capt signs voyage report, put paperwork into old paperwork box. Dump mobile phone battery into battery box.
Say goodbye. walk to car. Go home.
Current record is 8 cups of tea and one can of coke before having to leave flight deck for physiological reasons.
That's about it really.
Great fun.
Join Date: Dec 1997
Location: Suffolk UK
Posts: 4,927
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, what can I say? There are a few things I would add to DeeTees's excellent post. As you might imagine, in longhaul there's a good deal more eating, drinking and newspaper-reading, a bit of sleep occasionally (crew numbers allowing), and you don't go home at the end of the outbound flight. Some of the en-route procedures are a bit more involved, and ATC in the more remote parts of the world can be, er, interesting! We also tend (at least on the B747, and in Virgin) to fly the aircraft manually a lot more than DeeTee's post would suggest he does.
Inevitably, and not extensively covered by DeeTee, there is a good deal of work going on before and during flight to anticipate and plan for problems such as engine or pressurisation failures. An engine failure, say in the middle of the Atlantic, requires some fairly complex decision-making about the (new?) destination and route of flight, as does a pressurisation failure over the Himalayas. Political factors may also need to be taken into account. For instance, would you divert into Pakistan on a flight destined for Delhi? This kind of stuff needs thinking about before it becomes an imperative!
Other, routine, problems might involve weather avoidance en-route. In most of Europe or the US this isn't really an issue, as radar cover is sufficient to cope with track deviations without too much hassle. However, in areas covered by purely procedural (i.e. non-radar) rules, and using HF (short-wave) communications, a track deviation may take an enormous amount of effort to organise and so must be requested long before it's needed.
Weather, equally, can have fairly profound effects on what happens at your destination. While the forecast might show the weather well within your limits and the capabilities of your aeroplane, it may be sufficiently bad to seriously disrupt less well-equipped arrivals. That will have knock-on effects to all arrivals, such as extended patterns, holding or even a diversion. An in-flight delay may well be easily absorbed (but will have a domino effect on your aircraft's subsequent departure), but a diversion of something as large and complex as a full 747 is a major undertaking, especially if the only suitable diversion field is not particularly well set up for the procedure. If you have to terminate the flight at the diversion field, the problems of handling, accommodating and victualling 500 or so unhappy passengers should not be underestimated!
So, it might be dull on occasions, but it always has the potential to become very interesting, very quickly! And the view is always outstanding. So, on occasion, are the down-route parties - only on multi-night stops, of course - but that's another story.
Inevitably, and not extensively covered by DeeTee, there is a good deal of work going on before and during flight to anticipate and plan for problems such as engine or pressurisation failures. An engine failure, say in the middle of the Atlantic, requires some fairly complex decision-making about the (new?) destination and route of flight, as does a pressurisation failure over the Himalayas. Political factors may also need to be taken into account. For instance, would you divert into Pakistan on a flight destined for Delhi? This kind of stuff needs thinking about before it becomes an imperative!
Other, routine, problems might involve weather avoidance en-route. In most of Europe or the US this isn't really an issue, as radar cover is sufficient to cope with track deviations without too much hassle. However, in areas covered by purely procedural (i.e. non-radar) rules, and using HF (short-wave) communications, a track deviation may take an enormous amount of effort to organise and so must be requested long before it's needed.
Weather, equally, can have fairly profound effects on what happens at your destination. While the forecast might show the weather well within your limits and the capabilities of your aeroplane, it may be sufficiently bad to seriously disrupt less well-equipped arrivals. That will have knock-on effects to all arrivals, such as extended patterns, holding or even a diversion. An in-flight delay may well be easily absorbed (but will have a domino effect on your aircraft's subsequent departure), but a diversion of something as large and complex as a full 747 is a major undertaking, especially if the only suitable diversion field is not particularly well set up for the procedure. If you have to terminate the flight at the diversion field, the problems of handling, accommodating and victualling 500 or so unhappy passengers should not be underestimated!
So, it might be dull on occasions, but it always has the potential to become very interesting, very quickly! And the view is always outstanding. So, on occasion, are the down-route parties - only on multi-night stops, of course - but that's another story.
Join Date: May 2000
Location: South East
Posts: 184
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Most amusing and all so true!!.
Especially the roll out bit. I could add 'that bloody 777 that departed ahead', 'that bloody 777 that landed ahead', the wind from the south over the hangers', 'the wind from the north over the terminal', the list is endless and I've used sooo many of them.
Especially the roll out bit. I could add 'that bloody 777 that departed ahead', 'that bloody 777 that landed ahead', the wind from the south over the hangers', 'the wind from the north over the terminal', the list is endless and I've used sooo many of them.
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 317
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Best account ever
Deetee - you just posted the best summary of a day in the life of an airline pilot I have ever read! So good I read it twice!
Just reinforces my feeling that it's the best job in the world (apart from working for Tetley's) if you like drinking tea!
Desk-pilot
Just reinforces my feeling that it's the best job in the world (apart from working for Tetley's) if you like drinking tea!
Desk-pilot
Join Date: Dec 1997
Location: Suffolk UK
Posts: 4,927
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
For more inspiration, check out the following threads:
WWW and Scroggs, care to describe your last month?
Longhaul Pilots
Inspiration for Wannabes please...
Also check out any of a number of posts by PilotPete for both the good and bad sides of the route to an airliner flight deck, and some excellent descriptions of what it's like to fly one of these beasts.
WWW and Scroggs, care to describe your last month?
Longhaul Pilots
Inspiration for Wannabes please...
Also check out any of a number of posts by PilotPete for both the good and bad sides of the route to an airliner flight deck, and some excellent descriptions of what it's like to fly one of these beasts.