Flight dispatcher here. I do not have the ability to do anything with regards to a route once the aircraft is airborne. If a flight needs to divert, they will coordinate with ATC who will give them a new route to fly or in some cases, a direct set of vectors to the diversion airport. The only time I...
Jump to postI noticed that several Delta 737-900s have a small radome/antenna on one side of the fuselage, just below the 2nd window aft of the mid-aft exit door. Not all of the -900s seem to have this odd modification. I've never seen an antenna radome installed on the side of the fuselage (why the side as opp...
Jump to postFor the 737-800 and MAX off the top of my head: -Dual HF radio (1 is standard, provisions for second one always there) -SATCOM data/voice -Short-field performance package (two position tailskid, slight differences with TE/LE flap extension, thrust goes to idle power faster) -Single vs. Dual ADF -Inf...
Jump to postDo you care to share what the 737 needs for ETOPS? Thanks! Off the top of my head, ETOPS ready for the 737NG and MAX would include life-raft stowage compartments (two compartments on the ceiling in the middle of the passenger cabin), dual high-frequency radios (HF), slightly higher power APU-driven...
Jump to postFlight dispatcher here. The difference in routings can be anything from lack of survival equipment (some regulatory agencies require rafts to fly a certain distance from land), aircraft MEL status (inoperative HF radio, navigation equipment, etc) or even radar outages meaning flights cannot be filed...
Jump to postThe Bangladeshi diaspora is typically very price-conscious and I don't doubt at all that some would easily accept the multi-stop routing if it meant saving a large amount of money. That is especially important if travelling with multiple family members. When I think of Bengali people in the UK, you ...
Jump to postWe, and many bizjets and airlines, use a company called MedLink out of a PHX hospital. Crew calls in, identifying an emergency, a doctor is on call and based on symptoms and patient information, makes recommendations and calls ahead to the receiving airport/hospital. This is the procedure at my air...
Jump to postAirline dispatcher here. In theory the route planning could be done manually using large charts that show all the airways/waypoints/VORs, a pencil, and ruler. While it would be time consuming and less efficient than a computer which is able to take into account predicted winds and weather movement, ...
Jump to postDid anyone expect less from an airline that's notoriously known for being overbearing and controlling of their employees, even when outside of working hours? The little shrimp who was born with a diamond-incrusted platinum spoon in mouth thinks he's the king of his company and can run it like a dict...
Jump to postOpening of the cockpit door is generally not a huge deal. Normally they'll call an FA to come to the front, they will make sure the lavatory closest to the flight deck is empty, and then they'll stand behind the curtain to make sure nobody runs up during the 10 seconds (if that) during which the doo...
Jump to postIf they are operating 2x per week, that's a long time to keep crews on layover. Considering the fact that the 737-900ER does not have crew rests that would be sufficient for resting pilots/FAs adequately they'll have to come up with a solution. I don't see them keeping the crews away from base for s...
Jump to postAt my airline, the only thing that is normally paper-based would be the load sheets (pax cabin breakdown/bag loading breakdown), cargo paperwork from the handler, and fuel request/receipts from the fueler. Some crews print out PDC/ATIS/METAR/TAF info from the ACARS printer but it is not required. Al...
Jump to postIt was not the person, it is their religious belief. No different to say a person of Muslim belief not being able to take pork products, or Buddhists taking beef products, it is not the person themselves that cannot handle these food products, it is their religious beliefs, and airlines have to acc...
Jump to postThe only satcom radome available for line fit on the 737MAX is the Boeing Tri-band Radome. As Boeing notes "Sized to fit a wide range of Ku and Ka antennas from Panasonic, Honeywell, ViaSat, Global Eagle Entertainment (TECOM), and others." Is the factory-installed SATCOM radome the one vi...
Jump to postLooking at the large amount of 737 MAX shots from above at both BFI and MWH, I'm interested in figuring out the different antennas that are on the top of the fuselage. Looking at the photo of the SQ and Blue Air frames below, I notice two black antennas around the middle whereas the EastarJet frame ...
Jump to postEl Al's flights right now appear to be primarily cargo-only (using passenger aircraft). They've even been flying to/from some irregular destinations for the purposes of bringing cargo (and previously repatriating Israeli citizens). I'm going to assume that El Al not flying on the sabbath was more fo...
Jump to postWhat’s up everyone. Hope this is an appropriate forum for my question, if it’s not just tell me to shut up. I’ve recently been ‘given the opportunity’ to look into routing for transits over European airspace, and have noticed that CFMU validation tools don’t really give you much insight into what i...
Jump to postHope that helps. Glad you asked it. Was fascinating talking to my brother. They even have contracts with termination providers because if you get pregnant you can’t work and get sent home. They will pay for the trip home if you choose. Otherwise the transportation and logistics office has a bus sch...
Jump to postAnd now it seems to be turning back? Entering a holding pattern over Montreal? At FL310 and ground speed 530kts? FL310 is not out of the ordinary for a flight like this which is carrying a tremendous amount of fuel. A step climb up to final cruise altitude as they get lighter (due to burning off fu...
Jump to postIt's the same situation as ATC in Latin/South America. You will undoubtedly hear Spanish spoken by ATC at all airports, large and small. Pilots flying for Spanish-speaking carriers will speak their native language when flying in a country where that is the lingua-franca. Of course, if one pilot does...
Jump to postCertain airlines have cabin scenting directives as part of their on-board product. For example, EVA Air in J-class definitely scents their cabins subtly prior to boarding and perhaps a few times during the longer flights. Their hot towels are also specifically scented in a similar way. As for the ge...
Jump to postWhat is the difference between a flight attendant/onboard chef/shower attendant/etc? I've never heard of a "license" for flight attendants. If you are employed by an airline and on a flight for the purpose of engaging in work you'd normally be listed on the general declaration (master cust...
Jump to postOff the top of my head, flight planning/dispatch software (for creating the flight plan): Navblue (formerly NavTech), LIDO Flight, Jeppesen JetPlan, and Sabre Flight Plan Manager.
Jump to postIs anyone else questioning why a 14-year old was unable to manage their own travel without UM assistance or at the very least realize they were not going to Germany on Eurowings? Perhaps I'm an exception but I was fully capable of identifying what airline/flight I was going to be on by that age. We'...
Jump to post-Miami - PAP - Miami starting on July 19 -They serve (or plan to): Argentina, Barb o dos, Haiti, and Miami -A video -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh0eElsuOGQ that talks about 767-200s but shows mainly 737-800s. There's also a second video showing stock footage of PAP airport, various types of a...
Jump to postThe Canadian Maritimes are populated with numerous airports that are used on a daily basis to support NAT traffic. Gander, and Goosebay are just a couple of examples. Gander, Goose Bay, and St. John's are probably the only three that would meet ETOPS criteria. The other airports are small with mini...
Jump to postAt my last employer NW on the DC-9 at least you would almost always see the crew refuse the airplane for an autopilot inop. Auto-pressurization inop is another one the crews would refuse.. Pilots don't arbitrarily say they won't fly the aircraft if the auto pilot is inop. They refer to the MEL and ...
Jump to postUnless you're flying on a very very lax carrier or you have a very close connection with a pilot who's on-duty it's pretty much unheard of these days. It's certainly not legal on any airline to allow public passengers into the flight deck during flight so most people (if they do get the chance to) w...
Jump to postCharlie Palmer in the Four Seasons is my pick.
Jump to postThe incident aircraft seems to be 28 years old based on AirFleets. With that kind of damage, it's pretty likely it'll be scrapped. Repairing that kind of structural damage will be much more than the aircraft is worth.
Jump to postPerhaps a UA pilot can chime in with an answer. Where is the Channel 9 feed fed from? I know on the audio control panels in the F/D you have selectors for what you want to hear (VHF 1/2/3, HF 1/2, SATCOM, interphone, pa, etc). Throughout a flight, the crew would be using VHF/HF/interphone/SATCOM (if...
Jump to postWhy are airlines like AF, TK, IB, and TP still flying into CCS? Are there that many people travelling in/out of Venezuela that they're able to make money on these flights? AC and all of the US carriers have pulled out long ago due to the financial issues associated with a country who's currency is w...
Jump to post10+ years ago I had heard the B747SP was equipped with beds, a shower, and most importantly a few gaming tables complete with video-downlinks (presumably to LAS) so people on the ground could monitor the games. They used the plane to bring high-rolling clients (who have spends in the 8-figures) to/f...
Jump to postSunwing Airlines operated a few flights in/out of Dakar, Senegal for some kind of charter last month. The idea of a Canadian leisure airline that normally shuttles tourists to/from the Caribbean in such a foreign place as Senegal certainly would have been a sight.
Jump to postForgive my assumptions but this guy sounds/looks like a "frequent flyer" who's primary destination are the brothels of Thailand. He seems to fit the profile of one of those creeps who goes just to pay (barely legal) people for sexual service. Likely and may involve women who are under 18 ...
Jump to postForgive my assumptions but this guy sounds/looks like a "frequent flyer" who's primary destination are the brothels of Thailand. He seems to fit the profile of one of those creeps who goes just to pay (barely legal) people for sexual service.
Jump to postMy airline transitioned to a dataloader that can accept USB instead of 3.5" floppy disks. IIRC, the database was installed across 6 floppy disks. On the 737NG the loader is on the wall immediately to the right when you enter the flight desk. With the USB key, the data is put onto various USB ke...
Jump to postWith the Concorde being significantly higher than the usual traffic crossing the Atlantic via the North-Atlantic Tracks or a random route, were they permitted to fly anywhere they wanted (provided it was flight planned and cleared with ATC). I imagine HF radio worked at FL600 where Concorde would be...
Jump to postWhy is the new livery on the 787 so bad? My god the tail makes me cringe! I think it looks quite modern (a word El Al didn't really have in it's vocabulary prior to this). The stylized Magen David (star of David) on the tail and multiple shades of blue make it stand out. Prior to that, the plane wa...
Jump to postI noticed a similar thing with ACA504 which apparently diverted to Oshawa Airport (CYOO) a few days ago.
Jump to postThe in-flight position map is the earliest basic version of the "Airshow" system. Whether the connecting flight display is from Airshow as well I am unsure.
Jump to postThis is why Medlink's fit-to-fly line exists. They are flight-specialists who can advise if a passenger will be OK to travel or not. Considering my experiences with calls I've been on with the crew/medlink (as a dispatcher we must listen on all calls to Medlink) I know their advice is very conservat...
Jump to postIf pilots/crew are "contractually obligated" to F/J for official rest purposes, the seats should have been blocked in the system by the crew travel arrangement department. After checking on SeatGuru, it doesn't look like the 77W has F seats. It's just Y and J.
Jump to postMy airline has deleted the #2 jumpseat (behind the captain) on the 737NGs so there is no seatbelt/padding. The one that folds down however is used periodically and I have flown numerous 4+ hour flights in it with no issue. I am 5"9 and 140lbs though so that may help. It's possible to stand up a...
Jump to postSuriname does not really have any long-distance ties or demand other than it's colonial allegiance with The Netherlands. They do not require additional long haul aircraft (unless they were to retire the A340 and obtain something like an A350 or B787).
Jump to postWith one T/R inoperative you're performance is as good as if both were inoperative since you obviously would not be activating only the remaining serviceable T/R.
Jump to postA nice video of Belarus Il-76 crew work during take-off and landing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuRzsoGNNU8 Pilot's both hands are almost 'glued' on a steering column yoke... All of those EGPWS calls don't sound very good. They're getting terrain calls before they've even left the ground. :o
Jump to postAs the title states, how many brand new Boeing or Airbus jets are actually bought by airlines brand new "in full"? It is my understanding that most airlines lease the aircraft through various companies that specialize in managing the physical purchase of the aircraft and at a later date ma...
Jump to postYou can do a lot in a lifetime, if you don't burn out too fast
You can make the most of the distance
First you need endurance, first you've got to last.
-Marathon (Power Windows)
They are expanding well taking advantage of the good location of Morocco. Their flights to Brazil are full of people connecting to Europe and are usually the cheapest option close to departure. Guess they'll target the same market (1 stop to Europe) from MIA. People connect to Europe from Morocco t...
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