Re: PTU in Airbus?

- A340: I can't find any diagrams or other info, but given it is basically the same aircraft as the A330 I would guess the architecture is similar but with more pumps since it has more engines. Yes, the general layout is basically the same, but with the same amount of pumps. Eng 1 and Eng 4 drive t...

Re: Swissair Retrenchment

I believe Swissair actually died completely and that the Swiss we know today is actually the former Crossair picking up Swissair's assets, aircraft, etc... Yes, basically Swiss was built on Crossair with the help of external, namely tax payers, money. For the OP question: All pilots above the age o...

Re: question

TAS does decrease. The speed of sound is only a function of temperature. Speed of sound in m/s is c ≈ 331.5 + (0.6 x ϑ) , with ϑ=Temperature in °C. Therefore speed of sound decreases with decreasing temperature. So with a constant Mach number, but a decreasing speed of sound due to lower temperature...

Re: Landing - Thrust Reverse and Brake

Can the Autobrake setting be changed once the WoW has been triggered? In the recent FedEx overrun in BOM, if the crew didn't expect that much water on the runway/more water accumulation towards the end of the runway, could they have changed the Autobrake setting after touchdown? Even if it would be...

Re: Photo related issues

In my experinece the correction function works fine. But you have to be patient, as the database editors are (like all staff) voulunteers and there is no guarantee when one of them is at work. It rarely takes more than a day to have a correction implemented, however there is no guarantee.

Re: Photo(s) that made you go WOW!

I really like this thead, for the sake of photos that make me go WOW.
So could you all please stay on topic and discuss other pictures in another thread. Pls.

Re: Does reverse thrust actually decrease stopping distance?

In addition to what Starlionblue said, on a contaminated runway the autobrake system may not reach the target deceleration. In this case the reverse thrust will decrease the stopping distance.

Re: Silly designs in otherwise great aircraft

The reading light on the A330/340 is a joke. It's fine if you lean back, then it illuminates the table. As soon as you lean forward in order to read or especially to write something, your head will overshadow the table. The A320 has a nice light strip underneath the glareshield panel, lighting up th...

Re: Professional pilots: what else do you fly?

The season is just about to start...

Re: Question about "Visual Approaches" on an IFR flight plan

There’s a lot of charted visuals in the US, can’t think of one overseas, though. I doubt I’ve done more than a handful of visuals outside the US and Canada. I’ve asked for them many times, oft times it would have helped ATC and me, but never given. Beautiful clear day in Geneva, inbound, but someho...

Re: Are there any flights left that don't qualify for ETOPS?

There might be different rules in different parts of the world. Under EASA you can definitely plan a route farther away from an airport with a three- or fourengine aircraft than with a twin. There is no specific rule time for EROPS planning (which is planning a route more than 90 minutes away from a...

Re: A3330/350 type rating

workhorse wrote:

I think (but not so sure, hence the question) that Swiss pilots used to fly both the A320 and the A330/A340 family (thus effectively covering the whole fleet of their airline).

Re: Tensions in South Asia - Pakistani and North Indian Airspace Shut Down

Just look at the terrain on the eastern part. The elevations there average around 14k ft, hence would be unsuitable in case of emergencies like decompression, engine failure, or emergency landing, as there aren't many airstrips there and the aircraft wouldn't be able to come down to a safe breathab...

Re: which engine to cut off before using GPU

It can also depend on the situation. If we taxi-in on one engine with the A330 we shut down ENG2 during taxi in order to have the Green and Blue Hydraulic Systems pressurized by ENG1. So while waiting for GPU at the gate, Engine 1 is running. On the other hand, if we taxi in with both engines we shu...

Re: Bae 146 Nickname

As far as I remember the name was initially not given by the pilots but by Crossair itself as a marketing idea. They also called the Saab 2000 "Concordino", however "Jumbolino" was more succesful. This was the official sticker: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/6G8AAOSwZhtbx4A7/s-l1...

Re: Airbus 319/320/321 Front Gear

Borrowed from automotive references: Positive Caster Increasing the amount of positive caster will increase steering effort and straight line tracking, as well as improve high speed stability and cornering effectiveness. Positive caster also increases tire lean when cornering (almost like having mo...

Re: A340 Takeoff Performance Calculations

I’ve flown with guys that learned on Aztecs and Barons where getting to “blue line”speed quickly was everything to survival in the case of engine loss. They never got over that even in jets—slow rotations, V2+30 at 50’, etc, rotate to 8-10 degrees when the target in type was 15-17*. GF That, and so...

Re: A340 Takeoff Performance Calculations

For me it seems the main problem with this take-off is not only the rotation rate but mainly the too low pitch attitude at the end of the rotation. As mentioned by Starlionblue the target pitch is at 12.5°. Considering the fact that tailstrike with compressed main gear is at 10° and looking at the v...

Re: Runway Length required for Airbus A330

Commercial ops require actual landing distances to be within 60% of the actual landing distance available. Factoring gives a pad. Gf Is the factor that small in EASA, Starlionblue? That looks like 15% or less. GF The numbers I posted are straight from the FlySmart Landing app, it is certified data ...

Re: A320 Flight by Tianjin Airlines Forced to Land at Wuhan after Hailstorm Smashed Windshield and Damaged Nose

an A320 from Tianjin to Haikou got under attack by a hailstorm when cruising at an altitude of 9,800 a misfortune that led to the plane's frontal outer windshield smashed and its nose damaged You don't get under attack by a hailstorm, you fly into it. Therefore it's not a misfortune but a misjudgem...

Re: Ground Speed Question

Winds. So the winds are always blowing from west to east? Not generally, but on an average latitude (between 30° and 60°) that's indeed the most common winddirection in the upper atmosphere. This is caused by the rotation of the earth, disturbed only by the position of High and Lowpressure systems ...

Re: Edelweiss' pilots have security concerns and cabin crews are not proud of their product

Not having GPWS in the year 2018 is indeed pretty ridiculous. That needs to change. They are not talking about the GPWS, they talk about the RAAS (Runway Awareness and Advisory System) - a system which informs you when approaching or entering a runway, or if you are trying to take-off on a taxiway.

Re: Calculating v1 and vr speeds.

An FMC that computed Vspeeds? Display....yes, but compute with all the variables? I assume you were using the Honeywell Pegasus in the MD11? Yes, that's correct. I was just checking my old books again and that's indeed what it did. With help of the entered weight, slope and atmospheric conditions. ...

Re: Calculating v1 and vr speeds.

Clearing out the cobwebs in my brain and not having flown the DC-9/MD-80, I am sure it was very similar to the 727. We had a runway analysis page for each runway at every destination and alternate we flew into. There were various gross weights and temps with adjustments for altimeter settings and e...

Re: Is there a minimum "rest" time for an aircraft?

With very optimized ground processes (e.g. cabin cleaning starting already from the rear entrance while passengers still deboard through the front door into the jetty) we managed to turn an in- and outbound full A320 in about 30 to 35 minutes. But ervery small disturbance in the process will ruin su...

Re: Calculating v1 and vr speeds.

As mentioned above v-speeds today are optimized not only for weight but also for runway length, contamination, wind, temperature, pressure and obstacle situation. Older generation jets (I think about DC-9/MD-80 series, Fokker F100 a.s.o) and a lot of todays turboprops have speed booklets or speed ta...

Re: SWISS (LX) 777-300ER Flights GVA-ZRH-GVA

Is the JFK-GVA flight crewed by GVA based pilots and FAs or those from ZRH? There are no GVA based pilots and GVA-based FA's are only qualified on shorhaul aircraft (Bombardier, A320-family) and the A330/340 for the GVA-JFK flight. One reason can be shortage of shorthaul aircraft. But often shortha...

Re: Swiss aviation thread - 2018

Possibly a medical emergency, I guess? In case of a medical emergency, time is a crucial factor and thus one would usually perform an overweight landing instead of burning fuel for hours. Strange that the A330 can’t dump fuel since the A340 can? Can it be related to the fact the A330 was originally...

Re: Great Circle Flight Plan Question

If you have a tailwind the air distance will be shorter. I don't understand. Isn't the great circle distance the shortest possible connection (in terms of length, not time) of two points on a globe? I understand that another, longer route can be faster but not shorter. Think about the air distance ...

Re: Hand Propping a Dash 8

You can't do that with a piston engine, because of the risk of the engine starting, and the amount of compression on each cylinder. Well, you can. It's not the norm, but depending on the engine you even have to. I had the chance to fly a Pilatus P-2 for a few years. The problem with its Argus-engin...