Re: BOAC B744 to be scrapped

Always thought it surprising that BA, with the biggest 747 fleet in Europe retired them all so quickly and Lufthansa still operates a substantial number


A very different reaction to Covid

Re: Any plans for a civilian air refueling operator buying ex USAF KC10’s ?

My record was, IIRC, 62 touch and goes, 3 no-flap full stops, in one week. And 2 hours of AR. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Another IP in my squadron did four hours of visual patterns—I think it was something like 40 touch and goes. I’ve seen KC-10s at Hickam do an AR flight and be back on the grou...

Re: Air India 777 on an India-SFO non stop made an emergency landing in Magadan, Russia

single engine take off when empty? Not possible, technically or legally. Quads and Tris, maybe depending conditions and they have procedures for doing so. No twins, though. You don’t have the rudder authority to accelerate to Vmcg and on to V1 on one. Besides, Quads and Tris have an “out” in the ev...

Re: Any plans for a civilian air refueling operator buying ex USAF KC10’s ?

My record was, IIRC, 62 touch and goes, 3 no-flap full stops, in one week. And 2 hours of AR. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Another IP in my squadron did four hours of visual patterns—I think it was something like 40 touch and goes. I’ve seen KC-10s at Hickam do an AR flight and be back on the grou...

Re: Question about flap retractin speeds/times

For many years, there was an ICAO standard departure profile that required V2+10 to 3000 feel above field elevation. Acceleration and flap retraction could not begin until above that height. At some airports around the world, Standard Instrument Departure procedures may require a 210 knot indicated...

Re: Question about flap retractin speeds/times

With slow clean up it can be a combination of limiting speeds to comply with terrain gradients and heavy weight

Re: 787-9ER and 787-10ER

Question is will the IGW become the new standard for all customers and can these improvements be made to older airframes ?

Re: Getting Hours on a Phenom 300

In my experience unless the aircraft type certificate requires 2 pilots you can’t log second in command time In another lifetime when I was flying checks in a Baron my company bought an MU2 and wanted a ‘co pilot’ to lower their insurance costs, I had no turbine experience but turned it down as it w...

Re: Any plans for a civilian air refueling operator buying ex USAF KC10’s ?

33000 hours is barely broken in, commercial DC10s usually accumulated 120-130k before being retired

Understand these KC10s may have a lot more cycles but still

Re: Unresponsive Aircraft Crashes but causes Sonic DOD response..

If it was on an auto pilot flight plan, is it possible that people in the aircraft could have been incapacitated before it reached ISP? Or is is more likely that something happened right before landing? The only thing that seems odd with the second scenario is that it didn't descend at all. If a pi...

Re: Are very short flights a pain for the crew?

It depends a bit on how you are paid. If you are paid based on block time, then long flights are better because there's proportionally less unpaid time before and after. Assuming you have about the same block hours each month, you'll spend less time working. On the other hand, short flights can be ...

Re: Are very short flights a pain for the crew?

It’s not really the flights but the turn on the ground in between flights When I was a regional turboprop pilot a normal day was 9-10 legs per day - flights being as short as 25minutes but as long as a hour. ICT-SLN-MHK-MCI-GBD-HYS-MCI-MHK-SLN-ICT as an example - a 9 hour duty day. The turn on the ...

Re: The Little Known Fact thread

Continental briefly based a few 757s in Guam as part of the Air Micronesia operation


Continental had a daytime flight using a 764 for a few years leaving EWR terminal B around 10Am arriving in LGW around 9Pm, much easier on the body !

Re: How often are issues in the pre-flight walkaround are discovered, affecting dispatch?

When I was a B727 FE during my walk around I found a main gear spray deflector that had either been misaligned or knocked out of position and was rubbing against one of the main gear tires Wouldn’t have done the tire much good if that had continued, I notified maintenance who fixed the issue I think...

Re: The Big 3 US Airlines As Flag Carriers

There is never going to be a "U.S. Flag Carrier". Pan Am might have held that title at some point thanks to extensive subsidies from the U.S. government; however, it never truly held the title as TWA was also a well established international carrier. In fact, both PA and TW had to agree t...

Re: What Happened to the Boeing 797 Concept?

Eventually there will be a 797, I think it will be a clean sheet 737 replacement starting at 160 seats and going to 250 seats across several different versions

Don’t see Boeing actually building a real MOM, 757 replacement

Re: 787-9ER and 787-10ER

Boeing can't satisfy demand with the current MTOW's so probably not feeling pushed. Better to await an engine PIP, and then make minimal changes. IMO the higher MTOW variants will not be pushed or labelled ER simply an IGW version. I do think an ER version will come, probably only the 10ER, and wil...

Re: WN Pilot Crawling through window to open cockpit?

Why do most FA’s refuse to help people with their overhead bin luggage? Management at U.S. carriers tell FA's not to lift passengers bags for them without assistance - and then IF and only IF the bag is of a weight they can confidently help lifting WITH assistance. The reason is because the airline...

Re: ITA Airways first A330-900neo & interiors

Nice cabin, especially as the seats are fabric where you touch

Still hard to believe ‘part of the Lufthansa Group’ !

Re: Leasing edge slats and climb out questions.

The MD80 flap / slat lever was permanently connected but slat and flap calls to extend or retract specified which device you wanted Taxiing out the Captain would call out for example ‘slats extend, flaps 11’ this would be the take off setting, after take off when cleaning up the first call would be ...

Re: Pilot rest question

Of course I'm retired but our MD-11s had one of two set ups. There were futon cushions with pillows and airline style "blankets" that you would lay on the floor in the foyer/forward galley. Not bad but with the air draft by L1 door it was usually pretty chilly and you would use several bl...

Re: 737 Integrated Stairs

It's a quite simple (almost clever) design for the retract and extend, basically a gear motor and some bicycle chain. The lower frame is at half speed and connected to the rails. When the lower frame hits its stop it's motion uses the railings as the link arms to lift and fold the stair. Maybe a co...

Re: WN Pilot Crawling through window to open cockpit?

If you as a pilot asked me, a ramp rat to do that I’d laugh in your face and tell you where to go :lol: Why would they ask you ? Maybe because that's what JetPilotMike stated, that it is a "ramp job" and 737MAX7 is a "ramp rat". First of all describing yourself as a ‘ramp rat’ d...

Re: WN Pilot Crawling through window to open cockpit?

737MAX7 wrote:

JetPilotMike wrote:

There is no way I, as a pilot, am climbing through that window. That is a MX or ramp job.

If you as a pilot asked me, a ramp rat to do that I’d laugh in your face and tell you where to go

Re: Newark Airport Hate

One of the best decisions UA has made is the upguaging of equipment across the system, the traveling population is only getting larger while airports basically stay the same size with few exceptions EWR is the ultimate example of this, it will always be operating at the limits and never have enough ...

Re: Flights into Guam ?

United is running 777-300s for humanitarian flights to GUM. SFO-SYD is downgauged until the 29th to provide the metal. I believe they’ve been operating the 773 into GUM from HNL on scheduled flights for some time, are these additional flights ? I don’t see anything going in or out of GUM at the mom...

Re: The Little Known Fact thread

Wherever you go there you are

Re: Boeing KC-46 News, Production and Delivery Thread

Interesting, I think that may be the way forward

Flights into Guam ?

Wonder if any flights are planned soon and how the airport held up after the typhoon?

Re: Boeing KC-46 News, Production and Delivery Thread

With all the issues surrounding the RVS is there a long term plan to automate the entire boom refueling system as has been successfully tested in the A330 tanker?

Re: The Little Known Fact thread

The B727 has two Vne selections depending on weight. In Mode A, it has a Vne of 411tks. You’re correct in that, depending on zero fuel weight there were two selectable airspeed / Mach no modes At lower weights we used mode A and at heavier weights B mode, although some of our 727s were hard wired t...

Re: Newark Airport Hate

The facilities, especially Continental’s then United’s are fine


It’s the every day endless delays getting in and out of EWR that make it so difficult, afaik it’s still the most delayed airport in the country and I don’t see that ever changing

Re: United Airlines Network - 2023

panam330 wrote:

Max Q wrote:

In Continental days MAN was served by DC10, 752 and 764 equipment, there were two daily flights to EWR at one point

Don't forget the 762 and 777!

Re: United Airlines Network - 2023

In Continental days MAN was served by DC10, 752 and 764 equipment, there were two daily flights to EWR at one point

Re: QF Project Sunrise - Interior A350 Design

Looks nice, especially using fabric rather than leather seats, so much more comfortable

Re: Longest small island to small island flight ?

Honolulu to Guam and an unusual example years ago was a non stop from the Falkland Islands to London, I think that was a BA 744

Re: Rolls Royce successful test of Ultrafan demonstrator

Well, it’s a big step forward in technology and the lower fuel burn is impressive However I don’t remember an engine manufacturer going to the huge expense of developing and building such an advanced new product then putting it on hold while hoping a customer will come along ? It’s difficult to unde...

Re: HA Cabin Reveal on their 787-9

It's nice that HA continues to have fabric Y seating, even as all other US carriers have moved to pleather in Y. Right ? Glad to see someone prefers fabric seats, they are so much more comfortable to sit on, especially on a long flight It's interesting how UA/AA still offer fabric seats in their in...

Re: Wing loading and landing flap settings

Scrolling through y tube there’s a plethora of cockpit videos, in quite a few of them the pilot flying during approach and landing is shown making huge, rapid control movements I’ve never seen in three decades of airline flying, completely unnecessary and pointless I tend to think they’re ‘playing ...

Re: Wing loading and landing flap settings

Scrolling through y tube there’s a plethora of cockpit videos, in quite a few of them the pilot flying during approach and landing is shown making huge, rapid control movements I’ve never seen in three decades of airline flying, completely unnecessary and pointless I tend to think they’re ‘playing i...

Re: HA Cabin Reveal on their 787-9

Looks pretty good, although the first class seats appear to be leather which I don’t care for the economy seats look like very comfortable fabric It's nice that HA continues to have fabric Y seating, even as all other US carriers have moved to pleather in Y. Right ? Glad to see someone prefers fabr...

Re: HA Cabin Reveal on their 787-9

Looks pretty good, although the first class seats appear to be leather which I don’t care for the economy seats look like very comfortable fabric

Re: Cargolux 747 landing incident @ LUX

Very good job by the flight crew and another example of the superb engineering, robust construction and redundancy in the 747

Re: United & Rhapsody In Blue

If you want to go back into history, probably the best and most iconic use of music not specifically composed for advertising would have been TWA and the 1967 Jimmy Webb hit, "Up, up and Away" or Pan Am's use of the 1958 Frank Sinatra hit "Come fly with me". They were very good ...

Re: Nastiest Airline Rivalries

UA and CO at DEN in the 80's. Vicious, then a couple of decades later they got married. Can't make that mess up. Both UA & CO happened to be founded by the same guy, Walter Varney. It is remarkable though, all those years ago he founded CO and UA and then they merged As if it was meant to be

Re: United & Rhapsody In Blue

No matter how good a song, tune, composition or airline theme music when it’s played over and over and over again it becomes boring and eventually grating on the nerves, sometimes excessively so RIB was and is a superb piece of music but it most definitely fits the above description, overused to the...

Re: Retro airline liveries that you would like to see

‘80’s Continental livery on a UA 757

Re: A capybara on the runway briefly shuts down Rio's SDU airport

SaabFA71 wrote:

Anacondas love capybaras. Bring one of them in. Problem solved.

Re: A capybara on the runway briefly shuts down Rio's SDU airport

That is a big rat

Re: Propeller aircraft with leading edge slats?

I remember that description and was surprised as well that he used incidence in that manner I do think it may well be an older term where incidence and AOA were conflated I'm sure I'm taking away a misunderstanding, but would it be accurate to say: In the US, AoA = Angle of Incidence in the UK, In ...