The total start time of an A320NEO with PW1100 engines with dual cooling function is only marginally longer than the total start time of CEO aircraft with IAE engines. I don't think that this marginally longer start time is a major factor, except in extraordinary circumstances (i.e. out of the dual ...
Jump to postIm not an engineer, but ADs are quite common for all aircraft types. I don’t think this is a critical issue, a fix will be developed and rolled out on the fleet. Most of the safety risks addressed by ADs are quite unlikely, but the application of the AD is still necessary to maintain the high level...
Jump to postIm not an engineer, but ADs are quite common for all aircraft types. I don’t think this is a critical issue, a fix will be developed and rolled out on the fleet. Most of the safety risks addressed by ADs are quite unlikely, but the application of the AD is still necessary to maintain the high level ...
Jump to postIn Europe it is similar in most companies, pilots and cabin crew usually get paid a basic salary (which should cover boarding, postflight duties etc) and a pay per block hour (I.e. brake off to brake on). There are some variations to this some companies pay a big basic salary but no compensation for...
Jump to postIt’s to cool the brakes. I’ve seen Airbus narrow bodies do it also and they even cooling fans that are used in the ground. Brake fans are an option on the A330. I think the same on the A32x. I can confirm that. My company doesn’t have brake fans on A320/321s but still does short (35-40 minutes) tur...
Jump to postAirliners are usually certified for +2.5/-1gs (this number comes from a regulation as well but I’m too lazy to look up the exact reference now), not to +6. So the test has to be performed up to 2,5 x 1,5 (safety factor) = 3,75g. For obvious safety reasons this test is not performed inflight but on t...
Jump to postThere is a lot of difference between aircraft types, even though Boeing and Airbus are trying to keep the callouts similar within their products. Just for example during takeoff, on Airbus the speed check/call out is done at 100kts, on Boeing it's done at 80kts. The call after liftoff is "posit...
Jump to postI can't believe there exists so huge pile of rubles or any other currency in Russia that does not have 1000 times better and more urgent use for something else than buying a bunch of civilian planes even at a huge discount which actually will not be that huge discount as it still requires massive a...
Jump to postCan’t talk about the 737 but in the most difficult part is getting ETOPS approval as an operator. Manuals have to be amended, crews and other personal have to be trained and also some sort of operational demonstration (number of flights carried out according to ETOPS procedures) carried out. Modifyi...
Jump to postThe company I work for has some overflights of that region. I didn’t operate these routes yet personally, but our last simulator session had a LOFT scenario that - at least in my session - led to a diversion to Erbil. As the terrain in that region is quite high and possibly limiting for the depressu...
Jump to postNormal descend rates at normal speeds without speed brakes are around 2500 (high level) to around 1500/1800fpm (below around FL100), but for profile adjustments rates up to 6000/6500 are achievable in normal operations. Could be due to unexpected track shortening, last minute runway change etc.
Jump to postMost ferry flights in airline operations are done by regular crews (positioning the aircraft to an other base after a diversion/to/from maintenance). Sometimes they are also done by technical pilot/management pilots, depending on the nature of the flight (for example when taking a new plane from the...
Jump to postClassically, there are only two things: complete loss of thrust in at least one engine and actual fire. Do You really know any other? We practiced compressor stall at takeoff and on one sim we got a tire burst around V1. This was very tricky as we rarely ever practice this and initially it's very e...
Jump to postOn the A320 I would not reject in this scenario. A high speed RTO at more than 100kts can be hazardous due to the potential for an overrun and there are just very few defined failures that will lead to an RTO in this situation. Also, the human brain is not capable of noticing and processing a single...
Jump to postSlightly off topic but how much difference training is required between an A32X aircraft flown with the CFM International engines versus the IAE VS engines (assuming CEO A32X)? I don’t remember doing any difference training for CFM/IAE but maybe it was already included in the type rating. The diffe...
Jump to postYes, they are only variants, it's only CBT training. In my current company we have A320/321/CEO/NEO, so far I haven't flown the NEO yet but I did the CBT and I am therefore allowed to fly the NEO if it shows up on my roster. I heard the takeoff and landing are a bit different due to an updated rotat...
Jump to postIt’s really depending on the operator, destinations and kind of operation. I used to fly for an European company that did mostly holiday charter flights. If the weather and traffic situation was acceptable I often requested visual approaches (following the prescribed pattern) in the Canary Islands, ...
Jump to postVery interesting to read that some airlines are not certified to fly conventional NPAs. In my career so far I have been working for four different companies in Asia and Europe so far and conventional NPAs, even though mostly flown as RNAV overlays (and as CDFAs, I.e. without the level off at MDA), a...
Jump to postThere is actually a big note in the Airbus FCTM regarding the use of rudder. It emphasises that the rudder should only be used during takeoff/landing/crosswind landings (to Decrab) and engine failures and few rare failures, f.e. rudder trim runaway (to return the rudder to the centered position). Th...
Jump to postAs mentioned before, it's really depending on the aircraft type. On the A320 (and I think on most other large airplanes as well) flaps will definitely increase drag and could be used to slow down from a purely aerodynamic point of view. However flap wear increases by *a lot* when extending the flaps...
Jump to postI always thought that on Airbus FBW aircraft, you just command a roll or pitch rate with the sidestick (at least in normal law). But in that case (wrong CG) you wouldn't feel a difference when rotating, since the FBW would just command more elevator to achieve the pitch change/rotation. The devil i...
Jump to postCG's going to be a little north of where it should be, so your stab trim would be significantly off. Uncomfortable, sure, might be a bit sluggish on the rotation, but unless you're operating at the edge of the takeoff envelope it's not great but it's not going to kill you unless you're not paying a...
Jump to postWhile Airbus does not have automatic flaps it can do something similar during the approach: it can automatically reduce to maneuvering speed for the current flap setting (if the speed is in "managed" mode while the FMGC is in approach phase), so it's possible not to touch the speed knob du...
Jump to postOn the A320 APU can be started and run up to the service ceiling (39800ft or 39100ft, except for some ACJs). The generator can be used at altitude as well, it has the same rating as the engine generators. APU bleed usage is limited to around 20000 or 22000ft (depending on APU type) and APU bleed may...
Jump to post3 installed, 2 required. One can be put on MEL. But, as Starlionblue indicated, the aircraft are certified to stop without their use. Can the AC be dispatched with either #1 or #3 inop? How many airliners have thrust reverse on MEL for dispatch? Or does this vary by the conditions for a given fligh...
Jump to postwhich makes me wonder... is that in any way customizable between customer and Airbus? I.e. "our SOP is to land with Autobreak armed, can we can a warning for that?". Not just for autobreakes of course, but are warning conditions OEM only decisions or can Airlines tailor those? best regard...
Jump to postThere are different kinds of bidding systems in place in European airline. I mostly flew for smaller companies, there was no real bidding system (in one ACMI company you could try to ask the company to assign you a specific base for a couple of months, but no specific flights). The "bigger"...
Jump to postOn the aircraft side, it is not a big change. I'm not an engineer, but it may even be possible to change the aircraft from kg to lbs (or vice versa) without any hardware change. Paperwork may be more of an issue. In one of my previous companies most of the fleet was using the metric system, however ...
Jump to postThe strobe light switch has three settings: OFF, AUTO and ON. On and Off are self-explanatory, Auto will activate the strobes at lift off. Airbus SOP is to turn on the strobe lights when entering the runway, during ground operations they are left in Auto. Probably the Frontier crew forgot to turn th...
Jump to postNever flown the NEO, but the MORA on ND option has been there already when I started flying on the Airbus back in 2010, so it's not a new option.
Jump to postThere was one case where a bleed air duct detached during a severe turbulence encounter. However, it was determined that the connector was not secured correctly to beginn with and it would have shaken loose anyway, possibly a bit later: http://www.bst-tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2015/a15...
Jump to postThe FAA needs to act on mental health screening. Drug test are given randomly and due to reasonable suspicion, but the mental health examination is the elephant in the room. A mental health fitness screening should be a mandatory requirement in the transportation industry on an annual basis. Like t...
Jump to postNot sure about the American Airlines retro liveries, but when I was working for Aer Lingus a couple of years ago we also had quite a few special liveries, one of them a retro livery (EI-DVM). I don't think maintenance needed to apply special procedures/considerations due to the livery. From the pilo...
Jump to postMany states have transport category aircraft for their government officials. The German "Flugbereitschaft" has some A340 that are being replaced by A350s. Other states have similar arrangements. Regarding the UN, the tend to lease the aircraft they need from different airlines. The UNHAS (...
Jump to postThese oscillations can be caused by mountain wave activity. As mentioned by VMCA787 the ALT CRZ mode on the A320 allows small altitude variations to increase passenger comfort, therefore the reaction to slight altitude change due to mountain wave activity can be slightly delayed.
Jump to postIt's strange if the victims of the IB610 accident were indeed found naked, as this accident happened during the approach phase. Finding the victims naked usually means that there was an explosive depressurization or that the victims were ejected from the aircraft while it was still in flight (f.e. s...
Jump to postMy question is why aren't they using simulators in Europe? The fidelity of modern full motion sims is so good that the lag is imperceptible. They work extraordinarily well for pilot training. Twice I've been on flights where it was the FO's first time actually flying the plane. Smooth as silk. The ...
Jump to postMy question is why aren't they using simulators in Europe? The fidelity of modern full motion sims is so good that the lag is imperceptible. They work extraordinarily well for pilot training. Twice I've been on flights where it was the FO's first time actually flying the plane. Smooth as silk. The ...
Jump to postRegardless, I'd get a thrashing if I asked for flaps three as the gear was still moving. Convention is a powerful thing. :D In my previous company flaps 3 with gear still in transit apparently resulted in an FDM event. I was quite surprised when the safety department asked me to submit a report reg...
Jump to postThere is no limitation regarding extending flaps during turns. The load on the flap mechanism is not increased due to the turn, there is no safety risk involved. The speed at flap extension is more critical though. On my type (A320) many pilots try to avoid flap extension close to the limit speed (u...
Jump to postWhich is easier to control during a good stiff crosswind situation, an A380 or a CRJ? I'm sure this has been discussed before but does aircraft size affect drift? Is an A380 due to its massive fuselage and tail vertical size subject to more drift as it may act more like a huge sail or is not suscep...
Jump to postRegarding the A320 family, the A320 flies better in turbulence compared to the A319 and A321. The A319 is very light and therefore very sensitive. The A321 tends to yaw a lot in moderate turbulence as the fuselage is quite long compared to the A320. Also the cockpit and aft cabin is further from the...
Jump to postAs far as I know Ryanair and EasyJet don’t have scheduled overnights. Unfortunately, overnights have become relatively uncommon for short/medium haul flights with many airlines.
Jump to postA possible invalid activation of envelope protections intrigues me. Does anyone know how often this might occur? I don't think I've ever heard of an instance before. There was an OEB about the incorrect activation of the AOA protection. The reason for the publication of this OEB were two events of ...
Jump to postFor the A320 CEO there is a thing called "engine intermix". However this does not refer to different engine types, but to different versions of the same (CFM56-5) engine. This intermix is usually not really not noticeable to the pilots, except that the EGT/N1 might be a bit different betwe...
Jump to postI have flown gliders for many years, mostly from Grass runways (they are still very common for gliders nowadays). Grass Runways are actually more "forgiving" than hard surface (for firm/hard landings). If the grass is mowed regularly it poses not particular challenges. Long grass can be cr...
Jump to postWhat runway width would you consider sufficient? 60m? 90m? 120m? Everything in life is a compromise. It is clear that every increase in runway width increases costs. The safety benefit is rather negligible. You could probably argue the same thing about roads. The most critical thing about narrow run...
Jump to postIf you turn the tiller too far, it will unscrew right off the strut. It's not possible to "unscrew" the nose wheel by tiller movement. There is a mechanical stop on the tiller, the nose wheel movement is limited. No authority would certify an aircraft that could suffer a nose gear collaps...
Jump to postSome airlines also choose to „de-pair“ engines on new aircraft (i.e. swap on of the engines on a new aircraft with the engine of an older aircraft) if there is a reliability issue. This was mandated by the authorities on the 787s when it had so many engines issues. SQ also did it on A330s after they...
Jump to post