I gave myself plenty of time to get to the airport. There wasn’t much traffic so I made it to the airport in about 35 minutes. A few minutes later I was in the employee parking lot, waiting for the shuttle that takes me to the temrinal. It can be hard to judge the time I need to give myself to get to the airport, wait for the employee shuttle, take it all the way around to the other side of the airport etc. Sometimes everything runs smoothly, other times not so much. Today the shuttle took no time to get over to the terminal. I had given myself a little extra time, and the fact that there was no traffic in the airport meant I got to the terminal with time to spare. I was starting the trip out with a Minneapolis turn. The flight was departing at 1:30pm. I have to be at the gate 45 minutes before departure. That would make my report time at 12:45pm.
Flight 4523
New York, NY (LGA) – Minneapolis, MN (MSP)
Embraer E-175
Scheduled Departure Time – 1:30pm
Actual Departure Time- 2:01pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 3:43pm
Actual Arrival Time- 3:35pm
2 hours 34 minutes
There was my flight to Minneapolis, as well as flight to Washington, DC at the next gate. So it was pretty crowded. My plane finally arrived from St. Louis at 1:00pm, and passengers started to deplane shortly after. Once most passengers were off the plane, I met the captain and we headed down the jetway. Shortly after we went down, the flight attendants came down as well. These flight attendants were just working the MSP turn. Then we would have two new flight attendants for the rest of the trip. I stowed my bag, and got out my IPad, headset and charger. It had been raining, but I looked out the window and saw that it had stopped for a minute. So I quickly grabbed my safety vest, and ran down to do my walk around before it started to rain again
By the time I came back up, boarding had already started. The captain had done a lot of the set up, so I just went through and verified everything and got set up for the departure. We decided we would each do two legs at a time. Since the entire trip was turns out of LGA. That way one of us wouldn’t always be taking off, or landing at LGA the entire 4 days. I would be the one to start flying, so the MSP turn would be mine. Once everything was set up, I briefed the departure and we ran our checklists. After this the door was closed, and we pushed back two minutes ahead of our scheduled departure time. The captain had me start engine #1. We would start #2 once we got closer to the runway. The ramp was busy, so instead of exiting nornally they sent us around the backside of Terminal B so we wouldn’t have to wait as long. We were cleared for the TNNIS6 Departure off of Runway 13. The captain taxied us onto the runway, and gave me the controls. There was traffic that was on final for Runway 22. Once they landed, we were cleared for takeoff. The captain turns on some of the exterior lights when we taxi onto the runway, and the rest once we are cleared for takeoff. He also turned on the windshield wipers because of the rain. While he was doing this, I set takeoff power. Once the power is set, the captain takes the throttles. Since the captain is the one to abort a takeoff. We were on the heavier side due to the length of the flight (the amount of fuel we were carrying), and a fairly full load of people. As we accelerated down the runway, the captain called out 80 knots, V1, and finally Vr. At 400ft, I called for the navigation mode (as opposed to a heading). As we accelerated I called for the flaps to be retracted. I hand flew up to 10,000ft. We climbed through multiple different cloud layers. There were a few bumps, but it was mostly smooth despite a lot of weather in the climb. Shortly after takeoff we were cleared direct GAYEL and up to 36,000ft, where we stayed for the entire flight
It cleared up a little during cruise, but it got cloudy again before the descent
The winds were pretty strong during cruise, a 101 knot wind from our left
I don’t think I have ever been to MSP when it wasn’t overcast, and today was no exception. It was overcast at 2,000ft. ATC cleared us to descend via the MUSCL3 arrival. With this clearance. I set the bottom altitude on the arrival of 7,000ft. The plane then calculates the descent path that will comply with all crossing restrictions on an arrival. We were told to keep our speed up, and to resume published speeds at BAYKS. The speed restriction there was 280 knots. We where IMC through the entire arrival, and approach. We broke out of the clouds right at about 2,000ft. Around a 1,000ft I disconnected the autopilot. This would be my first landing in a month. It ended up being pretty smooth. I was pleased with it. The captain took the controls back, as we exited the runway at taxiway Golf. It was a very quick taxi to gate E14. As we exited the runway it was right in front of us. I quickly ran through my after landing tasks including retracting the flaps, resetting the trim and transponder. The captain wanted me to leave the flaps down to see if we had picked up any ice during the descent. Since we were so close to the gate, I also started the APU right away. As we taxied into the gate, we saw a few planes getting deiced. Once we got to the gate and ran the parking checklist, the captain and I went down to the ramp. I started flying in May, so I hadn’t yet flown in any type of ice or winter conditions. We did a walk around, and he showed me where to look for ice. Obviously ice on certain areas of the aircraft is a hazard, that needs to be removed before takeoff. Sure enough, there was some ice on the aircraft.
It was 30 degrees and windy, and we had ice on the airplane. This meant we would need to be deiced before we could takeoff. This would be my first time getting deiced since I started at the airline. After a very cold walk around, we headed back up to the warm plane to get set up for the flight back to LaGuardia. This would also be my leg. I quickly got everything set up, while the captain reviewed the release and weather in NY. I sent for the ATIS, and Clearance, entered all of the performance and flight plan, sent for our takeoff data, set the initial altitudes, reviewed the Departure and engine failure procedure (in this case it was runway heading). The weather in NY had deteriorated, since we left. At our arrival the weather was forecasted to be 800ft ceiling, with rain and winds gusting 25 -30 knots.
Flight 4523
Minneapolis, MN (MSP) – New York, NY (LGA)
Embraer E-175
Scheduled Departure Time – 4:15pm
Actual Departure Time- 4:47pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 7:59pm
Actual Arrival Time- 8:19pm
2 hours 32 minutes
We pushed back and started an engine. Before we taxied we ran through the deicing procedure, and how the entire process works. After this the ground controller gave us taxi instructions to the Runway 12R Deice Pad. As we approached the pad, the captain had me call the “Ice Man” on the second radio. This is the person in the truck, and he gave us instructions as to what spot in the deicing pad he wanted us to pull into. Once we were there we turned off the packs, and got the airplane configured. Since it wasn’t snowing, we only needed Type I. This is a deicing fluid, as opposed to an additional type that is used as an Anti Icing to prevent snow from accumulating. The entire process took about 10 minutes, since there was not a lot of ice. When it is snowing you need to determine how much time until you have to be in the air, once you finish getting deiced. But since it wasn’t snowing and there wasn’t any additional contamination to the airplane, it wasn’t a factor that day
Once it was completed, we called ground for taxi instructions to the runway. We were instructed to taxi down Alpha, make a left turn on to runway 4. We taxied down and had to give way to a Spirit A320 that was crossing the runway at Quebec. We then made the right turn onto taxiway Papa, and taxied all the way down to 30R. Once we got to the end, we had to hold for a few planes to land
Tower gave us a 360 heading on departure. Not long after takeoff we were into the clouds, and there were a few bumps in the climb. We were on top by about 7,000ft. We were cleared to COULT, and up to 17,000ft. It was a pretty sunset, as we climbed to our cruising altitude of FL350
As we passed Chicago, it started to get dark
It started to get bumpy over Chicago, and ATC said we could expect continuous light and occasional moderate turbulence at all altitudes until we were on the other side of the lake. As we got closer to NY, we sent for the weather. The ceilings were now overcast at 600ft, with winds gusting to 25. The captain sent for our landing speeds. I added a few knots to the approach speed, to compensate for any airspeed fluctuations due to the gusty winds (we can add up to 15 knots to our approach speed). This would be the lowest approach I have done, since I did the ILS minimums on IOE. I reviewed the arrival we would be (MIP4), and the approach (ILS22)
The clouds started to form the closer we got to NY
The tops of the clouds were at about 5,000ft. As we got vectored for the approach, it was solid IMC. ATC gave us a left turn for a few miles for spacing with the guy ahead of us. They asked if they had an updated report on the cloud bases. The approach controller said he wasn’t 100 % sure, as he hadn’t heard anything from tower lately. Last he heard was 400-500ft. He added that everyone had been getting and , no one has had to go around. That seemed to please the guy ahead of us. We were given a right turn, and cleared for the approach outside of YOMAN. I got the plane slowed and configured. The captain called 1,000ft and there was still no sight of the runway. Just before the 500ft call the approach lights came into sight. A few seconds later the runway did. There was quite a bit of rain on final, so the windshield wipers were going. Once I got the runway in sight, I got a little high but quickly corrected. It was a decent landing given the conditions. Once we were off the runway, it was about a 10 minute taxi to gate 29. A pilot from another airline who had just retired, complemented my landing on his way off. It is always cool getting to do an approach pretty close to minimums. We originally were supposed to switch planes. But on the flight from MSP, the captain had sent a message to dispatch. He asked if it would be possible to keep the plane for our last flight to Montreal. They were able to switch it, so we got to keep the same plane
Flight 4424
New York, NY (LGA) – Montreal, Canada (YUL)
Embraer E-175
Scheduled Departure Time – 9:25pm
Actual Departure Time- 9:32pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 11:02pm
Actual Arrival Time- 10:16pm
44 minutes
This flight wasn’t full, plenty of open seats. So when we sent the final passenger and bag numbers for our takeoff data it came back out of CG. This happens sometimes, and we have to move passengers around. Usually, it is only a few people. This flight was the most I have seen so far, with having to move 8 passengers
Once all the passengers were moved, I called ramp for our pushback clearance. They gave us what spot to push to. We followed this jetBlue A320 N634JB to Charleston to the runway
It was the captain’s leg, so he did the takeoff briefing. There wasn’t a long line of planes ahead of us. We were cleared to cross runway 22, and on the other side we taxied right up and were number 1. There were still low ceilings and gusty winds. We accelerated very quickly down the runway. We were already at 80 knots before we even crossed runway 22. A few seconds later we were in the air. The ground quickly disappeared as we climbed into the low clouds. The NY Departure controller instructed us to maintain 290 knots leaving 10,000ft. We were then handed off to Boston Center, who gave us normal speed and direct CAMBRIDGE (CAM). It wasn’t long before we reached our cruising altitude of 27,000ft. The weather in Montreal wasn’t much better, then what we had just left in New York. The ATIS had 5sm visibility, rain & mist with a broken layer at 500ft, and an overcast layer at 1,700ft. This was my 8th time flying to Montreal, so I am fairly familiar with the flight, arrival, approach and ramp there. This time however it was my first time landing to the east. I’ve departed to the east one other time. Usually it is the other way around in Montreal, with takeoff and landing to the west. I sent for the landing speeds, and the captain set up for the approach. He then briefed it. It was a smooth ride at cruise, but it wasn’t long before we were descending and it started to get bumpy again. On the descent about 20 miles out, we were cleared direct XULTA and then for the ILS 6L approach. There are no PAPIs at YUL, so you obviously only have the glideslope in the plane. It was raining pretty hard, and the captain made a good landing. We made a right turn off the runway, crossed runway 28 and taxied to the gate. Luckily it stopped raining by the time we got to the gate, so I didn’t have to do my walk around in the rain. Once all the passengers deplaned, the captain shut the plane down for the night. We then headed out for the van to the hotel, for a 17 hour overnight
N70020 arrived just before us from Charlotte. We followed them into the ramp
Flight 4772
Montreal, Canada (YUL) – New York, NY (LGA)
Embraer E-175
Scheduled Departure Time – 5:00pm
Actual Departure Time- 5:09pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 6:29pm
Actual Arrival Time- 6:02pm
53 minutes
The next afternoon our van for the airport was at 3:40pm, for a 4:15pm report time. We got to the airport went through security/immigration and headed for the gate. The plane had arrived a little before us. We quickly headed down to the plane, and got our stuff set up. I then headed down for my walk around. We pushed back about 10 minutes early. I called “Apron” and we were told to follow the west line around the ramp, and to contact ground. We got in line behind an Air Transat A330 that was being towed. I contacted ground at the point we were instructed to. We were told to taxi to 6L, cross runway 10 and monitor tower on the other side. Once we were on the other side, the captain had me start the second engine. As we were taxiing an Air France 777 rolled down the runway past us. When we reached the end of the runway an Air Canada Rouge A321 took off ahead of us. The tower controller had us Line Up and Wait. Once Air Canada was off the runway, we were told to contact Departure when we were in the air, and cleared for takeoff (as opposed to in the United States when they give you the handoff in the air). It was a quick takeoff, and we quickly climbed. At one point we were climbing at 5,200fpm (feet per minute). The Departure controller cleared us to flight level 230. He pointed out the Air Canada A321 that had taken off ahead of us. We were cleared direct Albany (ALB), and then handed off to Boston Center. Boston gave us a climb to our cruising altitude of 26,000ft. We climbed through a few different layers of clouds. We made it on top just in time for the last little bit of daylight, before it got dark
After a few minutes at 26,000ft, Boston Center instructed us to cross ALB at FL220. The captain set 22,000, and the plane determined the point at which we would need to start descending to meet the crossing restriction. It was the captains leg, so he set up for the approach and then did the briefing
Albany, NY
As we got closer, we were instructed to cross BAYSE at 8,000ft, a fix on the HAARP3 arrival. From there we were given a heading and then a clearance to intercept the runway 22 Localizer, before ultimately being cleared for a visual approach. Once we were on the ground, I quickly called the ramp frequency. They confirmed our gate was open, and what lane to enter the ramp. I then went back the ground frequency and got our taxi instructions. it was a quick taxi, and we were at the gate a few minutes later. We had an hour and a half until the next flight, and we were keeping the same plane. The captain went to get food, and I got set up for the next flight. After this we had about an hour until boarding
The view from a seat in first class during the sit
Flight 4423
New York, NY (LGA) – Toronto, Canada (YYZ)
Embraer E-175
Scheduled Departure Time – 7:48pm
Actual Departure Time- 7:48pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 9:31pm
Actual Arrival Time- 8:51pm
1 hour 3 minutes
We pushed back 10 minutes early, and it was a quick taxi out to runway 31. We were #1 in line for takeoff. When we got to the end we were cleared for takeoff. At 400ft, I turned to our assigned heading of 340 and hand flew up to 10,000ft, before calling for the autopilot. I then set up and briefed the arrival, and approach. It was a fairly quick flight. While I have flown to Montreal several times, I have only flown Toronto a few times, and it had been about 5 months since I was last there. We descended via the LINNG3 Arrival. It was solid overcast through the majority of the descent. We started to pick up a little ice in the descent. We descended through the bottoms at around 6,000ft, and ATC slowed us to 210 knots and gave us a base turn and descent. I called for flaps 1 and used some speed brakes, to help the descent. Another turn later, and we were cleared for the ILS 24L. I made an okay landing. We exited the runway, and were cleared to cross 24R. We were then cleared to cross 33R, and taxied to gate B15
C-FKIW parked next to us, after arriving a little before us from San Juan
This overnight wasn’t as long as the night before. We only had about 13 hours until we had to be back at the airport.
Flight 4441
Toronto, Canada (YYZ) - New York, NY (LGA)
Embraer E-175
Scheduled Departure Time – 11:34am
Actual Departure Time- 12:02pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 1:09pm
Actual Arrival Time- 1:23pm
1 hour 21 minutes
The line for security the next morning was longer then I had seen it before. The people working at security told us to go to the front of the line. Then an Air Canada crew came behind us as well. This seemed to annoy the woman at security. She said that it isn’t “fair” that she has to wait. She paid money to use this shorter line, and she has to wait even longer now. The Air Canada pilot explained to her that we don’t like having to go through security, but we have to. If we had to wait on line we could be late to the plane, and flights would be delayed. She said she wouldn’t mind, because at least she wouldn’t be waiting at security. But I have a feeling she would be the first one complaining to the gate agent as well about a delayed flight. As we were getting to the gate, the captain said to the gate agent he was planning on boarding 5 minutes early and that he would let her know. We typically board 25 minutes prior to departure. I got my stuff set up, and headed down to do my walk around. As I was heading out, I saw some passengers coming down the jetway. I was a little surprised, as it was still 40 minutes before we were leaving. Once I get back from my walk around there is a line of people in the jetway. I get back up front, and the captain is mad because we have an EDCT (Estimated Departure Clearance Time) in 40 more minutes. He found this out once we got on the plane, and before he could tell the gate agent to hold off on boarding, she just started boarding without asking and 10 minutes before the captain said she could. When she came down to close the door, he mentioned to her about the boarding time and she was kind of rude about it. She thought the captain meant she could board whenever they wanted. She was adamant that the captain had told her the wrong thing. After a little back and forth between the two of them, the door was closed. We ended up having to sit for about 15 minutes because in Toronto we had to wait at the gate, until we were within a few minutes of our EDCT. We finally pushback and start the first engine. As we were running the after start checklist, the ramp controller told us to contact Clearance. The only thing they changed was our departure runway to 23. So I went into the MCDU and changed the runway, and made sure the numbers for the new runway were correct. As we were about to taxi the message STEER OFF was still on the EICAS. The captain could not engage the nosewheel steering. We assumed the people on the ramp had not flipped the switch properly, since it is always disengaged at the gate. I called operations, and they sent someone out to double check. It was a quick fix, and a few minutes later we were taxiing to Runway 23. First we went up to 31,000ft and then a few minutes later back down to 27,000ft
Asiana A350 that had just taken off from JFK to Seoul, South Korea passing by us
The wind was 310 @ 16 G 22. This meant runway 31 was in use. We set up for the RNAV X Runway 31. As we got closer to the airport, we got some turns for spacing. We were also slowed pretty early to 250 knots. Eventually we were cleared direct to LGA, and then to depart the VOR on a 270 heading. From there we flew over the city, and then were given a left turn past the Statue Of LIberty before being cleared to BENNG for the approach. The approach starts off lined up from runway 4, and then follows the old Expressway Visual and you make the turn to line up with the runway at the very end of the approach. I flew a nice approach, and landing. Once we were off the off the runway the captain took comm 1 to talk to the ground controller. I took comm 2 to talk to the ramp controller, to see if our gate was open and how they wanted us to get there. Today it was gate 25, and it was open. We were instructed to wait for one plane to come out, and then we were able to taxi to the gate. This was the longest day of the trip. We had 4 flights. With this flight done, it meant we still had 3 more. A little over an hour later, it was time for the second flight of the day to Charlottesville, VA. It would be my first time flying there
Flight 4584
New York, NY (LGA) – Charlottesville, VA (CHO)
Embraer E-170
Scheduled Departure Time – 3:43pm
Actual Departure Time- 4:29pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 5:15pm
Actual Arrival Time- 5:34pm
1 hour 5 minutes
The door was closed on time, and we pushed back a few minutes after our scheduled departure time. Runway 4 was in use for departures, and 31 for arrivals. When the airport is using this configuration, there is usually a long line of planes in line for takeoff then when it is the other way around. Ground instructed us to hold short of Foxtrot for spacing over BIGGY. After another E-175 got in front of us, tower told us to follow the line and that we were #20 for departure.
N629NK rolling down the runway for a flight to Detroit
It took quite a while until we were closer to the end of the runway. Once there were only a few planes ahead of us, the captain had me start the second engine. We had turned off the APU since it was a longer taxi. This required us to do a Cross Bleed Start (When you use air from one engine, to start the other) On the E-175, it’s a pretty simple process. After this the captain briefed his takeoff, and we ran the taxi checklist. There was an Air Canada E-175 ahead of us who tower told to Line Up and Wait and to expect an immediate takeoff clearance. They took their time getting onto the runway, and tower yelled at them for going to slow. So they had to wait until the next plane landed. Once that plane was clear they were cleared for takeoff, and we were next in line. We took off, and climbed up to flight level 240. Half way through the flight it got a little bumpy, and we down to 22,000ft, before eventually starting down into Charlottesville
It was a pretty sunset
IAD
The clouds had cleared up by the time we were landing. It was a nice evening. We were vectored onto a downwind. At 5,000ft, the controller asked if we had the field in sight. The captain told me to tell him he did, and with that we were cleared for a visual approach to Runway 3
We had to come to a stop short of the ramp because tower told another aircraft to push. But he quickly changed his mind, and we were able to continue to the ramp
We didn’t park at a jetway and they brought a ramp up to the plane
N643AE was parked next to us during a turn from Charlotte
Since there had been a long taxi leaving LGA, we got in a little late. As soon as everyone had deplaned from the inbound flight, boarding started for the return flight
Flight 4584
Charlottesville, VA (CHO) – New York, NY (LGA)
Embraer E-170
Scheduled Departure Time – 5:45pm
Actual Departure Time- 8:01pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 7:14pm
Actual Arrival Time- 8:54pm
53 minutes
We pushed back at 6:15pm, and ground told us our wheels up time to NY was at 6:42pm. The E145 had pushed at the same time. We followed them to Runway 3. They took off, and then we held short to wait for our time. Five minutes before our time, tower called us to verify our engines were running and we would be ready. A few minutes later tower said “I have bad news for you. I was literally about to clear you for takeoff, but LaGuardia just went into a ground stop. There is an update time at 0045z, in 1 hour and 5 minutes from now. Say intentions”. A ground stop differs from EDCT in that no plane can takeoff until ground stop is cancelled. So in this case the ground stop would be for about an hour. So we wouldn’t be able to takeoff. Once the time expires, or the ground stop is cancelled they will then start issuing EDCTs. The captain said that he really didn’t want to go back to the gate because it was only an hour, and sometimes they will be cancelled early. So we decided we would wait and if it was extended, at that point we would return to a gate. The captain called the flight attendants to inform them of the situation, and made an announcement to the passengers. While he was doing that, he asked me to send a message to dispatch. The dispatcher said the same thing regarding the ground stop and that it was due to wind and the fact that they have about 40 planes parked on the taxiways. The captain turned off the lights in the cockpit, and there were very few lights around the airport. So it was abnormally dark where we were sitting. After about 15 minutes of sitting we got another message from the Dispatcher. He said that he wasn’t sure how long the ground stop would be going on for, but that he wanted us to return to a gate. I called the operations frequency to see what gate they wanted us to come back to. I tried calling several times, and couldn’t get anyone to answer. After several tries and still no answer from them, the captain sent a message to dispatch to see if they could get a gate for us. He said that he had told ops we were trying to call and they should be there. After another several calls, we finally got through. They said we were going to the same gate we had been at. With that we told tower we were going back to the gate. Since we were holding short at the full length there was no where for us to go, but onto the runway. Tower cleared us onto runway 3, then a quick right turn at taxiway Bravo which was right next to us. Then we could go to the gate, the same way we had taxied out. Once we got to the gate, the door was opened. Since we had taxied, I had to do another walk around. While I was doing this the captain called the dispatcher to see if we would be getting any more fuel. By the time I got back from my walk around, the ground stop at LGA had been cancelled. So it was kind of pointless going back to the gate. We didn’t end up getting more fuel. The route, clearance or performance didn’t change. It was within two hours, so we didn’t even need a new release. We just closed the door, had all the passengers sit back down and we pushed again. Then taxied right back out to Runway 3. I checked with Departure climbing out of 2,500ft for 4,000ft. We were cleared to 12,000ft and direct to Gordonsville (GVE), which is where the KORRY4 arrival starts. Once we were actually on the arrival, NY Center gave us a vector for spacing. After a short time we were turned back onto the arrival, and then cleared for the RNAV X RWY 31 approach. We pulled into gate 28 a few minutes after 9pm, 1 hour 45 minutes late. Despite it being an already long day, we still had one more flight to Wilmington, NC. Since we were so late, we had no sit time. We were already delayed for the last flight of the night
Flight 4792
New York, NY (LGA) – Wilmington, NC (ILM)
Embraer E-170
Scheduled Departure Time – 7:57pm
Actual Departure Time- 9:53pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 9:55pm
Actual Arrival Time- 11:14pm
1 hour 21 minutes
We got everything ready as quickly as we could for this flight. The passengers boarded up quickly, and in no time we were pushing back for the fourth and final flight of the day. This would be my leg so I set up and briefed the departure. They were still using runway 4, but by this time there were only a few planes ahead of us so it was a much quicker taxi then it had been earlier in the day. Once we were in the air, they climbed us to 17,000ft. They kept us down low until we where half over New Jersey. They said it would be 4-5 minutes until they could get us a climb due to traffic. Another E-175 had taken off to Richmond right in front of us. We followed them for a while. They were in front of us and a little lower than we were. Eventually they started descending and that’s when I lost sight of them. We only spent a few minutes at our cruising altitude of 36,000ft, because it started to get a little turbulent. ATC said 32 and 34,000ft were also bad rides. We could go up to 38,000 or down to 30,0000ft. So, down we went. We had to wait until we were closer to the airport so we could manually get the ATIS, to see what runway and approaches were in use. Eventually we got cleared direct to the airport, which cut a few minutes off of our flying time. Just after passing into North Carolina, we started a gradual descent for the airport in Wilmington. They were landing to the North, so we would be landing on runway 35. We got cleared direct to NUDEE and for the full procedure. The ATIS had the winds 340 @ 7 but it seemed like it was more then that and kind of gusty. I made a decent landing, and it was a quick taxi to gate 6. While the captain was taxiing, I called up the last frequency of Washington Center we had been talking to, to cancel our IFR flight plan since the tower had already closed
When I went down to do my walk around, I saw N964AT sitting next to us. It had arrived a little before us from Atlanta. I have flown this plane from MSP-JFK before
Luckily when we got outside the van to the hotel was waiting for us. It had been a long day between 4 flights, and the delays. The delay also cut into our overnight. We got to the hotel around midnight. We had a 10:15am van, for a 10:30am report the next morning. It was a quick overnight, and then right back to the airport for the last day of the trip. The plan for the day was starting off with a flight to New York. Then we would have a 3 hour sit, followed by another Wilmington turn
Flight 4717
Wilmington, NC (ILM) – New York, NY (LGA)
Embraer E-175
Scheduled Departure Time – 11:15am
Actual Departure Time- 11:52am
Scheduled Arrival Time – 1:00pm
Actual Arrival Time- 1:12pm
1 hour 20 minutes
The plane had arrived a few minutes late, so we were a few minutes late pushing back. But still within the amount of time we have to turn the plane at an outstation. There was a PSA CRJ-900 going to Charlotte, that had pushed right before we did. Once they were out of the way, we pushed back. We had another EDCT today, due to the winds in NY. So we taxied down to runway 6, where we sat for about 30 minutes before we were cleared for takeoff. Once we were actually in the air, the flight went by pretty quickly. LGA was using still using runway 4 for departures, and 31 for arrivals. But instead of the usual approaches, they were doing the LOC (Localizer) 31. In the 7 months of flying into LGA, I had never seen them use this approach. I would be the one flying it, so I reviewed it and briefed how we would be flying it. NY Approach cleared us direct LGA, and then gave us an easterly heading outbound. After several miles they gave us a few turns, to point us back in the direction of the airport and cleared us for the approach. A LOC approach is a non-precision approach. This means that there is no associated vertical guidance , like the glideslope on an ILS. So we have to manage the descent ourselves. In the Embraer we have to set the MDA (Minimum Descent Altitude). Then before reaching the Final Approach Fix, we select the FPA (Flight Path Angle) mode of the autopilot. Then we set the angle of descent for the specific approach. In this case it was the standard 3 degrees. Today it was a nice day. We had the runway in sight from several miles out, so I switched off the autopilot at about 1,500ft and hand flew the approach. It was different to be lined up with runway 31 several miles out, as opposed to be making the turn at the very end of the approach like on the approaches they usually use. Once we got to the gate, the next crew was waiting for the plane. So I didn’t have to do a walk around. We had a 3 hour sit before another flight to Wilmington and then back to New York. I got some food and walked around the terminal a bit, to kill some of the time. But since I just wrote about those two flights, I’m not going to write about the turn again since nothing different really happened. When we were pushing back in ILM the guy pushing us back in the tug asked If we had been here earlier, because we sounded familiar. He had been the same guy that had pushed us back earlier in the day too
N8635F after arriving from Kansas City. The old Southwest colors are becoming more and more rare
This was a pretty typical multi day trip. I flew to two new airports (MSP & CHO), as well as my first time deicing. I’m sure it is something I will do more frequently as we get into the winter months. I have two more trips left in December. Another 4 day trip, and a 2 day trip, as well as a week off.
