Latest Posts
GPS Failure and Subsequent Navigation
One of the limitations I’ve encountered with today’s all singing all dancing aircraft simulators is the total inability to simulate casual mapshift. As you know, the position of the aircraft (for display on the Map and as used by a number of systems) – is determined by the FMC (Flight Management Computer). Of course the [...]
FMC Scratchpad Messages
There has been some discussion recently around FMC scratchpad messages, their role in flight deck alerting, and an appropriate crew response. Most particularly around the habit that some crew develop – usually during transition simulator training when many spurious messages are generated and often cleared without real understanding of their meaning). We areseeing this in [...]
Assessing System Status/Performance
Sometimes something as simple in the aircraft as looking and assessing the indications in front of you can be far more complex that it first seems. I was reminded of this in the simulator recently as several crews were required to assess aircraft pressurisation performance during a door unlocked indication failure in flight. First, some [...]
The Boeing 787 – Evolutionary and Revolutionary
The Boeing 787 is certainly a revolutionary step from anything Boeing has done recently – and from anything else Boeing seems to have planned in the future it would seem, judging by the 737-Max. From what I can glean on the web, the 737 Max while incorporating some revolutionary technologies in the engines and airframe [...]
Decision Making Models in Aviation
We are reviewing Decision Making Models at the moment. On the 777, we’ve used FORDEC, which is very close to the European model, except we’ve replaced “Check” with “Communicate”, which may or may not have been a good thing. Other fleets in our airline are using GRADE or NMATE. There are several reasons why Decision [...]
Missed Approach Acceleration
I’ve recently been contacted by a friend from a previous airline who now works for another Middle Eastern carrier, flying 777′s. Interestingly enough – he’s chasing down information on Missed Approach Acceleration – an issue I also encountered when I arrived at my current airline in 2008. Image Credit: At that time, the initial training [...]
ENG OIL PRESS – A Simulator Scenario
This failure seems simple enough – one of the engines is low on oil pressure; the checklist reduces thrust and shuts down the affected engine. Then there’s the reality of dealing with an engine NNM (Non-Normal) under various conditions of high altitude and high thrust settings. This failure has something of a history in 777 [...]
So, Who should Fly?
Currently I’m evaluating research on the roles of the Captain vs the First Officer in the detection and correction of procedural errors on the flight deck. Fortunately I’m not looking at our entire operation, just one small corner of it. First, some background. Delaying Final FMC Performance Data Entry Our SOP’s are pretty much based on Boeing’s [...]
Boeing 787: A Pilots Perspective
I was fortunate enough to be invited by Boeing and Qantas – along with a very small number of other television, radio and print journalists – to be part of Media Team 787, a media only flight from Sydney to Brisbane and return on board N787BX (ZA003). Configured with 135 seats, less than 30 guests [...]
Boeing 787 Review: The Passenger Experience
I was fortunate to be invited by Boeing and Qantas – along with a very small number of other television, radio and print journalists – to be part of Media Team 787, a media only flight from Sydney to Brisbane and return onboard N787BX (ZA003). Configured with 135 seats, less than 30 guests were permitted [...]
Boeing 787 Confirmed for Jetstar in August 2013 (Full Press Audio from 26th May 2012)
I was fortunate to be invited by Boeing and Qantas – along with a very small number of other television, radio and print journalists – to be part of Media Team 787, a media only flight from Sydney to Brisbane and return onboard N787BX (ZA003). Configured with 135 seats, less than 30 guests were permitted [...]
Relief Crew on the Flight Deck
Ok, so this one may be a little controversial. As you read it remember that unlike many of my professional brethren, in my dim dark past I actually have been a Cruise Relief First Officer (actually a Second Officer, or more accurately at times, the Captain’s sexual advisor) on a ULH operation for almost 3 [...]
Gear Up Landings and Pilot Error
There’s an old adage in aviation that reads, “There are two types of pilots: Those that have landed gear up, and those that will.” I’m not a big believer in these silly phrases — their purpose being to bring solace to the group of pilots that are most likely to make the mistake. That doesn’t [...]
767 Near-Miss with the Planet Venus
On January 13, 2011, Air Canada Flight 878 departed Toronto for Zurich on a scheduled passenger service with 95 passengers, 6 flight attendants and 2 flight crew. After approximately three hours of flight time, the First Officer expressed a desire for a ‘controlled rest’ – a standard practice used in many (usually non-US) airlines that [...]
WordPress Shortcode for FMA Annunciations, FMC Messages & the MCP
This post was originally posted to one of my tech blogs with an intended audience of no more than just a few people. Despite its relative obscurity to the aviation world, I’ve received quite a few emails asking for support (who would have thought there would be a market for this stuff?). I’ve reposted the [...]
