The great big "ask an airline pilot" thread!

Growler!!!

You'll need an ATPL also. An actual one, not a frozen one! Might go and have a look, along with the rest of my colleagues no doubt.

pepe the prawn

smurfjed wrote: »

Emirates are coming to town, 18th/19th Sept. They recently changed their requirements down to 1500 hours with no aircraft type requirements.
Some might find it an interesting change from FR.

I've seen the online advertisements for it recently, great news for pilots looking to broaden their horizons. What's the reason for a recruitment roadshow, surely they are inundated with applications without having to go out looking for people? Or is the pilot shortage we've been hearing about actually starting to materialise...

jamo2oo9

pepe the prawn wrote: »

I've seen the online advertisements for it recently, great news for pilots looking to broaden their horizons. What's the reason for a recruitment roadshow, surely they are inundated with applications without having to go out looking for people? Or is the pilot shortage we've been hearing about actually starting to materialise...

The pilot shortage has already materialised a bit this year especially in Asia. I would imagine that Middle East is starting to feel it now.

Growler!!!

There is a shortage of experienced pilots always has been. Emirates may have changed their application policy but they will still have preference for guys with over 3000 jet hours.

The problem is getting that first step on the ladder. Once you begin flying for a living the company will try and max your hours each year so your logbook fills up fast.

Any movement upwards leaves places below for newly minted commercial pilots to start. So any movement such as with emirates can only be a good thing.

smurfjed

As an outsider I used this think that Emirates was an airline of first choice, but in the quest for financial profits and personal bonuses it has changed dramatically.
Pilots are now rostered to fly around 90 hours stick time a month, with bunk time, training, online training etc are not counted. Combining this with a route structure that almost spans the globe and minimum rest layovers and the crew fatigue levels have increased. They have stopped upgrade classes due to crew shortages which in turn annoys the first officers who had an expectation of getting command with x years.
Dubai has had runaway inflation for the last number of years and the salaries aren't that great, ok they are better than most Irish based pilots take home pay, but they are still low for the amount of flying done.
Throw in their medical services and the impossible task of getting flights that people bid, or days off or even vacation, and people are getting tired, frustrated and have a desire to leave.
The next big question becomes where do they go? For a while it was Turkish as I believe they offered 8 days off per month, this basically means that your family will now be based in Dublin. Some others have moved to other Middle Eastern airlines and this used to be unheard of, it was always the other way around. And I understand that some even went back to Ryanair.
So over time the attraction of the big shiny jets in the Middle East has worn off, people with the hours and experience that Emirates required just don't appear to be interested. So HR just dumped their experience requirements down to a basic ATPL with 1500 hours, suddenly they have opened to door to CRJ pilots, P2F pilots from Asia and even ATR guys (sorry Growler :)) Does it mean that people will get hired with that experience, I dont know, but it allows HR to scream that they have lots of candidates and therefore the rot doesn't have to change.

I think that as you get older, it becomes a case of not what you fly, but achieving your required quality of life, if you are earning enough to live on, and think that you can stay in your company until retirement, then stay there

smurfjed

Full report @ http://avherald.com/h?article=48ba2708&opt=0

A Wizzair Airbus A320-200, registration HA-LYD performing flight W6-1610 from London Luton,EN (UK) to Gdansk (Poland), was climbing out of London Luton Airport's runway 08 when the crew reported an instrument problem, stopped the climb at 5000 feet and returned to Luton Airport for a safe landing on runway 08 about 27 minutes after departure.

A passenger reported the crew announced a problem with the instrumentation as cause of their return.

On Aug 31st 2015 The Aviation Herald learned, that a large insect had been removed from the left pitot tube while the aircraft was on the ground at Luton after the return.

Does the A320 FMS allow you to see the GPS calculated speed?

amen

Saying your flying along and you have your AutoPilot set to altitude hold.
you then manually increase the speed. Does the plan continue to hold altitude ?

If so how does it do so ?

scudzilla

One of my fav bands is Iron Maiden, i'm sure that most of you have heard of Bruce Dickinson, their singer.

He has been sitting in the left hand seat for a number of years on a 757, he worked for Astraues Airlines and flew Ed Force One (The bands leased jet) around the world a few times.

Now they've just announced that for the Book of SOuls world tour they will be leasing a 747 and Bruce will be flying it, how easy is it to transfer?

1. Will he be able to sit in the left hand seat or will it be down to right?
2. He's currently in Wales training on a simulator, does he have to get some actual air hours or will sim only do?

smurfjed

The 757 and 747 are not a common type rating, therefore he will have to complete a full type rating course for either the right or left seats. I have read that they will use either a -100 or a -400, is there actually a -100 simulator certified for use in the UK?

smurfjed

If so how does it do so ?

The autopilot will trim the aircraft to maintain the altitude.

L1011

smurfjed wrote: »

The 757 and 747 are not a common type rating, therefore he will have to complete a full type rating course for either the right or left seats. I have read that they will use either a -100 or a -400, is there actually a -100 simulator certified for use in the UK?

Is there a working -100 simulator anywhere in the world at this stage?

smurfjed

Yep, Pan Americian in Miami, there was also with Quadrant Systems near Gatwick until last month. (Classic simulator covers SP /100/200/300)

N64

is there something different with the A321 where the cabin lights are kept on during landing? Just saw a EI flight from Malaga go over me at ~1,600 ft with them on. At the same altitude on other aircraft, they are off.

Locker10a

N64 wrote: »

is there something different with the A321 where the cabin lights are kept on during landing? Just saw a EI flight from Malaga go over me at ~1,600 ft with them on. At the same altitude on other aircraft, they are off.

Sometime airbusses at night look like all the cabin lights are on from the outside , I think this is caused by the bright orange glow of the seatbelt signs when switched on in the dark, they are close to the window and looks like there is a lot of orange brightness in the cabin, Airbus cabins are also brighter due to the illuminated EXIT signs that are light up when the gear is down.

Growler!!!

N64 wrote: »

is there something different with the A321 where the cabin lights are kept on during landing? Just saw a EI flight from Malaga go over me at ~1,600 ft with them on. At the same altitude on other aircraft, they are off.

Could it be that the cabin wasnt secured yet for landing? And the cabin lights had not been dimmed yet. Never noticed anything like the above myself.

duskyjoe

smurfjed wrote: »

Full report @ http://avherald.com/h?article=48ba2708&opt=0



Does the A320 FMS allow you to see the GPS calculated speed?

Yes. All important when you are into loss of airpseed checklist. Your post re Emirates etc is spot on. I have zero interest in working in desert. I hear ex FR/easy pilots who work there are now re applying to come home. Quality of life as against a tax free salary living in a place that is akin what your normally used to ( heat, way of life, being a second class citizen and inferior to locals etc).....no thanks.

ElWalrus

Hi guys,

Just wondering what the '-100' and '-400' are referring to with regards simulators a few posts back?

Cheers.

Growler!!!

ElWalrus wrote: »

Hi guys,

Just wondering what the '-100' and '-400' are referring to with regards simulators a few posts back?

Cheers.

When a manufacturer brings out an improved model of an existing design they will often give it a series number to distinguish it from the older one.

In this example the posters were discussing the Boeing 747. The first of which was designated the Boeing 747-100. Subsequent improvements over the years have brought us the -100, -200, -300 and -8 series.

Here's an interesting link with info on the differences and why some series numbers were skipped: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747

martinsvi

Growler!!! wrote: »

When a manufacturer brings out an improved model of an existing design they will often give it a series number to distinguish it from the older one.

In this example the posters were discussing the Boeing 747. The first of which was designated the Boeing 747-100. Subsequent improvements over the years have brought us the -100, -200, -300 and -8 series.

Here's an interesting link with info on the differences and why some series numbers were skipped: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747

If I may - just to add on top of your excellent answer, it is not always used for subsequent versions as it was in the case of 747.. for example Boeing 737 NG series -600, -700, -800 were announced nearly at the same time and they carry almost the same technology, in this case they are used to in accordance with their size/range, starting from the 123-seater -600 series all the way to 200+seater -900 series (bigger variant gets a bigger number).

APM

duskyjoe wrote: »

Yes. All important when you are into loss of airpseed checklist. Your post re Emirates etc is spot on. I have zero interest in working in desert. I hear ex FR/easy pilots who work there are now re applying to come home. Quality of life as against a tax free salary living in a place that is akin what your normally used to ( heat, way of life, being a second class citizen and inferior to locals etc).....no thanks.

The newer A320's and other models also display the GPS altitude on the PFD as part of the backup speed scale which can be used in a Speed Unreliable situation which the checklist directs you to switch off all 3 ADR's to drive the aircraft into the BUSS.

The picture attached is slightly inaccurate though, as the FD/AP/AT are not available in BUSS/airspeed unreliable for obvious reasons.

All the pilot needs to do is "fly the green" to keep the speed safe. I've used it in the sim and it is a very clever piece of kit, although personally I think the pitch/power combo's are just as easy to fly

smurfjed

Thats a nice FMS modification by Airbus, I'm assuming that it is a result of the 330 crash. I flew with one Honeywell FMS that allowed you to select each navigation source and see the associated data, this included the two GPS's, so you could see GPS speed and GPS altitude, combing that with pitch/power/attitude and unreliable airspeed wasn't a problem.

Now I'm getting to play with a different Honeywell FMS that appears to allow you ARM the navigation source, but won't display the data, unless of course EatMyShorts knows the secret :)

smurfjed

Other sites have comments that these newly arrived aircraft are getting parked due to lack of crew!

billie1b

smurfjed wrote: »

Other sites have comments that these newly arrived aircraft are getting parked due to lack of crew!

Supposedly a boat load of pilots from Ireland and the UK are on the move back out of the desert, few friends of mine over there and they are saying Emirates have gotten worse than Ryanair now for the way they treat the staff

amen

Re GSP post and fly the Green, if you are coming into land does the green change to reflect your slower speed or what is the procedure descending from 36,000 to land if flying the green ?

ProfessorPlum

You can also display the GPS speed and altitude on the MCDU.

Re the BUSS - it should only be used below FL 250, above that you fly pitch and thrust. To get the BUSS you need to turn off all ADR's. For flap extension, you just fly the lower (slower) end of the green before extending each stage of flap. The 'green' area is actually based on angle of attack information rather than speed. Great little gizmo.

EILAX

Whats the point of a No Smoking sign still on the overhead if smoking is banned on all commercial airlines worldwide?

Growler!!!

EILAX wrote: »

Whats the point of a No Smoking sign still on the overhead if smoking is banned on all commercial airlines worldwide?

On newer aircraft it is replaced with a "No Devices" sign:)

Not all countries banned smoking on aircraft at the same time.

smurfjed

No Smoking sign

Some aircraft have a no electronics sign instead, the wheels of regulatory change are slow in the aviation world, so the certification standards would have required the no smoking sign until recently.

EILAX

smurfjed wrote: »

Some aircraft have a no electronics sign instead, the wheels of regulatory change are slow in the aviation world, so the certification standards would have required the no smoking sign until recently.

I guess they still have to re-enforce the message of no smoking at the same time though?

Tenger

EILAX wrote: »

Whats the point of a No Smoking sign still on the overhead if smoking is banned on all commercial airlines worldwide?

I'm not sure that it is banned on ALL commercial airlines? Open to correction.

In addition many of the aircraft would be in service longer than or designed before the smoking ban was in effect.