A while ago I scheduled a temperature inversion in a simulator session in preparation for our operation to Abu Dhabi’s summer. For further reflections see Performance Limited Takeoff and High Temperature Departure Abu Dhabi. The issue of temperature inversions and the implications for takeoff performance calculation raised so many issues that I ended up having […]
After a debacle in Abu Dhabi – and another occurrence involving offload and a 4 hour delay – I was asked to prepare some specific advice for Captains operating out of Abu Dhabi. Background Due to high temperatures, most Abu Dhabi departures during mid-Summer experience a potential performance penalty for departure; in most cases resulting […]
Boeing have begun incorporating an “Additional Information” section at the end of some NNM checklists. Presently on the 777 this feature exists for the Ice Crystal Icing, Airspeed Unreliable, and Fuel Leak checklists. It is interesting to note that despite the location of this information at the end of the checklist, the information is clearly […]
So those who know me well, fully appreciate that I am not an Apple Fan Boy. I’ve written obliquely and directly on this issue. My experience of the iPad over the past 12 months has certainly not endeared me (as a previously committed android tablet aficionado) to Apple, continually frustrated by a device and an […]
Many moons ago I was a Second Officer on Boeing 747-400’s for a large Hong Kong based international airline, which I remember fondly. This story revolves around a flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne about a year after I had checked out, late 1993. This was a three crew operation, Captain, First Officer and myself. […]
It’s funny how these things crop up. In late 2008 I discussed (strenuously) the issue of Missed Approach Acceleration – now I find a friend from a Middle Easter carrier is encountering the same problem.
Friend and fellow podcaster Karlene Pettit recently blogged on managing the A330 speed/configuration during approach. I thought it might be interesting to explore the topic on the 777. The point of Karlene’s article is that often the manfacturer’s profile doesn’t comply with the ATC environment we find ourselves in, and the performance characteristics of the aircraft we fly are such […]
It’s not always the case that the aircraft’s onboard alerting systems do all the diagnosis work for you. Sometimes the crew are required to assess system status to determine the nature of a failure ..
Today we evaluated the use of paired oceanic transition waypoins approaching the West Coast of the US – No Problemo.
I’ve spent the better part of 15 years on the 777 preparing early for the approach and landing by setting up the FMC. Now it seems KZAK has other ideas …
Boeing won’t tell you what you want to know (which is usually everything) about a NnM – just what you Need to know.
Many Airlines (or more accurately the Trainers of the Training Department) specify a series of checks at Top Of Climb. Often there’s no basis in this from an Airline SOP’s or Manufacturers point of view – which doesn’t mean they’re not valuable for situational awareness …
Sometimes you need to be able to calculate a limiting ZFW based on a forced change in TOW. You can use the OFP LNDG correction figure to do it. And it’s not VooDoo – just mathematics.
It seems simple – but when manoeuvring at a minimum flap speed, the time to set final approach speed is … when on final approach.
Recently, after commenting on the latest of Qantas’ engine troubles, I was asked to talk about what was an “interesting” in-flight moment for me. Despite this being one of the most common questions, I realised that I’ve never blogged about “interesting” flight moments – which of course immediately motivated me to do so. Funnily enough, […]
