The Wings Stayed On!: Cockpit Conversation: Alaskan Eagles

Sep 13, 2010

Cockpit Conversation: Alaskan Eagles

Okay - after trying to work the HTML in Aviatrix's comments box and getting error messages I bailed. Why Blogger can't provide the same easy link buttons for comments as they do for posts escapes me... anyway ...

What an entertaining blog entry with so many items worth commenting on ... where to begin?

re: Aircraft hitting eagles - I recall an event a few years ago in Alaska or the Pacific NW where a Boeing hit a big salmon during takeoff. Apparently an eagle dropped it during avoidance maneuvres. But when I googled for that item, instead I found this related story - funny.

re: "...Cleary looked at the instruments, which showed things were normal, but he had enough runway left to abort the takeoff and did so." and "..."You could see through the engine," he said. "All the blades were destroyed."

It's amazing what a JT8D engine can absorb and still show normal parameters. I once had a slight jiggle and recovery in the EPR (power) gauge during takeoff roll - wouldn't have even noticed it except for a sharp-eyed FO. The temptation to keep going was there - "It's probably just the gauge..." But because the speed was still just below 80 kts. and the weather was lousy, I rejected the takeoff for further investigation. The engine parameters were still normal after using reverse thrust, then shutting the engine down during taxi-back. Upon arrival at the ramp, maintenance discovered a completely destroyed fan section due to a tire failure. Yikes! So glad we aborted that one.

4 comments:

Aviatrix said...: Perfect. I read that story and meant to link to it with this entry but it must have got lost in the editing. Thanks for adding it.

I'm curious how the link thing didn't work for you.

I type <a href="http://airplanepilot.blogspot.com">a link to my blog</a> and I get a link to my blog, so I don't know why it doesn't work for you. What is the error or result?; Sep 13, 2010, 6:55:00 PM
Aluwings said...: Mainly it was just a case of me working too fast, getting tied up with mis-selecting strings of text to cut and paste etc...

So I thought I'd try the link to button for a change and see how it works. Cool.; Sep 13, 2010, 7:19:00 PM
Aviatrix said...: You learn to be really sensitive to the little twitches of the gauges, don't you? I once had a fuel flow gauge twitch oddly when I turned the electrical power on to do the preflight. It died on the takeoff and we didn't abort because it was MELable but we should have: by the time we pulled its fuse a few minutes later it was smoking hot and melted to the panel.; Oct 12, 2010, 4:09:00 PM
林俊娟 said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; Nov 12, 2010, 5:54:00 AM

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What"s this about?

An eclectic series of articles based on my experiences as a commercial pilot. Sometimes behind-the-scenes tales; sometimes more technical descriptions of Jet Transport Aircraft - and the people who fly them. While the stories are based upon actual experiences and real people, I use composite characters and made-up names*. If they seem familiar, they are. They're the people you live and work with every day. The world is full of interesting people - if we only knew!

The title of this blog comes from my first observation after test-flying my home-built aircraft: "The wings stayed on!" And later I realized that life is often like that. We are continually faced with new adventures. And though we study and train and prepare as much as we can, finally we have to launch and put all this preparation to the test. And unexpected things still happen. As the bumper sticker says, Life Happens. And we deal with it - hopefully with a good dose of humour and hope. And if the "wings stayed on!" well at least that's the main thing. And everything else is just details.

My stories are usually drawn from looking back over my career, which thankfully has been pretty dull. Trust me. When flying a commercial airliner, boring is good. You wouldn't like exciting... So don't expect many stories about engines exploding, and wheels falling off, and cabins catching fire. Though that kind of stuff goes on, thankfully, it hasn't been my experience. My stories are the more mundane things, the little things that inhabit real life.

And while mundane is the reality of modern airline flying, still it's an amazing feat, a dramatic and dynamic accomplishment that we shouldn't take for granted. Perhaps day-in, day-out our world-wide airline industry represents our civilizations' most complex achievement. And though it has become mundane we should never forget that the real drama lies in the times when these bigger disasters are too close for comfort. The times when some small factors could produce seriously different outcomes.

Sometimes all the calm around you is an illusion -- a little like the movie Jurassic Park where the investors are touring the not-quite-ready-for-opening facility, while the technicians thrash away at command central, trying to keep everything together - trying to keep up the facade that it's all under control. But if it is, it's not by much.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Like everyone in the airline industry who's blogging, I'm hoping to write a book, and I'm practicing on you folks. I'm always trying to hone my story-telling skills so if you have any comments please leave them. Also, please respect the copyright thing.

Thanks.

Aluwings