Back in the Seat

After an absence of about a year due to unrelated issues, I'm going to make another attempt at this. A lot has happened in the airline industry and the world as a whole in the last year so let's get to it.

This year has seen a financial collapse unlike anything since the Great Depression, a continuation of two wars, spiking oil prices, and a historic election; all of which have a direct effect on the airline industry. In the industry specifically we've seen the approval of a mega-merger between Northwest and Delta airlines, the failed attempt by Continental and United to merge, as well as numerous bankruptcies and outright shutdowns. Needless to say this industry is not immune to the volatilities of the financial sector as a whole and may be even more susceptible due to the wild swings in the price of oil as of late. I am of the opinion that because of all of the afore mentioned problems, more mergers are in the offing. Pricing control is paramount in this industry. It just can't be done with this many carriers in the industry. This is the ONLY industry I know where the price of the commodity (i.e. seat) is set below the profitability benchmark.

And this leads me to my last item; the new pricing structure that has become popular as of late: a la carte. Ever since airlines began carrying passengers a ticket was an all-inclusive item. Checked bags, drinks, meals, they were all included with the price of the ticket. Now it feels as if one is being nickled and dimed to death. But (and I can hear the howls of protest now) if one looks at it from a different angle it doesn't seem so outrageous. When you go to a sporting event you buy a ticket and that ticket is for a SEAT. It doesn't get you the $7 hotdog or the $10 beer. If it did everyone would have to pay more whether or not you wanted either of these things. The same thing is happening in the airline industry. Those who need not check a bag or who wish to eat before the flight will now have the option of paying less than those that do exercise those options. I believe this will become the standard model for all airlines down the road like it or not. But enough talk about things above my paygrade, the next posting we will get back to the things I know a little bit more about: airplanes and flying.

The Long and Winding Road

The aviation business has some strange quirks about it but none stranger than the red tape involved when a maintenance problem crops up after push back but prior to takeoff. Now don't get me wrong, I would never dismiss the importance of safety. It is paramount. However, it's the common sense principle that takes a backseat when something small occurs. Take my flight from Chicago (ORD) to Los Angeles (LAX) today. On the taxi out we got a message on our monitor indicating that our satellite radio was inoperative. This is a communications device that is important on international flights but is never used on domestic flights. So let's go through the steps required to clear this problem and compare this to the common sense approach.

The above malfunction is the equivalent of losing a car radio as you back out of the driveway. Now common sense would say that if you are planning a long car trip you might want get it fixed prior to heading out but it certainly doesn't pose a threat to the safe operation of the car. In commercial aviation that option is not available. The litany of hoops starts with a txt message to the maintenance department indicating what the problem is. They in turn txt back a possible solution to the problem which usually requires resetting switches or circuit breakers (even though there are no plans to use the equipment on the flight). Once the reset procedure is attempted and the problem continues, a txt back to maintenance is required. They then will txt back to turn off the affected equipment. Maintenance then sends via data link a new release document with the item list as taken out of service. The pilots must then tag the equipment or associated switch with an orange decal and write the reference number on it that is listed on the new release document. The item is now "officially" deferred and we can legally takeoff without said item working. Remember- each one of these steps takes on average anywhere from 2-10 minutes. So you can see even the smallest problem can take easily a half hour or more to resolve. I've seen a delay of 45 minutes to defer a missing piece of trim from an overhead bin! So the next time you flight is delayed pushing off of the gate and the Capt says there waiting for some last minute paperwork, you can bet he's waiting for the new release from maintenance or dispatch to make the flight legal in the eyes of the FAA.

Common sense would dictate that if an item is not integral to the SAFE completion of a flight, the Captain should have the discretion to write the item up at the completion of the flight. But as I said common sense doesn't apply here. I could go on but the point has been made. The next time a flight is delayed for "last minute paperwork," don't jump to blame the airline or flight crew. It's just possible the FAA's long and winding road is the reason.

If You See An Airline Pilot...He's Not Getting Paid

A commercial airline pilot's pay is misunderstood by everyone not in the airline business (and to some inside the business as well). So let me take this opportunity to strip away the confusion and set the record straight. The first thing you should know is that if you "see" a pilot, he's not getting paid. That's right, if you see me on the concourse, in the cockpit prior to pushback, doing the preflight exterior inspection, saying goodbye at the end of a flight; all are "off-the-clock" activities and I'm not getting paid. Let me explain. Pilots get paid at an hourly rate but the hourly rate is per flight hour not per hour on the job. See, our pay doesn't start until the aircraft is pushing away from the gate, and stops the moment we "block in" or set the brakes at the arrival gate. A typical trip has 3-7 hours per day of flight time but may have as much as 13 hours of duty time. Duty time usually starts an hour before push back and ends 15 minutes after block-in. Here's an example from a trip I flew last week. It was a four leg day from Kansas City to Chicago to Washington back to Chicago and then to Hartford. I was on duty for 13 hours but was paid for only the flight time of 7 hours. So the next time there's a three hour delay at the gate just remember that the aircrew wants to get going as much if not more than you do because until they do they're not getting a dime!

Behind The Cockpit Door

Ever since Sept. 11, 2001 the flight deck or cockpit has become a different place. Gone are the days of innocence where the door could be left open without regard to possible intrusion. Visitors are few and far between and those that do come up act as if they are breaking the law. Nothing could be further from the truth. During boarding before the engines are started, and after block-in after engine shutdown, all visitors are welcome up front just as it's always been. In fact just about any pilot I know loves to have visitors. Whether it's children or a nervous flyer, all are welcome.

It's after the engines are running that the philosophy changes and the flight deck becomes a restricted zone. The door, now bullet-proof and self-locking, is the last line of defense against anyone with ill intent. Procedures are in place to keep the door open only when absolutely necessary and even then at a minimum of time. 9/11 has forever changed the face of aviation.

I hope the next time you fly, you decide to take a look behind the cockpit door and give us a visit. Just ask the flight attendant to see the flight deck. You'll come away with an appreciation of cockpit security and hopefully a little bit of how we do business in the front end of the jet.

Boeing 757 Flight Deck

Landing A Boeing 767 In A Tailwind

Today was a little bit of a challenge going into Chicago O'Hare airport. The wind was out of the NW at 15 knots gusting to 25 knots. For some unexplained reason they changed runway configurations to land to the East on runways 10 and 4R (I think the forcast had the wind continuing to shift around to the East). This gave us a tail wind right up against the limit of ten knots. We had to watch the gust component so as to not exceed that limit. The approach to runway 10 was uneventful until we were passing through 500 feet. There was a shear in the wind and we had an airspeed increase of ten knots followed immediately by a loss of ten knots. I adjusted the power and slipped slightly under the glidepath in anticipation of touchdown with a higher than normal ground speed. The tailwind was less of a factor than the crosswind as I pulled into the flare just before touchdown. As I slowed the rate of descent with back pressure on the yoke, a large input on the right rudder was required to pull the nose around to align with the runway and remove the crab. Nice touchdown. Whew, had to work for that one. But that is just one of the reasons this job is so rewarding-the challenge. Every flight has something to make it different, something new in store...

Who Do I Think I Am!

Just who am I? Thinking I can be an authority on matters aviation related? Well here goes the disclaimer. I don't. I will however give an honest account and be as factually correct as I possibly can be. So let's start with my qualifications.

I always wanted to be a pilot as far back as I can remember (nothing different here, as almost every pilot I know starts his tale this way). So here's the quick and dirty: I attended the University of Southern California; was in the Navy ROTC program; got a degree in Aerospace Engineering; went to Naval Flight Training and was "winged" a year later; flew the P-3C Orion and was a Naval Flight Instructor in the T-34C; got out of the Navy and was hired by a major airline where I've been now for ten years. While here I've flown the B737-300/500 series, A319/320 series, and the B757/767 type aircraft (the B stands for Boeing and the A for Airbus).

My job is what as known in the industry as the "line pilot". I fly regular "lines" as in trips or flights that carry passengers. I just completed a "check ride" last week which is more involved than the term suggests. It is a three day event with a four hour simulator ride each day as well as hours of ground school review to include subjects from security to operations to aircraft systems. The sim itself is chock full of procedure checks, maneuvers, emergency procedures and aircrew coordination drills. The beauty of having a check ride in a simulator is of course that they can throw everything at you (engine failures, fires, system malfunctions, etc). Oh what fun! Some pilots call this annual event the "You bet your license" check since it's given by the FAA or their designate and can and has resulted in suspended licences for a "bust" or failure.

I hope this gives a better picture of "who I think I am" and I welcome any and all thoughts and comments. Let's leave it at that for now and I'll save some of the details such as "what in the world is a P-3C?" for another time. And as they say, Keep the shiny side up.