Ques: Why is it that some pilots land ever so gently while there are also instances of the opposite kind? I've noticed this with the 747s ... some touchdowns are hardly noticeable, while there's no mistaking the impact of the wheels other times!
Cheers!
Dude or Dudette
It's always a crapshoot!
Sometimes the runway is higher than we thought!
But, rest assured, all the good ones are mine, even if the F/O did it. The slammers all belong to the F/O even if I did it.
Ques: Why is it that some pilots land ever so gently while there are also instances of the opposite kind? I've noticed this with the 747s ... some touchdowns are hardly noticeable, while there's no mistaking the impact of the wheels other times!
This reminds me of that joke e-mail that went around many years ago:
"Flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: 'We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal.'"
Programs: UA-1k, HH Silver, Giving Tootsie Pops to UA employees, & now a retired hockey goalie
Posts: 10,128
ok, here's a silly one.....
two in the flight deck-1 capt (4 stripes & scrambled eggs) and 1 f/o (3 stripes) and obviously both are f/d certified so either one can fly the a/c.
when a capt comes over the p/a and gives his/her greeting etc but mentions that the f/o is "doing the driving", is the f/o actually in the left seat? in the old days, not all flight decks were equal with instrumentation on both sides so the one driving actually had to sit in the left seat.
also, in line with my question, when is the decision made as to who drives? pre-flight briefing room or right up to sitting down and can you decide at the last minute, "honey i don't feel like driving today so you do it".
so are your fingers tired yet-the way this thread is going, you're gonna be an evangelist before you know it
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just my humble opinion but i used to try and stop hockey pucks so what do i know . Nighthawks fans are everywhere
But, rest assured, all the good ones landings are mine, even if the F/O did it. The slammers all belong to the F/O even if I did it.
Fresh,
My cousin flew (now trains) 76s for Delta. When I asked him about smooth as ice, vs bumpy (hard) landings, he had this to say... If you can bowl 1 strike, in theory, you should be able to bowl a perfect game.
He wanted me to think about that.
He also told me to always congratulate the pilot as I deplane. Something about ego.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dhammer53
Fresh,
My cousin flew (now trains) 76s for Delta. When I asked him about smooth as ice, vs bumpy (hard) landings, he had this to say... If you can bowl 1 strike, in theory, you should be able to bowl a perfect game.
He wanted me to think about that.
...
Awesome.
You know, I don't congratulate the captain when I deplane, but I always say "Thanks for Channel 9." Maybe I will start doing that too! (I'll get a few funny looks!)
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Still here, still flyin, just not as often as before
two in the flight deck-1 capt (4 stripes & scrambled eggs) and 1 f/o (3 stripes) and obviously both are f/d certified so either one can fly the a/c.
when a capt comes over the p/a and gives his/her greeting etc but mentions that the f/o is "doing the driving", is the f/o actually in the left seat? in the old days, not all flight decks were equal with instrumentation on both sides so the one driving actually had to sit in the left seat.
also, in line with my question, when is the decision made as to who drives? pre-flight briefing room or right up to sitting down and can you decide at the last minute, "honey i don't feel like driving today so you do it".
F/O always flies from the right seat at UAL. Some corporate flight departments have the flying pilot always in the left seat, so the crews are constantly switching seats as they swap turns flying. I don't know of any airlines that do that.
The Captain ultimately decides who gets to fly, but 99% of the time, the Captain will swap legs with the co-pilot. Personally, I just let the co-pilot choose which legs he wants to fly, and we just up alternating.
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Maybe I don't want to know the answers to these questions, but what is the most dangerous situation to be flying in? I assume take-offs and landing are always a little dicey, but severe turbulence gets my boxers a little less boxy. Similar with high winds on approach. What do I really need to worry about?
Same question related to weather, is snow, ice, rain, wind, or….. more problematic?
When you do the walk around before the flight, is there honestly anything that you can really see that is out of order? Have you ever caught something awry during the walkaround?
Great idea for the thread!
Actually we find things every now and then. Better to find stuff on the ground than in the air. I've discovered cut tires, hydraulic leaks, engine oil leaks, and navigation lights burned out. Bird strikes are not uncommon and have to be inspected.
Maybe I don't want to know the answers to these questions, but what is the most dangerous situation to be flying in? I assume take-offs and landing are always a little dicey, but severe turbulence gets my boxers a little less boxy. Similar with high winds on approach. What do I really need to worry about?
Same question related to weather, is snow, ice, rain, wind, or….. more problematic?
Can I answer these questions without freaking anyone? Keep in mind that the safest part of your journey, statistically, is on our airplanes. About 150 people die every day on our nation's roads yet no one is scared to hop in a car! Yes, I know. It's a control thing for most people.
Statistically, most accidents happen during takeoff and landing. Is that what you mean by situation?
Turbulence, snow, ice, rain, don't really concern me normally but I do understand that they concern passengers. Obviously the extremes of those elements get our attention, but all are managable problems that we can deal with. Many of the pilots on this thread, including me, have literally been flying for decades and have just about seen it all and plan accordingly. There's not much you really have to worry about.
Actually, I asked if you would be willing to start the thread - so I guess I will ask:
Since most of us have no idea what goes on behind the cockpit door:
1. How do passengers affect your job? i.e. is there anything we do that makes your job more/less enjoyable?
2. What regular part of your job do you enjoy most, or maybe paraphrased as what makes you tick as a pilot?
3. What is the most annoying part of your job?
1) Passengers are our job. Getting you from Pt A to Pt B safely and quickly is why I'm there. Getting on and off quickly, helping the flight attendants do their job inflight, appreciating the hard work and skill that your flight crew has, understanding delays and how we don't do it on purpose.
2) I enjoy always having a sunny day at work when I fly. It may be snowing or raining, but once I get up in my office, it's sunny.
3) Dealing with a management group that neither appreciates me nor our passengers.
N I C E !!!
Great idea, and thanks for taking the ball on this one, waterfalls123.
Some of the random things I wonder about:
-How early do you arrive at the airport for a flight? Home much planning is involved for the routes/equip that you fly?
-During the flight, how much do you use the autopilot? Just at cruise, or do you switch it on fairly early in the climbout?
-During an ILS approach, do you use the APPROACH HOLD feature of the autopilot, or do you fly the needles manually?
I know I will think of a lot more. I see this becoming a hugely popular thread. Maybe to keep it in the UA forum, we should call it "Ask a UA pilot about UA stuff?"
1) Standard pre-planning for domestic flights is 1 hour prior to departure, and earlier for international flights. We have dispatchers who work our flight plans. Then the captain and F/O sit down and review the paperwork, the mtnce of the jet, add fuel or alternates, stuff like that. We then get down to the plane about 40 min prior to do our preflight preparations for an on-time departure.
2) Depends on how much you want to fly. Some folks put the autopilot on pretty quickly because it helps you clear for other aircraft and perform duties more quickly as a crew. Other guys will fly longer to help with proficiency. Just depends. All landings are hand flown unless the weather is real low and then it is an autoland with the autopilot.
3) Normally with an ILS, we hand fly it using a flight director that helps us with our course and glideslope alignment. If the weather falls below 1/2 mile, then we let the autopilot autoland the aircraft.
