Programs: happily dropping to UA 1P, CO Silver, HH Diamond, worthless Hertz #1 Gold 5 Star thing
Posts: 3,667
Quote:
Originally Posted by aluminumdriver
My landings are always smooth!! Just kidding. It depends on so many variables. Winds, plane weight, runway type, just plane good landing that day.
Some aircraft have different types of trucks (ie wheels). Single wheel types like the airbus or 737 are easier to get smooth touchdowns on. Dual or more trucks like 767 and 777 are harder because the gear hang down at an angle and when you touch down, they kind of go kathump all at once onto the runway.
We may be landing in a 30 knot crosswind in bad weather and thump it down. We're high fiving in the cockpit for the great approach and landing while you are probably thinking what a stinky landing. It is all perspective.
Interesting to hear you say that about the 737. I have always thought (at least in my experience,) that 737 landings are always a little rough. 767s are the same, in fact, it always seems my 767 landings are ones where the ship gets crammed onto the runway. I find 777 and 747 landings are always very smooth. (CRappyJets are by far the worst. I guess Canadians don't believe in shock absorbers? Those things are keeping chiropractors in business!)
driver, I flew SFO-PDX last week with a great UA737 captain named Steve Robinson. Real friendly guy, he invited us to turn on Channel 9 and "listen to his funny Oklahoma accent." We talked flying for a few minutes while he was standing in the F galley before pushback. Real pleasure to fly with, and of course, his 737 landing at PDX was smooth as satin sheets. You have some great colleagues on UA.
I know you might not have experience with this, given that UA operates the 737-300 and -500, but: are the newer 737-700/800/900 any easier on the landings? It's pretty much the same gear, but a slightly higher weight, correct?
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Still here, still flyin, just not as often as before
Oh that one is easy, prefer the same jet all day if possible. Much easier and quicker to turn the jet not having to walk through a concourse and change planes. Doesn't happen very often at United.
When keeping the same plane, do you do the walk around before each flight or only the first time you fly it for the day?
It is United's SOP to use an instrument approach to the planned landing runway to back us up on a visual approach. Thus, you haven't seen us land at the wrong airport or runway ala Continental Airlines.
I'm pretty sure I have seen something along the lines of 'use all available navaids' somewhere in the regs.
-What is the format of your checklists? tri-fold? In a spiral bound booklet?
-The FAA and all flight schools teach and emphasize the importance of SRM. It's understandable in the private/instrument rating. However, in the commercial/ATP level I would think that teaching CRM would be better. Pilots entering the airlines now have come from training backgrounds where all the work is done by one person into multi-crew environments. Being a pilot who has made this transition, do you think it would have been more beneficial for CRM to be taught when you were getting your licenses as opposed to after you were hired in training?
Programs: UA 2MM, DL 500k, SW CP, GP 1M, HH Gold, Miracle Fruit-su Club
Posts: 3,914
Lightning?
Oh, man, this thread is great.
I was once on a flight in which we were hit "on the nose" (per the Captain) by lightning. We knew we were hit, but not for sure, until the Captain came on and told us, probably five (looong) minutes later, that we had been hit, they'd run their checks, and all was fine. (I wondered when their vision came back...)
1) What's vulnerable, if anything, in such a situation?
2) I mistakenly thought we'd have to somehow discharge the charge (a la the helicopter line that my Coast Guard brother used for rescues) or there would be consequences. Why didn't we?
Please don't waste time answering this if the Captain's "and everything checked out fine" is all the answer there is.
I'll also chime in my appreciation to the pilots taking time to contribute to this thread.
Last year, I sat next to a UA test pilot based out of Indiana. He was commuting to Florida to test fly a 737 before it was returned to duty. He was great to talk to and it turns out he was qualified to fly all the mainline aircraft. I asked him which was his favorite and he said "it's really fun to fly an empty 757".
So my question for you pilots that are qualified in multiple aircraft types, which one is your favorite and why?
This thread finally shifted me from lurker to actually join! I have a million questions, but I'll start with a few and be happy with any that you answer!
1. Looking at United's route network internationally, where do you think you should fly that you currently don't? Where do you currently fly, but you think is wasting a plane?
2. Does your relationship with STAR / (or Lufthansa in particular) affect you as pilots at all?
3. What, if any, are you doing to reach out to non-senior management to attempt to get a non-traditional ally? I've seen the picketing at the airport(I'm a compensation consultant, and a former client was a private union at a manufacturing company. This was a very effective strategy, as these people often in labor conflicts are essentially forced into siding with senior management as they are the easiest to cut if needed. It becomes a survival game).
4. Which do you prefer, preferential bidding or lines?
5. How do you feel about the retirement age changing? How many pilots at United would have retired but now will stay? How will that affect how many hours you get?
6. How much compensation should I expect when the IFE isn't working? (kidding, had to poke fun at the people I've been lurking over!)
Thanks again! As a 1K who earns 90% of my miles domestically, I thank you for many safe landings! And as the child of a flight attendant - I certainly have a respect for the lifestyle issues you face. Thank you!
Programs: happily dropping to UA 1P, CO Silver, HH Diamond, worthless Hertz #1 Gold 5 Star thing
Posts: 3,667
Other than this being the best thread in the history of the UAMP forum, there is not much to like here.
I will be the 1000th person to add my thanks to our pilots.
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Still here, still flyin, just not as often as before
So I fly a trip to Asia and have a few guests in town for a couple of days - I see nothing has happened at FT in my absence. ;-)
The other UA pilots in this thread have done a great job of answering questions, so I'll just add to a couple of areas. Not sure yet if I'm going to post anything to the Channel 9 thread.
1. First, the easy ones. I have 11 years of seniority and am currently a 777 F/O; I've also flown the 737, 757/767 and the A319/A320. I love my job, although portions of the career are challenging and less than ideal, and I agree with the other pilots about management. Still, I enjoy coming to work, like Channel 9 and absolutely encourage cockpit visits before and after the flight.
2. Long flights are staffed with 1 captain and 2 F/Os if the flight is scheduled between 8 and 12 hours, and 1 captain and 3 F/Os if the flight is scheduled for longer than 12 hours (because we don't like to leave F/Os in Asia, they all come back together, even though the flight times are shorter).
3. We do walkarounds on every flight, even if we keep the same aircraft. The only exception is for ETOPS diversions for non-maintenance reasons - we may continue without a walkaround.
4. One poster mentioned he didn't like severe turbulence. I think a lot of people overestimate the level of turbulence - we would almost never report severe turbulence. If we experience severe turbulence, we would expect that the aircraft is damaged, and a maintenance inspection is required for further flight. We are not allowed to fly into areas of known severe turbulence, and in my millions of miles of flying, I have never experienced turbulence that I would categorize as severe. Turbulence makes it difficult to drink coffee and makes it uncomfortable for our passengers, but it otherwise doesn't bother me.
5. It's unlikely that a flight aborted a takeoff half way down the runway for an inappropriate flap setting. If it was incorrect and caught, it would be caught with the takeoff warning horn, which would sound at the very beginning of takeoff thrust application (before the airplane is even really moving). The 737 can takeoff at flaps 1, which (IIRC - it's been a while) involves no trailing edge devices (just slats). It's more likely the abort was for a different reason, even if the subsequent takeoff was made with a different flap setting.
6. Most of our fleets use a checklist card, with the normal checklists printed on the outside and the emergency checklists on the inside. They are not checklists like a GA pilot uses a checklist - when we run the checklist, all of the items have already been accomplished during our "flows" (actions we perform at certain times, like after engine start). The checklist ensures that we've correctly done all the flows. The emergency checklists are a little different. There are only a few (about 15-16 depending on the fleet) that need to be done without referencing the flight manual, and these are done off the checklist card (called the QRC - quick reference checklist) in order by reading them. Examples of QRC checklists include Engine Fire, Rapid Depressurization and Evacuation. Other emergencies are either handled exclusively by referencing the manual (loss of hydraulic fluid) or are handled completely by memory via a "manuever" (windshear recovery, engine failure on takeoff).
7. The 777 normal and emergency checklists are all in the airplane's electronic system, and the airplane knows what has already been done. We pull the checklist up on either the lower screen (in flight) or the F/Os inboard screen (on the ground), and most of the items are already completed, if we've done our flows correctly. The parking checklist only has two items, for example, as opposed to reading the whole list, as is done for other fleets. The 777 uses the electronic checklists for both normal and emergency items.
8. The Electronic Flight Bag is coming (! - almost a joke to UA pilots), and I keep seeing presentations on it. The vendor has been selected, and the first one was supposed to be installed on the A320 by October 31st. Well, there were some issues, and now the first one won't be until this March, or possibly later.
I better stop there, or no one will get through the message!
Just want to add my deepest thanks to all the pilots who are contributing to this (and other) thread, and to FT'ers who are asking great questions!
My question is about co-workers. There was already a mention (by a non-UA pilot, I believe) about how miserable it can be to sit for eight hours in tiny space with a co-worker who hates his job, I wonder how often that happens to you, UA pilots who clearly love your jobs?
And what do you do when it does happen? Do you just make small talk, sit in silence and ignore them or outright tell them "hey, I love *my* job, so stop complaining and bumming me out!"
I was once on a flight in which we were hit "on the nose" (per the Captain) by lightning. We knew we were hit, but not for sure, until the Captain came on and told us, probably five (looong) minutes later, that we had been hit, they'd run their checks, and all was fine. (I wondered when their vision came back...)
1) What's vulnerable, if anything, in such a situation?
2) I mistakenly thought we'd have to somehow discharge the charge (a la the helicopter line that my Coast Guard brother used for rescues) or there would be consequences. Why didn't we?
Please don't waste time answering this if the Captain's "and everything checked out fine" is all the answer there is.
Thank you.
First off I'll add my thanks to the UA cockpit crew that post here. You've quickly achieved rock star status on FT
I'm not a pilot, but I do know a bit about aircraft lightning protection.
There's always some degree of vulnerability when a machine is struck by lightning. However, aircraft are designed with lightning strikes in mind and essentially the entire fuselage is electrically conductive. Remember that an aircraft in flight is not electrically grounded so the lightning is not generally terminating or beginning at the aircraft. It travels through the aircraft. The good news for all the pax and electronics inside the aircraft is that the fuselage transmits the strike. So long as the pax and electronics are properly isolated from the fuselage there's little chance of major damage or injury. This protection system isn't perfect since there are always items inside the aircraft that are connected to the fuselage (radars, air sensors, structures etc) so damage sometimes occurs.
A side note is that for the 787 and other aircraft with composite fuselages a conductive material is incorporated into the composite weaving in order to provide the same sort of lightning protection. This system has been used for some time on biz jets.
I'm also loving this thread for many reasons. First of all, I love all the information. I also love seeing that it IS possible to have strong union ties, and STILL love your job and serve your customers so well. One does not have to preclude the other. But mostly I love that this thread is already 9 pages long, and there is nary an insult...the tone remains respectful and courteous. Is this a record?
And just a little comment about landings... I flew on my first flight in over 30 years (I know, what in the world am I doing on a FREQUENT flier site?) a few years ago, and I was like a kid experiencing my first Christmas. I was seated between two frequent fliers (neither ever heard of ft) and they were sharing some of my enthusiasm for this flight. I loved the ascent, the service, the clouds and sunshine out of the window, channel 9, and I couldn't wait for the descent and landing. When we did touch down, I was surprised at how smooth it was, (wasn't even sure we actually touched down) and I even said so. One of my frequent flier buddies said, "that wasn't smooth for a united piolot. If it was Delta, it would have been considered a perfect landing, but United pilots are usually even smoother than that." I thought that was interesting, and just thought I'd pass that on to you pilots here.
You have some great colleagues on UA. 
Lightning?
