Originally Posted by
artvandalay
Do pilots get as frustrated with UA as passengers do when a fully loaded TPAC 747 that has been sitting in SFO overnight--or longer--has a mechanical at the gate before pushback?
You can't find and fix a problem before the problem occurs.
Originally Posted by
goalie
I noticed that some aircraft had their tails illuminated and some did not.
Those are called "Logo Lights" and they are not required at any time.
Originally Posted by
Starman
Can a fully loaded 739 not depart SFO Runway 1s, even on a cool day?
Runway 1L is 7650' long and 1R is 8650' long. Few airliners will be completely unrestricted on runways that short.
Another factor with the longer 737s is that their takeoff and landing speeds have been artificially increased in order to provide more margin for tailstrike prevention. The higher liftoff and landing speeds allows for a lower pitch attitude on takeoff and landing which means more space between the tail and the runway. Those higher speeds mean that more runway is required.
An airplane the length of a 737-900 would normally be designed to sit up higher (like a 757) to provide more ground clearance but this is a stretched design dating all the way back to the original 737s in the 1960.