Originally Posted by
Chapel Hill Guy
Taking off in a 757 from ORD in a snowstorm, the pilot clamped on the brakes and really reved up the engines before beginning takeoff. What's the purpose of that?
In addition to the other reasons mentioned, that technique may be used on a short runway so that you don't waste runway space as the engines are accelerating. Normally wouldn't be an issue at ORD, however...
Originally Posted by
Citabria
Could you estimate how many of you enjoy flying light GA aircraft when away from work, and how often you do so?
I hadn't flown a GA airplane for 15 years. Got checked out to do it when my son decided that he wanted to go flying. Took him flying a few times and haven't flown GA since. My my daughter wants to go flying so I'll be doing it again sometime soon.
You've alluded to it in discussing trip scheduling already, but how long are you away from home, in terms of total time?
I don't fly for UAL, or an airline that operates anything like UAL, so my schedule is quite different from the UAL pilot's typical schedules. My trips are typically from six to eight days in length and are followed by six or seven days off. Sometimes I'll get a double-block of work, or double-block of time off, from the way one month's schedule meshes with the following month's schedule.
Is there anything you'd like to see from GA pilots (such as myself) when we operate near a terminal environment?
I would like to see all pilots, not just GA pilots, follow the recommended phraseology from the AIM. Everyone seems to want to go with what they think "works fine" instead of what's recommended in the AIM. No need to reinvent the wheel, just follow the AIM recommendations for phraseology. And, just to be clear, I'm not saying that airline pilots do a good job with phraseology, they generally do not.
For more on that topic, as well as all sorts of other great ATC info for pilots of all levels, go to
www.avweb.com and read the "Say Again?" series of articles by former Atlanta Center controller, and NATCA Safety Officer, Don Brown.