Ask the staffer
Mar 26, 2019, 5:43 am
#121
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Staffs
Programs: BAEC, Etihad Guest, Platinum Tesco Tart
Posts: 589
As flight crew we try a few things to help smooth out the ride for you! Each aircraft type has published a "turbulence penetration" speed, which we target to help reduce the intensity and give us greater margin on our speed between maximum and minimum. (this margin reduces with altitude so the main risk of turbulence is going too fast!) On the Airbus this is Mach 0.76. Despite this, the aeroplane is more than capable of flying through even the most severe turbulence. Often there is no obvious cause so it is hard to avoid, but sometimes ATC give us a heads up about reports from aircraft ahead. These reports help us decide if we want to descend, climb or turn to find smoother air. The place you'll feel turbulence the least is over the wings, nearest the centre of gravity, as the whole aeroplane is pivoting around. You'll feel it most at the rear as the horizontal stabiliser moves frequently to maintain our intended flight path. Up front is also better than at the back! For this reason we ask cabin crew at the rear to be our eyes and ears for the seat belt sign! Hope this helps!
Mar 26, 2019, 6:21 am
#122
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 19
Not really. The tanks fill in a certain order too, so if there is fuel in the centre tank, its because the wing tanks are already full. As a result, there is *always* fuel in the wing tanks. For most flights within Europe the centre tank flies empty.
Last edited by alpha320; Mar 26, 2019 at 6:26 am Reason: More info
Mar 26, 2019, 7:32 am
#123
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: London
Programs: BAEC | qantas | IHG | Hilton Honors | Priority Pass | Nandos
Posts: 868
Presumably because the engines are fed fuel from the wing tanks? So there can't ever be a scenario where the wing tanks are empty (unless all the tanks are empty, of course!!)
Mar 26, 2019, 7:37 am
#124
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 19
So if there is fuel in the centre tank (which has two pumps), each engine is supplied by one of the two centre tank pumps. Once the centre tank empties, each engine is supplied by both fuel pumps in its respective wing tank... unless we turn them off to force feeding from the other side to balance an imbalance. You are correct there should never be a scenario where the wing tanks are empty!
Mar 28, 2019, 9:03 am
#126
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 305
Here's my question:
We get a lot of questions on this forum (including the post immediately above!) about which frame is going to be allocated on a particular rotation. I am guilty of worrying about this too, particularly on routes where there is product variability on the same route from day-to-day (e.g. variation among the Mid-J 744 fleet). The allocations are (to outside punters like myself) quite unpredictable, with some frames scheduled for a prompt turnaround and others scheduled to sit on the ground for much longer.
My question is -- Who is responsible for allocating frames to particular rotations, and what factors do they take into account when choosing which frame should fly to which destination? Does the approach vary between LGW, LHR T3 and LHR T5?
We get a lot of questions on this forum (including the post immediately above!) about which frame is going to be allocated on a particular rotation. I am guilty of worrying about this too, particularly on routes where there is product variability on the same route from day-to-day (e.g. variation among the Mid-J 744 fleet). The allocations are (to outside punters like myself) quite unpredictable, with some frames scheduled for a prompt turnaround and others scheduled to sit on the ground for much longer.
My question is -- Who is responsible for allocating frames to particular rotations, and what factors do they take into account when choosing which frame should fly to which destination? Does the approach vary between LGW, LHR T3 and LHR T5?
Mar 28, 2019, 9:45 am
#127
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,797
Here's my question:
We get a lot of questions on this forum (including the post immediately above!) about which frame is going to be allocated on a particular rotation. I am guilty of worrying about this too, particularly on routes where there is product variability on the same route from day-to-day (e.g. variation among the Mid-J 744 fleet). The allocations are (to outside punters like myself) quite unpredictable, with some frames scheduled for a prompt turnaround and others scheduled to sit on the ground for much longer.
My question is -- Who is responsible for allocating frames to particular rotations, and what factors do they take into account when choosing which frame should fly to which destination? Does the approach vary between LGW, LHR T3 and LHR T5?
We get a lot of questions on this forum (including the post immediately above!) about which frame is going to be allocated on a particular rotation. I am guilty of worrying about this too, particularly on routes where there is product variability on the same route from day-to-day (e.g. variation among the Mid-J 744 fleet). The allocations are (to outside punters like myself) quite unpredictable, with some frames scheduled for a prompt turnaround and others scheduled to sit on the ground for much longer.
My question is -- Who is responsible for allocating frames to particular rotations, and what factors do they take into account when choosing which frame should fly to which destination? Does the approach vary between LGW, LHR T3 and LHR T5?
Mar 28, 2019, 12:53 pm
#130
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 3,190
Mar 28, 2019, 2:28 pm
#132
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: MSN
Programs: AA, BAEC Gold
Posts: 3,928
Mar 28, 2019, 3:37 pm
#134
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 104
Here's my question:
We get a lot of questions on this forum (including the post immediately above!) about which frame is going to be allocated on a particular rotation. I am guilty of worrying about this too, particularly on routes where there is product variability on the same route from day-to-day (e.g. variation among the Mid-J 744 fleet). The allocations are (to outside punters like myself) quite unpredictable, with some frames scheduled for a prompt turnaround and others scheduled to sit on the ground for much longer.
My question is -- Who is responsible for allocating frames to particular rotations, and what factors do they take into account when choosing which frame should fly to which destination? Does the approach vary between LGW, LHR T3 and LHR T5?
We get a lot of questions on this forum (including the post immediately above!) about which frame is going to be allocated on a particular rotation. I am guilty of worrying about this too, particularly on routes where there is product variability on the same route from day-to-day (e.g. variation among the Mid-J 744 fleet). The allocations are (to outside punters like myself) quite unpredictable, with some frames scheduled for a prompt turnaround and others scheduled to sit on the ground for much longer.
My question is -- Who is responsible for allocating frames to particular rotations, and what factors do they take into account when choosing which frame should fly to which destination? Does the approach vary between LGW, LHR T3 and LHR T5?