aluminumdriver

No problem, happy to do it for the most part, and I like your screen name

LarryJ

I've never flown a 747 but you'd probably be in the ball park if you figured 22,000 lbs per hour (more at the beginning of the flight, less near the end). Divide by 6.7 to get gallons. Airlines are paying something over $2/gal for jet fuel. Could be close to $3/gal by now.

gumpfs

We actually can taxi single engine in the 777, but it's almost never done. For the most part, we're too heavy to taxi single engine (the thrust needed to move the airplane on one engine causes dangerous jetblast). And of course the reasons you cited for distractions and runway incursion potential apply as well.

gumpfs

Yeah, he seems like a nice guy. I saw him again today talking with two captains I know well, and he gave both my father and me CDs. We also chatted a little about FT, and he mentioned he had come out to SFO last Fall.

gumpfs

Tomorrow's flight is planned to carry 323,000 pounds of fuel.

They'll probably burn around 300,000 pounds of that. On the internet (which can't be wrong!), I found that the average price for jet fuel in 2007 was 216 cents/gallon. At 6.7 pounds per gallon, that works out to about $97,000 worth of fuel for the flight.

SkiAdcock

On my LHR-SFO flight today I was in F & went up to the cockpit to say hi & ask if C9 was on. The captain was very friendly until I asked (nicely btw), and then his smile 'froze' & he said "channel 9's not working". I interpreted that to mean that he preferred not to turn it on vs a single channel actually not be working. Was I correct, or can C9 be off when all the other channels are working? I was disappointed since I like to listen to it, but it's not something I'd challenge. The FO eased the situation by laughing & saying "what, you want to listen to us yelling at each other in the cockpit?!"

On a sep note (and this may have been covered in the 24 pages; haven't gotten through them all). When flights are delayed (my LAX-LHR had a 3-hour delay) & LHR-SFO about 30 minutes, how much time can you actually 'make up'? And if there is a large delay & yet we end relatively on time, is it because UA 'pads' the schedule in terms of time?

Any input appreciated - and thanks to all the FT captains who are willing to share their expertise. I'm not a techie, but I find it all fascinating.

Cheers.

goalie

on occasion when there is a mx problem with my a/c, i have heard the f/d talking with maintenance. is there a separate switch to bring in that freq? is it a no-no to have maint piped in over ch9 while on the ground? (i could see while inthe air ). i'm curious as to how that works as clearly the f/d has to also be monitoring clarence or ground depending upon the situation and where the a/c is located (at the gate or taxied to an open area).

btw-it was fascinating (aka way cool) to listen to how things worked between maint and the f/d and you could really tell who the ch9 junkies were as when they announced the delay time, there were a few groans throughout the a/c.

aluminumdriver

Hello.

CH 9 is just the name for the IFE system and piping something to it through the cockpit. Up in the cockpit, we have a 3rd radio control panel that the observer usually can use if they need it, or we can if one of the other radios fail. Otherwise, it is free for the Captain to use as CH 9. Anything on that radio panel can be piped into CH 9. Normally, we have VHF radio 1 up, that is normally just ATC communications. Radio 2 is company communications, talking with operations, maintenance, dispatch, stuff like that. That radio is not normally toggled up for you to hear unless the Captain turns it up for a reason, like so the passengers can hear a maintenance conversation (I never do that personally). You could get bleed over on the radio and hear #2, but that wouldn't be on purpose. I've used the interphone panel to tell folks stories over CH 9 if needed, like why we had a lengthy delay. You can toggle up navaid idents, NDB radios (that is how we can pipe through a football game inflight, it is AM radio. However, most planes don't have NDB's anymore, at least on the Airbus so that is becoming less common). So when the Captain said CH 9 wasn't working, he could have meant the whole radio panel was inop, or that he just didn't want it on. Who knows.

How much time we can make up depends on the situation and the winds. We have programmed block times for each flight. That is put together by the company, taking into account known average delays at the airports, normal winds at that time of year, etc... Where we can make up delays is when these assumptions are off. If they plan 20 min for taxi, but I know I can get out of there in 10 due to light traffic or runway alignment, I just saved 10 minutes. If I look at the flight plan and see we are 20 min under planned flt time, I now have 30 min extra. If I look and see we are coming in from the West and they are landing to the West, that is another 10-15 min I just saved. So, after knowing all that information, and we leave 15 min late, I can say we'll try to make it up enroute knowing I had some ways to do it. I can also look for some direct routings as we fly to cut some corners if that will benefit us as well.

aluminumdriver

Please see my post above, I think that answers your question as well.

HaeMaker

Hey, a post in the F/A thread reminded me of something...

I was on the new configuration 767 and was surprised the "no smoking" was still there.

Has there been any talk of changing that sign to "no electronic devices"?

I notice you blink the cigarette sign to indicate you can start using or stop using electronic devices.

I can imagine UA wants to keep some kind of reminder not to smoke since some pax need the reminder, but this can be done with a placard now since it is never ok to smoke on a plane.

lucky9876coins

Oh oh, did he refer to us by our proper title (which he came up with), the trekkies of the sky?

LarryJ

Doesn't matter what UAL wants, the no smoking sign is required by regulation. It can be a placard, like you say, instead of a light.

I've also wondered if any airline will convert the old no smoking signs to No PED signs. It would make sense.

SkiAdcock

Thanks! Appreciate the explanations! Cheers.

coolbeans202

I'm pretty sure that on US Airways' airbusses the "no smoking" has been changed to a "no electronic devices" sign. I try to fly them as little as possible so I'm not positive.

Peacock

What types of anomalies, if any, have you discovered during pre-flight walk arounds? Unsecured service access panels? FOD damage from the previous flight? Thanks in advance!