Take Your Kids to Work Day...Airline Style

 This is why pilots rarely take their kids to work....

As the son of an airline pilot, some of my favorite childhood memories are of the times I got to tag along with my dad at work.   Often these were simple trips to check his mail box at the airport, but when I was 12, he started taking me along on trips when he was piloting the airplane.

Portland, Oregon, Las Vegas, Nevada and San Francisco, California stand out as a few of my favorites.   In Portland, we rented car and drove up the Columbia River gorge and wandered around Mt. Hood before returning to the city. In Vegas...well, I was 12, so it probably wasn't the usual Las Vegas experience, but still a wonderful memory. In San Francisco we rode cable cars, got locked in a prison cell at Alcatraz and ate at Scoma's, our family's favorite restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf. Travel, airplanes and time alone with my dad...what a great combination.

I have two daughters, ages 12 and 15.  Both girls want to accompany me on one of my trips.  I've been dragging my feet, wondering how my dad found the courage to let me go at such a young age. I can't imagine having to leave one of my girls behind. 

As an airline employee, I'm able to travel for free anywhere my airline flies. The catch is that I only get a seat if there is one available when he flight leaves. If the plane fills up, I don't go. It's that simple. These days, the airplanes are so full that non-rev travel isn't much of a benefit. To make matters worse, the internet has created a mechanism for airlines to fill seats at the last minute, which makes planning a trip very difficult.

On a family vacation, if we don't get seats, we're still together as a family.  We consider it an adventure in travel! But if I'm working the trip and the plane fills up...I have to go and my kid has to stay behind. It's the stress of that possibility that led me to wait much longer than my dad did with me.

This week, my oldest daughter was having a rough week. The homecoming dance was quickly approaching and she didn't get invited. After a few teary nights waiting for the phone to ring, I decided it was time to invite my daughter to go with me on a long layover.  I thought I could provide her with a much more pleasant memory if I could get her out of town and away from all her friend's facebook updates.  She was excited that I had finally relented...she's been telling me she was old and mature enough for a long time.  So I got on the computer and tried to find something fun.

My favorite layovers are on the west coast. New York would be good too.  Maybe something on the beach! But nothing was open that appealed to me on any significant level.  I settled on a 32 hour layover in Columbus, Ohio. I know, it doesn't sound all that exciting, but this was more about time together than anything else. Most importantly, the flights were wide open both ways. What could possibly go wrong?

The trip up went fine. I got my daughter a first class seat and the cabin crew did a wonderful job of making my girl feel like a part of the crew. It was my leg, and I managed a smooth landing.  Not that it mattered, but I wanted my daughter to think I knew what I was doing and as far as I can tell, the landing is all anyone ever remembers. So far so good.

Simon or Pumba? I can never remember.

The next day we woke early and headed for the gym. After a good workout we went for a swim then got cleaned up and fed ourselves before hailing a cab and heading out for the zoo. (As a side note, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is wonderful and totally worth your time.) After the zoo, we rested up in the hotel then ate a nice dinner before catching a late movie.  We were in bed at a decent hour and had a fantastic time together.  Good memories!  

The next day, I got up early and reached for my iPad. I wanted to check on our flight and make sure everything was still in order. We were the second flight out of town that morning and the first flight was listed as cancelled. This is exactly why I had waited so long to take this trip. My flight was going to leave on time and completely full.  Actually, there wouldn't be enough seats for the paying passengers much less a non-rev.  My daughter was going to get left behind.

Once at the airport, I got a bunch of cash out of an ATM machine and left my daughter with the card...something I've never done before and hope to never do again.  I sat her down and told her what to do and what to expect.  I told her where to sit, who to talk to and more importantly who to avoid.  I gave her a list of all the flights home that day and showed her where to eat. She had a full charge on her phone and computer and there was a free wifi signal in the terminal. Don't talk to strangers!  I didn't want her to see it in my eyes, but I was concerned. She didn't want me to see it either, but she was too.

The gate agents were great. Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect from them, but they were all tremendously helpful and understanding. I would like to specifically thank Natalie, who promised to stay with my daughter all day and even offered to take her home that night if she wasn't able to get on a flight. Natalie gave me her phone number and promised to stay in touch.  She really put me at ease. 

I was on and off the phone with my wife...who wasn't exactly happy either. While I was preparing my daughter for her solo trip home, my wife searched the Internet for options. In the end, we elected to purchase a full fare ticket on another airline. She would still have to travel on her own and would have to make a stop-over in Charlotte, but she would be a positive space passenger and would for sure get home.  I walked my daughter over to the U.S. Airways gate, which was just a short walk from mine.  I was still on the phone with my wife, who was in the process of paying for the airline ticket online, when my daughter and I reached the gate.  Before I left, my daughter had tickets in hand and was in the care of yet another wonderfully helpful gate agent.

I'm writing this from the lounge area at U.S. Airways gate E36 at the Dallas, Ft. Worth International Airport.  I left Columbus, Ohio this morning at 9am, flew to DFW, then to Salt Lake City and back. Needless to say, I'm exhausted. I think my subconscious must have known what was coming, because I woke up at 2am and again at 4 during the night and was awakened at 6:30 by my alarm. That's when all the fun started.  I sit here now with heavy eyes.

Like my memories of Portland, Las Vegas and San Francisco, I think my daughter made life-long memories today.  I also think she'll remember this day much longer than she would have remembered her date to the homecoming dance. I left her this morning with $100 cash and my ATM card.  Apparently, the cash wasn't near enough and she's already drained a little more out of my account. "I was hungry daddy."  I’ll let her new collection of t-shirts and books go without comment. 

I know she's on that plane...but I'll feel much better when I see her smiling face.

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"When you land...please call this number"

I got the dreaded call this week, "When you land...please call this number."  For those of you who don't fly, I'm not sure how to accurately describe the feeling pilots get when they hear those words.  I rank this phrase right up there with "say your altitude."  Simple words that strike fear into any aviator.  For me there was an immediate uneasiness in my stomach as I perused my memory of the last hour of flight.

"A pilot lives in a world of perfection, or not at all"

-- Richard S. Drury, "My Secret War"

We departed Palm Springs, California an hour earlier and were cruising at 31,000 feet when Los Angeles Center gave us a phone number and instructions to call SOCAL TRACON after we landed.  SOCAL TRACON is an acronym for Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control, which controls most traffic in and out of southern California airports.  I immediately knew what they wanted to discuss and knew I had not violated any FAR's, but I still felt slightly uneasy...a little like that feeling you get when a policeman is following you on the highway.  You know you're driving under the limit, your tags and inspections are up to date, but it still makes you uncomfortable to have him back there.

Before we left Palm Springs, I contacted "Clearance Delivery" who issued our en-route clearance.  We were instructed to fly the CATHEDRAL ONE DEPARTURE (CATH1.PSP) V370 TNP then as filed.  Take a look at the departure below.  Departing runway 31L, the procedure called for us to climb on an initial heading of 310 degrees until passing  the Palm Springs 268 degree radial, followed by a right turn direct to the Palm Springs VOR.  After passing the Palm Springs VOR, we would fly the PSP 104 degree radial until passing the EMRUD intersection, then make a right turn direct to PSP.  Confused yet?  The procedure also requires pilots to cross PSP the second time at 6,200 feet before proceeding to the northeast on V370.  Terrain around the airport necessitates these turns, providing more distance to climb above surrounding mountains before venturing away from the security of the valley surrounding the airport.

CATHEDRAL ONE DEPARTURE - Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs International, looking west past the passenger terminal.

I jotted down the clearance on our flight plan then loaded the route into the FMS.  The CATHEDRAL ONE is not an RNAV departure, but I intended to use the FMS to guide us along the route.  An important part of the pre-flight process is the route check.  After I loaded the route into the FMS, the Captain checked my entries as I read from the clearance and the flight plan.  It is standard procedure at most airlines for one pilot to load the FMS and for the other pilot to check his work.

Here's an unrelated video that shows how to load the FMS (also known as the GFMS on this jet).

It was at this point that I noticed a discrepancy between what was depicted on the chart verses what appeared in our FMS.  I took the picture below while sitting at the gate before push back and engine start.  See if you can see the difference.  Take a look at the departure procedure and decide which way you would turn after EMRUD.  Now take a look at what the FMS instructed us to do.  After EMRUD, the chart shows a right turn and the FMS shows a turn to the left.  

The terrain I was most concerned about was west of the airport, so I was surprised that the procedure called for a turn toward the mountains.  But regardless of what seemed right or logical, I wanted to know what ATC was expecting us to do.  Here's where things got a little more confusing.  I asked PSP Clearance to find out which way they expected us to turn after EMRUD.  His response?  "I would expect you to turn left.  There are mountains to the right."  Well, now I was really confused.

After some time and a promise that he would check into the matter, clearance confirmed that the chart was correct.  A right turn didn't seem logical, but that's what the procedure instructed us to do.  The whole thing was a moot point, since we were able to climb fast enough that the teardrop turn after PSP was not necessary.  Even with a fully loaded jet, we were able to climb well above the 6,200 foot restriction and were almost immediately cleared on course.  The picture below is our actual flight path.

An hour into the flight, someone a little higher up in the chain of command at SOCAL got involved and wanted more information.  Thankfully, the ass chewing that usually goes with "call us when you land" wasn't going to happen today.  The moral of the story is to check your FMS or GPS or whatever it is you are using.  Don't assume the data in your device is correct.  Don't assume the guy on the other end of the radio knows the procedure.  Safety is everything...trust but verify.  

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Early Morning Departure - Sacramento, California

I took these pictures early yesterday on my way out of Sacramento, California.  What a beautiful morning!  The great thing about going west is that even the early departures don't feel early.  The sun wasn't even up when we pushed from the gate, but my body thought it was after 8am.

That's Lake Tahoe in the last two pictures.  The camera doesn't do justice to the view.  I wish you could have been there!

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MD82 or MD83...Differences Training

I took these pictures over about a thirty minute period earlier this week on a flight from DFW to CMH (Columbus Ohio).  We were flying toward the darkness, so night came fast.  This was the last of five legs and our only venture out of the state of Texas for the day.  A keen eye might notice that this MD80 looks different than most.

Were you able to pick out any of the differences?  Notably, the center stack of engine instruments and ACARS interface?  There are some other minor differences, but these pictures aren't detailed enough to highlight them (iPhone pics by the way). This aircraft, N9420D is an MD83.  Originally delivered to British West Indies Airways  (BWIA) as 9Y-THU in December 1988, then operated by Trans World Airlines (TWA) as N9420D From December 1996 until December 2001, when it entered service with American Airlines under the same registration.  Most of the "MD80's" flown by American are actually MD82's...technically speaking, DC9-82's.  From a distance, it's hard to tell them apart.

The most notable differences between an MD82 and an MD83 are found in the limitations section of the Operating Manual which I've snipped and re-printed below.  With a ramp and taxi weight bump of approximately 10,000 pounds, the MD83 is a much more useful aircraft for long flights.  

You might be surprised to know that we rarely get anywhere close to the maximum structural takeoff weight of the aircraft, even when completely full.  And when we do, it is usually the added weight of fuel, not passengers and cargo, that becomes a limiting factor.  So the added payload capability of an MD83 becomes most useful when additional fuel is needed for long flights or when poor weather necessitates a destination alternate.  

Most MD83's have two auxiliary fuel tanks which this aircraft does not have.  Again, it's difficult to see in the pictures, but most MD83's have a slightly different fuel panel and four extra fuel pump switches.  Two fuel pumps in each of the two extra tanks.  Oddly enough, the auxiliary fuel tanks take up space under the cabin floor in the main fuselage and encroach on cargo space.  So...we can load up on fuel, but we may "bulk out" on cargo and could be forced to leave something behind.  I'm not sure this was a well thought out design. 

As you might imagine, the extra fuel comes in handy for long flights like DFW to SEA or ORD to SAN which are often well over 4 hours in length.  On any given day, an MD80 on the ground at SEA, PDX or SAN is almost surely an MD83.

Difference Training...

I am often asked if I exclusively fly one type aircraft, or if I am able to move from jet to jet.  Due to the vast differences between most airliners and the tremendous cost involved with training a pilot to fly a new type of equipment, pilots are almost always trained to fly one jet at a time.  I currently fly the MD80, but not all our MD80's are the same.

Most airlines train their pilots to fly the most common aircraft in a bid status, then spend a short amount of time on difference training.  When I was initially trained on the MD80, we spent all our time learning the MD82, then spent about a day going over the differences between the MD82 and the MD83. I still have my notes from that day and possess fewer than ten pages on the subject. 

The same goes for other aircraft types.  For instance, most airlines include the B757 and the B767 in the same bid status.  From the outside, most could not tell the difference between an MD82 and an MD83, but few would confuse a B757 with a B767.  The two jets look quite different and are significantly different in size.  But from the cockpit, and the closer to the instrument panel you are, the two are almost identical.

I'll leave you with one more picture.  See if you can tell the difference.  MD82 or MD83?

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"Waiting for Numbers"

I included this picture as part of a earlier post and thought it warranted a little more explanation.  What you see below is the "load closeout" that I saved from a recent flight from Dallas, Ft. Worth, Texas (KDFW) to San Jose, California (KSJC).  Anyone who has ever monitored the ground control frequency at a major U.S. airport has heard one of our pilots inform the tower that he was "waiting for numbers."  

This little piece of paper is quite important and tells the pilot everything he needs to know regarding weight and balance.  The weight part of the equation is simple.  The aircraft must weigh less than the max ramp weight before the brakes are released for taxi.  It must weigh less than the max structural takeoff weight before takeoff (this number may be further restricted by factors like runway length and environmental conditions), and the aircraft must weigh less than max landing weight before landing.

Balance all comes down to the location of the CG or Center of Gravity.  Go get a 2X4 out of your garage and balance it on the tip of your index finger.  It might take a while to find the right spot, but when you support the board from the CG, it will balance on the tip of your finger.  Now put a can of soda on one end of the board.  The CG of the board has now moved and you must move your hand to the new CG or the board will fall.  Balance on an aircraft works exactly the same way, except that mistakes lead to much more serious consequences (see below).

Oops...sometimes the CG is even important WHILE loading.

As important as all this is, an aircraft doesn't have to be perfectly balanced.  That is, the CG doesn't have to be right in the middle.  The CG does, however, need to be within a pre-determined range.  Load the aircraft nose heavy and the pilot may not be able to lift the nose during takeoff.  Load the aircraft tail heavy and aircraft could be unstable and potentially difficult if not impossible to control during a stall.  I won't bore you with a full explanation of the CG and its affect on both stability and control, but feel free to click HERE for more detail.

Back to the "load closeout."  At many, if not most airlines, the pilots have all the weight and balance data they need to legally takeoff before the door is closed for departure.  However, at some airlines, mine in particular, this data is transmitted to the pilots and printed in the cockpit during taxi.  Below is a line by line explanation of the closeout.

Line 1)  The aircraft tail number: N9420D. The message was transmitted through the DFW station to the aircraft.
2)  Load Closeout revision number 00 indicates that this is the first closeout sent for this flight.  The closeout was transmitted at 1008L time.  3)  Flight 1347 from DFW to SJC.  The nose number for the aircraft was N4WY. Airlines often use "nose numbers" as opposed to "tail numbers" to internally track aircraft.
4)  Takeoff Weight:  148,867 lbs.  The max takeoff weight for this aircraft is 160,000 lbs, so we were well below the limit.
5)  Fuel On Board:  34,052 lbs.  The "A" represents an actual fuel load that I manually sent to our load planner as opposed to a "P" indicating a planned number.
6)  Zero Fuel Weight:  114,815 lbs.  Well below the limit of 122,000 lbs, the ZFW represents the weight of the loaded aircraft minus fuel.  Note that the FOB + ZFW = TOW.
7)  Flap setting / Stabilizer trim.  The flap setting required for takeoff depends on the runway to be used.  In this case, we departed from runway 18L, which required flaps set to 6 degrees and a stabilizer trim setting of 5.4.  I like to draw a line from the flap setting to the stab trim number to help the Captain identify the correct information during his pre-takeoff briefing.
8)  Center of Gravity: 14.4%.  Described in percent of MAC ( Mean Aerodynamic Chord).
9)  Passenger count:  140 passengers.  0 cockpit jumpseaters.  0 cabin jumpseaters.  I wrote the number 145 to indicate 145 souls on board.  140 passengers plus 5 crew members.  This is an important number to be transmitted to ATC during an emergency.
10)  Child count: 5.  Included to inform the pilots that an appropriate child weight was used to account for 5 of the 140 passengers listed above.
11)  Passenger weight:  23,085 lbs.  The number used to account for each passenger varies depending on the time of year.  Passenger weights are higher during the winter to account for the extra weight of winter clothing.
12)  Cargo weight:  3,180 lbs.
13)  Empty Operating Weight:  85,550 lbs.  The fixed empty weight of the aircraft before fuel, passengers and cargo.
14)  SECOK.  Indicates that all security checks are complete.

Sending this data during taxi helps facilitate an on-time departure, but there are a few drawbacks.  First of all, receiving, interpreting and setting the information included in the closeout requires the attention of one set of eyes.  During taxi, both pilots should pay attention to aircraft movement and should minimize any head-down activities.  So the closeout is an unfortunate distraction during a critical phase of the operation.

Secondly, as the title of this post suggests, we don't always get our numbers before we get to the end of the runway.  As a result, you will often hear pilots inform the tower that they are "waiting for numbers."  This is usually caused by one of two things.  Either the gate agent neglected to enter final passenger numbers or the ramp crew forgot to enter final numbers for baggage and cargo.  Either way, the load closeout cannot be issued if any part of the puzzle is missing.

On one especially frustrating night, I sat near the end of the runway for a significant amount of time waiting for the closeout.  After some time, I called our load planner...a third person in the process who does all the pre-flight load planning...and inquired as to the delay.  Turns out our flight had been the gate agent's last flight of the night.  After closing the door and seeing us off, she left for the day but forgot to input the final passenger numbers.  Someone finally reached her on her cell phone and asked her to come back to the airport to complete her duties.

So the next time you're sitting at the end of the runway, watching other flights taxi by and takeoff, chances are you're "waiting for numbers."

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