Downsizing

The plight of the average employee at American Airlines over the past ten plus years has been relatively unpleasant, and the bankruptcy process has, to no one’s surprise, failed to yield improvement. Today, even before the pay cuts I know are coming, I find myself unable to afford the house that was easily within my budget 10 years ago.  I’ve decided to downsize my finances and move into a smaller home, a process that has been all consuming during the past month.

Many have forgotten that the employees of this once great airline took huge pay cuts back in 2003 to avoid the very situation in which we are now embroiled. My personal contribution to the "keep American out of bankruptcy" fund included a 23% pay cut on top of a reduction in benefits and a displacement out of my home base for a period of five years. We took those cuts at a time when most of the other carriers were working under fresh new contracts that already put their salaries above ours, so the pay-cuts were especially deep and afforded the company a significant cost advantage over the competition. "Shared pain for shared gain" was the catch phrase we kept hearing from management, but 10 years later those managing the airline are the only ones who have gained financially as the airline has faltered under their leadership. 

Yesterday, as the airline’s legal team was in court arguing to have our contract thrown out the window, I was at my attorney’s office closing on the sale of my house.  As poor as the real estate market is in the US, I have been fortunate. A friend of a friend heard we were considering a move and asked to see the house. We were able to come to terms without the assistance of a realtor, saving me a significant chunk of change.

Moving into a significantly smaller home is never fun and the process of packing up and getting rid of everything that wouldn't fit was a time consuming and mentally exhausting experience.  While my wife and children have been exceptionally supportive, I know the move is hard them.

So while it's been an exciting month, I haven't had time to share my experiences with you. In the last 30 days I landed in El Paso, Texas in winds gusting to almost 50 knots with 1/2 mile visibility in blowing dust. I was lucky to be stuck in a hotel room the day tornadoes tore through the Dallas area...$3500 in damage to my car. The following week I circled west of the Dallas, Ft. Worth area for an hour before thunderstorms forced a divert for fuel and topped of the month with two significant mechanical issues...all stories for another time.

So yes, it's been an exciting month at home and at work. A month now topped off with rumors of a merger between American and US Airways. I would define my position as cautiously optimistic, but find myself on the fence.  The rumors of a merger between the two are nothing new, but they are now fueled with the knowledge that the three major unions at American are not only behind the idea but have successfully agreed to a tentative contract with the management of US Airways.  This is a major accomplishment given almost zero progress in contract negotiations with AMR during the past five years. Not to mention that while AMR is going forward with plans to impose draconian contracts on its labor groups, the US Airways management team is promising pay raises and job protections.

While this is all a significant improvement on what AMR has planned, I’m still unable to throw complete support behind the idea of a merger. There are many reasons for this, but my primary source of concern is simple history. US Airways wants, and arguably needs, American Airlines.  They have attempted and failed to merge with both Delta and United and are convinced that they need a partner to survive long term.  AMR is the last ugly girl at the dance and US Airways is tired of standing with their backs against the wall watching everyone else enjoy the party. I'm convinced they will say and promise whatever is necessary to gain the trust and cooperation of the labor groups at American. This is a serious concern that was clearly demonstrated when American merged with TWA in 2001.

I mentioned before that I was displaced to another base in 2003 after our first near miss with bankruptcy. My displacement resulted in 5 years of commuting to St. Louis, Missouri to fly with the former TWA pilots.  I had a love hate relationship with this pilot group.  They were just another group of pilots shaped by different circumstances than my own…both competent and skilled aviators.  But I also found them to be generally ticked-off about life and the impact the TWA/AA merger had on their careers.  Unfortunately I was often the target of their frustrations.

The merger agreement between the two airlines guaranteed that all Captain positions in St Louis, regardless of seniority, would be flown by former TWA pilots.  So during my five years in STL, I flew exclusively with former TWA pilots and often flew with Captains who were far below me on the American Airlines seniority list.  If I was successful in keeping the subject of conversation off the merger all was good...but I was rarely able to avoid the subject.  Once the subject of conversation veered toward the topic of the merger all bets were off.  I often endured angry tirades and long trips to the "soap box."  I didn't agree with much that was said but didn't feel the cockpit was the right place to get into an all-out argument, so I often kept my opinions to myself.

One thing I often heard from the TWA pilots stuck with me then and remains on my mind now. When the merger between American and TWA was announced, the employees of TWA rejoiced. They thought they had been saved. American wanted TWA and made promises to the employees…many of which they did not keep.  Not unlike the promises of pay raises and job protections that I'm hearing now. The TWA employees didn't fare so well in the years after 9/11 and I'm not sure how the employees of American Airlines will fare when the dust settles on this merger…assuming of course that it occurs at all.

It is what it is and only time will tell. The one thing that I know for sure is that I am simply along for the ride. Hopefully it will be a smooth one...but I wouldn't bet on it.

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Delta Pilot Puts Uniform Up For Sale at Ebay

As the story goes, ebay pulled a listing in 2005 that a Delta Air Lines Captain had placed on the auction site. Up for sale? Captain Wendall Lewis's Captain's uniform. After Lewis saw his monthly pension of $6500 slashed by 73%, he decided to make a statement.  I post this now as my employer explores the depths of bankruptcy.  Don't get me wrong...I love my job and I'm thrilled and proud to wear my uniform every day, but I find it especially easy to relate to the statement made by this long time airline  veteran.  True or not...these stories often are not...the sentiment is an accurate representation of what many of us experience after a life-long airline career.

And here was his statement:

AUTHENTIC Delta Air Lines Captain Pilot Uniform This uniform was worn by a dedicated Delta Pilot for many years. Now retired and robbed of part, or all, of promised pension, uniform is now offered for sale to supplement income. Suit is worn and empty but filled with memories and honor. Suit has been across many miles and many experiences. Suit was once filled with pride and service getting thousands of passengers to their destination safely. Suit has been through rain, snow, ice, and wind without a single tear or scratch. Suit once controlled multi-million dollar assets, flown throughout the world, with billions of dollars of liability to the company. Suit has never cost company one (1) cent in accident or injury.

Although the suit is worn and has been discarded by the company, it can be yours. Suit is clean but used. Coat may be soiled from hydraulic fluid or grease as plane was inspected. Shirt may be soiled from mad dashes through the airport in a rush to the next plane in an effort to get back on schedule. Tie may have stains from fast food meals that were hurriedly eaten while at the controls.

Tie comes with your choice of pins, Air Line Pilots Association, Air Force, or Airplane. Pants may show signs of wear from may hours spent strapped into a seat, hip shows some signs of wear from firearm used to protect you and your passengers from harm. Shoes are shiny but worn. Suit comes with choice of Old Delta or New Delta emblems. Many prefer the Old Delta.

Suit is thought by many to have APHRODISIAC qualities, although this cannot be confirmed or denied.

BEWARE putting on this suit can have adverse effects on your life. It can cause you to miss your childrens' birth. It can cause you to miss holiday reunions, family times, and weekends. You may miss your Daughter's prom and your Son's graduation. Your family may think Christmas is not always on December 25th. Your wife will have to learn to be a single parent when you are gone for days. The suit can cause you to miss entire nights of sleep or get up at 3 AM to meet your next schedule. Your neighbors may be jealous of you and think you do not deserve to wear the uniform or be compensated for your work.

Originally suit required a four year college degree and an internship of 5-10 years in the military, and another 10-15 years for the fourth stripe. Suit comes with a promise of a pension if you provide years of dedication and service. THE PROMISE MAY BE AS EMPTY AS THE SUIT. Now it can be had for the highest bid. Good Luck bidding.

  

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The Strange and Difficult to Find MD80 Standby Compass

MD80 Standby Compass

Have you ever been in the cockpit of an MD80 series aircraft?  If you have, then you probably weren’t able get over the scrambled and chaotic design of the cockpit long enough to notice that something important was missing…the standby compass. 

I learned to fly in a 1980’s era Cessna 152 with a compass located in clear view in the center of the instrument panel.  The compass had to be checked against a standby “wet” compass and manually corrected by the pilot every few minutes.  If the pilot forgot to make the necessary corrections, then the compass would develop an error over time that would eventually lead the aircraft off course.  Most modern aircraft are equipped with a slaved compass system that continually and automatically updates and corrects the heading information displayed on the cockpit instrument panel, removing the need to continually check the accuracy of the compass system.  A standby compass is still required equipment and must, at a minimum, be checked before each flight and would be used in the event of a failure of the slaved compass system.

The cockpit picture below is that of a Boeing 757-200.  The standby compass is prominently and conveniently located on top of the center window post.  In the event of a failure of the compass system on this aircraft the pilots would be able to easily and clearly view the compass.  Except for the light within its casing, the standby compass needs no electrical power to operate and is functional during a complete loss of electrical power.

Boeing 757-200 Cockpit

The cockpit picture below is that of a McDonnell Douglas MD83.  Now that I’ve mentioned it, you might notice the absence of a standby compass.  Clearly this aircraft does not have a center window post, but it seems logical to me that the compass could have been placed above the post nearest the Captain.  If that wouldn't work, I could come up with at least two or three other options...in the ceiling behind the First Officer would not be one of them, but that's exactly where it is.

McDonnell Douglas MD83 Cockpit

In order to view the standby compass on this aircraft, the pilot must first flip up one of two mirrors on top of the instrument panel…one for the Captain and one for the First Officer.  No, the mirrors are not for checking the condition of your hair, but they are probably used more often for grooming tasks than for checking the compass.

After flipping up the mirror, the pilot must position the mirror in just the right position so that he can see a second mirror in the ceiling in order to view the compass.  The second mirror makes it so that the compass is not viewed backward as it would if viewed through only one mirror.  There’s even a light switch on the overhead panel that turns on a small light to illuminate the face of the compass. 

The video below shows the procedure in full.  After viewing the pictures and video maybe you will have the same thought that I’ve had for years…I sincerely hope I never have to use it on a dark and stormy night.

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Where Am I? An explanation of today's twitter post.

I had some fun on twitter today when I posted this picture and commented "Anyone like to guess where I'm standing? "Somewhere on an MD80" will not be counted as a correct answer;)"

I suppose it wasn't too difficult a challenge.  Unlike movies that portray actors crawling around in huge crawl spaces above passenger compartments or vast electronics bays, most airplanes have precious few places not readily visible by the public.  After all, it's all about revenue and if there isn't a seat bolted to the floor it's wasted space. 

The picture was taken while standing in the left wheel well of an MD82...at least I think it was an MD82.  Could have been an MD83...I honestly don't remember.  A quick look at my logbook would tell, but unless you're in the cockpit with a view of the fuel panel, there really isn't much of a difference.  That's the left hydraulic reservoir on the right, the transfer hydraulic pump on the bottom, the spoiler depressurization valve in the middle and the small round hole in the top right corner of the picture is...believe it or not...for viewing the down-lock stripes on the left main landing gear.

MD82 Landing Gear Handle

and "Down and Locked" Lights

Picture this...you're on the final approach course, intercept the glide path and lower the gear.  But the gear doesn't come down.  I should say, you don't know if the gear came down because one or more of the green "down and locked" lights did not illuminate.  There's a small pin that pops up from the center console in the cockpit that indicates the nose gear is down.  A little strange, yes, but it's a mechanical indication that the nose gear is down and it works every time.  The main gear is a different story and this is where it gets interesting.

I won't tell you exactly where this is because I really don't want you looking for it the next time you are fortunate enough to ride on one these fine machines, but there is a viewing port in the cabin that can be used to visually inspect the condition of the main landing gear.  To gain access, one of the pilots would walk to the cabin and count in the appropriate direction from the over-wing exits to find the correct row of seats before commencing the process of ripping up carpet.  Again, I'm not telling which direction or how far because I really don't want you looking for it.  I know this sounds ridiculous, but the carpet is held down with velcro, so theoretically, it should come up easily.  The pilot would then remove a small, round access port and peer through a periscope device to the two stripes that, if the gear is down and locked, would be lined up.  The strips are painted orange to make this process a little easier and there's even a light that shines on said stripes that's required to be operational for the aircraft to be dispatched for revenue flight. 

One more thing...the periscope is located inside the right wheel well, so in order to view the down and locked stripes on the left main gear, there's a small, round hole cut into the bulkhead between the two gear wells to facilitate viewing of the stripes on both main gear assemblies with a single periscope.

Strange?  Yes.  Does it work?  I don't know anyone who's actually had to do this, but I'm told it has been done and that it worked.  Hopefully I will never have to prove it myself or explain to some poor soul why I'm tearing out the carpet beneath his seat.

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Return to Base

I had one of those days on Saturday that started early, went bad fast and only got worse as the day went on.   One of those rare days when nothing seems to go right and in spite of great efforts to the contrary, everyone involved leaves dissatisfied and determined to utilize another airline for future travel. 

I signed in at 5am for the third day of a three day trip.  Go home day.  The day when everyone desperately hopes for smooth travel and an on time or early return to base.  We were scheduled for three legs, over 7 hours of flight time and 11 hours on duty.  We ended the day with closer to 9 hours of actual flight time and 14 hours on duty.  A long day by any measure.

Leg number one went as planned.  Our early morning departure out of Colorado necessitated de-icing and an extra cup of coffee, but we left the gate ahead of schedule and landed at our destination 15 minutes early.  One down, two to go.  We were originally scheduled to keep the same aircraft all day and even had the same flight number for the first and second leg, but upon arrival after leg number one we were informed that we would be changing aircraft before our next departure. 

Swapping planes…the bag drag…adds more trouble and complication to a crew’s day than you might think.  Pilots and Flight Attendants alike build what is often called a “nest” in the aircraft.  Bags, books, checklists, headsets and everything else in its proper place takes time and effort.  We all hate changing airplanes especially when you’re already on one that’s working properly.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve swapped to a new jet only to find that the new one is late, broken or both.  In this case, our original jet was working fine, our nests were built and dragging our bags from one end of the airport to the other was only going to add to the fatigue of an already long day.

As I began to settle into my new work space, one of my first actions was to check the aircraft logbook.  This is where the day started to go south.  An aircraft, especially a large jet, is a complicated piece of machinery and it’s not uncommon for things not to work properly.  There are multiple backups for all important systems and for the most part, the passengers on board are almost always oblivious to malfunctions.  This particular aircraft had been written up the day before for problems with a landing gear indicator light, an anti-skid issue and a problem with the automatic spoilers.  What we like to see as pilots is a balancing entry in the logbook that shows corrective action to repair the issue.  What we do not like to see in the logbook are the words “unable to duplicate, ok for service.”  Guess what was written in my logbook.

The jet had been flown since these words were added to the aircraft logbook, so I was hopeful that the issues had been resolved.  Sometimes, an airplane is a little like your home computer.  Turn everything off, remove all power and reboot…you’d be surprised how often that works. 

We pushed back from the gate on time, taxied out for takeoff and were almost to the runway before we had our first sign of trouble.  As we approached the runway, I was working through the Before Takeoff Checklist and was unable to arm the auto-brakes.  (In the event of an aborted takeoff, auto-brakes will engage the brakes automatically to help slow the aircraft)  Then I noticed that all four anti-skid inop lights were illuminated on the overhead panel.  We stopped the aircraft, worked through our checklists and were able to reset the system and extinguish the warning lights.  Problem solved, cleared for takeoff.

It was my leg, and as I climbed through about 5000 feet the Captain noticed the left main landing gear unsafe light was illuminated.  This light indicates the landing gear is not in agreement with the landing gear handle.  In this case, the light indicated that the left main gear was not all the way up and locked.  We decided to continue climbing while we ran the checklist.  About the time the Captain had started running the checklist, the landing gear door light illuminated.  This aircraft has gear doors that open to allow the gear to raise and lower and are always closed when the landing gear is either all the way up or all the way down.  The light was an indication that the door was open.  A little or a lot, we did not know. 

I turned the auto-pilot off and flew the aircraft by hand for a while hoping to detect some unusual control inputs that would help determine if the lights were correct.  It was a possibility that both the lights were in error and that the gear was up and the door was closed.  One step in the procedure was to turn the hydraulic system from low to high pressure to ensure sufficient pressure was available to raise the gear and secure the doors.  As we turned the engine-driven hydraulic pumps from low to high, we heard and felt a loud kathunk as the some portion of the gear or gear doors found their correct place and the warning lights went out.

Just about this time, I looked up at the overhead annunciator panel and noticed that the “Auto Spoiler Do Not Use” light was illuminated.  So here we were, no more than 10 minutes into the flight and all three previously noted issues had resurfaced.

After working through the various checklist procedures, were able to correct the issue with the landing gear.  The anti-skid issue was rectified on the ground, but the circuitry would not allow testing of this system while airborne with the gear up…so we really didn’t know if it would work upon arrival.  The only issue we were unable to address was the auto spoiler, which could be deployed manually upon landing.  No big deal.

We continued on course and climbed to cruise altitude as we continued to discuss the possible outcomes of what had occurred thus far.  The aircraft was safe to fly and could easily, safely and legally be landed even if all three of these problems resurfaced, so the immediate decision was made to continue on to our scheduled destination.  However, it occurred to us that the aircraft would have to be written up after we landed and might not be able to be fixed at an outstation.  To complicate matters, we were en-route to a destination outside of the United States where maintenance was going to be difficult to arrange.  If we continued and landed at our destination, it was highly probable that our return flight would cancel and we would spend the night.

Selfishly…we were en-route to a beach destination in Mexico where our all-inclusive hotel sits only steps from the ocean.  Spending the night would not have been a bad thing.  We decided that this decision should be made by someone else and called home to ask Mom.  Our aircraft is equipped with a phone that utilizes the aircraft’s on board Wi-Fi signal to place calls.  We dialed the number and in seconds were having a phone conversation with company dispatch.

Quoting company policy to continue the flight if the aircraft is in safe and airworthy condition, we were initially instructed to continue.  The idea is to get one plane load of passengers where they want to be and inconvenience the return group instead of both plane loads of customers. 

About ten minutes later, we received a message from the company that they had changed their mind and wanted us back home.  Apparently there were no facilities in place at our destination to repair the aircraft and they didn’t want to strand us and more importantly the jet at an outstation in Mexico.  I started a slow 180 degree turn to the right as the Captain picked up the PA and started to explain.  He offered to let me make that PA, but I declined.  We were 45 minutes into our flight at this point and even with a strong tailwind the ride home seemed like an eternity.

I was impressed with how the company handled our return.  This flight had become what is often called an OSO, or an off scheduled operation, and OSO’s are prone to falling into cracks.  We arrived back at home base and were assigned a gate next to the aircraft we were to turn around take back out.  The jet needed to be cleaned, fueled, catered and all necessary paperwork had to be re-calculated, re-filed and re-printed.  There were plenty of opportunities for something to get missed, but everyone did their job and we were back on the road in a surprisingly short time.

The rest of the trip was uneventful…just long.  I’m off to recurrent training next for my yearly refresher course.  Saturday was a good day of practice.

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Down Three Red

Waiting in line for takeoff from San Diego 

San Diego has a noise curfew that prohibits takeoff before 6:30am.  No need to set an alarm clock if you live off the west end of the runway as the first MD80 departure of the day could wake the dead.  Most of the airlines push off the gate around 6:15 taxi down and wait for the clock to click past 6:29.  As you can see from the picture, my flight was about number 5 in line this morning...we rotated at 6:36.

It was a beautiful southern California morning with good visibility, warm temperatures and light winds.  I landed almost three hours later in Dallas, Texas where the temperature was hovering around 40 degrees Fahrenheit with cloud bases at 300 feet and visibility described in feet, not miles.  I was at the controls as Regional Approach vectored us in for an ILS approach to runway 36L.  "Turn left heading 030, maintain 4000 until established, cleared for the ILS 36L."

The visibility wasn't great, but it was a simple approach with enough room between minimums and the actual weather conditions that I was confident we would land.  I left the auto pilot engaged as we intercepted the glide slope and began our final descent.  We were in icing conditions with engine and wing heat on and I needed to keep the engines spooled up to provide enough heat to keep the wings warm, so I lowered the flaps earlier than normal and asked the Captain to lower the gear as we descended through 1800 feet AGL.  I heard the nose gear doors open and felt the mains drop into position, but in my peripheral vision I could see the glaring red lights indicating a gear unsafe condition...

In hind sight, what surprises me most about what happened next was how much information passed though my head in such a short amount of time.  It was only after we were safely on the ground and the Captain and I began to talk about what had happened that we realized how much we had considered in such a short period.

...I felt the gear fall into place and was reasonable sure at least one of the three landing gear was down...three red lights on the panel indicate none of the three gear is down and locked...did I forget to turn the hydraulic pumps on high?  No, both engine driven hydraulic pumps were selected to high...check the nose gear indicating pin...it's up indicating the nose gear is down, but the light still shines red...cycle the gear?  Maybe we'll get lucky...1600 AGL now, precious little time to salvage a landing...bingo fuel is 9,400 lbs. and we're at 10,800 right now...not enough for a go around and another attempt...what's my alternate airport...visibility is too low to ask the tower for a visual check on the gear...

As those last few thoughts were passing through my head the Captain lowered the gear handle a second time and in a few seconds we had three green lights.  Clearly the situation was much improved, but I still had work to do.  I was behind now and needed to be fully configured by 1000 feet AGL or our company procedures would require a go-around.  I lowered the rest of the flaps and slowed the aircraft to approach speed and managed to stabilize the thrust as the aircraft announced "1000."  The surface report that I had rechecked only minutes earlier claimed a ceiling of 700 feet and visibility of 1 1/2 miles.  But as we passed through 700 ft, the rain that had been falling lightly for a few minutes now intensified and it was clear the weather was lower than reported.

The Captain reported the runway lights as we descended through 300 feet and called the runway in sight at 200 feet above touchdown.  As the mains contacted the runway, the tower controller reported runway visibility of 5000RVR.  I slowed the aircraft to taxi speed and stepped on the right rudder to steer toward the high speed exit and noticed my heart rate...slightly elevated to say the least.

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Why Does American Airlines Paint its Tails Gray?

The question
A friend and fellow aviation geek recently asked me why American Airlines paints the tails of its aircraft gray.  "I understand why panels constructed of composite materials would need to be painted, but I can't imagine that's why, for example, the MD80 tails are painted gray.  So the question is...why does AA paint its tails gray?  Thanks."

The answer:
The history on this is a bit foggy, but here's the best I can piece together in a short time.  The tails of all jets at American Airlines were, once upon a time, polished.  As the most common member of the American Airlines fleet, you have most likely seen the polished skin of an MD80 as it taxied or flew by.  You probably had your hands over your ears at the time as the MD80 isn't exactly the quietest member of the AA fleet.  Maybe you noticed, maybe you didn't, but the tail section and certain other parts of American's jets are currently painted gray.  There was a time, however, that even the tail sections of American's jets were a combination of paint and polish.  Access panels, trim tabs and fairings were painted gray and other sections of the tail were polished in the same manner as the fuselage.

American Airlines Airbus A300 in the New Mexico desert

Some fleet types at American have large composite sections that require painting.  For instance, the nose section of American's now retired Airbus A300 fleet was composite and required a layer of paint.  I'm not referring to the nose cone which is always painted, but the section over the cockpit windows.

In the end, the decision to paint the metal on the tail was designed to protect the surfaces, to provide a fleet-wide common livery and to reduce the cluttered look that resulted from painting some, but not all of the tail.

Here's an example of the change.  The picture below shows ship 223 (N223AA) in 1989 with a polished tail.

The picture below shows the same aircraft with a painted tail in August of 2009, after I delivered it to its final resting place in the desert outside Roswell, New Mexico.

I've shared the link before, but in case you haven't seen it, here is a video I made after the last flight of N223AA.

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