Re: Delivery & Ferry Flights - Responsibilities

I was line pilot (FO) on NW 747-200 and was called up to ferry a couple of the whales down to Pinal Airpark for salvage. The CPT was a management pilot who specialized in those type of flights. Evidently we were operating under Part 91 rules which I didn't know a heck of lot of the differences. He ...

Re: Delta Air Lines Network - 2024

As a retired NW employee (and non-rev), I'm bitter about DL decimating the Asian destinations. Bring back MNL, BKK, SIN, HKG, TPE, GUM. Don't care where they connect from -- ICN, HND, NRT (will never happen) or KIX; before I'm pushing daisies. You can still take DL most of the way to ICN or HND and...

Re: Delivery & Ferry Flights - Responsibilities

I was line pilot (FO) on NW 747-200 and was called up to ferry a couple of the whales down to Pinal Airpark for salvage. The CPT was a management pilot who specialized in those type of flights. Evidently we were operating under Part 91 rules which I didn't know a heck of lot of the differences. He d...

Re: Delta Air Lines Network - 2024

As a retired NW employee (and non-rev), I'm bitter about DL decimating the Asian destinations. Bring back MNL, BKK, SIN, HKG, TPE, GUM. Don't care where they connect from -- ICN, HND, NRT (will never happen) or KIX; before I'm pushing daisies.

Re: Russian Invasion of Ukraine - Military Aviation News and Discussion Thread

For those who do not have a CAD system, I calculated the following. A vector at 30m extends 20km before hitting terrain. A vector 3000 mm up extends 174 km before hitting terrain. Assuming that the F-16 can detect targets beyond 175km, then even at 75km behind the front line an F-16 at 3000 meters ...

US F-16 Crash in South Korea

Pilot picked up after ejection. Jet was based at Kunsan.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-f-16-fighter-jet-crash-south-korea-pilot-ejects-rescued/

Re: Hamas Invades Israel

IDF using Mk 117 unguided 750lb bombs from F-16s: https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1712418347378184383 Reportedly 6000 bombs already dropped during this campaign. I've seen some interesting things over on Twitter, including F-15As with 2000lb JDAMS, F-15Is carrying a Sparrow, etc. As I sta...

Re: Northwest JFK-NRT Crew Scheduling Question

We probably passed each other at some point in our careers. I was hired just a few years before you. I was a Palm guy that hung on til amost the bitter end. I had flown the DC10 for a few years and did not fancy becoming an Eastern DC9 F/O, so, rather than walk my resume across to 36th street one o...

Re: Runway 8R - reef runway - at Honolulu.

I was a fledging private pilot in 1968 working downtown HNL with the US Army. KC-135 tankers on their way to Vietnam dragging fighters had only runway 08 for takeoff with their water injected, underpowered original engines. You could hear them coming over the downtown area 20 seconds before they pas...

Re: Northwest JFK-NRT Crew Scheduling Question

Northwest, for many years, flew JFK-NRT. In later years, I believe it also flew JFK-AMS. NW did at one point add DTW-JFK and MSP-JFK service to connect NY originating and bound passengers transfer to its TPAC services out of its two largest hubs. Curious as to how NW crewed the JFK-NRT service. I b...

Re: Northwest JFK-NRT Crew Scheduling Question

My memory may not be quite as sharp as 'RetiredNWA', but as a new hire pilot in late '89, I don't remember JFK being a crew base for the 747-200's but it might have been. I do remember it opening up to the 400 pilots sometime in '90 or so. After I could hold SO on the 747 after about a year, I did f...

Re: USMC F35B Accident-Missing F35 (Pilot Successfully Ejects)

No, I think he meant that, in the weather, perhaps even inadvertent thunderstorm penetration, he lost sight of lead, then became disorientated. At low altitude in a fast jet, disoriented equals ground impact soon. Going lost wingman is a very diificult transition from visual to the gauges. I took t...

Re: Craziest things you’ve heard on Guard?

Flying an OV-10 from east to west along the southern edge of the DMZ in Korea, received a call in broken English on 243.0 MHZ (military guard), 'OV-10 turn right immediately to 330 degrees'. Intel had already briefed us on possible spoofing, but it got my attention.

Re: Jetliners who made mistook airports in the past cities

Ellsworth AFB seems to have been a magnet for mistaken airport landings. Northwest landed there in 2004 and Delta did it in 2016 (Obiously not the same pilots even after the merger). Both were 'cleared for the visual' and it didn't help that the runway of Rapid City and Elsworth are oriented the sam...

Re: If a private pilot is intercepted by fighter jets, will he be sent a bill?

In R-4808N, you’d be intercepted, alright. It’s “the box”, Groom Lake, Area 51. Anyone, even a wayward military jet will get intercepted, directed to land and be, say we say, interrogated. The SPs in the Vegas ranges have plenty of resources, including helicopters and planes to investigate any intr...

Re: What's this sound usually heard in the 747-400 during take-off?

On the 400, the outflow valves start to close at 65 knots. There are other switches on the nose gear strut and on the tilt switches on the maingear which control a multitude of devices. But I can't think of anything in particular that make a noise. on takeoff..

Re: If a private pilot is intercepted by fighter jets, will he be sent a bill?

Unless there just happened to be fighters in the air during a red flag or other training, then the wayward Bonanza would unlikely be intercepted by fighters at all. NORAD does not maintain any fighter alert squadrons in the vicinity. However, the incursion would be detected and tracked and as someon...

Re: Tracking UA's 753s overwater

I already understood your first four paragraphs, but am still confused if FR24 and other sites have access to ATC ADSB data. It doesn’t seem like you did understand his explanation - he is saying that there is no such thing as “ATC ADSB data” that’s any different from another receiver. It’s all the...

Re: Tracking UA's 753s overwater

I guess you're messing out some things here........ Adam I already understood your first four paragraphs, but am still confused if FR24 and other sites have access to ATC ADSB data. Seems like they may or may not (?), but rely on the network of enthusiast's ADSB receivers the like of which you can ...

Re: Tracking UA's 753s overwater

Question for the Tracking site experts....I thought they depended on the aviation enthusiasts who buy the ADSB receivers and connect to the internet. Do any of the tracking sites actually use Air Traffic Control ADSB data to supplement the civilian trackers? Also, I understand that some tracking sit...

Re: Cockpit lavs

Francoflier wrote:

The 747 is/was the only pax airplane I know which had a can in the cockpit for the sole use of the flight deck crew... .

Re: Question about Saudia flight 163

A cargo fire warning light illuminated on a NW DC-10 in 2005 over Iran. Crew made an emergency landing in Tehran, the first US passenger jet to land in the country since the Sha was overthrown. An hour long narrative of the event by the CPT here:

https://youtu.be/Cmmj5ELNv0Y

Re: Q: Single engine military jets flying in remote areas...

The 354th Fighter Wing at Eielson AFB, Fairbanks now operates single engine F-16s (in the aggressor role) and F-35s -- all single engine. I don't think they're too worried about it. There are no F-15s in Alaska anymore. F-22s are at Elmendorf. But they may pull detachment alert at Eielson..don't know.

Re: Polar Route Limitations

The polar flights are taken regularly by airlines and radiation exposure is just another occupational hazard. The polar route is more predictable both ways as influence of Jet Stream is minimum. The only reason I feel some Airlines are not taking it is because you need to pay Russia a small fee. An...

Re: United Guam Hub

Just to plug my old airlines, Northwest operated a 727 operation out of GUM for three years in the mid 90's. At its peak, we had 5 airframes and a pilot base of 55. It was a time of slowdown of air travel in the states and NW didn't want to park the 727s and tried to compete with Air Mike. Didn't wo...

Re: Where do start up carriers get their pilots?

Actually, the US military is short of pilots. I doubt you’d want a recent UPT grad flying an airliner. I’ve been a UPT grad, instructed them in operational flying, been at an airline, trust me, they need seasoning before flying on an airline schedule. The military is just short of experienced pilot...

Re: How come AA never flew to Southeast Asia and not even SIN?

Fifth freedom rights. Northwest and Pan Am were given the rights to fly from Tokyo to other Asian destinations in the mid 50's. American wasn't in the equation. Northwest and United (who assumed the rights from Pan Am) dominated the Asian traffic out of NRT for years. Delta then inherited Northwest'...

Re: F-35B off the runway at NASFT Worth JRB

Remember the massive gaggle of Phantoms out of Hollomon, IIRC, who were meet north of Jever by Luftwaffe Phantoms and the whole 16+ ship formation penetrated weather on the descent—at least one mid-air ensued. In one plane the back seat initiated the ejection without telling the pilot. Both survive...

Re: F-35B off the runway at NASFT Worth JRB

I saw elsewhere, Martin-Baker does activate the “auto eject on STOVL model only”. Looking at the video, until touchdown there was no attitude excursion that should activate auto ejection—pretty much upright and level until the pitch excursion followed by nose mount failure. I’d guess auto eject is ...

Re: F-35B off the runway at NASFT Worth JRB

There is a lot of information (or mis-information) being posted on the internet and other forums. Until somebody is identified as a no-sh#t F-35B pilot, then I take the observations with a grain of salt. Everything from an auto-eject feature to a throttle interlock that prevents reducing power to id...

Re: The use of integral air stairs

DC-9s and 727s had the rear air stairs and in the early nineties were used frequently at out stations with no jetways at my airline. Flight attendants could lower them with coordination. Of course there was at least one instance where the 727 stairs were lowered in flight and that led to the 'DB Coo...

Re: HNLrunway question

Starlionblue wrote:

RetiredWeasel wrote:

Everytime a edit a post to correct a misspelling, a duplicate post appears. Admin please remove the second one.

Did you use the "quote" button instead of edit? I make that mistake constantly.

Re: HNLrunway question

Everytime a edit a post to correct a misspelling, a duplicate post appears. Admin please remove the second one.

Re: HNLrunway question

Absolutely normal. Prevailing wind and noise abatement make runway 4 departures almost impossible in HNL, so you will only see departures from the 8s, (when both open), 26s in usual Kona winds, or rarely from the 22s if there's a particularly strong Kona cyclonic system in the area. I had a good op...

Re: HNLrunway question

Absolutely normal. Prevailing wind and noise abatement make runway 4 departures almost impossible in HNL, so you will only see departures from the 8s, (when both open), 26s in usual Kona winds, or rarely from the 22s if there's a particularly strong Kona cyclonic system in the area. I had a good op...

Re: Polar Route Limitations

That’s my point—you have to transit Russian airspace on polar routes, so no Russia, no polar flights to Asia. Done them many times, also Siberian flights. I don't quite get your saying that polar routes go via Russian airspace. Finnair says differently. https://www.finnair.com/en/bluewings/world-of...

Re: What determines multiple bogey landing gear tilt?

I can only speak for the 747 and you can't raise the gear handle unless the gear is tilted as it must be to fit in the wells. Additionally the tilt switches replace the 'squat' (wheels off the ground) switches on the struts of single bogie aircraft. Many systems are wired to these switches.

Re: Singapore / Indonesia / Malaysia Airspace Speed Restrictions Under 10k Feet | Do They Exist?

As GalaxyFlyer knows well, military aircraft that routinely fly faster (fighters) are pretty much exempt from that rule when coming in to land. (300-350 IAS on initial, VMC). This even applies to joint use airports where many ANG units are stationed. That’s very true, but those speeds are in the -1...

Re: Singapore / Indonesia / Malaysia Airspace Speed Restrictions Under 10k Feet | Do They Exist?

As GalaxyFlyer knows well, military aircraft that routinely fly faster (fighters) are pretty much exempt from that rule when coming in to land. (300-350 IAS on initial, VMC). This even applies to joint use airports where many ANG units are stationed.