Well basically after 2 years of not writing it is time to start posting again. So where have I been the last 2 years? In short, been "doing life", the combination of junior airline captain, kids, and family time at a premium has basically taken up my time. Now, as a bit more senior and a less demanding flying schedule and kids off to university I hopefully can find more time to be more active on The Stable Approach blog. I am always trying to think of topics in the aviation industry that people would find interesting or curious about. Pilots, like most professions tend to see their industry as a routine job and fail to see the many aspects of it that fascinates or creates curiosity among the flying public. If you have any topics or questions about airline pilot careers, aircraft, or the airline industry, please feel free to comment. I will use these to help create posts that will help answer your questions about the industry. It's good to be back!
Once again I am in my traditional pre-vacation routine. My best laid plans of pass travel have been replaced by a last minute panic and 'flinch'! As most can relate, things were looking good, but then as I repeatedly checked the loads on a daily (hourly) basis, my confidence was replaced by nervousness and imagined 'left behind' scenarios. Before I knew it, credit card out, mouse clicked, confirmed tickets bought! That behind us, bags packed and now it's time to purchase this years vacation read. I downloaded the 4th book in Karlene Petitt's "Flight For" series - Flight for Sanity. I have read the previous 3 books and am looking forward to this book. Karlene is an airline pilot and an avid blogger who is using her novels to address industry topics that fellow airline pilots can relate to.
While deciding what to read on this vacation, I found myself looking through our bookshelves. I discovered quite a variety of aviation themed books: fiction, non-fiction as well as professional development books. As I reflected on the numerous titles, I found myself remembering the impact they had. Some were just trivial entertainment, some well written, and others not, and some helped develop skills I try to use today. Then there are some that you remember as special, that you will read again and again and that will always be part of your personal library. The cover may be tattered but it will never find its way to the used book store.
Two books that fit in this category for me are classics. First is 'Airman's Oddyssey' by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. It is a collection of 3 adventure stories, about both the romance and struggles of the pioneer days of aviation: Night Flight, Sand and Stars and Flight to Arras. The second is 'Fate is the Hunter' by Ernest Gann. It describes his years working as a pilot from the 1930s to 1950s: starting at American Airlineswhen civilian air transport was in its infancy, moving onto wartime flying in C-54s, C-87s, and Lockheed Lodestars, and finally at a short-lived upstart airline and various post-World War II 'non-scheduled' airlines. If you are a pilot and haven't read either of thes, I highly suggest you do.
These are both exceptionally written and transport you into the cockpit during these early aviation years. I would also suggest that in today's digital world of downloading books and reading off devices, that you go 'old school' and buy a hard copy. These classics are widely available in paperback or hard cover and if you want a copy with some character many used copies can be found online. I'm sure that we all have our favorites that we have read over our careers. I am always looking for new great aviation books so please feel free to add your classics or favorites to the comment section.
Like
many industries today, the airline industry is also looking at ways it can be
more environmentally friendly or "green" Whether driven by a desire to be more corporately responsible or by the pressure of governments, regulatory agencies, or environmental groups, a reduction of aircraft carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions can only be good thing for the earth we live on.
According
to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) the airline industry
contributes about 2 percent of all CO2 emissions globally. Since 2009, the
industry has been working to cap
carbon emissions and improve fuel efficiency in order to cut CO2 emissions by 50 percent relative to 2005 levels by 2050. The main
focus of becoming carbon neutral is the use of sustainable aviation biofuels.
IATA estimates biofuels could reduce the aviation industry's carbon foot print by
80 percent.
Photo: United Airlines
To
understand what makes an aviation biofuel viable, it is important to understand
what makes current aviation fuels practical. Traditional jet fuel is a
hydrocarbon derived from the kerosene fraction of crude oil. Jet fuel has
a much higher flash point than gasoline-based fuel, meaning that it requires
significantly higher temperature to ignite. It must also have a very low freeze
point due to very cold ambient temperatures at altitude. The two types of fuels used in commercial
aviation are Jet-A and Jet A-1. The primary difference between them is the lower freezing temperature of A-1. Specifications for aviation fuels are also very
stringent - another big challenge facing the use of biofuels in aviation.
At present
the use of biofuels in aviation has been in the form of a few flights using drop-in biofuels, to
create a blended fuel containing traditional jet fuel and biofuel. These
biofuels have the same properties as jet fuel so they can simply be blended in.
These "drop-in" biofuels are known as second generation biofuels or
advanced biofuels manufactured from various types of biomass. Biomass consisting of the residual non-food parts
of current crops, such as stems, leaves and husks that are left
behind once the food crop has been extracted, as well as other crops that are
not used for food purposes as switchgrass, grass,
and jatropha, does not affect the world food supply.
As the
aviation industry continues to find newer more advanced biofuels there is
little doubt that a 100 percent aviation biofuel can be produced from sustainable materials. The real challenge is producing it in a cost
effective way and on a scale that the industry would require. On the cost side, the
economics for the airlines just don't add up. Even when carbon costs are added to the price
of the jet fuel, it is still far cheaper than switching to a biofuel. According RDC Aviation Economics, at present
costs, one tonne of jet fuel emits three tonnes of carbon, the cost of the fuel
and the carbon penalty is approximately 700 Euros/ tonne. When compared to the
2200 Euro/ tonne cost of bio-jet fuel it
is easy to see the economic challenges
of switching to a bio-jet fuel.
The second
challenge is the scale of production required for the aviation industry. There
is almost no chance that biofuels from biomass can be produced at a reasonable cost
unless large scale cultivation of non-food sources takes place. The idea of converting agricultural land from
producing human or animal food supplies into fuel production is obviously not
possible. Therefore any crop based biofuel must come from land not used for
food crops. It must also be able to produce a predictable amount on a regular
basis. Jatropha is one such crop that can grow on "marginal" lands
however, the crop yield is unpredictable. Again, the amount of land alone required to produce
fuel crops is great and the amount of water required is also huge!
So will you
fly on a biofueled commercial jet soon? The answer is no. There is no doubt
that researchers will continue to develop more advanced and reliable
biofuels. Airlines will continue to help with the development by the odd flight
for research etc. but the fact is, the economics are not here yet. The
challenge of balancing the economics of running an airline and the cost to travelling
passenger with the current economics of
production and scalability of biofuels is just too great. Examples of Commercial Biofuel Flights
While waiting for departure the other day I had the pleasure of watching All Nippon Airlines (ANA) Star Wars "R2D2" Dreamliner land. I could only imagine all the kids in the terminal saying " Look, look, it's R2D2 on that plane! " ANA has actually created 3 of these Star Wars themed aircraft.
ANA R2D2 Dreamliner
Logo or Special Addition jets are becoming more popular and a plane spotters dream. Getting that special shot of a certain airline's uniquely painted fin is quite the coupe. Airlines have been doing this for many years when celebrating an aniversary or special event happening in thier home country. In such cases,the logo of the event is usually added to the fuselage without replacing the original livery.
Lufthansa 747 Supporting the German National Football Team
The trend lately has been for advertizing or promotion purposes. When adding advertisements, the aircraft's normal livery is removed from the fuselage, leaving only the airline's logo painted, for example, on the engine's cowlingor tail. Airlines may do it to add another revenue stream through the advertizing dollars, or because they have a financial affiliation with the product, location, or event.
Example of Ryanair Ad Jet
Some airlines are actually using thier aircraft fuselages for a calculated attempt to raise revenue. An example of this is European low-cost carrier Ryan Air. The low cost airline is selling what it claims is the “largest and cheapest” form of outdoor advertising in Europe by offering for its 300-plus aircraft to be painted with the branding of another company. Companies can buy advertising on other parts of its aircraft, including the tips of the wings and the main body of the plane.
Ed Force One - Iron Maiden Tour 747 leased from Air Atlanta. Singer and pilot Bruce Dickinson usually at the controls.
So next time you plane spotting at an airport, looking out your airplane window or just gazing out from the terminal, keep an eye out for one of these unique liveries. Have your camera ready, you never know what you'll see: an airline retro scheme, an add for you favorite vacation spot, or a special livery for your favorite sports team. Who knows you may even see one advertizing a heavy metal band with the lead singer at the controls. Airlines do this to catch your eye, so let them, and enjoy!
If you have any favorite photos of logo jet (copy right approved) feel free to post in comments.
It can be said that flying is safer today than at any other time in history. The main reason this claim can be made is because the industry has been able to reduce if not eliminate any threat is has faced. This is usually done through various means such as: technology advances, more reliable systems, training, or regulations. Today, however, the industry faces a safety threat that is only going to grow in size and frequency, and that it has little control over. The threat, lithium batteries and the fire risk they pose! As consumers continue to increase their use of cell phones, tablets, laptops etc. and the electronics industry continues to satisfy their demand with more powerful devices, this threat will only grow. It is not possible to just ban these devices from aircraft or ban their use on aircraft because they have become such a fixture and necessary tool in our lives. Even as a pilot I require a tablet in the flight deck as an electronic flight bag.
The most infamous example of the dangers of these batteries was the recent Samsung Note 7 and it's manufacturing defect that led to numerous fires. Although this specific model has now been banned from aircraft and recalled by Samsung, it only highlighted the danger of these batteries. Flaws in battery manufacturing, impact damage, overheating of gray-market batteries or overcharging by low-cost replacement chargers can all start a fire. Another concern is that battery damage to a lithium-powered device could cause thermal runaway days later. Although not widely reported, there are several incidents involving there batteries on aircraft each year. The latest was on March 5, 2017 aboard a China Southern Boeing 737. The aircraft was enroute at FL320 about 30 minutes into the flight when a passenger's battery pack overheated and burst into flames. Cabin crew quickly extinguished the fire, cooled the device down and put it into a safe container.
Remains of lithium ion battery pack from China Southern flight.
The fact that this incident did become more serious is a direct result of industry regulators and airlines being pro-active. Since the ability to just ban these devices is neither possible or practical, let's face it, the flying public would never stand for it! As with other risks in the industry an approach of mitigating the threat had to be developed. It is taking place right now! The attempt to mitigate this threat is being accomplished on several fronts. First off is training, airlines are training flight and cabin crews on the dangers of these batteries, how to recognise a possible issue, and most importantly how to fight and contain a lithium battery fire. Crews, such as the successful China Southern crew, are being taught that the most effective way to contain a lithium battery fire or thermal runaway is to cool the device by dousing with non-flammable liquids. The liquid will cool the cells of the battery and not allow other cells of the battery to overheat. It is important to know that ice will not work as it will only insulate the heat in, it must be non-flammable liquid. The second way the industry is mitigating the risk is to not allow these in checked luggage and banning lithium metal batteries in the cargo hold of passenger aircraft. As a passenger it is important that devices or spare batteries are not packed in checked luggage. Actually this is something you declare when checking in either online or with an airline agent.
Planegard case demo www.planegard.com
The industry is also looking at other ways to make the carrying of these devices less of a risk. An example of this is PlaneGard. www.planegard.com They have developed a case that will contain a device fire and smoke if it starts to malfunction. (Watch video above) Some airlines have begun to carry their case on oceanic flights. As mentioned before, unlike past risks in aviation that have decreased over time this is different. The flying public like all consumers will always be seeking smaller more powerful devices that will require smaller more powerful lithium batteries. The result of this is that these incidents will happen more frequently. The aviation industry's only defence is continue to find ways to mitigate a threat they can not stop completely.
A growing trend in the aviation is an approach to flight safety called SMS ( safety management system). SMS is a way of being proactive rather than reactive toward flight safety and is being promoted by both airlines and regulators alike. In the "old days" if an accident or incident happen, the regulators would simply send in the investigators, make some finding and then issue new rules or regulations to hopefully prevent it from happening again. All good except for one thing, an accident or incident had to happen first which resulted in major damage and more seriously injuries or loss of life.
The SMS philosophy is to spot trends, risks or deviations from SOPs (standard operating procedures) in the airline that are occurring which could lead to an accident or incident. By identifying these risks early, hopefully they can be addressed before an accident or incident takes place. The airlines gather this data in numerous ways. The first and most important is through the pilots themselves. Most airlines have a "no repercussion" reporting system that allows pilots to freely report possible safety issues that they see or have experienced. This can be done by reports that pilots can fill out or by anonymous surveys. Another source of seeing possible risks is via the aircraft it's self. Most modern aircraft have FDA ( flight data acquisition) systems. These systems gather flight parameters during flight that can be downloaded and reviewed. Airlines use certain triggers that can alert them if a flight parameter was exceeded, or the aircraft was in an undesired state. The key to the system is that the the info is de-identified which is crucial in developing trust with the airline's pilots. The data will just show that it occurred on a flight at a specific airport. The airline can then gather this data, determine the risk involved and develop an action plan to reduce the risk. If the airline determines that there is potential risk, they can then address it by alerting their pilots via information newsletters, bulletins, or SOP changes. The risk can also be addressed in training as well. Airlines will use this data in developing simulator training scenarios that pilots are required to do every 6-8 months. They create scripts which place pilots in situations that will recreate the risks and allow them to recognize them and prevent them.
SMS does have it's critics, that say it's simply allowing the airlines to police themselves without oversight. They feel that due to the fact airlines are profit driven that they will simply just "sweep" potential issues under the carpet rather than spending the money needed to address them. I agree airlines are profit driven, they have to be, it's a necessity to survive. The other side of it though is that they also need to establish confidence in the flying public and nothing can damage that more than an accident or incident. Nothing can be more damaging to an airline than the public seeing a damaged aircraft in their colors. It is for this reason that most major airlines see the benefit in investing in SMS, in the hopes of avoiding an accident before it happens. Will there be a time when aircraft accidents never happen, of course not, however, I believe the pro-active approach that SMS promotes will go a long way in preventing many.
After a 3 plus year hiatus I thought I would revive my blog. As with all airline pilots with families our lives and careers just sort of take over and before we know it 3 years has gone by. Hopefully I can be much more active keeping this blog updated!
The last year has been a monumental one in my aviation career as I achieved my upgrade to the left seat. With 'legacy airlines' like the one I fly with, you reach the ability to become Captain when your seniority allows it. A few times per year the company will post the positions they require which is called an "equipment bid". It is usually broken down into pilot staffing requirements by pilot base showing any vacancies or reductions to specific fleet types at each base. As pilots, we then submit our desired positions in ranking order and then the "super computer" does its thing and assigns you what your seniority can hold. It is quite a day when you are awarded and see your name on the Captain's list. After this, the next big question is "when will I get trained" and "when do I start getting paid"? Again, as with almost everything in the airline industry your seniority is the decider in this and will decide if you are trained soon or up to a year away. I was fortunate and began my training 7 months after being awarded the position.
The first 2 weeks of ground school and ground based trainer sessions are designed to learn the aircraft systems and hone your standard operating procedures. The benefit of learning the procedures here is that you are prepared and not wasting time in the much more expensive full motion simulator.
Example of a ground based trainer.
After you have successfully passed this phase of your training it is off to the full motion flight simulator. It is in the 'box", as we call it, that the real fun begins. Due to the very realistic graphics and full motion almost any flying situation can be experienced to a high level of realism. In the box you will rarely have an aircraft with all of its engines or systems operating. It will be what seems endless crisis situations with alarms bells and sirens sounding along with warning and caution lights continually flashing. After roughly 8-10 4 hour sessions which culminates in a check ride, you are given a congratulatory handshake and your license is signed. Endorsed!
Example of a full motion simulator and graphics. (The box)
So there you are, a freshly signed license, a month of training behind you and full of confidence now that you are endorsed on the aircraft. After a few celebratory "pint" arm curls with your training partner and a couple of days off to catch your breath, the next phase starts - line in doc or line flight training. You meet up with a training pilot and get to apply all your new found skill and knowledge out on the line and with "real passengers"! Unlike the controlled make believe world in the simulator this is the real world. Requests from the flight attendants, ground personnel, and station operations coming at you as you try to pre-flight the aircraft, load the FMS (flight management system) all while trying to remain on time. Basically baptism by fire! Although a bit overwhelming at first, the line training phase is truly where you learn the most and your confidence is solidified. After 50 hours of honing your skills on the line, you are given a final check-ride. The Check Pilot acts as your First Officer as you operate a normal multi-day trip. I'll never forget that last setting of the park brake, final parking checklist of the pairing which was followed by the final congratulatory hand shake.
Well basically after 2 years of not writing it is time to start posting again. So where have I been the last 2 years? In short, been "doing life", the combination of junior airline captain, kids, and family time at a premium has basically taken up my time. Now, as a bit more senior and a less demanding flying schedule and kids off to university I hopefully can find more time to be more active on The Stable Approach blog. I am always trying to think of topics in the aviation industry that people would find interesting or curious about. Pilots, like most professions tend to see their industry as a routine job and fail to see the many aspects of it that fascinates or creates curiosity among the flying public. If you have any topics or questions about airline pilot careers, aircraft, or the airline industry, please feel free to comment. I will use these to help create posts that will help answer your questions about the industry.
