Plane Answers: Trailing cones, Vegas takeoffs and crew bases

by Kent Wien on

Welcome to Gadling’s feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!

Richard asks a technical question:

I have seen several photos of what I believe are later model 737s with what appears to be a small drogue chute trailing off the top back of the vertical stabilizer. I have done a few searches on the internet about it but have never found anything explaining what this item is.

I had to check with my friend Tom, who is a Boeing test pilot. He explained that this drogue chute is actually a “Trailing Cone,” which is often used in flight testing to accurately sense pressure experienced during various flight test conditions or maneuvers.

The cone stabilizes a plastic tube, which in turn conveys the sensed pressure information to the flight test instrumentation system. The pressure information must be taken at a significant distance away from the aircraft, so as to not have the pressure probe immersed in a disturbed flow field, which can occur if pressures are sensed too near the aircraft.

Usually the cone and tube are “reeled out” after takeoff, and reeled back in before landing. When being used in flight to provide accurate pressure information, the cone and tube are typically trailed behind the aircraft at distances of approximately 100 to 125 feet.

Wes asks:

My pilot on a 737 said on departure from Las Vegas that we were taking off in the opposite direction than normal. He said this was due to the following issues: it was hot and jet engines perform lower in high heat; the runway had a slight incline to it; and the plane was full. I was wondering if these were valid reasons to reverse the departure route on a runway. Thanks.
Absolutely Wes.

I don’t fly to Vegas very often, but we have “takeoff data” that lists the weight we can depart with based on each runway, the current temperature and even what the headwind or tailwind component is. In fact, each knot of tailwind will cost us between 500 and 2000 pounds of weight that we can’t carry, but we’re rarely at our maximum takeoff weight so it’s not usually a factor.

Also, as the temperature increases, the allowable takeoff weight decreases. The data also takes into account the slope of the runway.

So there are times when it’s advisable to takeoff downwind on a downward sloping runway, especially if there are no obstacles in the way after departure. These obstacles are also accounted for in the takeoff data sheet we pull up before departure through an ACARS computer, which is like a box designed to print out these computations from the company. Some airlines issue their pilots laptop computers so they can compute this takeoff data, weight and balance without the use of an ACARS.

Lee asks:

I fly often and have always wanted to ask a flight attendant or pilot how they get back home, which I know sounds dumb.

But really, the average Joe gets on a plane and thinks nothing of it, I on the other hand always wonder where you guys live and how you manage to get home. Do y’all stay at hotels a lot? Do y’all have shifts, like 7 to 3, etc.?

For instance, I fly (Jet Blue) to San Diego quite often. The pilot always tells us they’re based out of Long Beach, CA. Well, does that mean they fly an empty plane from Long Beach to San Diego and vise-versa when they get through?

I have to assume a typical airline pilot doesn’t have a 40-hour week.

The large airlines may have from four to nine different crew bases where pilots and flight attendants generally start and end their trips from. Some crew members prefer to live somewhere else and commute into their base to start their trip. In these cases, they don’t get paid for traveling to and from work, obviously.

Occasionally we’ll be called out to fly a trip from another city, so the company will ‘deadhead’ us to pick up that flight which usually ends up at our base. Ironically, as I write this, we’re deadheading down to San Juan to pick up a flight back to Boston.

We’re paid for 50 to 100% of the flight time while deadheading depending on which airline a pilot or flight attendant works for.

Most crews live within a few hours of their base, which is typically located at a major city such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, San Francisco or in my case, Boston.

Occasionally a base such as New York will be made up of two or three airports that crews may have to work from.

When we’re at work on a multi-day trip, each pilot and flight attendant stays in hotels provided by the airline.

While they’re aren’t really any scheduled ‘shifts’ we’re able to bid for the following month’s schedule (see my Cockpit Chronicles on Bidding) we can choose between different destinations, departure times and the number of days away in a row.

Most trips are between one and four days at my company.

In your JetBlue example, since the crew is based in Long Beach, I suspect they’re actually laying over in San Diego. They will likely fly somewhere else the next day before flying back home to Long Beach.

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he’ll use it for next Friday’s Plane Answers feature.

Plane Answers: Rudder pedals, window shades and a call out for an actress

by Kent Wien on

Welcome to Gadling’s Friday feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!

Lee asks:

How is it that the plane stays straight as it’s accelerating down the runway? Is there an actual “steering wheel” of sorts that one of the pilots steers? If so, is it an “art” or talent of such to keep the airplane straight?

On the captain’s side of the airplane, next to his left knee is a ’tiller’ that helps him steer the airplane at slow speeds-anything less than 40 knots or so. The captain will steer the airplane onto the runway and once it’s aligned he’ll take his hand off the tiller. Either he or the co-pilot will then make the takeoff using their rudder pedals.

Unlike the pedals found in your car a car, the rudder pedals on an airplane do three things. They allow a pilot to steer on the ground left and right, turning the nosewheel up to six degrees either way at full deflection. They also control the rudder, which is most essential when flying on one engine when pilots need to counter the yaw associated with an engine failure, or when landing in a crosswind when pilots will use the rudder to align the airplane with the runway just before touching down.
757 Tiller:

The rudder pedals are also used to activate the hydraulic brakes by pressing on the top of each pedal. Left side has the left brake and the right side has the right.

While there may not be much ‘art’ to it, I enjoy trying to make frequent but tiny corrections while going down the runway since anyone sitting in the very back will feel each movement of the rudder. It’s also nice to avoid taking off directly down the center of the runway, since runway centerline lights are installed there which create a banging noise each time the nosewheel tire runs over them. So offsetting just a foot to the right or left is a common practice.

Robert asks:

I’ve noticed after takeoff when climbing (I’m always listening to make sure the engines are running) that the speed of the engines will slow down a little even though we haven’t reached are cruising altitude. Why?

Most airplanes have a limitation by the manufacturer for the takeoff power setting not to exceed five minutes. To make sure pilots don’t close in on that limitation, the procedure at almost every airport in the U.S. is to reduce the power at 1000 feet (1500 feet in Europe) by selecting ‘climb power’ which is slightly less thrust than takeoff power.

Some airports, most notably Orange County in Santa Ana, California have special procedures where the power must be reduced even more aggressively after takeoff as a way to ‘reduce the volume’ when flying over noise-sensitive residential areas.

Susan asks an unusual question:

While flying from Fresno to Dallas, the cockpit announced an actress’s name upon take off and landing. What’s that about?

I have no idea. Has anyone else out there heard this? You do have me curious though; which actress?

Roxanne wonders:

I fly a local airline inter-island in hawaii and to the west coast. On preparing for landing everyone is asked of course for seat to be put upright, tray tables closed and fastened, but they also ask that window shades be opened. Why? I couldn’t figure this one out.

Since it’s not a procedure at my airline, I can only guess the reason. Just as there are airlines that require cabin lighting to be dimmed during landing, perhaps the Hawaiian carrier wants to improve the flight attendant’s ability to assess any potential problems during or after landing. This requirement seems to be more common among non-U.S. carriers.

During a recent televised emergency landing of an MD-80, passengers were asked to lower their shades. I’ve never come up with a good reason for this, but I’m sure someone out there knows. Anyone?

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he’ll use it for next Friday’s Plane Answers feature.

Plane Answers: Customs, hurricanes and those annoying ‘dings.’

by Kent Wien on

Welcome to Gadling’s feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!

Michael asks:

How are customs and immigration inspections handled for air crew? Is there a separate set of rules, since you won’t (usually) be staying for long. And if you do vacation perhaps, then what?

Some countries require a work visa for crew members, since part of the job involves working in their country.

There are usually separate lines for crew members, but other than that, there aren’t many differences during the customs inspection. There may be more restrictions for tax free imports for crew members than someone vacationing.

And when a crew member goes on vacation, they’re just like everyone else.

Guillermo asked:

On flights between North and South America, how are your flight plans affected by the presence of a hurricane in the Caribbean or Gulf? Do you fly over or around them?

This has been a difficult week to fly on the east coast of the U.S. and the Caribbean. Flights are dispatched only if they can avoid these hurricanes. Occasionally, deviations that add hundreds of miles to a flight plan may be necessary since we can’t fly over the tops of these storms safely.

I was flying to the Caribbean during Ike and Hanna and we were able to navigate well around both storms and enjoyed a rather smooth ride each time. My next Cockpit Chronicles entry will detail the path that we took around both Hanna and Ike complete with radar views and of course, pictures.

Michelle ‘chimes’ in:

The “dings” that go off over the cabin speakers on take off, landing, and during the flight – what do they mean? – I know that most people probably associate them with the seat belt sign or the electronic devices sign.

But on my last flight I really paid attention to them. It seems like they ding at certain altitudes maybe? I noticed that a little while after takeoff while we were still climbing the ding went off, but nothing really happened. The attendants were still in their jump seats and it wasn’t time for everyone to pull out their iPods yet.

This is just one other thing that knowing might help calm my nerves on each flight.

I’ve had a couple of people ask this question this week. These ‘dings’ fall into five different categories at my airline. I can’t speak to the procedures elsewhere, but I’m sure they’re similar.

  1. During the FAA required sterile cockpit period, any calls from the flight attendant can only pertain to a safety issue. This prevents distractions while we’re flying the departure or on the approach to land. So the moment the airplane has climbed above 10,000 feet, or descended below 10,000 feet, the no smoking sign is cycled to mark the end or beginning of the sterile period.
  2. Anytime the pilots turn on or off the fasten seatbelt sign or the no smoking sign.
  3. Anytime a passenger presses the fight attendant call button.
  4. Anytime a flight attendant or pilot calls on the interphone to another flight attendant in the front, mid or aft cabin, you’ll hear a double-ding.
  5. Finally, a repetitive ding signifies that someone is smoking in the lavatory. Don’t panic though–I’ve been on two airplanes where this repetitive ding was just a problem with the system that could only be reset on the ground, making for a rather annoying few hours for passengers.

If you think all those dings could get confusing or annoying, I wish you could experience what we live with in the cockpit. Boeing has seen fit to use the same ‘ding’ for just about every kind of alert up there. We have the flight attendant call ding, the SELCAL ding from ATC, the ground crew call ding, the seatbelt sign/no smoking sign ding, and on some airplanes we’re alerted when just about any new data is uploaded from the company including the winds, weights, weather or a new routing.

I had the opportunity to discuss this with two of the people at Boeing who were responsible for these alerts while I was sitting next to them while deadheading from Miami to Dallas one day.

When I complained about the single type of ‘ding’ for so many different types of events, they said they had studies that showed that people can differentiate between 6 or 7 different types of sounds.

They also pointed out that a message pops up on the EICAS (one of the front displays) when the ding comes on to let us know what the alert is. That’s only true on 30% of our 757/767’s. The older versions don’t have that text alert to supplement the dings.

Lately, we’ve had a couple of random airplanes that ding every time an ATIS (the airport weather) is printed up, even though we asked for this print out seconds earlier.

Boeing tends to get the cockpit and systems design elements right 99% of the time, but there are still some annoyances that pop up after we operate these airplanes for five, ten or even twenty years.

I guess there’s always hope that they’ll fix this issue on the 787. And maybe they’ll come up with a method to reduce the cabin dings as well.

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he’ll use it for next Friday’s Plane Answers feature.

Plane Answers: Are pilots more likely to divorce?

by Kent Wien on

When we first started the Plane Answers column at Gadling, the very first question that came in had to do with pilots and divorces.

I thought about it for a few months, did some research and so far I’ve only been able to come up with an opinion based entirely on anecdotal evidence. There’s surprisingly little online about the divorce rate among certain professions, so I had to rely on the ‘statistics’ I’ve gained from the pilots I fly with.

Here’s that question:

I’ve struggled with it for months, and As a divorced wife of a major airline captain I would sincerely appreciate it if you could explain why most pilots are divorced.

I have been divorced for 20 years and my ex has been divorced two times after me. I also knew 11 couples that were in the Navy with us who all went on to airlines of which 9 are divorced.

In my case we became two separate people; being apart so much we had nothing in common. Is cheating just too tempting to refuse? Every time I hear that pilots have so much down time to spend with family I have to laugh because our children and those of our friends really don’t have truly close relationships with their fathers because of moving and commuting.

When you live somewhere different (moving around to improve your seniority) and commute to work, it really takes a toll one everyone. If you had to explain from your point of view: where does being a pilot have its pit falls. A lot of women would be grateful to know and maybe understand. Thank you.


I’ve brought this subject up with other pilots recently, and most haven’t noticed an exceptionally high number of divorces in our industry compared with other jobs. I’ve read the national divorce rate in the U.S. is at 50%. But is the rate among pilots higher?

There seem to be a number of pilots, including former military aviators, who get married young and then perhaps grow apart from their spouses. I usually meet them when they’re happily married with their second wife and are now flying for the airline.

I asked one former Navy pilot about this. He mentioned the challenges that Naval Aviators face with being away for many months at a time and coming home to a household that’s running relatively smoothly without him. It can be hard to for them to transition back into the head of a household when your wife has become used to not having you around so much.

But this is less of a problem in the airline industry, with trips of one to five days in length. Typically an airline pilot will fly for 3 days at a time but a freight pilot for UPS or FedEx will usually fly for 5 days in a row.

In my case, absence usually makes the heart grow fonder. I can’t wait to get home after a three-day trip to see my wife and catch up with what’s happened.

Also, for the first two years of our relationship, we were away more than together since I was living in Anchorage while my wife was in Germany, so we were accustomed to having these periods apart. We’ve been married now for almost sixteen years.

On the positive side of this job, I prefer to have a few days off during the week. I’m fortunate to get the chance to walk my daughter to school, volunteer to drive a car for field trips and all of the other things that moms do during the week. I’m generally one of the only dads participating in these events during the day.

That said, there are many weekends and holidays away from home and that can be frustrating. You have to be creative when explaining that Santa comes on a different date to your house when you’re flying on Christmas. Of course, my daughter is thrilled if that just means Christmas comes earlier.

I’m very fortunate that my wife went to work as a flight attendant for about five years after we got married. I think this has helped her understand the job, especially the interaction between flight attendants and pilots.

It’s probably easy for a spouse to let their imaginations run away with thoughts of wild layovers in exotic cities while they’re left behind. It’s not really like that, as you might have gathered from my Cockpit Chronicles blog.

Most layovers are rather short, and if we do have more than 10 hours in a city we might go out as a group for dinner, but I’ve never witnessed first hand any relationships develop. I’m not saying it never happens, but certainly no more than an office worker having an affair with their secretary.

I suspect the reasons for divorces among crew members may be related to events outside of the job in many cases. But again, all I can go on are my experiences with the pilots I know and work with.

And shortly after that question came in, I received this:

This may seem odd in this context, but I am very curious what the divorce rate is among pilots? I’ve been dating a pilot for a major commercial airline and I really have to wonder how people are capable of actually creating and sustaining relationships when their schedules are so scattered and demanding.

Do most people date or marry within the industry, as it feels like a way of life that is hard to understand if you are not in it. The pay structure you’ve mentioned, i.e. being paid for only the hours you are flying, and the limit on hours over all, yet the struggle to get in enough flights here and there to make your full hours is so problematic.

We don’t live in the same state so that doesn’t help, but I just wondered how people navigate these issues. Is this unique to have a schedule that changes from week to week, or am I just being bamboozled. Any thoughts?

Commuting to work tends to increase the number of days away and if you’re in a position where you need to fly the maximum number of hours possible, family life might indeed suffer.

If you need someone home every night, maybe a pilot or flight attendant won’t be right for you. But I suppose you’ll be able to get a sense of how the time away might affect your relationship since you’re dating this pilot from another state.

I’m sure your boyfriend does in fact have a wild schedule. I’ve been ‘re-assigned’ from my trips to a different trip twice in the last two months and I do tend to trade around occasionally to improve my schedule.

Good luck, thanks for the thought provoking question and I really hope it works out for you.

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he’ll use it for next Friday’s Plane Answers feature.

Plane Answers: More takeoff and landing fears

by Kent Wien on

A number of questions came in this week relating to takeoffs and landings, and a few issues that passengers worry about. So, we’ll continue on last week’s Takeoff and Landing theme.

Eric asks this timely question:

I would like to know what purpose the wing flaps play in take off and in landing?

With the recent Spanair accident in Madrid, some reporters focused on whether or not the MD-80’s flaps and slats were extended for takeoff.

These devices, moveable panels on the back and front of the wings respectively, are used only for takeoff and landing.

A jet’s wing is designed to be at it’s most efficient while at altitude and at it’s design cruise speed. This same wing isn’t capable of flying slow enough to takeoff or land on a conventional runway.

So flaps were designed for most airplanes to increase the lift a wing can carry at these slower speeds. When the flaps are extended, the wing is essentially converted from a high-speed wing to a slow-speed wing, depending on the flap setting used.

Flaps are gradually extended based on the speed of the airplane, with the first set of flaps on an airliner usually extended when the airplane is slower than 250 knots.

For takeoff, the optimum flap setting is based mostly on the runway length. Using just the right flap setting improves efficiency and performance once the airplane is in the air. Airlines have a system for calculating that flap setting either manually in the cockpit, or through a computer print out sent via ACARS.

On the MD-80, the leading edge slats are extended and the trailing edge flaps are ‘dialed in’ to the required setting.

Taking off without any flaps extended isn’t possible for most airliners without an exceedingly long runway, maximum power set and some very careful handling by the pilot. This is why there are multiple checks prior to take off to ensure the flaps are properly set.

There’s also a loud warning horn that sounds if the throttles are advanced with the flaps not in the proper configuration for take off. Checklists, however, will likely prevent the need for the horn.

The last accident where flaps weren’t set for takeoff was a Northwest flight 255 departing from Detroit in 1987, and this might be why there has been some initial focus on the flaps as a possible cause behind last week’s Spanair crash.

It’ll be interesting to hear what happened to the Spanair flight, so we can learn from the accident. The media is rarely held accountable for the mistakes made when speculating as to a reason for an accident.

I wouldn’t hesitate to fly on an MD-80. In fact, it’s listed as the second safest airplane flying.

Dave brings up a takeoff related question:

I’m curious, if you have a severe engine problem after liftoff that you can’t recover from or go around, what is the procedure for finding a place to put down. I understand if there is a nice plowed field ahead that’s great, but what if you are in a congested area?

All airliners are required to demonstrate that they can safely operate after an engine failure at liftoff.

I suppose it’s conceivable that a dual-engine failure could happen (on a twin-engine aircraft), so in that case, the only possibility would be to land straight ahead, doing everything you can to avoid any congested areas.

Finally, Sandra asks a three-part question:

I am what I describe as a nervous flyer… I am curious to know why does the prep for landing alway feels so, well ominous?

Lights dimmed, and unless this is just my imagination…there is just something so dooming…

Some airlines require the lights to be dimmed to improve a flight attendant’s ability to see outside when on the ground. Part of their job is to assess the situation on the ground if an engine fire or other such problem were to occur and an evacuation became necessary.

Interestingly, not all airlines have that procedure.

Also, the last time I flew southwest, on final approach, the wings seemed to be dipping from left to right, right to left.

And then I flew the same airline again, and that landing was so smooth–I actually had to look out of the window to see that we were on the ground.

Ahh, yes. You’ve noticed the differences in pilot technique. Some pilots do get into what we call ‘pilot-induced oscillations,’ which are a bit annoying. You’ve had experiences with a bus driver or cab driver who wasn’t very smooth before, I’m sure. Well, you’ve just found the pilot equivalent of that driver.

What amount is attributable to the skill of the pilot, and how good a pilot is, with respect to landings??

Landings are a bit like golf. (Although I don’t play, I just had to take a swing at that analogy-no pun)

You can really feel like you have the landings perfected in a particular airplane, and then, sure enough, you can’t get a good one for weeks at a time. It’s kind of rare though to have an earth shatteringly hard landing after you’ve been flying a particular airplane for more than 6 months.

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he’ll use it for next Friday’s Plane Answers feature.