Plane Answers: Fuel dumping and free travel for airline employees

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!

Arjav asks:

Hi Kent,

Recently I was flying on a Emirates flight from JFK to DXB and I looked out the window and saw this pipe that looks almost like a muffler. Then on my 2nd half of the trip I saw it again on another aircraft. I have never seen this on any plane before. Both planes were made by Airbus: A380 and A330.

So is this only found on Airbus planes or is something only found on Emirates aircraft and what is it for?

Congratulations on your A380 flight. I’d love to have experienced that.

What you saw on both airplanes is, for the most part, unique to widebody Airbus and Boeing airplanes. At the end of one of the flap track fairings on the wing is a fuel dump nozzle. In the event of an emergency, we can elect to dump fuel at a very fast rate, which allows us to climb better if we had an engine failure or to land at less than our maximum landing weight should the emergency require an immediate return.

This fuel dumping has been in the news lately, in fact. An Asiana Airlines flight had to dump fuel from an altitude of 3,000 feet over Puget Sound. The Washington Department of Ecology was rumored to be considering a fine against Asiana, but just a few days later said that it didn’t make sense to second-guess the pilot’s actions in an emergency.

Fifteen years ago I had to dump fuel in a 727 after an engine failure immediately after takeoff in Indianapolis. The climb rate of the fully loaded cargo jet with one engine inoperative wasn’t impressive and the procedure called for dumping fuel immediately. We were so busy with the emergency checklists that little consideration was given to the environmental impacts when we had to dump fuel.

The dumped fuel tends to evaporate on the way down to the ground, but it’s certainly worth giving the emergency situation and the location some thought before automatically pressing the dump valves.

Jackie asks:

Since I started traveling more frequently, I have been eager to rack up miles and elite status with airlines. I have always wanted to know the perks of airline workers, especially pilots and flights attendants. Do you plus family get to fly for free? Is it in economy or business/first class?
AIrline employees can travel for a reduced rate, sometimes even free domestically on their own airline. The catch is that these free or reduced rate flights are on a standby basis, subject to the occasional bumping from oversold flights. First class flights domestically and coach flights internationally aren’t free at my airline, and occasionally a full fare domestic ticket can be a more attractive option.

Employees are sometimes offered ‘buddy passes’ to share with friends and extended family, but those often come at a cost equivalent of a discounted ticket and are also subject to space availability.

Since you’re on a quest to rack up airline miles, I have to suggest the website Flyertalk.com as the ultimate place to learn from the experts who discuss ‘mileage runs’ and other techniques to rack up miles.

If mileage runs are too much hassle, you can always find an airline employee to marry. “Marry me, fly free!” is how I convinced my wife to take the plunge.

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 Monday’s Plane Answers. Check out his other blog, Cockpit Chronicles and travel along with him at work.

Plane Answers – A pilot’s experience before flying solo, a passenger pointing out a mechanical problem and wake turbulence bumps

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!

Esteban from Spain asks:

When learning to drive a car, for most people a few minutes of training are enough to drive, although they don’t know the circulation rules. Do you think that it is possible to take off, turn, and land in a small cessna with few hours of training without obeying the navigation rules?

Hi Esteban,

Soloing is the moment every student pilot dreams of. That moment when your instructor hops out of the airplane and tells you to take it around the ‘patch’ three times.

Can it be done in just a few hours? Absolutely. But you’d have to find an instructor willing to put his certificate on the line at that point. The ‘typical’ range is anywhere from 6 to 25 hours, but that’s also dependent on the airport you’re flying from and the type of airplane.

Densely populated areas have more requirements for ATC communication and airspace regulations, so your instructor will want you to be familiar with those regulations before letting you go.

For a more anecdotal look at the typical times before soloing, take a look at this thread written by flight instructors and pilots about the subject on AirTalk.org.

Cassandra asks:

I just flew down to FL from Hartford last Thursday on Delta and had a window seat on the wing. Just before we began our descent, I had glanced down on the wing and noticed 3 round tanks(?) that were screwed down right by the emergency door. What caught my eye was the fact that 2 of them seemed to be leaking what I thought was water or some sort of clear liquid. It was 2 smaller tanks near the front of the wing and a larger one just behind them. The two smaller ones were the ones that were leaking and all coming from under the screws. It was enough they were trailing down towards and past the next tank.

What are these and though it might have been nothing, should I have said something to the crew after the flight? Of course it was dry by the time we arrived at the gate.
Hi Cassandra,

It’s common to see slight stains around some of the screws on the wing, especially on the bottom of the wing near the fuel pumps. I’m sure what you saw wasn’t critical, but I’d encourage you to let the pilots know as you deplane. If you were really concerned about something, bring it to the attention of the flight attendant. They’ll pass it along to the pilots who can then decide if it’s a serious enough problem.

I always follow up on the comment with maintenance, which is often at the gate shortly after we arrive anyway. It’s just a good idea to take even the smallest comment seriously. Many of them can be easily explained away, but it’s always prudent for us to look at anything that’s a concern to a passenger just to be sure.

John asks:

Hi Kent,

Recently, while on a flight from the east coast to the west, we were enjoying a smooth ride. Then, without warning, we hit a pocket of extreme turbulence. What made this differenct was that it was less than 2 seconds, and had the “feel” of an impact.

My questions are:
1) Is this a normal thing, and
2) Does it pose any danger to the flight.

Thanks!

Hi John,

The way you’ve described it, I’m pretty certain your airplane flew through the wake turbulence of another jet. This doesn’t happen often at all, but when the airplane is in just the right position relative to crossing traffic, it can be startling. It happens so briefly that we don’t usually see any injuries, but it will sure make you tighten your belt while sitting.

You can rest assured that the airplane is designed to handle the wake structurally and it generally doesn’t present any danger to the flight.

That said, ATC goes to great lengths to provide enough separation between aircraft during arrivals and departures. It’s during this time that wake turbulence can present a greater problem for airplanes, since the wake is generally larger when jets fly slower, with the gear and flaps down, than while in cruise flight. If the airplane weighs over 250,000 pounds (usually anything larger than a Boeing 757), then the pilots will call themselves a ‘heavy’ which reminds controllers that extra separation is needed behind those aircraft.

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 Monday’s Plane Answers. Check out his other blog, Cockpit Chronicles and travel along with him at work.

Plane Answers: Cockpit jumpseat etiquette and inefficient arrivals

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!

David asks:

Hi Kent,

While riding in the jump seat do you ever double check what the PIC and SIC are doing? Have you ever seen something that you would have done differently and pointed it out? I know the cockpit is supposed to be sterile below 10,000 ft but have you ever said something or pointed out a checklist item that might have been overlooked?

When we have jumpseaters we almost always mention to them that if they see anything out of the ordinary, speak up. You’d be surprised at the things you can see sitting further away from the instrument panel. An extra set of eyes are always welcome.

Most of these items aren’t safety related, so I’ll usually stay quiet unless something could pose a problem later. But I wouldn’t hesitate to say something even below 10,000 feet (the sterile period) and I’d hope another jumpseater would feel the same way when sitting behind me.

Anthony asks:

Hi Kent,

I enjoy your blog and try to visit regularly. I have a question about standard arrival procedures (STARs?). They seem to add quite a bit of time to the flight as you go all over the place before finally lining up and landing. I have been told that in the early days of jets, pilots would simply throttle back the engines and descend at a fairly high rate with the engines at idle giving a faster trip.

Given that you often hear of a departure being delayed because of flow control (it even happens on trans-continental flights here in Australia), why can’t the flow control be more precisely devised for quicker arrivals like the old days?

Is this what is being planned with the trials by Air New Zealand, Qantas and United flying from the South Pacific into California?
Hi Anthony,

We often wonder about the reasons for the extended vectors around populated areas at major airports.

They tell us that in order to sequence a number of flights into an airport with multiple runways, it’s becoming necessary to have ‘corner posts’ or other waypoints around the airport that allow for the proper alignment and spacing at an airport.

We still fly to many airports with very little traffic. When flying into Shannon, Ireland or some of the Caribbean airports, we’re often able to descend at the most efficient angle (which, like you described, is done with an idle descent at the latest possible point) resulting in significant fuel savings.

Flying into the New York airports or any other high density terminal areas usually requires an airplane to descend earlier while being ‘vectored’ by ATC to get around departing aircraft from other airports. Prior to that, aircraft are sequenced well in advance to avoid a saturation of arrivals at the same moment.

I’d love to understand more about it, but as pilots, we don’t always have the big picture as it relates to multiple airports with multiple departures and arrivals.

In the U.S. there’s a lot of talk about an ATC program called “NextGen” which promises to allow for more efficient flight plans. Let’s hope so.

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 Monday’s Plane Answers. Check out his other blog, Cockpit Chronicles and travel along with him at work.

Plane Answers: Airliners passing closely (with video) and how are tailwinds figured inflight?

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!

Tim asks:

Kent,

Recently we (my wife and I) were going from PVD to TPA and while gazing out the window on a bright sunny day, we were amazed to notice a large amount (8-10) planes passing by us heading north. These planes “seemed” very close to our plane as I could clearly make out all of the markings on each one. Is this normal practice for the airlines?

Hi Tim,

I had a similar experience recently. Since I normally fly internationally, we don’t see quite as much traffic as you can pass on a domestic flight.

While flying from Dallas to Boston the other day, I decided to take some video during cruise of the numerous aircraft that we flew over or under. It makes for some nice scenes. At one point, we even pass under a pair of B-52’s.

You’re right in noticing that this seems to be more common. Since January 20th, 2005, the FAA has allowed aircraft to be flown at altitudes in 1,000 foot increments. Prior to that, flights above 18,000 feet were separated by 2,000 feet.

You might think this wouldn’t be as safe, but in fact, the opposite is true. Since opening up twice the amount of flight levels available to airplanes, the airspace is effectively doubled, giving controllers more room to operate flights around weather and to provide more direct flights.
Callum asks:

First off, thank you so much for taking the time to answer all these questions. I only recently found the list and I enjoyed reading your answers immensely.

My question is how does the in flight system that displays speed, location, heading etc. know what the tailwind speed is?

I imagine it’s easy to calculate your forward velocity through the air with some kind of windmill like device on the front of the aircraft. If this velocity is comprised of forward motion created by engine thrust and wind speed (positive or negative) how do the plane’s systems calculate each component?

(I bet I’m over thinking it and you’ll have a really simple, obvious answer :) )

Thanks!

Hi Callum,

You’re close. Almost all airplanes have a pitot tube that senses the airplane’s airspeed. Airliners also have GPS and/or ‘laser ring’ gyros that spin fast enough to sense any movement of the airplane. When the airspeed and heading is compared to the GPS or gyros, the relative wind speed can be displayed. We can see this on our map display at a glance, which is handy in the last few hundred feet before landing to get a preview of the crosswind we’ll likely have at touchdown.

I managed to take a quick picture of the highest winds I’ve run across at altitude, which was during a smooth ride, despite the fuzzy picture:

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and he’ll try to use it for next Monday’s Plane Answers. Check out his other blog, Cockpit Chronicles and travel along with him at work.

Plane Answers: How common are go-arounds and how can I sit in the jumpseat?

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!

Jason asks:

Hi Kent,

I enjoy your articles, keep up the good work.

I travel frequently for business and also drive past a major international airport every day on my way to and from work.

The other day while passing the airport I saw a plane abort the landing, pull up the gear and go around. It reminded me of a similar experience I had flying a few years ago, as well as several aborted take-offs I have had!

So I was wondering, how common an event are they? And what is the most common cause for an aborted landing?

Thanks Jason.

Aborted landings, or ‘missed-approaches’ as we call them in the states, are somewhat common. When I flew the 737-800, I was amused by the number of missed approaches we had to fly. Since the airplane was rather fast on final approach, controllers who sequenced us in behind slower airplanes with less than three miles were often surprised to see how much faster the airplane was than the older 737s. If we came within 2 1/2 miles on final, a go-around would often be called for by ATC. This happened five times in the three years I flew the 737.

This hasn’t been an issue at all in the 757 I’m currently flying.

We occasionally have to go-around when an airplane hasn’t cleared the runway, or hasn’t taken off yet as we’re descending through a few hundred feet.

Also, if we don’t see the runway on an instrument approach that’s not being flown as a Category III autoland approach, we’ll have to go around and try it again or fly to our alternate airport.

Finally, if we just happen to be too fast or too high or both, a missed approach is called for. The FAA has been very concerned with unstabilized approaches, and now that we have a reporting system that records and sends all the parameters associated with the black box aboard the airplane to the company, pilots are encouraged to go-around if the airplane isn’t on speed and on the glide path with the final flaps selected by 1000 feet above the ground.

At our company, we have a ‘no-fault’ go-around policy. If it doesn’t look right, it’s much smarter to come back and give it another try. No one at the company will question the decision to go-around in that case.

Aborted takeoffs are much more rare. I’ve yet to experience one in the past 19 years of commercial flying, other than in the simulator during recurrent training.


Dwight asks:

Kent
Hi I’m not a pilot yet but I’m going to be attending the Delta Connection Academy this July. I was wondering what do you have to do to get the “Jumpseat” and can regular people request the jumpseat.

And a second question: After the pilots arrive at the gate and shut down the plane what does he/she do after leaving the plane? Do they go to another flight if he/se has one or do they usually just go home?

There are two types of jumpseats on an airplane. The flight attendant jumpseats, which are reserved for flight attendants generally, or the cockpit jumpseat. Neither jumpseat is available to the public, though.

Other pilots are afforded the opportunity to ride in the cockpit jumpseat for free when trying to get to or from work or when traveling somewhere for pleasure. There are a number of layers of security, especially after 9/11, which verify that the pilot really is employed by the company they say they are. The jumpseat is also available to FAA inspectors who regularly ride in the cockpit to check up on an airlines compliance with procedures.

After you finish your Delta Connection training and you’re on the line, you’ll find yourself in plenty of jumpseats, I’m sure. In the meantime, I’ll do my best to share the view from the pointy end on Cockpit Chronicles and through the photos and video on my site.

At the end of a flight, a pilot will either race off to catch another flight departing at a different gate, or they’ll go to the hotel before continuing their trip the next morning or, if it happens to be the end of their trip, they’ll go home.

Often times, home isn’t at the city where they’re based, and the pilot will have to ride on a jumpseat or in the cabin home to the city where they live. A good percentage of pilots commute to all parts of the country. I have friends who have commuted from Anchorage to Chicago, New York or Miami, in fact.

Personally, I prefer to live within an hour driving distance from my home base of Boston.

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 Monday’s Plane Answers. Check out his other blog, Cockpit Chronicles and travel along with him at work.