Plane Answers: Radio altimeters, 737 rudder safety and 757/767 flying differences

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!

Martin asks:

Upon landing a bigger plane…

Is there a sensor or gauge/indicator that shows the pilot the distance between the airplane’s wheels and the runway?
Yes, Martin, there is. As I’m sure you know, we have an altimeter that displays our height above sea level. But we also have a radio altimeter that shows our height above the ground from 2500 feet all the way down to zero feet. It’s actually very accurate, and we often judge our flare based on the automated call outs of “100, 50, 40, 30, 20, and 10.

It also displays our altitude in feet on our primary flight display. Occasionally the other pilot (who’s not flying) might add a call out of 6, or 2, if you’ve flared and you’re no longer descending, which can be helpful.

Long wonders:

Hi Kent, The only hassle I hate while traveling is the paperwork for the visa. I was wondering whether pilots require a visa to fly to certain countries? Does the airline take care of it, or do you guys have some sort of special permit/passport?

I can only speak for those of us flying from the U.S., and since I don’t fly to every country, I don’t know all the specifics, but the most common country we fly to that requires a VISA in our passports is France. This allows us to ‘work’ in their country.

Every five years we have to go into a major city that has a French Consulate and fill out the paperwork and turn over our passports to have a VISA stamp inserted.

I’m sure there are other countries that require this, but France is the only one I’m aware of at this point.

Tev asks:

Does the 737 still have rudder issues?

Tev is referring to the full deflection rudder issues that United and USAir experienced years ago with 737-200 and 737-300. Boeing came up with a fix for the problem and they claim that the new generation 737s, which are the most common 737s flying today, do not have the same issues. Given the number of hours that these new generation 737s have flown, it appears they have the problem solved.

Finally, Vic asks:

Kent, you wrote earlier about preferring to fly the 767 over the 757. One reason was greater familiarity with the 767. What are the other reasons?

Actually Vic, I fly the 757 probably 90 percent of the time. So I’m really more familiar with the 757. Perhaps it’s because I only get a chance to see a 767 infrequently, that I enjoy that airplane.

As you’re probably aware, the 757 and 767 are unique in that pilots can be trained to fly both airplanes interchangeably. We occasionally have a trip that will have a leg with a 757, followed by a wide-body 767 flight right afterwards.

SInce the cockpits of the two airplanes are nearly identical, and the systems (the hydraulics, the fuel system, engines, air conditioning and pressurization) are very similar, the FAA determined in the 80’s when both airplanes were certified that they would share a common type rating.

But they don’t fly exactly the same. The 767 is more light and sensitive on the controls, and it tends to feel larger, but more sporty. The 757 has great climb performance, but it’s controls are heavier and you sit lower to the ground, which makes for a different ‘feel’ during the landing flare.

It’s probably easier to make a smoother landing in the 767, even though we don’t fly them as often. They seem to settle to the ground after touching down with less momentum. It’s a beautiful airplane to fly, and it is closer in feel to a 777 than it is to a 757.

But as I’ve explained in a recent Cockpit Chronicles, the winglets that are being installed on the 757 have somehow softened the landings.

Have a question of your own that you’d like answered on Friday’s Plane Answers? Ask Kent!

Bolshoi in Russia: Getting a visa is not for the faint of heart

by Iva Skoch on

It’s not that getting a visa to Russia is the hardest thing you will ever do as a traveler. It’s just one of those things you wish you didn’t have to do. But since the US makes it difficult for Russians to get a US visa, the Russians do the same. Hence, you end of with a painful process called Obtaining a Visa to Russia.

First, you have to get an invitation letter. Yeah, it is kind of a problem, if you don’t know anyone who could possibly invite you. Even if you do, it is such a pain for the person living in Russia to go through the formal process of inviting you, you are better off hiring an agency to invite you instead. I know, it doesn’t really make sense, but that’s what happens.

Agencies, such as Visa to Russia, can write up and invitation for you for a mere $30-$45, depending on how fast you want it. In the invitation, they can even even include hotel names where you are “allegedly” going to stay, in case you don’t know yet.

After you have received your invitation, you can take it to the nearest Russian Consulate. Make sure to bring your passport (at least 6 months before expiration date), two photographs, proof of health coverage while in Russia, complete visa application, and money order for $131. That is how much a visa costs if you are willing to wait as long as 10 days. If you need it the same day, it will cost you up to $450, in New York, at least. Visa fees are cheaper for EU citizens. Be prepared to leave your passport there for visa processing.

If you are planning to be in Russia for more than 3 business days, note that you have to register with the police in Russia. Ask your hotel; they should be able to do it for you. Russian police have been known to stop random foreigners in Moscow and ask them for their registration papers, demanding a fee or a bribe, depending on whom you ask.

From Russia, with love.

China restricts entry from Hong Kong

by Iva Skoch on

This is an interesting development. It appears that the Chinese government has mysteriously stopped issuing multiple-entry visas. The new rule has hit those traveling to and from Hong Kong especially hard because businessmen travel back and forth all the time. Based on this Time Magazine article, Beijing’s security concerns over the Olympics are probably behind the new measures.

Applicants are being forced to proffer both return tickets and hotel vouchers, a new requirement that makes planning for contingencies or traveling on the fly virtually impossible. Hong Kong’s many foreign Chambers of Commerce have lodged complaints with the Chinese Foreign Ministry office in the city, but no clear explanation has yet to be given for the restrictions, or any word on how long they might last.

When I went to China, I entered mainland through Kong Kong and it was a piece of cake. No hassle whatsoever. It’s a shame they are making it harder.

Tracks4Africa puts a continent at your fingertips

by Jeremy Kressmann on

A trip to Africa requires some serious preparation. Guidebooks. Vaccinations. Maps. Tourist visas. Mosquito nets. Hiring guides. For many people, the very idea of the African continent conjures images of huge steamer trunks, pith helmets and mountains of travel gear. But for the technology-inclined, the mysterious continent author Paul Theroux once dubbed “the dark star” is becoming just a little bit more accessible, thanks to Tracks4Africa.

Essentially a giant community mapping project, Tracks4Africa is a non-profit organization that maintains user-generated GPS maps of some of the more remote and “eco-sensitive” areas of Africa. Although the project originally started as a way for outdoor enthusiasts to preserve some of Africa’s most unique plant and animal life, it has since blossomed into a full blown database of “off the beaten path” sights in Africa. More than 1,400 adventure travelers have contributed data on everything from recent elephant attacks to ghost towns and covered countries ranging from Ethiopia to Mozambique. And because it’s entirely user-created, there’s a good chance users will also have access to the most current information on the ground. Take this in contrast to an Africa guidebook from Lonely Planet, which might not get updated for several years (if at all).

All you need to get started with Tracks4Africa is a compatible GPS unit and a sense of adventure. Armchair adventurers take heart – the Tracks4Africa database is also viewable through Google Earth. Now get out there and find me a nice date plantation to check out in Namibia.

Woman held in shackles at JFK for overstaying visa

by Martha Edwards on

Officials at JFK might have some ‘splaining to do after they shackled a detained an Icelandic tourist for days — all because she had overstayed her tourist visa 10 years ago. Erla Osk Arnardottir Lillendahl, 33, is not happy about the treatment she received upon arriving at JFK — she’s even called the experience the most humiliating of her life.

Lillendahl was arrested at JFK and interrogated for two days. During that time, she was held in a cell, had her hands and feet chained, was not permitted to call relatives and was even denied food and drink for a period of time. Now the Government of Iceland has asked US Ambassadors to explain the incident.

According to Iceland’s foreign minister Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir, “In a case such as this, there can be no reason to use shackles. If a government makes a mistake, I think it is reasonable for it to apologize, like anyone else.”

Can’t say I disagree.