tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992165155127411512024-03-13T07:57:07.669+00:00(Air)Bus Driver's JournalsThe adventures of a flying bus driver...Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-73317022627134394152012-01-22T17:10:00.002+00:002012-01-22T18:55:09.328+00:00NiceI was going to post a video of the approach and take-off from Nice, but the camera decided to focus on the windshield wiper instead of the greater world so the best I can manage is this rather stunning view of the coast from Nice to Monaco, taken a few minutes after takeoff.<br />
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I haven't tampered with the colours at all, what you see is exactly what I saw... I never tire of views like these.</div>
<br />Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-55142513975136262972012-01-11T14:25:00.001+00:002012-01-11T14:27:02.285+00:00New Year, New startOr something like that...<br />
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Lots of exciting things expected to happen in the next 12 months and having taken a suitably refreshing break from writing I thought I'd give it another go.<br />
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Let's start with a picture, one of many more to come.<br />
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Sunrise over the English Channel, on a (very) early morning departure to Greece. We left a cold, overcast, somewhat wet London for 4 hours of clear blue skies and a generous tailwind...</div>
<br />Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-42637671514814165252011-09-20T21:34:00.000+01:002011-09-20T21:34:20.573+01:00Nine months laterIt's been 9 months since my last post, 9 months since the dream went sour and I became despaerate for a way out.<br />
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In that time I moved back to Europe, got a job with a respectable airline, knuckled down and got on with it. Even if I didn't like my job I could make something out of the rest of my life, living in a culture I knew, going home 2-3 times a month and getting a decent selection of days off.<br />
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Seven weeks ago I got transferred to London. Home. Finally. And I got even more days off. It took a while, but slowly the tingle of take off, the thrill of landing, the wonderment at the amazing beauty of the planet below came back.<br />
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I won't go as far as saying I'm in love again, yet, but we can live together in peace.<br />
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Clear skies,<br />
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S.Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-12622339850171941332011-01-21T20:37:00.003+00:002011-01-21T21:33:49.560+00:00Falling out of loveI still remember my first flight, my first landing. It was the 18th of October 2003. A clear, crisp day with only a few clouds in the sky. I was flying the little nose-cone-less Cessna 150 with no transponder, nav radio or heating but I had one of the best instructors I have ever had the privilege of flying with sitting beside me.<div>We took off, fooled around a bit turning, climbing and descending, then came back to land on CYYG's runway 21. I flew the PAPI on the 3 mile final and controlled the plane all the way to the landing which I remember was flapless and quite good considering... I had fallen in love with one of the most beautiful things a human can do: fly.<div><br /></div><div><div>Fast forward 7-and-a-bit years. I'm sitting by the Indian Ocean, in the sweltering heat with clouds of mosquitos all around me suffering from my now monthly sinus infection. I have been flying what I believe is one of the most beautiful, agile, amazing commercial aeroplanes in operation for 2 years now and I have been in exile for 2 years as well. I have met many amazing people, made good friends and I don't regret most of it ... but I'm still in exile, living for work.</div><div><br /></div><div>People tell me I'm so lucky to be living my dream of being a pilot.. Dream yes, but is it a good dream? The exhilarating tingle I used to feel whenever we took off is gone, the enjoyment of flying a perfect path approach is gone, the wonder of looking outside and seeing earth as only few can see it is gone. All I can think of now is getting the wretched paperwork over with as soon as possible so I can get back to my book and try not to fall asleep. Even the sunrises and sunsets - my once ultimate drug - all seem somewhat drab.</div><div><br /></div><div>I may be living a dream but it's certainly not my dream anymore... I seem to have fallen out of love with flying.</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div></div></div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-6189238072807563412011-01-15T07:03:00.006+00:002011-01-15T09:04:49.987+00:00How not to plan a rosterMy last cycle has been:<div><br /></div><div>Day 1 - Leave home 2330, fly 1:30 to Male, fly 1:30 back, get home at 0530 (on day 2).</div><div><br /></div><div>Day 3 - Leave home at 0550, fly 1:30 to Male, fly 1:30 back, get home 1145.</div><div><br /></div><div>Day 4 - Leave home at 1120, fly 3:30 to Karachi, fly 3:20 back, get home 2145.</div><div><br /></div><div>Day 5 - Leave home at 2230, fly 2:20 to Bombay, fly 2:20 back, get home at 0700 (on day 6).</div><div><br /></div><div>That's about 24h "rest" between duties, which makes resting difficult. Going to work at bed time and adjusting your body clock 12h every day is effectively impossible.</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-37711441598100912852010-12-31T16:00:00.001+00:002010-12-31T16:00:02.117+00:00A New YearIf 2009 felt like a wasted year, stolen from me, 2010 was exactly the opposite and I have trouble believing so much could have happened in 12 months.<div><br /></div><div>I started the year doing an after-landing checklist in Kota Kinabalu, worked like a mad man for 4 months, got stranded by a volcano 6000 miles away, got homesick, worked more, went home, worked again, visited Hong Kong on the first proper family vacation in longer than I can remember, worked some more, went home, got a new job, sat around doing very little missing my old job, got a shock, got a surprise and caught a cold.</div><div><br /></div><div>Put like that it doesn't seem like much but there is more to it, friends, happy memories, special moments, unpleasant moments, hardship... 2010 wasn't an easy year - far from it - but it doesn't feel <i>wasted</i>. It's not exactly ending on a high note but my new year resolution is to always stay positive and look at the bright side of life... and it can't hurt to start early.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's to 2011 - I hope it brings happiness and good fortune and you have a great night tonight with loved ones. I have to fly to Male in the morning, and my loved ones are all far away, so it will be a normal quiet early night for me.</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-21738529583943702482010-12-23T22:09:00.004+00:002010-12-23T22:20:53.091+00:00Happy HolidaysHaven't posted much because I haven't flown much this month. I passed the check, then flew to Delhi and back, then flew to Abu Dhabi and back, caught a cold, flew home to London (in the jumpseat), started suffering from the cold ... and I'm still suffering. I should have been back in work last week but the drugs I'm on aren't compatible with flying so I'm stuck at home for Christmas this year, which is a pleasant surprise despite the agonising headaches.<div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebwun-sQ_qUvhlxCPvO6V5VoUeWu5eke9XT1jIbbh-HEctNApR74i7Y03DiarDf1ZcBXadzIsuFMsUchILmmGd1E4ufOxeDHXqWU16bJttMi7hbvffVeWr5dx9aGuUhMLqV4blYLqsl5_/s1600/Christmas-2011.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebwun-sQ_qUvhlxCPvO6V5VoUeWu5eke9XT1jIbbh-HEctNApR74i7Y03DiarDf1ZcBXadzIsuFMsUchILmmGd1E4ufOxeDHXqWU16bJttMi7hbvffVeWr5dx9aGuUhMLqV4blYLqsl5_/s400/Christmas-2011.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554004309329870082" /></a><div>Here is my Christmas card for the year, once again appropriate to my position and mood. Happy Christmas wherever you are and whatever you're doing.</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-67207070942263157002010-12-02T10:56:00.003+00:002010-12-02T14:34:28.602+00:00That glowSometimes I forget why I love flying ... then suddenly I'm reminded again.<div><br /></div><div>Flew to Karachi yesterday, up along the west coast of India. The view of the Indus river delta approaching the city was quite spectacular - I had no idea it was so huge, and brown. Gradually the sand banks turn into islands and some houses and roads start appearing, then some more roads and traffic and finally it's a city. As I landed on runway 25L I really could feel that I was somewhere different.</div><div><br /></div><div>The flight back was really spectacular though, the sun was just setting as we took off and I was the privileged witness of one of the most glorious sunsets in recent memory. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, just blue above and grey below and this stunningly bright band of orange in the middle gradually getting smaller and darker until eventually it was all black and we were alone in the universe. Unfortunately the camera I brought couldn't cope with the colours so I can't share the palette that unfolded infront of me.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was also cleared for the final check which will take place in about 10 hours on the athletic 30 minute sector to Trivandrum. After that I will be, once again, an anonymous qualified pilot... Looking forwards to seeing the end of training now.</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-55125965284336535002010-11-30T17:24:00.003+00:002010-11-30T17:37:39.722+00:00It flies!I knew I was forgetting something.... <div><br /></div><div>First flight in two months happened last Friday, a quick 50 minute flight to a tiny Indian airstrip called Trivandrum (actually it's called Thiruvananthapuram now because of some pathetic patriotic movement, but nobody calls it that). I flew there and I flew back and I didn't break anything or injure anyone so I think the day can be classed as a success.</div><div><br /></div><div>Flying with the radically different SOPs was a bit disconcerting ... being away for a while dulls the senses, but then coming back to a different way of working is even more confusing, especially when the checklist is called for. Thankfully the training captain had a sense of humour and saw through the procedural errors.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next flight was a long slog to Delhi and back. Delhi is anything but a tiny airstrip, and the new airport is quite impressive, especially the taxi routes which get rattled off at top speed. Indian radio etiquette is equally impressive, but for completely different reasons, never have I ever heard so many people step on each other so often, even in the H U G E Manilla sectors. Quite sad really.</div><div><br /></div><div>Third day was the night flight to Bombay. A thrilling airport as every carrier from everywhere in the world is there, but also the arguably the biggest dump to pass as an international airport. The place deserves it's own post...</div><div><br /></div><div>That will have to do for now, will write some more in the coming days probably once line training ends. 6 down, 4 to go, should be done by the end of the week.</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-5587956489598091732010-11-14T20:40:00.004+00:002010-11-14T20:55:25.562+00:00DubaiI'm half way through my stay in Dubai. The seemingly interminable stream of (...) which was ground training ended last weekend and I jetted into the desert on Sunday evening, then spent the better part of last week practising every failure known to Airbus between 3 and 9 in the morning.<div>The sim check took place Saturday and went well, the usual programme which I have posted about many times before. The recipe this time called for a rapid decompression, flap failure, engine fire on take-off and a few approaches with various systems inoperative.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dubai itself is surreal. I think the best way to describe it would be to think of Paris at the turn of the last century. This place has everything that's modern but 10 times bigger and shiner than anywhere else, and it's obviously brand new. Some may call it a bit ridiculous, but then Paris at the 1900 expo was ridiculous too.</div><div>What makes me smile is that there are still people in this world who have dreams and have the power and money to make these dreams come true no matter what. Cost cutting, public consultations and feasibility studies don't exist here for better or for worse.</div><div>There are many things that utterly revolt me about this place too, but they are best left unsaid...</div><div><br /></div><div>I have 4 more days in Dubai, and 2 sim sessions: An ETOPS (engines-turn-or-passengers-swim) scenario and some low visibility approaches. After this I return to the paperwork nightmare of the local CAA (committee against aviation). I will finally be reunited with the right seat of a real aeroplane on the 26th of November, not a day too soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-71259525683461861892010-10-17T01:09:00.003+01:002010-10-17T01:36:43.702+01:00More about trainingSo why exactly do I have to undergo training upon joining a new company? It's the same aeroplane, same sky, same planet but it's a different company and as this isn't a perfect world every company will have a slightly different way of doing the same thing. As a newcomer it is essential that I know the way things work <i>here</i> as the safety of the flight depends on it.<div>The course covers subjects like Standard Operating Procedures (who does what, when), safety procedures, interaction with cabin crew, handling of dangerous goods, low vis and extended range operations. The last three are fairly standard but the rest can be quite diverse.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another element of initial training, which I am much less fond of, is the concept that the new pilot has forgotten every first detail about the aeroplane and needs to do a condensed type rating all over again. This might apply to some people (who really should have brushed up on their own beforehand) but it would be far more efficient for the airline to do a triage based on recency before arbitrarily sending everyone for training which is an expensive waste of resources.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally you get the regulatory hassle of operating in a new country which feels the need to exert it's sovereignty by altering the standard ICAO regulations slightly and making pilots write exams which have already been written during training - usually air law. Did I also mention the ludicrous licensing fees, or the need to do a new medical?</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-27810192093702409052010-10-13T11:02:00.003+01:002010-10-13T11:18:23.069+01:00Part two begins... slowlyFirst few days in the new airline, which will once again remain nameless but won't take long to figure out.<div><br /></div><div>The majority of last week was spent going from office to office collecting papers, signing other papers, filling in endless forms and being issued with several tons of company material: uniforms, suitcases, books, etc. The usual stuff really.</div><div><br /></div><div>The rest of the month will be spent in various classrooms learning about local air law, the company's Standard Operating Procedures, reviewing the agonising Airbus Computer Based Torture (Airbus calls it training actually - but it's <b>completely irrelevant</b> to a pilot already familiar with the aircraft), reviewing aircraft performance, etc.</div><div>Once suitably brainwashed I'll get sent to a secret location for a two <b>weeks</b> (same as the initial rating course) in the box of tricks before finally, after nearly two wasted months, being allowed to fly again.</div><div><br /></div><div>My theory is that all this training takes place so you have time to forget your old airline callsign because 90% of everything else stays the same. It's still a scandalous waste of time though.</div><div><br /></div><div>Probably won't write anything here until the real flying starts but I will be tweeting from time to time.</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-84348506345796933742010-09-25T11:00:00.005+01:002010-09-25T11:37:13.115+01:00End of part oneI flew my last flight at the world's best low cost airline last wednesday. An eery experience if ever there was one, knowing what was second nature would become a memory very soon. The rotation was a short and generally unpopular rotation to Bintulu via Kuching. It's unpopular because the flight usually runs late and ploughs through some of the worst weather of the region, but Wednesday was special.<br /><br />Hotel Romeo arrived on time from China, a rare event. We departed on time, didn't hit any weather and were number-one-high-speed for the rest of the evening, making up time everywhere and ending up a nice 30 minutes early back home. Lots of pictures were taken, and to celebrate the event the brilliant Captain H did all the paperwork for the day while I assumed the command position as demonstrated below:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHuT6LFXbk2zVt-lLQvrWMVaKKGf9r_ILSrA1baQjIANlp-yKdyqHQQSKhqpXJqGixAqZ28PlV3SbAoMUH_o_QdO0tsrBWkJxaef22-ZPaEqRmN7Iirr2N-2rxhCxwVMiFMU5Sn7bVPcq/s1600/Role+reversal:+The+FO%27s+job+this+evening.jpg"></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHuT6LFXbk2zVt-lLQvrWMVaKKGf9r_ILSrA1baQjIANlp-yKdyqHQQSKhqpXJqGixAqZ28PlV3SbAoMUH_o_QdO0tsrBWkJxaef22-ZPaEqRmN7Iirr2N-2rxhCxwVMiFMU5Sn7bVPcq/s1600/Role+reversal:+The+FO%27s+job+this+evening.jpg"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHuT6LFXbk2zVt-lLQvrWMVaKKGf9r_ILSrA1baQjIANlp-yKdyqHQQSKhqpXJqGixAqZ28PlV3SbAoMUH_o_QdO0tsrBWkJxaef22-ZPaEqRmN7Iirr2N-2rxhCxwVMiFMU5Sn7bVPcq/s400/Role+reversal:+The+FO%27s+job+this+evening.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520792902273682690" /></a>After the flight what felt like the entire crew base of Kinabalu came out to the after party and there was merriment late into the night. The next day was spent finishing the packing, saying bye to the beach and the people. I'm now on 2 weeks leave at home before starting in my new company.<br /><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-78788676891166201872010-09-16T22:36:00.000+01:002010-09-16T22:36:26.914+01:00Singapore - High Speed<div>Approach and landing into Singapore a few days ago, my last one for what could be a very long time. 800% speed again ... watch for the eagle that nearly took out my Number 1 engine. Camera behaved this time too!</div><div><br /></div><object style="background-image:url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/IZ_k2smF2UM/hqdefault.jpg)" width="540" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IZ_k2smF2UM?fs=1&hl=en_GB"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IZ_k2smF2UM?fs=1&hl=en_GB" width="540" height="385" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-35447411133180830262010-09-12T21:53:00.004+01:002010-09-12T22:06:05.025+01:00Pictures - 7More pictures... Busy few weeks preparing for some big changes.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhJQmli1XW7V8XGy2M9XGoKL11TT6zsRL93Nj5LieDOZxL_DoZqfrjsUjQYDqzX1LZN8JCtdR_dDrW0K2d7W8qn4zPfkyYppLgu40Kv5hg8BMkzuQBVKxkVdpxfiGqnuNfJPZrmzeeu9a/s1600/P1010001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhJQmli1XW7V8XGy2M9XGoKL11TT6zsRL93Nj5LieDOZxL_DoZqfrjsUjQYDqzX1LZN8JCtdR_dDrW0K2d7W8qn4zPfkyYppLgu40Kv5hg8BMkzuQBVKxkVdpxfiGqnuNfJPZrmzeeu9a/s400/P1010001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516135777349054706" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u>Kota Kinabalu</u></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhJQmli1XW7V8XGy2M9XGoKL11TT6zsRL93Nj5LieDOZxL_DoZqfrjsUjQYDqzX1LZN8JCtdR_dDrW0K2d7W8qn4zPfkyYppLgu40Kv5hg8BMkzuQBVKxkVdpxfiGqnuNfJPZrmzeeu9a/s1600/P1010001.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyR1d8zDZdawcAd3zvnFmv3mXjJces9pQEnnDQSRs6f-VFEDalzheRyIta522xmDxPRjXF43CmZuMortquJsLdxSKP7LC1cIkK7WfgF-W4RBgoSXjUNAdozRshp1sBaIC-_SCnG-HHDbjU/s1600/P1010200.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; text-align: center; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyR1d8zDZdawcAd3zvnFmv3mXjJces9pQEnnDQSRs6f-VFEDalzheRyIta522xmDxPRjXF43CmZuMortquJsLdxSKP7LC1cIkK7WfgF-W4RBgoSXjUNAdozRshp1sBaIC-_SCnG-HHDbjU/s400/P1010200.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516135768026300994" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u>Brunei</u></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyR1d8zDZdawcAd3zvnFmv3mXjJces9pQEnnDQSRs6f-VFEDalzheRyIta522xmDxPRjXF43CmZuMortquJsLdxSKP7LC1cIkK7WfgF-W4RBgoSXjUNAdozRshp1sBaIC-_SCnG-HHDbjU/s1600/P1010200.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjif97RgEbE8BlwwnqoOw3g0mKN3q9LiK591m7w2UAMB4NYfkVzW0qzGn_5DbWZMGknvJ5sXSyCeh06mJ97u9KFYVRW7pKF7kLbKPPapiEa117od-Qxbylr-_pvTrBdOiV3glZiCwdV1rVb/s1600/P1010249.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjif97RgEbE8BlwwnqoOw3g0mKN3q9LiK591m7w2UAMB4NYfkVzW0qzGn_5DbWZMGknvJ5sXSyCeh06mJ97u9KFYVRW7pKF7kLbKPPapiEa117od-Qxbylr-_pvTrBdOiV3glZiCwdV1rVb/s400/P1010249.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516135760675220098" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u>Queueing in Singapore</u></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjif97RgEbE8BlwwnqoOw3g0mKN3q9LiK591m7w2UAMB4NYfkVzW0qzGn_5DbWZMGknvJ5sXSyCeh06mJ97u9KFYVRW7pKF7kLbKPPapiEa117od-Qxbylr-_pvTrBdOiV3glZiCwdV1rVb/s1600/P1010249.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WxuvmeA_7D1deZrNYhPV-IOQnrqEgck1t7n2L-BCyD7ICrWBWj6RRQpX9N0Kbx6UQmB9TWJATlJEH7WM6miB_1rmv5MvalXw3XxIveDyiEMajp5zoL0LxejZL63C_yH8vaoLXWU7F8xO/s1600/P1010004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WxuvmeA_7D1deZrNYhPV-IOQnrqEgck1t7n2L-BCyD7ICrWBWj6RRQpX9N0Kbx6UQmB9TWJATlJEH7WM6miB_1rmv5MvalXw3XxIveDyiEMajp5zoL0LxejZL63C_yH8vaoLXWU7F8xO/s400/P1010004.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516135754943926258" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u>Queueing in Singapore again, different day</u></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WxuvmeA_7D1deZrNYhPV-IOQnrqEgck1t7n2L-BCyD7ICrWBWj6RRQpX9N0Kbx6UQmB9TWJATlJEH7WM6miB_1rmv5MvalXw3XxIveDyiEMajp5zoL0LxejZL63C_yH8vaoLXWU7F8xO/s1600/P1010004.jpg"></a><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-62052251142291406452010-08-19T18:01:00.002+01:002010-08-19T18:05:32.801+01:00Hong Kong - High speed<div><div>Descent and landing in Hong Kong on a beautiful afternoon. 30 minutes are condensed into 3 and a half which makes for a very nice effect I find.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please excuse the very very stupid autofocus on the camera. I shall replace it as soon as I can.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><object width="540" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/9Xv7Lh3TvK0?fs=1&hl=en_GB&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/9Xv7Lh3TvK0?fs=1&hl=en_GB&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="540" height="385"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-30286814387262586562010-08-14T18:11:00.003+01:002010-08-14T18:29:45.076+01:00A few firstsA few firsts today, my first day flying in over a week:<div><br /></div><div>We landed with the lowest visibility yet, a mere 600 meters. Any lower and it's cat 2 / autoland operations. There was a stiff 20kt crosswind, lightning, and the usual driving rain as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>I received my latest landing clearance, at about 150ft above the runway. Some ignorant A330 crew flying for a flag carrier decided to take their sweet time backtracking to vacate at an intersection 1500m from the landing threshold, and 1000m from the far end.</div><div>Actually I have received later landing clearances, at maybe 100ft, but this was flying a 1300kg tin can doing 55 knots. Flying a 62 ton bus doing 140 knots makes it rather more ... exhilarating.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally I logged my thousandth hour today, somewhere near Singapore. I don't suddenly feel different or anything, but the 4 digits look cool in the logbook. I think I was pilot flying as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-79456267430391361192010-08-05T15:37:00.004+01:002010-08-05T16:05:05.059+01:00When the heavens open againDifferent day, different crew, different place but very much the same theme as my last post. I wrote it a while ago but then lost it in my flight bag for a while.<div><br /></div><div>The sun has set behind us as we race towards Kuching. Singapore Radar says good bye and Kuching Radar says hello. The super advanced weather radar is telling me that our destination is sitting right under a very active raincloud, and the HUGE clouds which are now barely visible in the dwindling sunlight confirm this. I ask for 20 miles off track to avoid the worst of it.</div><div><br /></div><div>...</div><div><br /></div><div>10 minutes and 20 000ft later we're getting into the thick of it. Weather avoidance has become futile - the best I can do is avoid the red bits on the radar. Outside the rain is giving us a good planewash and the odd embedded CB I can't avoid massages the passengers, quite forcefully at times. We eventually clear the worst of the weather and accept vectors for final. The weather radar is telling us the approach and landing should be dry-ish. We have flown 30 extra miles by now.</div><div><br /></div><div>...</div><div><br /></div><div>Director turns us onto final approach at 12 miles and I intercept the localiser and glide path at the same time, just as we reach the interception altitude. I always get a kick out of flying a constant descent and keeping the engines at idle and even the weather hasn't ruined it too badly today. The runway appears ahead of us and it looks like this will be an uneventful approach.</div><div><br /></div><div>...</div><div><br /></div><div>4 miles from touch down and I realise this won't be an uneventful approach. Surface winds are reported calm yet I'm flying straight into 25knots which can only mean that there is a big nasty thunder cell nearby. There suddenly is a whole lot of red right over the runway and some drops are hitting the windscreen. My senses are on high alert for any sign of windshear.</div><div><br /></div><div>100ft above the ground and the few drops are now a torrential downpour. The wipers are flapping uselessly and the rain repellant (some sort of goo that should make it easier to see out when it's raining) is not working - as usual. All I can see is a blur of light either side where the runway edges should be and a whole lot of black everywhere else. Head down, I fly the ILS to 50 feet then flare on the radio altimeter half expecting the resulting landing to break my back ... and it doesn't. The touch down is beautiful and more or less on centreline - although I can't see any sign of it. Full reverse, full brakes and we're off a few seconds later.</div><div><br /></div><div>...</div><div><br /></div><div>After shutting down (20 minutes later because of a gate mixup - but that's another story) I discuss the landing with the captain. He reckons we had about 1000m visibility on touch down and we both agree that it was a rather unpleasant final approach. The rain thunders down for another 15 minutes then suddenly stops, as if someone switched off a tap somewhere. Take-off back to Singapore is uneventful, most of the nasty weather has gone to play elsewhere.</div><div><br /></div><div>S. </div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-75293315265817464132010-08-04T03:52:00.000+01:002010-08-04T03:53:39.904+01:00When the heavens open...<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">I can see the CB drift in as I prepare the aircraft, willing the ground staff to get on with it and allow us to depart early. The huge mass of very dark, almost black cloud is slowly but steadily moving towards the airfield.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">...</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">I call for pushback clearance as the first drops are starting to fall. This will be tight. In the 3 minutes it takes us to push, start the engines and get the checks done the few drops have turned into a steady shower. Tower has just reported a 180˚ change in wind direction, and the intensity is increasing rapidly. Taxi please.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">We reach the holding point, #2 for departure. The departure path looks very unpleasant. A company 320 backtracks the runway from the far end where it had been almost ready to go before the 20kt tailwind appears. Just as it starts to roll the heavens really open up and the visibility drops to 2000, 1000 then only 500 meters. That's 500 meters in RAIN. The plane is shaking from the power of the gusts and I feel like I'm sitting in a car wash.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">...</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">20 minutes later it's still raining hard. 2 aircraft have gone around, one has diverted, there are 3 of us on the ground waiting to depart. The rain eases slightly and the other side of the airfield reappears - the visibility is about 1-2000 meters now. Side ways glance, nod, and I call ready.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">Lining up I can see maybe 1/3 of the 3000 meter runway. Not a lot but well above our minimums. The runway looks like a swimming pool. Take off.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">Hundred Knots! I think to myself that I can't really see much runway at all - the rain is completely defeating the wipers which are frantically flapping up and down and outside is just a blur of grey with some light either side.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">Vee-one, rotate! Thank goodness we are flying now - no runway edge to worry about, just the menace of downdrafts and windshear. With TOGA power set and the gear stowed away the rather light 'bus powers into the sky.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">...</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">5 minutes later we are at FL140, 20 miles from the airport and the sky ahead is a clear summer blue with only a few little clouds here and there. The muscles in my legs start to loosen and I stop squeezing the side stick. Captain K is also looking a little more relaxed now, the take off was bad enough for me as pilot monitoring - actually keeping the bus on the very badly lit runway (which we couldn't see) in a 20 knot crosswind (which we could feel) can't have been much fun.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">...</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">Landing at destination, only 100 miles away, is in CAVOK weather. The return leg is only slightly bumpy and by the time we're back the monster CB, 50 miles by 30 miles, has gone to play elsewhere. I see the runway at 12 miles and grease a landing on what is now only a slightly damp runway. Yet another day in the topics.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia">S.</p>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-75463922423074457182010-07-30T16:02:00.000+01:002010-07-30T22:23:07.507+01:00Safety refreshersIt's hard to believe that my SEP course was already a year ago, but it was, and I earlier this week I got summoned back to the academy for a 3 day refresher... A really perfect way to end 10 days' leave at home.<div><br /></div><div>The SEP refresher is slightly less drawn out than the initial course - lasting 3 days instead of 3 weeks - and comprises a written exam about the life saving gadgets which we have on board, a fire fighting drill, opening and shutting the door, jumping down the slide (which is great fun), swimming around in full uniform (which isn't fun at all), learning how to make proper announcements and talking about CRM (or how to avoid accidents).</div><div><br /></div><div>First flight in 2 weeks tomorrow and I'm really looking forwards to flying again. </div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-62899745364432363192010-07-07T05:15:00.003+01:002010-07-07T05:21:04.394+01:00Sinus infectionsMy only advice on the subject is to never, ever, ever get one. Ever. They are painful, unpleasant things which involve lots of anti-biotics, anti-congestants, hideous nose sprays and getting the inside of your face hoovered through a tube stuck down (or up?) your nose.<div><br /></div><div>Needless to say I'm not working, just have enough energy to laze on the sofa and stare at the computer screen wishing the week would hurry up and end.</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-27577714305114626702010-07-04T10:10:00.005+01:002010-07-04T10:36:02.104+01:00Deaths, alarms and broken camerasI had a very varied and interesting day today. I was called to fly to Sandakan then Shenzhen - a gruelling 11 hour duty day starting at 6 in the morning. This sector is notorious for ending late due to Hong Kong flow control.<div><br /></div><div>The first event took place on initial approach to Sandakan. We were descending through a layer of light haze - about 5000ft above sea level - when there was an almighty BANG. Out of nowhere a rather large bird had smacked straight into the Captain's windshield... Well I think it was a large bird judging by the 50cm x 50cm red splat it left behind. The startling thing is we didn't see it come and had it ended up in an engine I think we would have spent the night in Sandakan. I now have a newfound respect for the strength of our windshields.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second event took place en-route to Shenzhen, about half-way, was the master warning going off as the Captain and I were both busy daydreaming. I don't mind saying my heart and book both made a leap for the ceiling. The FIRE - SMOKE IN LAV warning had just gone off telling us that some faggot had decided to light up in one of the toilets. Fire is a very severe risk on an aeroplane and smoking in the toilet is extremely dangerous due to the amount of flammable paper in the immediate vicinity. Thankfully the cabin crew reacted quickly, admonished the culprit and ventilated the toilet.</div><div><br /></div><div>The arrival into Shenzhen was spectacular - the sky over Hong Kong was clear and the visibility extremely good for once. There plenty of amazing photo opportunities as we overflew Hong Kong Island, Victoria Harbour, the old Kai Tak airport (whose runway surprisingly hasn't been built on yet) and came very close to some heavy jets on approach to Hong Kong airport. On departure we overflew an equally clear Zuhai and Macau and got a stunning view of the runway in the middle of the bay.</div><div>Unfortunately I can't share anything I saw because today was the first day in 6 months that I didn't bring any camera with me Typical.</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-26367316838352894812010-07-01T17:55:00.003+01:002010-07-01T18:24:56.399+01:00JuneJune has been a very busy month. Lots of flying, and all my days off were filled with some activity or another... Not that I remember having many days off.<div><br /></div><div>The intense thunderstorm season is slowly starting again the weather radar is getting more and more colourful. Although the whole year is thunderstorm season at the equator June-November seem to be the more active months.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've had a few interesting moments this month - Kinabalu was landing runway 20 for a few days which involves an offset VOR approach over the city centre. It's quite fun to fly, especially with a bit of weather, and I shall post a video soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also flew into Hong Kong for the first time, after months of flying over/around/beside it en-route to China or Macau. Hong Kong does beat Singapore on the airport coolness scale, the airport is busier, the spacing tighter, the weather is different (less thunderstorm, more wind) and one could be forgiven for thinking it's London from time to time with all the English accents on frequency. There are plenty of nice looking tails to enjoy too. Once out of the airport and in the city I think prefer Singapore though, Hong Kong is a little too wild for my taste ... and I don't understand any of the adds in the underground.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have a few videos to upload, will attempt to do so soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-66269894560134221652010-06-03T02:34:00.003+01:002010-06-03T02:40:56.185+01:00A really visual approach<div>C<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">aptain E's visual approach to Kota Kinabalu, over the hills. First 30ish seconds are accelerated - we weren't really going 400kts so close to the ground.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Filmed a few days before I went on leave.</span></div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hQniLGhVX2Y&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hQniLGhVX2Y&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="265"></embed></object>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199216515512741151.post-45794539000756691092010-05-31T02:09:00.002+01:002010-06-03T02:31:36.987+01:00Time OffImmediately after completing my session in the box of tricks I went home for a fortnight - hence the lack of posts. The cool crisp dry May air was lovely to breathe, as was being able to drive my car after nearly 7 months away. Unfortunately I didn't get much "rest" with all the rushing about to see various friends and I managed to drive 1500 miles spending a fortune on petrol, but going home really was healthy.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I've been back a week now and am slowly getting back into the rhythm of 12-14h days and sleeping at the oddest hours. My roster isn't exactly gentle but on the other hand I gather the hours very very quickly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stories will recommence once something interesting happens.</div><div><br /></div><div>S.</div>Splendorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010620882390615773noreply@blogger.com0