Boeing home

Sleepless in Seattle

VH-VZT Kalgoorlie was the next Boeing 737-800 scheduled for delivery to Qantas and a team of engineers and the acceptance pilot, Captain Andrew Bishop, were already in Seattle verifying that every aspect of the aircraft was up to specification. As they busily went about the final stages of their mammoth task, Captain Neil Ker and the author were boarding a Boeing 747, bound for Los Angeles.

Aside from their normal baggage, a suite of Jeppesen and company manuals as well as an Electronic Flight Bag were carefully packed for the journey. As the big Boeing made its way through the night the two pilots revisited the specialised briefing notes they had been issued for the return flight home before reclining and grabbing some valuable sleep.

Compared to the long haul to Los Angeles, the two hour flight north to Seattle on an Alaskan 737NG was a breeze. As Pete Sampras intently played with his iPad, the pilots looked out the window and took in the amazing scenery of the United States’ northwest featuring spectacular forests, rivers and ranges, including the awesome Mount St Helens. As the descent into Seattle entered its final stage, the famed Space Needle slid by on the left hand side before a gentle turn had the famed Boeing Field slide beneath. Minutes later the 737 touched down at Sea-Tac International Airport.

On the road to the hotel it was a beautiful day, although the Boeing bus driver warned that the end of the fair weather for the year was fast approaching. After a brief rest, the crew met up with Captain Bishop and the engineers and for a dinner hosted by the Boeing officials. It didn’t take long to appreciate that Boeing has first class people as their experience, knowledge and enthusiasm was evident from the outset.

Before the business of ferrying the new 737 commenced there was enough time to take in some of the sights and sounds of Seattle. Home of ‘The Deadliest Catch’, the chance to devour the local fare of crabs on the waterfront was compulsory. Similarly was a visit to Boeing Field’s Museum of Fight which includes Boeing’s original ‘Red Barn’ where it all began. The crew was also fortunate to be shown around Paine Field which is home to Boeing’s massive Everett factory.

The Everett facility is where Boeing widebody aeroplanes come together. The building is the biggest building by volume in the world, and approaching it by vehicle, this gargantuan hangar just seems to keep on going with door after door featuring massive murals of the Boeing line. In turn, each of these doors is roughly the size of a football field! One feels very insignificant standing beside this monolith and yet the real magic takes place on the inside.

Within these walls a mass of components come together at one end of the building only to emerge as a completed aircraft at the other. If you always crane your neck when a jet flies overhead, then the Boeing factory is somewhere that you should definitely add to your ‘bucket list’. For now, it was time to work.

On Our Way

The flight home begins well before the start levers are raised. Over the preceding days the crew have reviewed their notes, charts and weather forecasts a number of times for what is a relatively unfamiliar route for the Boeing 737. The paperwork must also be in order with all of the CASA approvals, registration, log books, certificates, licences and charts verified well in advance. On the day of the flight the pilots and engineers gather in the foyer of the hotel before the sun has risen. Transported to Boeing Field, the crew are met with a mix of documentation relating to both the handover of the aeroplane and flight briefing material. Both are carefully reviewed before Captain Bishop signs for the acceptance of the multi-million dollar machine. And no, his hand wasn’t shaking.

The delivery was to be operated as an ETOPS flight, flying to Melbourne via Honolulu and Nadi, staying at Honolulu the first night. The initial stage across the Pacific entailed around 2300nm of flying over five and a half hours. While Captain Ker was in command of the flight, Captain Bishop would act as a relief pilot throughout the journey. Bishop had already prepared a manual load-sheet, but with only three crew, four passengers and minimal baggage, a fuel order of 19,200kg or ‘full tanks’, was always going to be the chosen amount. This gave the aircraft a takeoff weight of only 62,500kg and an uninhibited climb to its cruising level.

A wonderful breakfast was laid on by Boeing before the crew made their way through the mandatory security screening and onto the apron at Boeing Field where VZT was awaiting its own final security screening in the form of sniffer dogs. Once this process was completed, the crew finally boarded the new Boeing and began readying the aircraft for departure. Immediately upon entering the aeroplane it was apparent that something was very different as this was the first Qantas 737 fitted with the impressive ‘Boeing Sky’ Interior. Walking through the cabin the overhead lighting is attention-grabbing, but the overhead lockers are the really impressive feature.

Through clever design, they boast a greater capacity than the traditional 737 lockers without encroaching any further into the cabin space. In fact the appearance of these new ‘bins’ is very streamlined. Additionally, the cabin now offers in-seat entertainment right through the aircraft and a very comfortable business section up the front. Amidst the impressive new interior, the crew carefully check the presence of all the required emergency equipment stored throughout the cabin.

The crew continued their standard inspection for the first flight of the day with additional attention to the cross-feed selector, beacons, life rafts and HF radios in anticipation of the long overwater sector. The flightdeck is a perfect match for the remainder of the NG fleet with the exception of the absence of ADFs. These ageing navaids are virtually obsolete on airliners equipped with multiple GPS units and are beginning to disappear as new aircraft are rolled off the production line.

The flight management computer (FMC) is programmed and the special route and en route winds are ‘uplinked’ into the system. With everything in order and double-checked and the Boeing folks waiting on the ramp to wave goodbye, it was time to depart. VZT was going home.

Setting Course

Departure from Boeing Field calls for a special set of procedures that the crew were briefed on before they even left Australian shores. From the radio phraseology to the hydraulic pump sequencing and push-back procedure, things are slightly different and great care is taken to conform and comply. Disconnected and ‘waved off’ the engines leap into life on start up and the taxi begins to the runway’s end. A large media group is busily taking photos, although this 737 is a sideshow to the new Boeing 747-8F that is just lifting off and grabbing the headlines. A few minutes more and it was time for the Qantas 737 to take its turn on the runway.

As Qantas Flight QF6024 took to the skies, the navigation display painted a sea of traffic in the surrounding airspace and air traffic control appropriately issued a series of vectors and step climbs to steer the 737 clear of its terminal area and onto the J70 air route. At such a light weight the aeroplane sailed skywards and in no time at all it was settled in the cruise with US West Coast now faded from view.

The crew filled out the navigation logs and commenced completing a detailed engine monitoring trend sheet. Around 20 observations of the engines’ operating parameters would be recorded each sector, a process that would be further verified by the Boeing performance engineer who was accompanying the flight to gather his own data. Meanwhile in the cabin, Qantas engineers Nigel Pittaway and Paul Runting, along with Ted Goetz of Quality Assurance, settled back for the flight. The journey home was a well deserved break for this team who had put in tireless hours to ready the aircraft in the weeks prior to the flight, responding to any issue in a truly professional and timely manner.

Ahead the route was primarily clear except for a band of weather forecast just to the south, midway to Honolulu. For the moment the sky was clear, the aircraft performing faultlessly, the paperwork was in order and all of the communications checks were completed. The Pacific Ocean lay ahead and life was good.

Sharing the flying duties between the three pilots, there was an opportunity for each to take a rest back in the business class seats and enjoy the excellent catering loaded on board by Boeing in Seattle. It also afforded the chance for the almost surreal experience of wandering down to the back of a brand new, but empty aeroplane; stopping at various windows to take in the view or a glimpse of the incredibly shiny wing leading edges. It is a simple pleasure and different perspective that pilots rarely have the chance to enjoy.

After five hours and no sign of the forecast weather, the descent into Honolulu began and shortly thereafter the air traffic controllers positioned QF6024 to the south of the islands to fly a series of right hand turns to land on runway “Eight Left”. On approach the historic Pearl Harbour could be seen to the left, while closer in the final contingent of RAAF Super Hornets sat on the military apron, also making their way home to Australia. Captain Ker eased the 737 onto the runway, conscious of the cabin full of critics, and taxied to park in a stand off position on the freight apron.

After shutdown, the engineers busily conducted a post flight inspection and secured the aeroplane as the pilots attended to their duties. With both groups satisfied the aeroplane was ready to be left for the night, security seals were placed on all of the doors before the team departed for the hotel, a meal and a good night’s rest.

Amelia, Apollo and Almost There

The next day did not commence quite as early as the previous day out of Seattle, but there was still no time to dawdle. The second day would see the aeroplane return home to Melbourne via two overwater legs that would tally to more than 11 hours flight time. Aiding the preflight preparation was the fact that Qantas operates scheduled services to Honolulu, so ground briefing facilities were in existence and the updated flightplan rattled off the printer. Once again the briefing material bore good news; fair winds and clear skies.

By the time the technical crew finished briefing and boarded the aircraft, the engineering team already had the aeroplane readied.

Following the preflight procedures, there was no further need for delay and VZT taxied out with full fuel tanks for a departure off Runway 8L. This departure was flown by the author and was interesting as the initial turn occurs very soon after takeoff and prior to 400ft when a lateral flight director mode can be selected. About midway through the turn a lateral mode can be selected, but prior to that it is flown on raw data, which is relatively uncommon in this day and age.

Clear of Honolulu it was another day of water and waves, interspersed with lonely atolls and isolated islands. The weather en route only called for relatively slight diversions as brewing cumulonimbus clouds began to flex their muscles for the day. The engine monitoring and flightdeck cycle continued, but additionally some waypoints of interest were entered into the ‘Fix Pages’ of the flight management computer. Amongst them were the splashdown sites of various Apollo missions and Howland Island where Amelia Earhart’s ill-fated flight was rumoured to have ended.

After five hours, the picturesque descent into Nadi featured crystal blue waters, peppered with contrasting reefs. As the left hand turns established the 737 on final approach to Runway 02, the green cloaked hills were every bit as spectacular as the watery surrounds. It was a shame that the transit was so brief; merely long enough to have the aircraft sprayed for insects and refuelled. Even so, walking around the aeroplane, the warmer climate and tropical air was breathed in deeply before climbing back on board for the final sector back to Melbourne.

Setting course from Fiji, the next stop was the Great Southern Land. As the hours ticked by, more and more familiar features began to filter through. Australian accents and commonly used frequencies filled the airwaves, while the alternate airports in the case of a diversion soon became Australian mainland ports. The aircraft was identified via ADS-B quite some distance out to sea and VHF replaced the HF radio communications. All the while, the trend monitoring of the engines continued.

Landfall was made as Sydney slid by, and then Canberra. The scene below was hazy, but familiar to the three domestic pilots who had ventured a little further from home over recent days. A simple arrival and a smooth landing brought VZT back home to Australia and shortly thereafter it was parked at the Qantas maintenance facility where the seemingly faultless engine performance monitoring would be scrutinised and any fuel flow or performance corrections entered into the aeroplane’s database. Over the following days the aircraft would then be readied for line operations and the travelling public.

Boeing Home

It is always both a challenge and a pleasure to operate an aeroplane outside its normal realm. The ferry flight from Seattle afforded the crew a first-hand look at the legendary Boeing facility, but also allowed them to fly the newest member of the Qantas fleet. Along the way they stretched the legs of the 737, a machine normally operated ‘there and back’ on the Australian domestic landscape.

Such a flight is not undertaken lightly and accordingly preparation and vigilance were applied to every conceivable aspect of the journey.

With professional teams both on the ground and in the air carefully attending to each and every task, the flight from Seattle to Melbourne was a pleasure to be a part of. The 737 is capable of so many versatile roles, but there will always be something special about bringing a Boeing home.