Everything You Wanted To Know About Long-Haul (But Were Too Afraid To Ask)

On your next flight, you may be sitting next to a pilot or flight attendant in uniform. Why aren’t they working? They are, in a way, but they are on your flight because they are repositioning to another city either to start work or after they have finished flying. The term stems from a person who attends a performance or sports event or travels on a train or airplane without having paid a ticket. Sometimes aircrew dress in “civies” so they can imbibe a drink or two if it’s at the end of a pairing or their flying does not start until the next day. It’s forbidden to do so in uniform. Many contracts stipulate deadhead crew will fly in business class provided there are seats. This does not sit well with some passengers, but it is the contract.

Do pilots get special meals?

If you think two pieces of melba toast in cellophane and a sandwich with a layer of butter thicker than the sole slice of ham, accompanied by a plastic container that lost its lid covering dubious-looking couscous is being fed, then yes, we get to indulge. Sometimes snacks are boarded, but more and more pilot contracts are opting to be paid in lieu of digesting a delectable crew snack. On international flights, we are boarded crew meals, but if we are patient and there are extras, we get to indulge in leftovers from business class. We are told we shouldn’t eat the same type of meal in a row and we should eat at different times from one another. Sadly, sometimes the only snack is “pilot pellets” — packaged almonds or mystery nuts. Again, if we are patient and the flight attendant is tolerant of pilots, we get to indulge in upgraded heated nuts and perhaps cheese trays from business class.

What do pilots look for in their visual inspection?

A “walk-around” must be done before every flight, with nearly 120 items on the list of things to check. During this “kick the tires before we light the fires” procedure, we check for tire wear, evidence of leaks, faulty navigation lights, damage to engine fan blades, etc. Many vehicles approach an aircraft during ground servicing, so we check for dents and bumps and ensure access doors are closed. Some airlines use a bump inspection system called BINGO (Bump Inspected Now a Go) stickers to acknowledge the “love taps.” This walk-around technique is taught during initial training for any pilot, and it’s customary to walk around the airplane in a clockwise direction. Can you imagine how much more safe driving would be if we always “kicked the tires” before heading out on the road?

Whatcha got in your flight bag?

Gone are the days of perpetual paper amendments. Hallelujah! Now, with a couple of clicks, amendments are done almost instantaneously. At one time, it was imperative we amend all the charts, including the airports we never flew to. It’s no surprise some pilots hired their kids to do this tedious task. These iPads have also replaced many of the manuals in the flight deck, lessening the weight, and they are where we now download our flight plan. But most pilots, including myself, prefer a paper copy of at least the first section of the flight plan. Prior to the iPad, our flight bag was laden with navigation and airport charts. Some bags weighed 30 pounds plus.

How much fuel is carried? Are the tanks always full?

Many are shocked to hear we do not fly with full fuel tanks. When you were kids, and about to embark on a road trip, Papa Bear would undoubtedly fill the gas tank. But fuel is weight, and weight is money when flying airplanes. I don’t think I ever “filled ’er up.” Carrying extra fuel requires adding 20 to 30 per cent of that extra quantity: an extra 1,000 pounds of fuel would need 200 to 300 pounds just to carry it. To fly from A to B in a jetliner, the fuel required is the A-to-B fuel plus reserve fuel of 30 minutes, and usually the fuel to go to the alternate destination. But airlines are even exempt from having to carry fuel for the alternate destination under NAIFR (No Alternate Instrument Flight Rules), provided the weather is deemed good, with a few other restrictions added.

Why are airplane tires filled with nitrogen instead of air?

Air contains moisture and freezes at high altitudes, where average temperatures hover at –57°C (–71°F). Nitrogen freezes well below this temperature and contains little to no moisture. As well, tires can warm up quickly upon landing. Nitrogen handles the heat much better than air and prolongs tire life by preventing oxidation and rust from forming inside the wheel.

How are toilets serviced?

It’s a topic that few want to talk about, but it’s a huge component of flight operations. If a washroom (lavatory) is deemed unserviceable, it may not be an issue; however, charts are consulted to decide whether operations will be hindered. The number of passengers and duration of flight will dictate the number of required serviceable lavatories. Toilets are usually serviced during most ground stops on long-haul flights and less so for short-hop flights. There is an access panel near the rear (no pun intended) of the airplane to allow the holding tanks to be sucked of human sewage. Believe it or not, this job is sought after at many airlines amongst the ramp attendants, because if they get it, that becomes their only duty. They drive from airplane rear to airplane rear with possible extended breaks. Special biohazard suits and masks are worn by these “lavologists.” And the sewage must be “dumped” (no pun intended, again) at a designated biohazard site at the airport. Having washrooms go unserviceable on a long-haul flight could mean a diversion. Yes, it’s that serious.

How long does it take to get airborne?

Every take-off is unique as far as how long and how fast we go to get airborne. But generally, 25 to 45 seconds would be a good ballpark figure. During my Airbus A340 (four-engine jet) days, the take-off would be an exhilarating and somewhat anxious 55 seconds barrelling down the runway. Many variables contribute to take-off speeds and times: weight, airport altitude, temperature, runway slope, wind, runway condition (dry runway versus wet, bare versus snow-covered), engine thrust, atmospheric pressure, humidity, etc. For every take-off in an airliner, WAT data is consulted. WAT (Weight, Altitude, and Temperature) figures are the three major variables. Pilots input certain parameters, and exact speed values are quickly datalinked back to the flight deck. For the B787 I fly, we hit “accept” and everything is uploaded. Back in the day, we calculated our own data. Pilots flying the smaller airplanes with smaller companies crunch their own numbers in the flight deck.

Taxi!

Radio chatter can be fast and furious at busy airports. English is the international language, but sometimes accents, coupled with fatigue induced by long flights, and airport familiarity (or lack thereof) add to the equation. You can visit air traffic control websites to hear the rapid-fire lingo being directed toward pilots that enforces why we must stick to the script. Taxiways are denoted by alphanumeric nomenclature using the phonetic alphabet. That’s those large letters and numbers you see on signage. Any “hold short” instruction must then be “read back” to the controller in its entirety. Luckily for me, I have a huge screen, aka the “jumbotron,” depicting the runways and taxiways. There is a higher chance of getting lost or taking the wrong turn when on the ground.

At night, you’ll see blue lights along the edges denoting taxiways. Runways have white lights every 200 feet (61m). During low visibility, green lights embedded in the centreline of taxiways help in getting around. The centre of taxiways is depicted with a yellow line, and it’s a must that pilots stay on the line while manoeuvring. Stay on the “yellow brick road”. When new captains learn the particulars of taxiing, these words are often heard: If you deviate from the yellow line and hit something, it’s your fault. If you are centred on the yellow line and hit something, it’s still your fault. In London Heathrow, and now Dubai, air traffic control instructs pilots to “follow the greens” for navigating on the ground. Pilots love the simplicity of these guiding lights, especially after a long flight.

Which is more challenging, take-off or landing?

I get asked this a lot. During take-off, the biggest concern is mechanical issues, whereas for landing it is weather. On every take-off roll around the planet, airliners reference a decision speed called V1. Think of it as a yellow light in the decision-making process — do we stop or do we continue? Thankfully, my track record for a “green light” has been 100 percent for every take-off. But that doesn’t mean my next take-off will be as uneventful. We practice these decision procedures in the simulator. We learn how to reject (abort) on the runway, or if we pass that magical V1 speed, we learn to handle the “what ifs” — more specifically an engine failure during “rotation,” deemed the riskiest when we enter the flight regime. Pilots practice these V1 cuts in the simulator frequently. For landing, weather, low visibility, slippery runways, short runways, crosswinds, and low-level wind shear are at the top of the list of inherent challenges.

When multiple airplanes are waiting for take-off at the same airport, how is a priority list created?

Priority is often given on a first-come, first-served basis, so the first pilot to call for taxi instructions usually takes the lead. Some flights must meet more precise departure times, in which case they may be moved to the front of the line. Other flights may be destined to airports with ground delays, so they must taxi to a holding spot and wait. Air traffic control keeps the flow going by factoring in such parameters as weather conditions and de-icing requirements; even aircraft size is considered when planning departure sequencing. A lighter aircraft will have to wait a little longer if a heavier aircraft departed first due to wake turbulence. A lot of juggling goes on, and that includes dealing with arriving aircraft.

Room with a view

Passenger windows are comprised of two acrylic panes with the outer pane built to withstand significant differences between the cabin and outside pressure. You may notice a small hole on the bottom centre of the inner pane, used for venting. There is also a third plastic pane fitted with a sliding window blind. Flight deck windows are composed of three sandwiched panes of either glass or acrylic and are electrically heated. Recent technology allows aircraft windows, such as the B787 Dreamliner’s, to be much larger, and you won’t find the small hole on the second pane. Instead, an electrified gel is sandwiched between the two panes. It can dim the windows, making window shades a thing of the past. The B787 Dreamliner has the largest passenger window of any airliner, measuring 47 centimetres (19 inches) tall, 30 to 60 percent bigger than most others. The Concorde had very small windows to handle the huge pressurization differential at 60,000 feet (18,288 m). Most airliners have flight deck windows that open; however, the B787 has a hatch for plan B.

Flying fit

During flight, and on the ground, many airliners are analysed by diagnostic software. One such system is AHM (Airplane Health Management), which evaluates thousands of parameters by collecting real-time data on Boeing aircraft and sharing it with maintenance and engineering. The information is so in-depth that a maintenance engineer armed only with a laptop knows how many times the toilets flushed on board. AHM can diagnose an individual aircraft or summarize the health of an entire Boeing fleet. Recently, while taxiing for departure in London Heathrow, we had a maintenance issue that needed addressing. With a quick call via satellite phone, our Canadian-based maintenance went to work diagnosing the airplane. My B787 quickly got a clean bill of health. AHM knows about everything from flight control movements to tire pressures. AHM reduces delays by sending real-time data from the air to the ground so repair teams can begin to work on a solution before the airplane lands.

Does the Earth’s rotation shorten your travel time?

Our routing is affected by the Coriolis effect — but not because the Earth turns underneath us. The Coriolis phenomenon deflects everything to the right in the northern hemisphere (left in the southern), but our sophisticated navigation systems factor it in. What really affects our time en route are high-altitude winds, which can blow as strong as 230 knots (265 mph or 426 km/h) and tend to prevail from the west.

What is that rumbling heard at cruise phase?

Generally, the higher the altitude the more efficiently the engines burn fuel. If the aircraft is heavy, the pilots must wait until enough fuel is burned to lighten the aircraft, enabling the aircraft to climb higher. This is called a step climb. For a large airliner flying a longhaul flight, this step procedure can take hours before the pilot can reach maximum altitude. I’ve flown flights where it took 10 hours to get to our final cruising altitude via several step climbs. But pilots may also climb to find smooth air. We don’t always stay at the same altitude, so a slight rumbling may be heard. This rumbling when the engines spool up (accelerate to the proper rpm) tends to be more noticeable abeam (off to the side) and aft of the engines.

What does “keep the blue side up” mean?

Blue represents the sky, and brown the ground. The colours meet at the horizon, which is what pilots reference during flight. Blue (upper half) and brown (bottom half) are the two colours for the main instrument in the flight deck, called the artificial horizon or attitude indicator. In fact, it is dead centre in the “six pack” of instruments an instrument-rated pilot uses to aviate. This aviation idiom of well-wishing upon departure is akin to “break a leg” for an actor, “keep your stick on the ice” for a hockey player, and “may the force be with you” in the movie Star Wars.

Are there speed limits for aeroplanes?

Yes, there are lots! Below 10,000 feet (3,048m) ASL (above sea level), all airplanes are restricted to 250 knots (288 mph or 463 km/h). A limit of 200 knots is in force when airplanes are within 10 nautical miles (18.5 km) of a controlled airport and when they are less than 3,000 feet (914 m) above the ground. Speeds must be adhered to within 10 knots, especially when we are given instructions by air traffic control. The airplane itself also has many inherent speed limitations for flaps and landing gear extension, and tire speeds, to name a few. Even windshield wipers can’t be operated when the aircraft speed is above 230 knots.

Raindrops keep falling on my head?

Some passengers quietly sitting in their seat suddenly experience mystical water droplets dripping on them. Is this from a leaky water pipe? No, it’s condensation. The aircraft’s skin gets mighty cold — remember, the average outside cruising temperature is –57°C (–71°F). And when humidity, mostly from passengers’ bodies, contacts the cold aircraft skin, frost or ice may first form. But during descent, the frost may melt. The interior does have an insulated covering, but sometimes water has a way of funnelling between the interior panels and out onto an unsuspecting passenger. And yes, this wet surprise can happen in the flight deck too.

Jettisoning fuel. Why would you be getting rid of fuel?

Large aircraft (wide-body — the ones with double aisles), which tend to go long distances, require lots of fuel. So much so, if the pilots must land prematurely, perhaps for a mechanical reason or medical diversion, then the aircraft may be too heavy. To alleviate this, fuel can be jettisoned overboard at about a ton per minute to lighten the aircraft. This “fuel dumping” procedure is done in designated areas and at certain heights (above 5,000 feet, or 1,524m) to disperse the fuel before it settles to the ground. The fuel is jettisoned from the main tanks from a pipe on the outer portion of the main wing. The narrowbody fleet (one aisle) do not have this option.

What is a hard landing?

During a recent interview for a magazine, I was asked to explain a hard landing. Why is it that at some airports, passengers know to expect a “thumper”? LaGuardia comes to mind in the snug landing department. I explained that the word “hard” should be replaced by “snug” or “firm.” Hard would mean “planting it on” and would require a maintenance check, which includes looking at the “G” value at landing. Most airliners have that ability. I used to teach Airbus pilots the ropes, and a few landings neared that threshold. There are several reasons why you’ve encountered hard landings.

As mentioned, many airports operate at HIRO (High Intensity Runway Operations) capacity, meaning “get on, get off.” There is no time to finesse a greaser. If you do, you may cause an airplane to go around, or you might piss off ATC because operations are tight. If the runways are contaminated with snow, ice, or significant water — called standing water — then a pilot wants to aim for a point, get the airplane on to activate the ground spoilers, reverse thrust and brakes — though some may over-emphasise this manoeuvre. Aviation is growing exponentially, thus there will be new pilots behind the wheel. And where do many get sent to learn the ropes?

Yup, LaGuardia or an equivalent. LGA not only has shorter runways, with water staring at you on three out of the four runway ends, but the two runways intersect, making the operation even more difficult. Carrier landings are up there in the hard landing category. Naval and marine aircraft carrier pilots regularly touch down at 800 feet (244m) per minute to hook the arrestor cable, compared to a much softer 50-to-150-foot-per-minute airliner landing. One major American airline has had enough and is now denying naval and marine applicants. Because of their training as carrier pilots, they are more likely to land a thumper than a greaser.

I could chew up a page making excuses for less-than-ideal landings. But thankfully most landings are greasers, smoothies, “have we landed?” or “a beauty” (as in that was a beauty!). Yes, a smooth landing strokes a pilot’s ego immensely. It’s why we land the plane manually 99.5 per cent of the time. We mostly save the autoland for low visibility. You will see the pilot saying goodbye to passengers when the landing was acceptable to good, but many will remain in the flight deck if it was otherwise. Yup, been there as well.

—

Excerpted in part from This is Your Captain Speaking: Stories from the Flight Deck by Doug Morris © by Doug Morris. Published by ECW Press Ltd (ecwpress.com)