Showing posts with label blogformation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogformation. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Blogformation My New Years Resolution
Blogformation My New Years Resolution
#blog #aviation #avgeek #newyearsresolution
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WORLD!!!
Its been an adventure, to say the least! Look for my "Best of" links below, after todays post!
Speaking of which . . .
HAPPY 100 Commercial Aviation!
Heres a cool link about it with some fun pics: http://www.businessinsider.com/1914-first-commercial-flight-price-anniversary-2013-12
and now . . .
Its Blogging in Formation Week!
New for 2014: 2 BiF posts/day, from 1 GA pilot & 1 Airline pilot!
New for 2014: 2 BiF posts/day, from 1 GA pilot & 1 Airline pilot!
Jan. 1: Smart Flight Training - Andrew Hartley
Flight to Success - Karlene Petitt
Flight to Success - Karlene Petitt
Jan. 2: House of Rapp - Ron Rapp
Adventures of Cap’n Aux - Eric Auxier
Jan. 3: iFLYblog - Brent Owens
And please Welcome Aboard our newest Blogging in Formation member, Mark L. Berry!
Mark blogs at: http://marklberry.com
See more about Mark after this post, below!
This Months Theme: My New Years Resolution!
So, lets cut to the chase . . .
My New Year’s Resolution:
Turn off the *&^% and Fly!
As most of you know, I recently wrote an article for nycaviation.com entitled, Do Commercial Pilots Really “Suck” at Manual Flying? (http://www.nycaviation.com/2013/11/commercial-pilots-really-suck-manual-flying/#.Uqkg5pFItFw)
In it, I detailed a new FAA study which posits that the “greatest risk” in today’s cockpit is 1.) Over-reliance on automation leading to complacency, and 2.) Lack of understanding of automation, leading to a reluctance to, well, “Turn off the magic and fly.”
While I take issue with the FAA’s premise that it’s “our greatest risk” (see an upcoming NYCA post where I, Karlene Petitt and others write about pilot fatigue), I did generally agree with the above two points.
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Today’s airliners are six times safer than your own bathtub.
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Today’s airline pilots fly the safest airplanes in history. They are the best-trained pilots in the world, operating in an environment that has become six times safer than your own bathtub. But pilots are human, and therefore prone to human error.
ANATOMY OF AN AIRLINE FLIGHT
You board your plane,
take your seat,
strap in.
The door closes.
The plane pushes back.
In the cockpit, what’s happening?
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You board your plane, strap in. The door closes.
In the cockpit, what’s happening?
________________________
In a nutshell:
—After the tug disconnects and the engines are started, the Captain taxies the plane out to the active runway. He steers with his hand tiller and stops with the toe brakes on his rudder pedals.
—Cleared for Takeoff: The PF (“Pilot Flying”—either Captain or First Officer) takes the controls, runs the thrust up, steers with the rudders. The PNF (“Pilot Not Flying”) calls, “V1…Vr…” The PF rotates (pulls the stick back), the plane lifts off and flies.
—PNF: “Positive Rate” PF: “Gear Up” The PNF raises the gear handle and the landing gear sucks up into the gear wells.
At this point, 95% of the time for 95% of the pilots, the PF engages the “Autopilot.” (On the new RNAV departures, this is actually required for precision maneuvering.)
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| The infamous "Otto Pilot!" |
From here on out, except for special cases, the airplane is flown entirely on autopilot. While most modern aircraft can “autoland” (land on autopilot), most of the time the PF disconnects the autopilot—usually somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000’ AGL—and lands manually.
Make no mistake, at all times while the autopilot is engaged, the PF is “flying.” That is, s/he is telling the autopilot what to do.
________________________
For airliners, flying is nothing.
Managing the flight is everything.
________________________
Think of today’s autopilot as a fancy, 3-D Cruise Control. You use your CC in the car to relieve you from the mundane burden of constantly adjusting the accelerator.
This frees his mind up to take in the “Big Picture”—watch for other traffic, monitor the radio frequency, monitor performance and deal with other issues.
This type of flying—monitoring an autopilot—may not seem as romantic as Luke Skywalker “keeping it on manual for a while,” but believe you me, this is the safest way to travel.
As I’ve said in the past, When it comes to airliners, flying is nothing. Managing the flight is everything.
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| "I just want you to know: were all counting on your Otto-Pilot." |
Here’s the problem—and this is one of the main points the FAA is driving at:
all this “managing” and no “flying” makes Jack a dull pilot.
In Fifi (our affectionate name for the Airbus), this is doubly true.
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All this “managing” and no “flying” makes Jack a dull pilot.
________________________
Those who have taken basic flight training know that there are several controls you constantly have to manage:
—the stick, or yoke, controlling up/down, right/left.
—the rudder pedals, coordinating turns with the stick to keep the plane flying efficiently (also used for directional control on the ground, and for landing in crosswinds.)
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Blogformation Stranger Than Fiction !
Blogformation Stranger Than Fiction !
#blog #avgeeks #aviation
True airplane tales that are
STRANGER THAN FICTION!
— — — — —
STOP THE PRESSES!
Flash News:
Several of your "Blogging in Formation" Team is now on the TOP 100 Leaderboard for
"Most Influential Aviation Bloggers" on Twitter!
and now...
True airplane tales that are
STRANGER THAN FICTION!
True airplane tales that are
STRANGER THAN FICTION!
— — — — —
STOP THE PRESSES!
Flash News:
Several of your "Blogging in Formation" Team is now on the TOP 100 Leaderboard for
"Most Influential Aviation Bloggers" on Twitter!
and now...
True airplane tales that are
STRANGER THAN FICTION!
 |
| "Mysterious Dancing Lights of Afghanistan"—see story, below! |
Let’s play a game called, “Once upon a Time.”
Each question below tells two stories, one fact, one fiction.
Can you guess which is the real McCoy?
Pre-solo Ground School Level:
"Critters on a Plane" . . .
"Critters on a Plane" . . .
1. A cool dude fights a bunch of Reptilia Serpentes on an aircraft in flight.
2. A Boeing 737 airliner has a midair collision . . . with a fish.
Fact: 2. In 1987, an Alaska Airlines jet on departure out of PJNU (Juneau, AK), narrowly missed colliding with a bald eagle. Startled, the eagle dropped its freshly caught salmon—right on the windshield of said jet!
Alaska Airlines named the now-famous Boeing 737, Salmon Thirty Salmon; the "fishy tale" was even featured in Ripleys Believe it or Not!
A great account from Airways Magazine:
http://www.airwaysmag.com/channels.html?article_id=78&channel_id=7
Note—the eagle was found to be at fault: http://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/01/us/fish-strikes-jet-in-air-eagle-is-held-at-fault.html
Alaska Airlines named the now-famous Boeing 737, Salmon Thirty Salmon; the "fishy tale" was even featured in Ripleys Believe it or Not!
A great account from Airways Magazine:
http://www.airwaysmag.com/channels.html?article_id=78&channel_id=7
Note—the eagle was found to be at fault: http://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/01/us/fish-strikes-jet-in-air-eagle-is-held-at-fault.html
I got your Snakes on a Plane, right here!
(The mfn infamous line, from the mfn movie, Snakes on a Plane):
Warning! F-bomb alert!
...And apparently the true sequel—Bees on a Plane!:
http://www.theaviationwriter.com/2013/07/us-airways-bees-swarm-1271.html
Corollary critter tale—another true tale, of a reported near-miss . . . with a shark!
See my post, The Life Aquatic & the Battle for Air Supremacy: http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2012/01/life-aquatic-and-battle-for-air.html
Solo Level:
Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, for fun and profit . . .
Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, for fun and profit . . .
1. Skyjacker D.B. Cooper successfully robs a B-727 inflight, parachutes out the back, and lives happily ever after.
2. Financially troubled Financial Consultant Mark Schrenker fakes his death by crashing a Piper Meridian.
Fact: 2. While D.B. Coopers memory lives on in infamy as the worlds most succesful hijacker, he most likely perished upon skydiving into a -60° rainstorm over the Oregon wilderness.
Solo Cross Country:
Stowing away in perfectly good landing gear, for fun and profit . . .
1. A man stows away in the landing gear of a Jumbo Jet and dies.
2. A man stows away in the landing gear of a Jumbo Jet—and survives.
Fact: A trick question: Both!
The world is filled with tales of #1, but there have only been a few known cases of #2!
Most recent: In June, 2010, a 20-year-old Romanian stowaway hid in the undercarriage of a jumbo jet and survived temperatures of -41c at 25,000ft during a free flight into Britain. He was even . . . let go by police!
Story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1285231/Stowaway-survives-flight-Austria-UK-tucked-landing-gear-private-jet.html
2. A man stows away in the landing gear of a Jumbo Jet—and survives.
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| The Stowaway seat—its FREE! And WHAT A VIEW!!! |
The world is filled with tales of #1, but there have only been a few known cases of #2!
Story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1285231/Stowaway-survives-flight-Austria-UK-tucked-landing-gear-private-jet.html
PPL (Private Pilot License):
Dont try this at home! Or the airport, or . . .
1. A father/son airport groundskeeping team decides to take a Cessna up for a joyride—without a lick of training.
2. A would-be Jet Jock straps a military JATO (Jet-Assisted Take Off) rocket to his 67 Chevy Impala, lights it off . . . and said Jockstrap vaporizes on the side of a mountain at 300 mph.
Fact: 1. While the JATO rocket car remains the most famous "Darwin Award" of all time, it has now been debunked as urban legend. In real life, however, the father/son aerial lawn mowing team shared a similar fate.
Fatalities: 2—one father, one son.
For more info on the last two questions above, see my October, 2012 Post, Darwin Awards—Aviation Style: http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-darwin-awardsaviation-style.html
Commercial Crop Duster:
"Some Ting Wong" with this picture . . .
"Some Ting Wong" with this picture . . .
1. Flying his whirlybird on April Fool’s Day, Alaska bush pilot Ralph Olafsen burns a bunch of tires in a dormant volcano, creating mass pandamonium.
2. TV station gets royally “Punk’d” while identifying the pilots of a crash.
(OK, unless youve been living on the dark side of the moon for the past two months, you should be able to get this one!)
(OK, unless youve been living on the dark side of the moon for the past two months, you should be able to get this one!)
Fact: 2. While #1 really did happen, Ralph Olafsen is the fictional culprit who lights it off in my novel, The Last Bush Pilots. His volcanic prank was inspired by one Oliver "Porky" Bickar, whos real prank ranks as one of the Top Ten April Fools jokes of all time.
However, while reporting on the recent Asiana 214 crash in KSFO, KTVU of Oakland, CA, fell for this royal scam . . . Leaving them with some serious kim chi on their faces:
Direct Link: http://youtu.be/VqjlhtKIToo
Heres Colberts take on it: http://www.hulu.com/watch/511370
Link: http://www.olypen.com/sitkacds/porky.htm
Ralphs Volcanic Prank: http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2013/04/interlude-volcanic-hoax.html
Ralphs Volcanic Prank: http://capnaux.blogspot.com/2013/04/interlude-volcanic-hoax.html
Direct Link: http://youtu.be/VqjlhtKIToo
Heres Colberts take on it: http://www.hulu.com/watch/511370
Instrument Rating:
8 pints between the bottle and the throttle . . .
8 pints between the bottle and the throttle . . .
1. A pilot flying drunk takes off with the gust lock installed and lives.
2. An airline pilot convicted of drunk flying and sentenced to prison, is once again flying airliners.
Fact: 2. Flying Drunk is the autobiography of Flight Engineer Joseph Balzar, who in 1980 was fired from Northwest Airlines—along with his First Officer and Captain—for flying while intoxicated. All three were convicted and sent to Federal prison. Now two decades sober, author Balzar is once again a pilot at another major airline.
#1 really happened as well—but with fatal results.
Again, see my post, The Darwin Awards—Aviation Style.
2. CapnAux flies three "comfort pigs" in his Airbus.
Fact: 1. While I did in fact once fly a "comfort pig" named Webb from Charlotte (no, really!), it was only one bovine. However, I did escort three orphaned bear cubs in Alaska, which inspired another tall tale, that of "the orphaned three," in my novel, The Last Bush Pilots.
Link: Amazon Book Link
Again, see my post, The Darwin Awards—Aviation Style.
CFI (Certified Flight Instructor):
"Critters on a Plane," Redux . . .
1. Capn Aux flies three bear cubs in his Cessna 207.2. CapnAux flies three "comfort pigs" in his Airbus.
Fact: 1. While I did in fact once fly a "comfort pig" named Webb from Charlotte (no, really!), it was only one bovine. However, I did escort three orphaned bear cubs in Alaska, which inspired another tall tale, that of "the orphaned three," in my novel, The Last Bush Pilots.
Link: Amazon Book Link
ATPL (Airline Transport Pilot License):
The coolest pilot of them all!
The coolest pilot of them all!
1. A girl born with no arms becomes a licensed pilot.
2. Emmy Award winning actor Peter Dinklage—a dwarf—becomes a licensed pilot.
Fact: 1. To the best of my knowledge, Peter Dinklage—the Emmy-winning breakout star of HBOs Game of Thrones—is not a licensed pilot. But if he was, hed be one of the worlds coolest!
Jessica Cox, however, is the worlds first licensed airline pilot with no arms!
Jessica Cox, however, is the worlds first licensed airline pilot with no arms!
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| The coolest pilot—EVER!!! |
A licensed Recreational pilot and Tae Kwon Do black belt,
Jessica is Capn Auxs greatest pilot-hero ever—
HANDS DOWN!
(Excuse the tacky pun, but I have a feeling Jessica would laugh!)
Some day I hope to meet Jessica, who lives just down the block in Tucson, Arizona, and blog to you all about it!
Jessicas story:
Direct link: http://youtu.be/S2ecMqktmS8
— — — — — — —
BONUS TALE—LATE ENTRY
an incredible and touching story!
Link: http://goo.gl/mYl2G6
— — — — — — —
Oh, and PS. . .
What happened to the near miss with that shark, you ask?
Sadly, it ended in tragedy.
Fatality: one flying shark!
— — — — — — —
POST-FLIGHT CHECKLIST
- JOIN THIS SITE.....................VERIFY.............................JOINED
- COMMENT............................VERIFY.............................MADE
- FACEBOOK...........................VERIFY.............................LIKED
- TWITTER...............................VERIFY.............................TWEETED
- EMAIL....................................VERIFY.............................MAILED
- OTHER NETWORKS...........VERIFY.............................SHARED
POST-FLIGHT CHECKLIST.......................COMPLETE!
Available link for download
Sunday, March 5, 2017
BlogFormation Aviation History!
BlogFormation Aviation History!
— — — — —
Donate NOW to Typhoon Haiyan disaster relief! Red Cross: http://goo.gl/t9Y2NC
or
Text TYPHOON to 80888 to donate $10 to Salvation Army.
Other links: http://goo.gl/afiYUl
— — — — —
Folks, read my Airways Magazine article, now on newsstands!
In this issue (December 2013), I have the honor of reviewing fellow airline pilot-author and new good friend, Captain Mark L. Berrys intense memoir, 13,760 Feet—My Personal Hole in the Sky.
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| Capn Mark and I met up recently on his KPHX overnight! |
This is Captain Berrys third book. His first two, Pushing Leaves Toward the Sun and Street Justice, are critically acclaimed novels. All three books are available on his website, below.
Here is the opening paragraph of my review:
Airline pilots. Consumate professionals who train rigorously to meet every emergency imaginable. Goal-oriented problems solvers, they learn to think fast, accomplish the checklists, and save the day. But, for airline pilot and author Mark L. Berry, this personal tragedy came without a manual, without a checklist, and without warning. . .
To read more about 13,760 Feet, see my article in December, 2013
Airways Magazine (http://airwaysmag.com)
and/or
Visit Marks website: http://marklberry.com
and/or
Listen to Chapter One read by the author!:
http://marklberry.com/2013/07/03/8132/
— — — — — —
And now its time for . . .
Blogging in Formation Week!
Posts all week beginning Monday
This months Theme: Aviation History!
— — — — — — —
HAPPY
NATIONAL AVIATION HISTORY MONTH!
NATIONAL AVIATION HISTORY MONTH!
Today I am proud to present the lead post in this month’s “Blogging in Formation,” wherein six noted aviation bloggers team up to bring you their personal take on an aviation topic.
But first . . .
In doing a little more research, I found that November is also: National Inspirational Role Models Month (in addition to being Child Safety Protection Month, National Native American Heritage Month, Peanut Butter Lovers Month, and National Sleep Comfort Month, among others.)
In addition, November includes many special days, such as: King Tut Day, Guy Fawkes Day, Dunce Day, Chaos Never Dies Day (no, really!), Have a Party with Your Bear Day (no, really really!), Sadie Hawkins Day, Absurdity Day and Stay at Home Because You are Well Day (Which, personally, I think should be called, “National Ferris Bueller Day.”)
In addition, November includes many special days, such as: King Tut Day, Guy Fawkes Day, Dunce Day, Chaos Never Dies Day (no, really!), Have a Party with Your Bear Day (no, really really!), Sadie Hawkins Day, Absurdity Day and Stay at Home Because You are Well Day (Which, personally, I think should be called, “National Ferris Bueller Day.”)
And now...
BLOGGING IN FORMATION—AVIATION HISTORY
This month, I’m combining our “Aviation History” theme with “Inspirational Role Models,” and will tell you a tale of an amazing persona in our world aviation history.
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| North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco |
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Note: The following is a “Historical narrative.” This is a true story, as close as the facts will allow. But where there are blanks in the data, I speculate on what exactly happened in the cockpit, and what could have been going through our heroine’s head at the moment.*
— — — — —
“Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace,The soul that knows it not, knows no releasefrom little things."—Amelia Earhart
You have not heard of Philippines Air Force pilot Mary Grace Baloyo.
She did not set foot on the moon. She did not break the sound barrier, design a game-changing jet engine or make the Smithsonian Air & Space museum.
But, as you shall see, she fully deserves our recognition, praise and gratitude.
Indeed, Grace was awarded—posthumously—Philippines highest military award - The Medal of Valor. She is only one of four recipients, and the only female to receive it.
Indeed, Grace was awarded—posthumously—Philippines highest military award - The Medal of Valor. She is only one of four recipients, and the only female to receive it.
But, while she received many combat medals, she did not win this one in battle . . .
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| Clark Air Base, Philippines |
The day dawned hot, sticky and rainy on March 26, 2001 at Atienza Air Base in Sangley Point, Pampanga, Philippines, home of the PAF 15th Strike Wing. The base was named after war hero Major Danilo Atienza, a PAF pilot who, during a 1989 coup attempt, crashed and was killed on this very base.
And it is an honor to follow in his footsteps, thought 27-year-old Captain Grace Baloyo, as she preflighted her OV-10 Bronco close air support aircraft.
Little did she know how literally she would follow in his footsteps.
Grace was not a Captain yet. She was a 1st Lieutenant in the Philippines Air Force. She would be awarded the lofty title of Captain posthumously, after this day, after this flight—the last of her life.
Today’s mission: a proficiency checkride and bombing exercise over Crow Valley gunnery range with her “copilot”, Air Force training Captain Ben Nasayao, and 2 other Broncos in formation, laden with inert bombs.
Removing the protective cover and peering down the intake duct, Lt. Grace inhaled the pungent odor of hydraulic fluid and burnt oil. The sound of military strike engines spooling up around her sent a shock wave of excitement buzzing up her spine.
The distinct combination of senses took her back to her earlier training days and combat missions.
The distinct combination of senses took her back to her earlier training days and combat missions.
In 1995, she’d joined the Philippine Air Force as an aviation cadet.
How young and naive I was! she thought with a chuckle.
Having aced all the required military courses and rigid training regimens, she later became one of only six female combat-qualified pilots of the PAF.
Having aced all the required military courses and rigid training regimens, she later became one of only six female combat-qualified pilots of the PAF.
As she watched a U.S. F-18 taxi by her, Grace
Available link for download
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