jeffd

welcome eamon i am a student myself and im sure you will enjoy all the training to come

u have probably sorted the fear thing out geoff, however i tend to think of it as apprehension when i first started ,and that was only recent , but i found the more i flew and learnt about flying the easier it has become to the point where im not worried about that side of it. i do know however that the safe flying i do is only achievable because of the planning ,maintenance ,training and pre flight checks that are done . So even though i and thousands of others do this i know i will never become blarsey about it ,anyway great flying and hopefully will see you somewhere.

hey scre80 enjoy the tif its all good fun

The thrust-pitch coupling of underslung (i.e. wing pod mounted) engines on commercial jets has been known about for a long, long, long time.On the B767 the standard nose high + low airspeed jet upset recovery was to reduce thrust (which seems counter-intuitive at first) for that very reason. Piling on the thrust could, and generally does, prevent timely reduction of the high nose attitude at low airspeed where elevator and stabiliser effectiveness is reduced. Interestingly Airbus doesn't publish an upset recovery procedure in their FCOM, presumably due to the fact that the aircraft has attitude and speed protections built into the fly-by-wire system. However these protections (well most of them) only function in Normal Law, not the backup flight control laws which you can find yourself operating in with certain other malfunctions. One of these situations is invalid air data due to icing, whereupon the aircraft can revert to Alternate Law in the flight control system and lose the attitude and speed protections.

 

But this is, or should be, common knowledge across any Airbus fleet. Not only that, there are a number of aural and particularly visual cues on the EFIS which make it obvious that this has happened. And the stall warning system still functions normally no matter what control law you're in (assuming AoA data is valid of course).

 

We fly the A330 on routes through that airspace all the time. ITCZ weather is very fickle although that storm system at the time was particularly large. Several factors lead to decisions 99% of the time to go around, not over it:

 

1) The air routes there are pretty busy. Altitude blockages are quite common across Indonesia.

 

2) Big CBs can often have tops at or above typical cruise altitudes for commercial jets (typically FL350-FL410).

 

3) Although you can get a rough idea where the tops might be on radar by manually using the radar tilt, it's not precise. The more modern radars are supposed to vary the tilt automatically and only display threatening weather while not displaying stuff you'll comfortably pass over the top off. That's the theory. They don't always do this perfectly though.

 

If ATC is busy or comms are bad and there's an excessive delay in getting the clearance, we start deviating anyway while we're waiting for the clearance. The risk of going into or very close to a CB cell exceeds the risk of deviating without a clearance, bearing in mind that you're cruising already separated from other traffic at semi-circular altitudes, and you have TCAS. To try to avoid this happening we ask ATC for weather deviations quite early, usually 80nm or more (about 10 minutes or more) before the weather. However if you're in the dark of night and it pops up on the radar at the last minute, well you just do what you can, even if that means turning and deviating while you're trying to get onto ATC.

 

Airbus Cruise altitudes:

 

The Airbus FMGEC (it's abbreviation for the flight management system) computes two altitudes and displays them on a particular page. The "optimum" altitude is best fuel economy taking into account aircraft performance and the loaded high altitude winds. This is where the aircraft will normally be planned to cruise, all other things being equal. Next to it the "recommended max" altitude is displayed, and is purely aircraft performance based. It gives the highest altitude you can climb to and still have a 0.3G buffet margin while maintaining level flight at max cruise thrust (which is less than max climb or max continuous thrust). We don't go there unless it's really smooth, and only then if we really feel we have to. When you're deviating around weather and associated turbulence you absolutely don't want to climb an Airbus to "recommended max". It's really not a nice (or safe) place to be, sandwiched between the high speed (mach) and low speed (stall) buffet margins on your airspeed display! You may have heard this referred to as "coffin corner".

 

This is not to say that we would't climb if we could. Climbing before you get to the weather is often desirable to make it easier to go around, or increase the chance you'll get over the top, but only if you can get a clearance to do so, and only if you have a good enough margin to your "recommended max" altitude.

 

I'm a little bit reluctant to trust the Indonesian radar data and I think it's unwise to be already forming conclusions from it. Having said that, and as much as I dislike Quadrant, I tend to agree with the author's conclusion of the likely outcome of the investigation linked above. Airbus + bad weather + bad crew training and response = disaster.

You noticed? A big mistake to ask about my Jodel. It's a long story...I love my little Jodel. It was designed around a little French bloke in the 1940s and is built from plans almost entirely of wood. Despite it's age and tiny size, few aircraft can match it's performance.

You are right, Jeff. The PIC is the bloke in charge. Others on this forum are far better qualified to answer you questions about ATC.Metal tubes full of people can approach 40,000 feet, but these equatorial storm clouds can rise thousands of feet higher. That part of the world has large areas of warm ocean which absorbs so much solar radiation that evaporation has been measured to lower the sea surface. That water vapour carries an incredible amount of latent energy up to condensation level, where it gets released again, fuelling the violent up drafts which sensible aviators stay clear of.

As i dont much about the aircraft involved or actually to much about flying as i am just a student could 1 of the more experienced people here give me an idea how high the aircraft can fly and how high was the storm ceiling etc.i would imagine if you cant go over you go around and i think it was nev who said that atc is there to provide separation. I certainly would think though that the pic of the aircraft is supposed to be the pic of the aircraft and not atc,although as i said i am just a newby and will never have to make that decision ,although i suppose deciding for the safety of 1 or the safety of hundreds is the same principle

read such good natured banter between members hey.....Most involved in aviation, share a common interest and fellowship and go out of their way to assist fellow aviators when needed. Always the odd exception unfortunately e.g. There is one locally becoming persona non grata at an increasing number of locations, but that's life.

hey squizzyhunter i also have trained at coominya flight training with john and after a short break am about to continue this year with my training ,im live in the laidley heights area near gatton so it is pretty close for me.I also had friends father go there to do some training as well. I know David (magishme) and his family from meeting at the flying and we have gone flying together a number of times. I like it there at coominya as it is not an overly busy airstrip and John and his wife Lynda have an easy and outgoing friendly nature. There are also a few other pilots and student pilots who are good to talk to .That being said though I believe wherever you choose you will find that type of friendliness in this type of activity as we all do this because we love the idea of flying and it is a great way to meet new friends and get to places throughout the country. So yeah even though the mighty dollar rules we have in this area of south east qld a number of FTF to choose from so definately call a few people and see how you go.Well i had better wind this up as im sure the other readers on here will probably all be getting a tear in their eye. Oh and you must agree how good it is to read such good natured banter between members hey.....

your all wrong with the aircraft type .its a cessna, its always a cessna dont u know that

mayb the cockpit crew saw it as they hit it with the window

as a person who likes his photography it would be natural to say "can u go a bit lower and a bit slower",however as a student pilot what have other pilots told me "speed is god " or "aviate ,navigate ,communicate."

I just finished another round of tests recently..in the last 6 months which had a heart 3D angio catscan probably what you just had then a cardio perfusion test where they inject radioactive stuff into you and then measure how well your heart chambers pump and how big they are and also of course a cardiac echo. The report from the cardiologist after all these said I had had a good outcome from the bypasses done 2 years ago. My issue was diabetes got me. long term diabetic that was not under good control is what caused the blockages. I still have this issue with the diabetes but early next year I think that will hopefully be fixed and if all goes well after a operation and I will no longer be a diabetic. If I continue the way I am my bypasses may last 5 or 6 years not the roughly 15 they usually last for. You only ever get done twice and you run out of spare parts after the second set of bypasses

oooh sounds nice and speed isnt my thing anyway ,1 day i will hav to get out and about a mate of mine ,magishme,can now fly everywhere so he may want to go for a flight 1 day as well ,especially as im still a student lol.ok hope u are having a great christmas and new year to come stay safe

OMEYes I am a bad type II diabetic. I take so much insulin it drives me to distraction the only good side is that I am monitoring it all the time I take blood samples usually around 3 to 5 times a day to try to keep it under control so my sugar graph looks like a roller coaster some times. My liver is a sugar factory it does not get the turn off command to stop producing sugar. My doctor has been at me to look at getting a gastric bypass. This removes the lower part of your stomach which produces this enzyme that tells my liver to keep producing sugar. I got a band in back in 2005 to help me lose weight. it worked to a point but didn't stop or even slow the diabeties problem. My band is now starting to give me some issues and this is apparently common with long term stomach bands that is why they don't do them anymore. Weightloss surgury now comes in 2 forms, a gastric sleeve and a gastric bypass. The byproduct of both of these is that the sleeve for diabetics only has around a 30 to 40% success rate of lowering or getting rid of diabetes. The gastric bypass has around a 90% success rate of getting rid of diabetes or at least it reduces your diabetes to a very manageable level. Because I have had a band my only option is the bypass as the band creates a lot of adhesions and damage and they won't do a sleeve if you have had one. Both remove the bottom part of the stomach but the sleeve still leaves you a partial part of the bottom. The bypass when they do it takes the most of the stomach away and because of this when you eat food not as much is adsorbed by what is left of the stomach and the gut then does most of the digestion but it does not absorb the carbs in the same way.

 

There are some side effects of course but quite liveable with and it doesn't really impact very much. After 9 years with the band it has its own issues too so that doesn't phase me. I have done a lot of research about both methods and the bypass is the one I would have to have anyway. Geoff13 and I had a discussion about it and he knows 2 trucks that had the bypass and the results were very successful to the point both guys were now off insulin. both said they wish they had it done 20 years ago. Its not cheap as it is elective its around $15,000 but really its nothing in the scheme of things if it helps you live longer and gets rid of the diabetic issue to a point where it is not a huge health issue. The weightloss of course is a good thing and obviously helps the diabetes issue. As you may or may not know when you inject insulin it is soul destroying when trying to lose weight. Because you are pumping yourself with insulin anything you eat pretty much gets turned into fat this is why you will see most type II are overweight and can never seem to lose it. I am the same and struggle every single day trying to at least keep my weight on a flat ride but just need one or 2 indulgences and bang on goes a kilo

 

http://www.lapsurgeryaustralia.com.au/weight-loss-solutions/laparoscopic-gastric-bypass

 

This link is only one of thousands but gives a good idea of the procedure and the outcomes. I have a appointment with my surgeon gorgeous George (George Hopkins) he is the most experienced in this field in Australia he did my band also fixed my hiatus hernia and took out my gall bladder all the same time back in 2005. I drove home the next day and was at work the next day after it pretty much was a no brainer. This operation is a bit different of course and you need around 2 weeks off work. So I will know more after the 16th of January. If you are interested I will keep you informed or anyone else who would like to know as well.. I use a blood sugar device that downloads to my iPhone it is magic for tracking as it attached directly and downloads to the phone and stores all the data which can be emailed etc. This is just a chart version of my last month

 

[ATTACH=full]33305[/ATTACH]

 

Mark

They have made the RPL a medical shambles. It is more similar to a ppl than a RAA cert. if you want CTA or have ANY medical anomalies you need a medical anyway.If we let RAA fold it would be a very sad day for rec aviation.

 

CASA save money by having RAA do what they do.

well actually people i have just done some interesting reading on the internet(which never lies of course) and found the 8 minute footage of the media crews who went in and filmed the fella with the stuffed monkey ,during this film this fellow had actually placed this toy on some luggage took his hat off and made a christian cross with his hands aross his chest. b 4 that of course i also had believed he was being disrespectful.no of course that doesnt mean that the rebels aided by russian techs didnt shoot that aircraft down however i am yet to see the info provided by the american side regarding the missile launch so i will hav to try and search for that as well.also regarding the shooting down of that iranian airliner i also found some information stating that the navy ship was in iranian waters helping the iraq forces which was revealed at their enquiry by a high ranking member of their crew and apparently the aircraft black boxes showed the aircraft in iranian airspace ,climbing with all transponders etc going. i put this in not say there r any conspiracy theories out there about mh17 especially as peoples credit cards who were on board r being used who by ? however whoever is responsible it would be nice if the truth could just come out ,but yes i know i am probably just being a lit bit too optimistic

Its times such as this I regret taking up flying for my hobby. Two people i have never met have lost their lives and by the sounds of it through no fault of their own and from a cause they could never have recovered the aircraft from regardless of their impeccable flying experience. I served as a nsw ambo for 17 years and I have seen the effect these tragedies have on friends and family so to those who knew these guys I think I speak for all of us when I say that I cant imagine your sadness at this time. I'm also wishing I had taken up another hobby because as a member of RAA I will have to watch the media and probably CASA and who knows what other organisation discredit RAA flyers. Im also the owner of a morgan aircraft so this tragedy is close to home. My copy of sportspilot arrived today and I'm almost afraid to open it because although I love to read the awesome stories of people's flying experiences, I also feel like a naughty school kid when I read about how I mustn't be maintaining my aircraft properly or my organisation is losing money and how casa hates me. Yep, I'm definitely in a bad place today, this accident is just so sad.

yes terrible news.condolences to all .i certainly wouldnt be surprised if it involved a bird strike i have been up close to a pelican when flying with a friend of mine and would make a terrible mess.and i havent heard much regarding problems with structures on the morgans anythings possible i suppose if it works loose but i am certainly not going to speculate here at all. im sure we will eventually find out and learn something from it.

yep as they say ,NEVER LET THE TRUTH GET IN THE WAY OF A GOOD STORY, oh im sorry did i type that out loud woops

im pretty new as well and u will always be learning something new

welcome liftmad im only a new starter (in hours) as well and even when we get our certificate u will always be learning something new

welcome geoff and yeah never too late i started when i was 47 and am still to do my solo im at about 20 hours and will hav a few hours to go yet but there is no rush and i take it 1 lesson at a time ,plus study at home.

excellent sounds like you are sure getting on with it.

no mate am only up to 20 hrs so am still in my b 4 learning more after gaining my certificate learning period haha.however i went for a training flight today after a 6 week break and wow am no behind slighlty so have to get back into the groove of things , but my instructor is great and where i fly is quiet so i dont have to worry too much about other aircraft. and yes once you realize u want to do this then u end up just continueing and its not only just the flying i have made a swag of new friends both in person and some involved in flying via facebook as it is the new social medium, and these days it is easy to keep in touch and get ideas/advice etc.so keep flying bloke and im sure a mate an i will get over 1 day for oshkosh is it ya big flyin, which would be great