This is a great achievement and a huge responsibility!! We watch 2 plane-spotting sites, plus Mentour Pilot (who unravels air accidents on his channel) and it's obvious that this is a very demanding profession with lots of knowledge of Physics required, as well as coolness under pressure. We can't believe how complicated it is flying a modern jet from what we've learned through these sources, not to mention the regular testing required in simulators to keep up credentials.
The A380 is a 'fly by wire' machine, as are all modern Airbus aircraft (Boeing now has this technology). Just last week this plane-spotting site had a guest who had recently retired as a certified aircraft engineer. Two comments he made were significant; that the Boeing 777 aircraft is one of the finest ever built, with hardly anything ever going wrong. He also said that after decades in aviation he's still left speechless by the sight of an A380 taking to the air. Agree.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSa8OGsJUTw
Australia's first female A380 pilot for Emirates lands in Sydney
Re: Australia's first female A380 pilot for Emirates lands in Sydney
I learned last night, watching a streaming service from Sydney airport (the guest was a retired aircraft engineer), that the Super Constellation aircraft (Lockheed Corporation) owned by Qantas and flown on the Kangaroo Route from Sydney to London sometimes required a new engine during one of the stop-overs. This was all news to the spouse and myself. (The spouse had actually flown on a Constellation back in the late 1950s from Nadi (Fiji) to Sydney. That's not the same model as the larger Super Constellation, but part of the same family of aircraft.) The engines threw flames when they operated, particularly on take-off!!
One shortcoming arose from the high failure rate of the Constellation’s Wright Cyclone engines, with aircraft often being stranded somewhere ‘up the track’ between Sydney and London. To address the problem, Qantas positioned 20 engines at various locations along the Kangaroo Route. It was not uncommon at en route stops for ground engineers to change spark plugs and, at times, cylinders. Initially, Liberators were used to transport engines until Qantas modified a Lancastrian to carry an engine in a purpose built pod beneath the fuselage. These logistical efforts were rewarded as the Kangaroo Route grew in popularity.
Average sector times were around ten hours, compared to today’s jet sectors of some 15 hours Adelaide/Dubai, or Hong Kong/Adelaide in nine and a half hours. The significant difference, of course, was the multiple sectors flown by the Constellations.
Today's jet engines are hugely efficient and seldom break down, especially those of the Boeing 777 - according to the engineer. This fellow said that the modern jet engine has basically the one moving part inside it, which reduces the opportunity for failures. Of course, the fan blades are moving parts and these have sometimes caused problems with bird strikes, as we know all too well.
Aviation is one business where continual improvements are part of its operational model.
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That sequence I posted above with the last minute 'go round' of the 747 at LAX would have been a huge challenge for the pilot. Apparently once an aircraft has touched the ground it is considered too late for a 'go round' - because the take-off speed has to be V1 for a rotation and flaps have to be set correctly for the lift. In short, both pilots would have had a 'tremendous workload'. All of a sudden. The more we learn about aviation the more astonishing it is.
One shortcoming arose from the high failure rate of the Constellation’s Wright Cyclone engines, with aircraft often being stranded somewhere ‘up the track’ between Sydney and London. To address the problem, Qantas positioned 20 engines at various locations along the Kangaroo Route. It was not uncommon at en route stops for ground engineers to change spark plugs and, at times, cylinders. Initially, Liberators were used to transport engines until Qantas modified a Lancastrian to carry an engine in a purpose built pod beneath the fuselage. These logistical efforts were rewarded as the Kangaroo Route grew in popularity.
Average sector times were around ten hours, compared to today’s jet sectors of some 15 hours Adelaide/Dubai, or Hong Kong/Adelaide in nine and a half hours. The significant difference, of course, was the multiple sectors flown by the Constellations.
Today's jet engines are hugely efficient and seldom break down, especially those of the Boeing 777 - according to the engineer. This fellow said that the modern jet engine has basically the one moving part inside it, which reduces the opportunity for failures. Of course, the fan blades are moving parts and these have sometimes caused problems with bird strikes, as we know all too well.
Aviation is one business where continual improvements are part of its operational model.
*************************
That sequence I posted above with the last minute 'go round' of the 747 at LAX would have been a huge challenge for the pilot. Apparently once an aircraft has touched the ground it is considered too late for a 'go round' - because the take-off speed has to be V1 for a rotation and flaps have to be set correctly for the lift. In short, both pilots would have had a 'tremendous workload'. All of a sudden. The more we learn about aviation the more astonishing it is.
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