No Cookies Tonight

So back to work after a short three day break. This trip was to be a relatively easy three day trip. Day one was only one leg from DFW to Newark, New Jersey.

It was Christmas night so you'd think the loads would be light, but the flight was completely full. I was teamed up with one of our female type First Officers. There are well over 400 female pilots at our airline. She is married to a Southwest Airlines pilot. You might think that they'd have plenty of airline business to talk about at home but she said that they rarely discuss airline pilot stuff at home. They must get enough of that at work.


I offered her the first leg and she gladly accepted. We launched right at sunset, climbed straight up to 33,000 ft, three hours in cruise passing over the cities of Little Rock, Indianapolis, Cleveland and then the descent into a clear Newark. The approach took us up to the north over Teterboro and then a turn to the south for a landing on runway 22L. On final approach I had a nice look at the Empire State Building in Manhattan. The top was lit up in Christmas colors of red & green.

She made a nice landing and we pulled in to the gate for an on time arrival....a rarity for any flight arriving at Newark.

For years our short layover hotel in Newark has been the Doubletree right near the airport. I was looking forward to it since they always give each guest a huge chocolate chip cookie when you check in. They are REALLY good. I was disappointed to find out that we had recently changed hotels and would be at a different one tonight.


I asked one of our flight attendants where we were staying and she just said "at the airport hotel".
I said "I know that but what's it called?".
"Airport hotel", she said again.
Sensing her irritation I said "Okay" and shut up. I'd find out soon enough what it was called.....


Turns out she was right! We were now staying at the Newark Airport Hotel....I guess they couldn't come up with a more original name! In reality, it was the old Doubletree with a new name. No cookies either.

Oh well, at least it was an easy day.


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Tail Me The Answer

Well, we didn't get to see much of Louisville. It was dark when we landed and still dark when we headed outside to catch the crew van back to the airport in the morning. Pick-up time was at 5:45 AM Eastern time....That was 4:45 for our crew that was all Dallas based and operating our bodies on Central time. I didn't get a good nights sleep either....seems that our hotel is situated right underneath final approach to one of the main runways at Louisville. All night long I could hear the UPS freighters arriving. Such is the life of an airline pilot....I would be glad when the day was over.


It was still raining when we taxied out to runway 17R. Our first takeoff attempt took us about 200 ft before I aborted. One of our EPR (engine pressure ratio) gauges was acting up. It's one of the main gauges in determining how much power an engine is developing. We pulled off the runway and ran up the engine a few times and soon the gauge was working fine. So we gave it another try and it worked...we made a successful takeoff bound for DFW.



After landing at DFW we taxied by an American Trans Air Lockheed-1011 TriStar. They were preparing to board a bunch of soldiers and take them to the Middle East. DFW is a big boarding point for military missions like this.


Then it was on down to McAllen, Tx and back to DFW. Full each way. While waiting for our takeoff from McAllen, there was a Navy T-45 Goshawk doing touch and go's. It had flown down from Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. They looked more like carrier landings but maybe that's what the Navy trains for!


So what about the Northwest tails? Look at the photos again....(the white spots are just raindrops caught in the camera flash)

















The small triangle is supposed to be a compass pointer. It's supposed to be pointing to the northwest as in "Northwest Airlines". The left photo has the pointer pointing to the northeast. The right one is correct and points to the northwest.




So depending on which side of the plane you are looking at, you will see the compass pointer either pointing northeast or northwest. Maybe they didn't realize the goof up before they painted the entire fleet.

Enjoy the holiday....I'll back back after Christmas.


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A Tale Of Two Tails

Back at it again today for another two day trip. This time I would be northbound to start off.

DFW to Minneapolis, back to DFW and then on to Louisville, Kentucky for the night.

Christmas is approaching quickly and the planes are all full these days. Today we had a jumpseater in the cockpit with us. He is a pilot with us but currently on military leave and was traveling with his family of four trying to reach Minot, North Dakota. They had started last night in Birmingham, Alabama and had to spend the night at DFW. They were lucky enough to get on the flight to MSP with us but their next hurdle was to try to standby on a Northwest Airlines flight over to Minot. I don't know if they made it or not. He told us that the odds of getting four seats weren't too good and that they might end up driving eight hours to get there from MSP.



Speaking of Northwest Airlines, their most recent paint scheme on their airplanes has a flaw. Look at the photos of these tails and see if you can find it. The answer will be revealed in my next post.













Hmmm, What could it be?













The flight up to MSP was fine and the airport was in good shape despite a recent large snowfall. It was 20 degrees outside. The snowbanks along the runways and taxiways were pretty high. A quick servicing of the plane and we were southbound again for a warmer DFW that was reporting 70 degree temps.


A change of planes, change of terminals, and off to Louisville with another full flight. Takeoff was on runway 35L at DFW behind this American Airlines MD-80.


Louisville is the home of United Parcel Service (UPS). They have an enormous operation at the airport there. But it only gets busy in the middle of the night when all the planes come in, unload, sort packages, load up again, and then take off for points worldwide. Federal Express has the same thing going on but they're located in Memphis.



We landed in a light rain, taxied to the gate, found the crew van, and headed for the hotel. Our hotel was built in 1923 and is located downtown. A beautiful place...the reception area looked like an old bank lobby. That's Eric the FO checking us in.

Dinner with Eric at a small brew pub across the street. He had pizza....buffalo chicken for me. Then back to the hotel for a snooze.



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Adios Mexico

Today would be day two of a two day trip. It's always a good thing to know that you'll end up the day at home instead of at another hotel. The hotel in Mexico City has a rather ominous warning right outside the elevator doors. Better hope there's no earthquakes!!


The smog was extra heavy in Mexico City. You could hardly see the end of the runway. There was also a distinct aroma in the air around the airport. Kind of like a backed up sewer.....Yuk. A full flight once again. We were carrying a bunch of kids today also. Must have been at least 30. Several of them poked their heads in the cockpit for a look at all the lights and stuff. Most kids enjoy coming in but occasionally a kid will get scared and run right out.


Taxi out was behind a Click Airlines Fokker 100. Click is a Mexican discount air carrier. Takeoff was on runway 5R again and about 20 minutes later we were cruising at 33,000 ft heading toward Tampico and then northbound up the coast to Texas.



Before long we were back in US airspace and getting ready for the descent. The arrival today was from the southwest and we got a good look at downtown Ft Worth from 11,000 ft.



DFW was reporting a perfect day...clear and 70 degrees with no wind. We landed on runway 36L, taxied on in, cleared customs, rode the train over to terminal C and set up for a leg over to Memphis and back.

Memphis air traffic was a little busy due to semi-low ceilings. We had to fly an instrument approach down to an 800 ft ceiling. Not a big deal though. One hour and a half later found us westbound again and looking at the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex at night from 100 miles out. A smooth landing by the FO and the trip was over.

Only one day off now before the next one.


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Too Many Cats!!

Back today for a two day trip. Day one was scheduled for three legs....DFW to El Paso, back to DFW and then once again to Mexico City.


I signed in with a few minutes to spare, checked the weather, looked over the maintenance history of our plane, printed out our flight plan and then rode the DFW train over to terminal C where our plane was arriving from Denver.


When I checked in with our gate agent she advised me that we would have five passengers traveling with cats in the cabin. This was going to be interesting! We generally carry larger animals such as medium to large dogs in the forward cargo compartment. It is pressurized and heated so the animals are comfortable. If the animal is small enough, it is allowed to be carried in the cabin in a pet carrier so long as it can fit under the seat.


Every once in a while, I'll see someone carrying a cat on board with them but it's not a common occurrence. And when they do come along, they (the cats) usually get pretty noisy. Sometimes worse than crying babies! Today would be no exception....So when I was told that we'd have five cats today I was pretty surprised. We had a full flight and even as the passengers were boarding I could hear a couple of unhappy cats complaining. We taxied over to the west side and launched for ELP under a beautiful sky. Even with all the noise in the cockpit, I could still hear a cat in the cabin...I think it was in the first class cabin since it was pretty loud. It must have been a miserable flight for the passengers...probably for the cats too!



The rest of the day went smoothly. El Paso was having a nice day and the hills east of the airport were just starting to show some shadows from the upcoming sunset. I made the landing on runway 22 and we had a short wait to cross another runway while a Southwest Boeing 737 took off. Made it to the gate on time and before long we were taxiing back out for takeoff.



Back to DFW with no cats this time, then a night flight to Mexico City and once again we walked over to our hotel. One of the receptionists even recognized me this time.... I guess I'm becoming a regular visitor.




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The Basics

OK.....Just the facts.

My name is Len. I came to the airlines via the General Aviation world. I started as an A&P (Airframe & Powerplant) mechanic and worked for a couple of years at various FBO's (Fixed Based Operation) in the greater Phoenix area. I already had a pilots license and owned a 1940 Taylorcraft at the time. I subsequently bought a 1947 Stinson Voyager and sold the T-Craft. The Stinson was sold about a year later.

While working as an A&P, I was building flying time any way I could and soon I had progressed up to the rank of CFI (Certified Flight Instructor). Then along came a job offer in West Texas working for a small FBO. While teaching student pilots there I was offered a job by a local company with roots in St Louis. This company distributed beer!! You can probably guess who they were. I became one of their full time pilots and progressed from a Cessna 421(Golden Eagle) to a Cessna 441 (Conquest), then on up to a Learjet 24. I worked for this company for 4 years and then hired on with the airline I'm employed by now.

Times were good back then in the airline world. I started as an FE (Flight Engineer) on the Boeing 727. In a few short months I advanced to FO (First Officer) on the McDonnell Douglas MD-80. Three years later I was flying international routes in the right seat of the Boeing 767 and 757. Five years after getting hired I found myself in training for the Captain's seat of the Boeing 727. One year later I moved over to the MD-80 again. I've been there ever since.

For those folks wondering how the seniority system works in the airline world, it's quite simple. For every senior pilot that retires, the junior pilot moves up one number. Now when there are few retirements, there is very slow progression for any line pilot. But when the airline is expanding routes and buying new airplanes and so forth, times are good and more pilots are needed to cover all the new routes and fill the pilot seats. Conversely, when an airline is downsizing and selling off airplanes, many of the junior pilots are not needed and unfortunately end up getting furloughed. That is the current situation at my airline. We still have over 2400 pilots furloughed however, the recalls have begun and many of them are starting to return to their old jobs here.

So that is how I progressed so quickly up to the left seat. It was purely good timing and luck. We have many FO's that have been here for up to twenty years and still don't know when they will make it to the Captain's seat. That is the nature of the airline world for a pilot.

Along the way, I was lucky enough to fly multiple varieties of aircraft during my position as an A&P and Flight Instructor. I also obtained Seaplane and Glider ratings as well. Then in the late 90's I decided to build an experimental aircraft. I chose a Kitfox. I kept it for a couple of years and then sold it. The very next day after I sold it, the buyer crashed and totaled it!! He didn't get hurt too bad but the plane was nearly destroyed. I was all set to build another one but the manufacturer went bankrupt so I ended up buying an already built Kitfox. Those are photos of it you see on my site. That plane was sold and I am now without an airplane. Someday I plan to build another experimental.

So that's about it. Come back soon as I begin to post my day to day experiences and photos from my life in the cockpit.

Thanks for reading.....Len