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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Texas Hold 'Em

Back over to the airport again this morning by myself. Our plane was to be the same one we had brought in the night before but it was not yet pulled up to a gate so I had time to stop at the duty free shop for a bottle of tequila. The varieties of tequila at the duty free stores are endless. The tequila industry must be doing quite well in Mexico.



When I arrived to the airplane one of our mechanics advised me that there was an avionics problem. The GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System) had failed. This system alerts the pilots whenever they get too close to mountains or obstacles as well as alerting them whenever they get too close to the ground and the airplane isn't configured for landing.



Off we went back to DFW. Everything was fine until we reached San Antonio. Then ATC advised us that DFW was not accepting arrivals due to thunderstorms in the vicinity. We knew that there might be weather issues today and extra fuel was on board just in case. So into a holding pattern we went. The photo shows a depiction of our pattern while we were in it.


After nearly an hour of this, we were close to having to divert to San Antonio. But then DFW opened up for business again and it was time to plan for the arrival. The thunderstorms were still in the area and we could see on the radar that they might be a problem. The descent into the DFW area was pretty bumpy and the flight attendants had to be seated earlier than usual. Final approach took us right through a band of heavy showers but the airport itself was doing OK. The photo shows the radar picture along with our approach path.


We made it in OK but had to wait 30 minutes for our gate to open up. The ramp area had been closed earlier due to lightning and all the subsequent flights were being delayed. Soon we were clearing Customs and walking back to the plane for the next two legs. DFW to Salt Lake City and back to DFW.


Takeoff was behind this Korean Airlines Boeing 747 freighter bound for Seoul. Two minutes after takeoff we were in the clear and sunny skies prevailed all the way to Salt Lake City. The arrival into SLC took us over Grand Junction, Provo, and then north up the valley. There had been a recent huge snowfall. Pretty scenic.





The leg back to DFW was smooth. No adverse weather remained in the area so a quick approach and landing, employee bus to the parking lot, 45 minute drive home, and now four days off await.

For a look at some more of my photos, please visit Plane & Simple

Snakes On a Plane? No...Just Bees

Today's flying would be just two legs. Mexico City to DFW and back to MEX. I walked over to the airport alone this time and met up with my FO at the airplane.

We were parked next to a Mexicana Airlines Airbus that was being serviced. As we were running one of our checklists my FO noticed something funny about their wingtip and said "hey look at that!" It was a swarm of bees on the wingtip of the Airbus!!




It was quite a sight....especially on an airport ramp! I didn't know if they were killer bees or not but who cared!
A tanker truck had pulled up and two guys were getting suited up in chemical suits. We thought they were going to spray fuel or something on the swarm but instead they filled a couple of buckets with some kind of fluid and prepared to douse the wingtip.



The two guys discussed the situation for several minutes...we joked that possibly they were deciding who would have to do the job.....maybe they were drawing straws.

Finally the loser climbed on top of the truck and dumped one bucketful on the wingtip. But that didn't get the job done.....the bees just got mad and swarmed furiously....he had to do it a second time!


That seemed to do the trick. I don't know what was in the bucket but I did see several thousand dead bees on the ramp after that. All this time I had my cockpit window open so I could get photos. I hoped that no bees had gotten in and shortly after the show was over I closed it up and soon we were on our way to the runway.






Not too long after reaching cruising altitude I spotted a stowaway in the cockpit! He was a little bit groggy.....maybe it was the new surroundings or just the cabin altitude that had him moving slowly. It didn't matter to us......soon after posing for this photo, he was quietly eliminated. No free ride to the States today!



On a side note....When I first was a flight engineer in my early days here, whenever we would land in Mexico the authorities would come on board and disperse bug spray throughout the entire airplane before anyone could get off!! Everyone hated it....I remember that we would always keep the cockpit door closed and locked and windows open until they were all done. We would always tell them that it was company procedure to not open the door until all our checklists were done even though we had already finished. They finally quit that process sometime in the late 80's.


Anyhow, after all the excitement, the rest of the day was uneventful. One leg up to DFW, then the return back to MEX and over to the airport hotel again by 10 PM.

Nobody got stung.

Bird Brains...I Think We Hit Something!

My suitcase was packed again...this time for a three day trip. It was similar to a Mexico trip from last month. It started off with a departure delay from DFW due to fog in the Dallas area. Our plane was late in arriving from Chicago but we finally got airborne about an hour and a half late with a full load headed for New Orleans.

Shortly after reaching our cruising altitude over Shreveport, a warning light came on. "Forward Cargo Door Open" Inflight, a door light like this is almost always a problem with a switch. The cargo compartment is a pressurized area and if the door had really been open, we would have been losing cabin pressure as well as suitcases and various other things like mail, cargo, pets, etc. That wasn't the case so we pressed on to New Orleans.

















On very short final to runway 10 I heard and felt a large thwack on the corner of my windshield. Accompanied by that was a big splotch of blood and guts streaming over my windshield. Seems that we had hit a bird or a giant bug. Luckily the FO was flying and he made the landing. Had it been my leg, I would have had to quickly turn it over to him since I couldn't see enough to make the landing. After parking, the ground crew cleaned up the mess, maintenance checked out the cargo door switch and soon we were headed back to DFW.



The fog at DFW was getting worse so we had to set up for a full instrument approach. Visibility was being reported at 1/4 mile and the ceiling was at 100 ft. The MD-80 has auto-land capability but we only use that when the visibility is extra low. This would be my landing. The captain is required to make the landing any time the visibility is below 3/4 of a mile. The autopilot would be used until I could see the runway and then I would take over and land. As expected, the fog was still hanging around and I didn't even see the runway until we were almost over it. Autopilot off and I made the landing. A slow taxi to the gate, change of planes and then off to Mexico City again.


We were running almost two hours late by now but fortunately Mexico City was reporting good weather and no volcano action. The approach and landing were smooth and luckily we had a gate this time. The terminal was deserted when we arrived but Customs was a little slow. We had to wait for an Air France wide-body crew to clear before us and they were having some issues with their passports. 30 minutes later we cleared and we all walked over to our hotel again just like last time.

Once again, in bed by 2:00 AM

Don't Go Near The Volcano!

When I got up I looked out my window and could see the sun rising behind the mountains and sure enough, there was Mt Popocatepetl with a small ash cloud rising out of it. The plume was drifting away from the airport and appeared that it would not be a problem. I shot a photo of it through my window.



So I met up again with my FO and like the day before, we walked over to our operations office to get our flight plan, check on the weather, and get the latest reports on the volcano. Our plane had arrived the night before and was all set to go. Flight plan reviewed, crew documents in order, customs forms in hand and off through security we went. We both set off the metal detectors but the inspectors just waved us both through without a second glance. I just hoped that they were a little more thorough with passengers.


I made a quick trip through one of the many duty free shops to buy a small bottle of vanilla. A pint sized bottle only cost $4 No liquor this time. The cabinet is pretty full at home!










We taxied out again to runway 5R with a full load of passengers. 145 including the crew. In addition to the passengers, we were carrying about 1500 pounds of limes and lemons from Mexico to the US.... Muchas margaritas!



Passing 10,000 ft in the climb we broke through the smog and were in the clear. Off to the northeast the volcano was in view. The plume was small by now but still visible. My FO was flying this leg but he had the good view so I took the controls for a minute while he had camera duty. The smog is also clearly visible in the photo.


Two hours later we were back at DFW and clearing Customs again. Then off to Charlotte, North Carolina and back to DFW. While at DFW, it was nice out so I offered to do the preflight walk-around inspection. Normally the co-pilot does this but occasionally you will see a captain doing it. It is just a visual inspection of the aircraft that the pilot makes before taking a plane for a flight. The pilot is checking for anything that is visually wrong with the plane such as missing panels, dents, flat tires, oil leaks, gas leaks, etc.





Off to Charlotte and back and another crew meal. Chicken and pasta again. The menus only get changed about once a month. Same goes for the first class passengers. Many of the frequent fliers get tired of the same meals and end up bringing their own food sometimes. The pilots do the same.

Back from Charlotte by 10:00 PM and back home for one day off.

Be back soon.

Old Mexico

The maid came a knockin at 8:00 AM in spite of my "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door. So I got cleaned up and went downstairs for a buffet breakfast in the hotel. It was a little expensive at $20 so I got my money's worth! Four or five trips to the buffet line and I was stuffed! The papaya was extra good.



I met up with my FO and we walked over to the airport and waited for our plane to arrive from Dallas. It was slightly delayed because of the continuing ash cloud from the erupting Mt Popocatepetl. But we soon boarded and were headed out for runway 5R.



Mexico City has an elevation of over 7,000 ft. Airplanes must use much more runway for takeoff than at normal elevations because of the less dense air. So the takeoff rolls seem endless. Our liftoff speed was right at 170 MPH. Not much runway left in case of an abort! The climb took us out towards the northeast and up over Tampico and then northbound along the Gulf coast. Back in United States airspace over Brownsville, Texas then over San Antonio before the descent for DFW.




Through Customs again and back to the same gate for a return trip to Mexico City. Next door to us was an American Airlines Boeing 777 being loaded up for a trip to Frankfurt, Germany. Look at the size of the engine! It is as wide as the cabin of an MD-80. Lots of tires too...6 on each side.


So back south again to Mexico City. This time it was a little earlier but still a night flight. The enroute weather was good and we made good time at 34,000 ft. The trip took us over the cities of Waco, Corpus Christi, and McAllen, TX. Then after crossing the Rio Grande river we passed over the cities of Reynosa, Ciudad Victoria, Tamuin, and Pachuca before starting the descent for MEX. The volcano was still active and causing a few traffic delays but we made it OK. We even had a real gate this time and Customs went a lot smoother.

My head hit the pillow this time at 10:00 PM

Bienvenidos a Mexico (Welcome To Mexico)

Passport ready, a few pesos in my pocket, lots and lots of patience, and I thought I was ready for this trip.

It started on Friday with a quick turnaround to New Orleans and back. Then we loaded up a full plane for Mexico City. On board that night were quite a few Dallas Cowboys fans that had come up for the game the previous night. Dallas had beaten the Green Bay Packers in Irving, Tx. The fans seemed very happy and were in good spirits. It was apparent that many of them had done a lot of Christmas shopping because they had a bunch of gifts and stuff on board with them.

While I was reviewing our flight plan our dispatcher called to advise me that there was an ongoing eruption of Mt Popocatepetl near Mexico City. No lava, just ash...but ash is bad for airplanes. Jet engines will not run when any ash is ingested. So now we had to determine where the ash cloud was so we could avoid it. It was a night flight so we couldn't rely on visual indications so we had to accept the Mexican authorities reports. They were reporting that the ash plume was drifting away from the airport and would not be a problem. Mexico City is famous for it's pollution problem and we can always expect to have to fly a complete instrument approach because of the smog problem. But tonight the concern would be the ash cloud.
So off we went and climbed up to 33,000 ft and enjoyed a smooth dinner flight to Mexico City.
I had the chicken and my FO had something that resembled pasta.


Arrival traffic was pretty heavy even though we were arriving at just before midnight. Apparently the ash cloud was causing some problems with air traffic control and the arrivals were all having to be routed via the same arrival route in order to avoid the ash.

After the instrument approach and landing we were told by the control tower that there were no gates available and that we would have to park at a remote parking spot and use buses to get everyone to the terminal. After waiting for 30 minutes for the buses to arrive, we were finally on our way through customs and immigration. The lines were extremely long due to a problem with the passport scanners. Every passenger was taking about 5 minutes each to get processed. Then to top it all off, the customs folks decided to inspect all the crew's baggage. What???

Not the passengers...the crew's!!


I shot a photo of my FO having his suitcase searched. I asked one of them what they were looking for and they said "contraband".......Why would an airline crew member bring contraband into a country like Mexico we all thought? Or any country for that matter.

I considered protesting but thought better of it. The thought of an airport hotel room sounded better than being detained by the authorities in a Mexican jail.

Our hotel is located across the street from the airport so we all walked over to it. At least the check in went smoothly....My head hit the pillow just before 2:00 AM.