September-October 2024

 

 

 

 

 

Winter Weights

 Effective September 15, average passenger weight, including one carry-on, is 205 pounds. 

 

 

 

 

Checkrides

 Here at the Historic Airline Group we do not require any sort of annual or semi-annual checkrides. However, if you feel the urge to put your skills to the test, here's how the airlines do it. Checkrides are pretty standard throught the industry, though today most are done in a full-motion simulator. "Back in the day', you'd go out and burn gas.

First, it must be in the aircraft you fly most often. Piston or jet, doesn't matter. First, start-up and taxi out. On take-off, just prior to V1, abort the takeoff, stopping on the runway. Taxi back. 

Take off, climb to 7,000-15,000'. Time for some airwork. Do a steep turn (45 deg bank), 360 degrees to the left or right. +- 100'. +- 5 kts. Next, an approach to a stall. Just to the shaker, then recover. Not a full stall. The idea is to recognize it before it stalls. Minimal loss of altitude during recovery.

Next, fly the ILS approach to the airport. Use whatever the weather is in your city right now. At 200', initiate a go-around. Return and fly a non-precision approach to a landing (any approach without a glideslope). Circling approaches are optional.

Taxi for takeoff. Just after rotation, retard one throttle to idle, leaving it at idle (for props, add a little power to simulate a feathered propeller). Return and fly either an ILS or a non-precision approach to a landing. If you're still alive and you haven't scratched the paint, you passed!

 

Stability in Landings

The key to a good landing is a good approaach. The key to a good approach is stability. When flying airliners, especially jets, the final approach fix on the ILS is always the point where stability begins. That's right- if there's an ILS, use it. Most airlines say it's manditory. If there is no ILS, then five miles from the runway at 1500' agl.

At or immediately prior to the final approach fix, we should drop the landing gear, set final flaps and quickly establish ourselves at Vapproach speed, normally adjusted Vref+10. A descent rate of around 700-800 fpm will do well to hold the glideslope. Remember, you're not aiming for the end; you're aiming for a point a thousand feet down the runway. At 500', begin slowly reducing speed so as to cross the threshold at Vref and 50'. At this point, the aircraft is in a perfect position to land. Whether you roll it on, pound it on or float halfway down the runway is now up to you. Best bet: Reduce to ilde as you flare slightly. Then just let it hit. You're paid to be accurate, not Joe Smooth.   

 

 

Runway Markings

 An overrun is intended for emergency use only by aircraft. A displaced threshold may be used for taxi or takeoff, but not for landing. It's primary purpose is to help provide obstacle clearance. The threshold is marked by a solid line and stripes, plus the runway ID number. A normal 3.5 degree glidepath will have you cross the threshold at 50'. The touchdown zone is 1000' long, with two bold stripes at the halfway point (1000' from the threshold). This is the aiming point for aircraft landings. Runway centerline stripes are 120' long and 80' apart.     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OPERATING PROCEDURES: FUEL BURN RATES

       Fuel burn rates are expressed as a unit of pounds of fuel burned per hour, per engine. This rate will vary depending on the engine used, the phase of flight and other factors. Flight Simulator flight planning and certain flight planning software will give you a total amount to be burned in the given time. Example: 6000 pounds in 2.0 hrs, or 3000 pph. Divide this by the number of engines on your DC-6 and you get 750 pounds per hour, per engine (pph/eng)..

Next, you actually  fly the trip using recommended power settings. Upon arrival, you discover you actually burned 650 pph/eng. After a few trips like this, you'll discover the average hourly fuel burn for that airplane. For the flight sim model you are flying, this method works best. Actual observed fuel burn history is always the most accurate.

What about climbs and descents? The climb power setting is determined using tables and graphs in piston aircraft, while jets simply use 100%. You'll burn more in the climb, as you use more power. The idea is to get to cruising altitude quickly. 

Descents are different in pistons and jets. Normally, piston aircraft descend at 1500 fpm, adjusting to a slightly lower power setting, to keep speed just below redline and engines from getting cooled too quickly, a bad thing for pistons. Jets, however, typically descend at 2500 fpm at or near flight idle. This will usually put them near normal maximum speed. So, despite burning extra fuel in the climb, we make up for it by burning less fuel in the descent.

Tankering fuel isn't always a good thing. Just make sure you got a couple of hours still onboard when you land.

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Flight	Pilot	Departure	Arrival	Aircraft	Duration	V/S	Info
EAL5729	David R	KATL	KMIA	B727-200	1.19	0 ft/m	Pending
COA3733	Bill K	PHNL	YMML	DC10-30	11.27	0 ft/m	Pending
EAL5849	David R	KLGA	KATL	B727-200	1.35	0 ft/m	Accepted
CAP133	Malcolm E	KLGA	KCLE	Viscount	1.43	0 ft/m	Accepted
BOA696A	Herman K	SKBO	SVMI	VC10	1.5	0 ft/m	Accepted
DLH620B	Herman K	EDDM	LGTS	B727-100	2.0	0 ft/m	Accepted
AAL954A	David R	KSFO	KPHX	DC-6B	2.17	0 ft/m	Accepted
PAA72	David R	KLAX	RJTT	B747-200	9.32	0 ft/m	Accepted
UAL97B	Herman K	KSFO	PHNL	DC8-50	4.35	0 ft/m	Accepted
BOA16B	Malcolm E	OBBI	EGLL	Concorde	3.04	0 ft/m	Accepted

Pilot	Flight	Dep	Arrival	Status	Alt	Distance/Time