Charlotte NC has become a major hub for US Air / American. What affects airlines will spill over to the city quickly.
The other day, I was shopping at the Walmart Supercenter near Douglas Airport, and it was like I was still living along the glide path into O’Hare in Chicago. The latest trend in airport design is to create multiple parallel runways rather than intersecting runways that rely on wind direction. With computerized navigation systems and sophisticated systems to monitor traffic on the ground, this type of operation becomes efficient, yet safe. There was a constant stream of incoming jets around 3:30 PM lining up on parallel glide paths.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/28/4729390/regional-jet-fleets-set-to-shrink.html#.UxAeXmt5mSM
The pilot on the “puddle jumper” regional airline – the type where the pilot puts the bags on the plane for you – may be only making $20k a year. Doesn’t that give you a warm feeling? Because the pay is so low, there is a developing shortage of pilots. As the Air Force replaces pilots with drones and cruise missiles, one of the main sources of young pilots is drying up.
Flying for a regional airline is a stepping stone to log enough flying hours to eventually get on a mainline route with the big planes and better money. In the interim, maybe we need to have 3rd world pilots close the gap. What do you think?
The FAA changed the requirements to become a co-pilot in 2013. This is also putting a severe hurting on the ‘puddle jumper’ airlines. I imagine this shortage will ‘trickle up’ to the major carriers soon enough.
http://www.alaskapublic.org/2013/07/12/faa-ups-qualification-requirement-for-first-officers/
Ah. Small airports. Always chilling to read a transcript when one intentionally authorizes a plane to land when they know it is too big and heavy for the airport to properly accommodate:
http://www.faa.gov/data_research/accident_incident/1549/media/TEB%20AS%20Transcript%20AWE1549.pdf
The ban on airplanes over 100,000 pounds is a political one, not a technical one. Teeterboro has a 7,000 foot runway. It isn’t ideal for an A320, but better than attempting to land on the West Side highway or ditch in the Hudson River – but he didn’t have enough altitude to make it there.
I didn’t know that it was long enough technically. Even if it were not, having some runway to slow down even if it is too short it better than most alternatives.
I once landed at LAX when the pilot was reading low fluid pressure for the tire’s breaks. The put us on the longest runway and liked it with emergency vehicles. Also, the pilot came in very low and the wheels touched down closer to the beginning of the runway than I had ever experienced before.
From my brief research, the A320 needs 5000 feet to take off at sea level fully loaded, longer if it is the bigger models.
Landing he would have had issues, but he just so happened to be trained in this. One big problem is since he had no engines, he had no reverse thrusters. Wheel braking would have to do the whole job with no second chance.
The plane’s actual destination was Charlotte (coincidence?).. He would have been coming in with most of that fuel – and gliding.
Unrelated, my neighbor’s son-in-law works for BofA (many on that plane were ZbofA employees) – when I worked for NCNB, which would ultimately become BofA – their reason for existing was to be the anti-New York bank. Businesses in the area – particularly those involved in export and import didn’t like being forced to do FX transactions, Letters of Credit through the NYC money center banks. He reports that now all of the importnt BofA decisions are being made in New York. While BofA is officially headquartered here, not much important goes on here now
Fortunately, the pilot didn’t listen to the Ground proximity warning system:
“15:30:06
GPWS
too low. gear. ”
He kept the landing gear up.
See page 67 for of that part of a fascinating in-cockpit transcript.
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/images/nytint/docs/documents-for-the-testimony-of-us-airways-flight-1549/original.pdf
Speaking of Airbus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgv6_gEo1jE
I wonder if the iPad is included.
Always the master of different styles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYNB0mKm3QI