Paperlad

Previously posted pics: Airbus A350......much better than that Boeing junk .

Very commendable attitude. Many years ago when I was a PPL instructor I would regularly fly with private pilots who only flew the minimum in order to remain current, it became obvious that lack of ability/practice has a serious effect on safety. I guess it’s no great surprise that the older PPLs did something about it and flew more often with an instructor or experienced pilot but the younger ones were (generally) very blasé about being in regular flying practice. You’re very close with that statement. Statistically its 150 hours and it applies to commercial pilots too. After between 100 and 200 hundred hours on a new ‘type’ is the time when most mistakes are made. It’s the period of complacency when we begin to become familiar with the new aircraft but still lack the depth of knowledge to be safe. I guess we could call it ‘being cocky’. I’ll see if I can dig out the reference for the statistic. PL.

I suppose it’s a bit of a surprise (it was to us) but we had no clue the RAF were with us until the number 1 appeared on our left wing tip. There was no TCAS alert/warning despite the proximity and its fairly obvious that an alternative radio frequency was being used for the intercept. There was a bit of a thought going on in the back of my head about being intercepted but it never really made it to the forefront (we were a bit busy doing top secret company stuff and flying an approach). During the subsequent debrief with the anti terror police and the military I was a bit critical about not being pre warned of the intercept due to the ‘startle’ effect of an unannounced Typhoon pitching up at close quarters and quite late in the approach but I’m sure everyone has there own reasons for the methods used. It was at the debrief that I was told about the number 2 behind us! PL

When we eventually parked on stand it was clear that the police were very well rehearsed in what they were doing (thankfully) and they were clearly not your average plod/traffic cop. From letting me know that “ you are about to be boarded, be advised that our weapons are live” to getting the culprit searched, cuffed and off was about 90 seconds! I did ask if I could have a couple of minutes alone with the guy before they took him away but my request was politely - with a laugh - declined, my second request to push him off the top step of the airstairs was sadly, also declined. The company (Qatar Airways) looked after us very well, during and after the debriefing. The crew all got a few days off and myself and the F/O got to see a psychiatrist too. Strangely she deemed us fit to to fly again. PL.

This might explain: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-28670502 There are still some parts that I’m not supposed to discus (even after six years) and some aspects that I still struggle with. Example: a second Typhoon about one mile behind us with missiles at the ready - along with - immediately after landing but before taxiing to remote parking, being being blocked by fire trucks and ‘quartered’ by about 16 armed officers all pointing their weapons at us! I guess many of us wonder how we’ll react during a very stressful event and from a personal analysis point it was very interesting but not something I wish to repeat. Anyroad, all’s well that ends well..and all that.

Happened to me once, although I didn’t hear the ‘boom’, I was skipper of the 330 though. Aug 5th 2014, Manchester. Nothing to do with loss of communication either! I think credit for the picture is a Matthew Cossar. PL

For us, it’s definitely harder going during this lockdown. As Nearholmer mentioned, I suspect that the gloomy weather and a general post Christmas malaise has contributed to making the current situation feel more difficult. Additionally, the constant media coverage of increasing daily deaths and infections coupled with depressing coverage of hospitals being described as “nearing collapse” has all added to the feeling that it’s a never ending crisis. We've been taking the restrictions very seriously and trying to follow the rules properly but it’s clear that quite a few people we know are not doing so and that just makes me plain angry! The missus and I are keeping busy and are constantly reminding ourselves how lucky we are, no money worries, a nice house, garden, a semi rural location to help with getting out and, perhaps most importantly, no health problems. Roll on spring, summer and a dose of vaccine

I gotta say, the 707 in the BOAC colours looks ruddy fabulous PL

Rob, in fairness to Hroth, I suspect that he has a very valid point. To the general public a 737 is a 737 and the various types make little difference, equally the media will deliberately omit any series differences for the sake of a dramatic headline. Not everyone has an airline background or is even remotely interested other than perceived safety and a low ticket price. Best regards. PL (ex Airbus pilot ).

Nomi, assisting with the construction of the garden railway. Why Nomi, I hear you ask? Well, if you’ve got a couple of mins I’ll tell you. It comes from ‘NOt Moving In’, which is what I told her when she first made an appearance. I lived the single life in Doha, Qatar for a little less than ten years and soon after arriving I was outside putting some trash in the bin and there was a cats tail sticking out of the lid, and there she was, inside foraging for food (there’s lots of abandoned cats and dogs in the M.E.). I went back inside, opened a tin of tuna and fed her. The following night exactly the same happened. On the third night she was sat at the front door waiting for me when I pointed at her and said “ur not moving in”. But of course she did, I didn’t have a choice, I’d been well and truly adopted! After a quick (but expensive) visit to the vet it was clear that she’d had a tough life even though she was only about one year old. However, with lots of care and attention she recovered well but remained frightened of any strangers, to the extent that if visitors came, Nomi would go outside and not reappear until they’d gone. The only lasting damage to her health was that all her teeth fell out at about age four but she’s adapted very well. As a side story, in Qatar many kittens are bought for children but as soon as the pets become adults they get dumped. Also many expats leave pets on the street when they eventually return home. Dreadful treatment but it explains why there are so very many abandoned pets. Anyroad, back to Nomi. When it came time for me to leave the M.E. it was unthinkable that I’d leave her behind so we had all the required inoculations (inc anti rabies) done and she was air-freighted back to Manchester. The flight cost $2000 US, about the same as a business class ticket, talk about travelling well! We’ve both been back in UK for just short of three years and despite any misgivings I had about the change in climate compared to living in the ‘sand pit’ she’s done extraordinarily well, although she’s still not entirely comfortable walking across grass.......and she still hides when anyone visits the house. PS. I wanted to call her Taliban but the missus was having non of it.

May I say a big thanks to everyone involved, a great idea and very well executed. Even the missus took an interest in some of the videos particularly Phil’s ‘build a layout’, unfortunately she’s now asking why my layout is taking so long. Best regards PL.

The 350 is a doddle to operate, if set up properly it’ll do everything (almost) for you. During the design process many of the systems were installed to demonstrate the practicalities of single pilot, long haul operation, for example, fully automatic emergency descent capability or, if operating to airports with minimal nav aids, the ability to create its own ILS like approach and landing... all done ‘hands free’! The 72’, or any ‘plane with proper dials is a real mans aeroplane...just my old duffer, old school pilot opinion. If you fancy a challenge and your database has it, try Kathmandu, Nepal down to minimums. From memory It’s a 5.2 degree approach, from a VOR with two level sections and a reduction to 3 degree visual segment for the final mile...! Mix it up with ATC who try to kill you, VFR traffic, CB’s and not forgetting some, very large, Himalayan mountains...have fun. PL.

Sadly that’s the nature of learning to fly in the U.K., it took me one year to get my PPL but the sense of achievement when that little bit of paper eventually arrives is something special....don’t give up. When I started instructing I’d go for whole months without getting off the ground, entirely due to weather! I second your comment about Michaels ‘homebuild’ 727 sim, it really is an outstanding bit of kit. Just out of interest, after being allocated to a Lufty 727~230(A), registration D-ABHI was given to an Air Berlin A320. I can’t add much to the OP original question other than to show the last sim that I flew:

The short answer is, I don’t know. Most modern aircraft will ‘auto’ identify and tune the next or nearest nav aid so there’s probably no need to audio ident them by listening to the morse ident and only enthusiasts still communicate by morse. It’s well over 30 yrs since I did my theory exams and morse was part of the CPL stuff that was examined. I didn’t re take them as part of ATPL theory but maybe that’s because I’d already passed the morse exam and the combination of dots and dashes didn’t change. Not wishing to sound smug but I found it easy enough, although most peeps didn’t find morse straightforward, maybe I’m one of those sad muppets that when someone says it’s difficult I try and prove them wrong. But I’m just a thick northerner so what do I know . Bear in mind that the CAA are about 50 years behind the real world in what they test, I recall being examined on DECCA and LORAN navigation which was almost never used in the 80’s, having been superseded by other, better and more accurate long range navigation equipment. I hope that helps, at least a little bit, with your question. PL.

I doubt that any hijacker would have even the vaguest idea of how to use one and it’s also unlikely a modern crew could use one effectively. After I’d dug it out for the photo I had a little play with it and I was struggling to recall most of the functions, it’s about 30yrs since I’ve used one for actual plotting. Luckily (I think) they’ve been replaced by ground based nav aids and more significantly by Sat Nav and aircraft FMS (Flight Management System). I don’t know if it’s still a CAA exam topic or whether there’s any requirement to be able to use one, still, it was fun to reminisce on its uses. PL.

Another slide rule, this time my Father in Law’s

Maybe you can tell that I’m bored with the lock in....searching for tools to picture and post!

Flying tools. the modern (20 yr old) replacement for the other bits. Whiz wheel. This side for plotting headings and track allowing for wind. Plotting square and rule, scale in nautical miles. This side of the whiz wheel is basically a circular slide rule. I’ve only used it during training, both my training and instructing others. It’s impossible to use at the same time as flying unless you have a navigator and a plotting table but the CAA still insisted that all pilots should be able to use one.

And these were my Father In-law’s, sadly also passed away.

I have no idea what this is!

This was my Dad’s which I kept after he passed away.

We watched it two weeks ago. There’s a lot of similarities to the C-19 stuff that we’re dealing with.....thankfully not the death rate though. However, I’m not sure that screening it right now is such a good idea, there’s already enough fear in the country!

Congratulations. I took early retirement two years ago this week and it took me the best part of a year to stop thinking about work everyday. Right now I have difficulty imagining being at work.....it’s ruddy great. PL

Some people need medical help. I bought a diesel as my daily user and seriously dislike it! It’s the first diesel I’ve owned and I bought it for the better fuel consumption thinking that I’d get used to the diesel rattle, how wrong I was. And don’t get me started on the supposed merits of the DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) that it’s fitted with. The rest of it is nice tho (Volvo S90) it’s just the awful noise it makes. PL.

240 bhp......but I guess that’s diminished with age, however, it still scares me sometimes. Fortunately, and bearing in mind my agricultural driving style, TVR were very good at making a fine chassis and a car with good handling...but don’t be heavy with the loud pedal when the roads are wet or slippery!