Unbelievable. How could this possibly occur?

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Greetings,
Mr. ss. Why oh why is the US hanging onto (save 2 other countries-third world) the imperial system when the rest of the world has gone metric (SI)? Get with the program people!


I was in a NAPA a while back and a woman was looking for a starter motor for a newer Chevy. The NAPA associate asked her whether the bolts were SAE or metric.
She replied "I don't know, that metric stuff is stupid". The associate asked her what size engine it was. Her reply "2.5 liter". Go figure....


200w.webp
 
The normal technique to depart with an inop fuel gauge is to empty the tank , then refill with the fuel load the manifest indicates. Fuel can be pumped out as easily as pumped in.

In flight the fuel flows of the other engine(s) is compared to the one using the tank with no gauge and a log is kept.
 
FF said:
The normal technique to depart with an inop fuel gauge is to empty the tank , then refill with the fuel load the manifest indicates. Fuel can be pumped out as easily as pumped in.

In flight the fuel flows of the other engine(s) is compared to the one using the tank with no gauge and a log is kept.
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Nah...FF. Just a simple reading of the dipsticks. Fuel pumped out of an aircraft cannot be used again...or at least not in another aircraft.
 
"Fuel pumped out of an aircraft cannot be used again...or at least not in another aircraft."


I guess JFK , LGA ORD MIA SFO didn't get the word.
 
FF said:
In flight the fuel flows of the other engine(s) is compared to the one using the tank with no gauge and a log is kept.
Click to expand...

Pilots complain of low power if the fuel flow gauges don't match. It's easier and cheaper to recalibrate the gauges to match instead of swapping engines. Your way is best, empty and refill. I would never bet my life on fuel gauges.
 
Baker said:
Nah...FF. Just a simple reading of the dipsticks. Fuel pumped out of an aircraft cannot be used again...or at least not in another aircraft.
Click to expand...

Thats my recollection... can't pump out fuel without disposing of it. Can't remember if that's an airport thing or some other regulatory agency. However, you could get away with it at small airports on a Sat morn. Did that a few times to calibrate the gauges (my mechanic side).

As for verifying the fuel, the cockpit crew would get a fuel sheet that showed the uploaded fuel in gallons and lbs, and what the conversion factor was for that day. And if dipped (required for inop gauges), got that info, too, but I don't believe we could dispatch without at least one gauge working.
 
Many years ago, around 45 or so, I was on a flight to San Francisco. About twenty minutes into the flight, the captain welcomed the passengers to the flight to Cincinnati. About a hundred arms shot up to push the call button. The flight crew had boarded the wrong plane. We returned to the airport and exchanged crews. Never did find out what happened to them, but we had to take on fuel. We got there safe and sound, if late.
 
This could be more easy than you might think for today's slaves to technology. Fight plans are uploaded on to the airplane's flight management system (FMS) by ACARS which is sort of like/WIFI. In my day we took pieces of paper and both pilots would load the flight plans, weather data and a bunch of other into their independent systems. Then we would go through a ritual of comparing what I had on my screen to what my 1st officer had on his/her screen. How yesterday. Just upload the flight plan, takeoff, throw on the autopilot, don't pay attention, (why bother you, haven't so far) and the airplane will fly to Edinburgh if that's what the flight plan says. Waite until we get self-driving cars.
 
If I remember correctly, their was some confusion between liters and gallons or kilograms and pounds.
 
Rough Magic said:
Many years ago, around 45 or so, I was on a flight to San Francisco. About twenty minutes into the flight, the captain welcomed the passengers to the flight to Cincinnati. About a hundred arms shot up to push the call button. The flight crew had boarded the wrong plane. We returned to the airport and exchanged crews. Never did find out what happened to them, but we had to take on fuel. We got there safe and sound, if late.
Click to expand...

Does happen... back when I was a flight engineer I preflighted the wrong plane. No one told me they had a gate change. I found out when the flight engineer for that flight showed up and thanked me for doing his job.....
 
Seevee said:
Thats my recollection... can't pump out fuel without disposing of it. Can't remember if that's an airport thing or some other regulatory agency. However, you could get away with it at small airports on a Sat morn. Did that a few times to calibrate the gauges (my mechanic side).

As for verifying the fuel, the cockpit crew would get a fuel sheet that showed the uploaded fuel in gallons and lbs, and what the conversion factor was for that day. And if dipped (required for inop gauges), got that info, too, but I don't believe we could dispatch without at least one gauge working.
Click to expand...

Yes only one can be deferred. And we no longer get a fuel sheet. It is an electronic message. And even then, it is not required as long as the gauges indicate proper load. I would have to dig into the MEL to see what is required when one is inop. I personally would get a report of what was put onboard. We have been trying to get rid of that fuel sheet for 2 years now...and amazingly, we still get them. I am sure some contractor is bilking UAL for millions of dollars just to get rid of a stupid piece of paper. It truly amazes me how difficult they make everything all in the interest of going paperless. we have got so many pilot bulletins on the subject that it is difficult to even absorb what the hell is going on... They say you don't even need the Fuel Service Message(FSM). They say that you do not even need the eFSM as long as the gauges read correctly. BUT...if you do get an FSM or eFSM and it is outside of certain tolerances, then you need to do this 9 page procedure....when you don't even need the FSM in the first place!!!!!
 
ProMaritime said:
This could be more easy than you might think for today's slaves to technology. Fight plans are uploaded on to the airplane's flight management system (FMS) by ACARS which is sort of like/WIFI. In my day we took pieces of paper and both pilots would load the flight plans, weather data and a bunch of other into their independent systems. Then we would go through a ritual of comparing what I had on my screen to what my 1st officer had on his/her screen. How yesterday. Just upload the flight plan, takeoff, throw on the autopilot, don't pay attention, (why bother you, haven't so far) and the airplane will fly to Edinburgh if that's what the flight plan says. Waite until we get self-driving cars.
Click to expand...

Dude, you are still talking about "screens"!!!! That ain't very "yesterday". My "yesterday" consisted of no autopilots and no flight directors...and no screens!!! I say that somewhat tongue and cheek. You likely have more experience on older stuff than I do.

But...if yo are really interested and how we plan a flight these days:

Yes, we have an app on an iPad called "Pilot Mobile". Our flight plan and weather package is pushed to the iPad based on our schedule. You tap it...the flight plan comes in....then look at the weather....then electronically sign the release. You then download the entire flight plan and weather package along with the Maintenance items related to that aircraft because, of course, we have an electronic logbook...which is wonderful!!!

We go to another app....WSI....a vendor....and it is friggin' amazing the stuff you can get off of there...with an overlay of your route and any layer you want including vertical profiles as it relates to weather and turbulence.

Yet another app....Jepp FD Pro is where all of our charts are. Search your flight number and bam, all of your related charts are right there.

I will take offense to your "turn on the autopilot and don't pay attention" remark. Flying has never been safer and you know that. The reason why that is is because of many things...but technology is right at the top. Not necessarily the technology of the flight control systems but the technology involved in the entire "Safety Management System". Google it if you are not familiar. (Airline)Pilots today have so much information at their fingertips and at the tip of the spear when it comes to human performance. Human Performance in the good ole days was simply "Don't f*ck up!". And if you do, don't tell anyone. And if they come after you, blame everybody and point fingers at everyone but yourself. And the company would sell you out to protect their own ass. IOW, there was not a lot of sharing of information and therefore unsafe trends would continue and would fester to the point of causing accidents.

I could literally write a book on why airline flying is so much safer now than it was 20-30 years ago. But I will spare you...:)
 
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During the 2nd world war the US Air Force was on its way to bomb Berlin in an over night bombing raid, They were stopped just in time. With-in days Canada renamed the city Kitchener Waterloo, just saying !
 
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