Table of Contents
This Is Your Captain Speaking… 1
About me. 2
Chapter 1 Planning - Before The Flight 5
My zig-zag approach in becoming an airline pilot. 5
Why become a pilot and what's so great about it? 7
Getting your career airborne: Becoming a pilot - facts and urban myths busted. 11
Dapper airline duds: Do I get a uniform when I sign up? 13
Pilot perks. 14
From above (written some 15 years ago). 15
Walking the gangplank. 18
An excerpt from Captain D's pending book - Autoland. 19
Almighty seniority. 24
Announcements and the constant din at airports. 28
Security theater - the madness of it all. 30
Butting ahead of the security line. 32
Expeditious and turbulence-free travel. 33
Chapter 2 Before Start Checklist 38
Captain (PIC - Pilot in Command), first officer (F/O) (co-pilot), cruise pilot or relief pilot, augment pilot, cadet pilot, second officer … That's a lot of pilots! 38
Who flies the airplane? Is it strictly the captain, or can the first officer (co-pilot) give it a go? 39
PF (Pilot Flying) and PM (Pilot Monitoring). 40
Do you fly with the same pilots? 40
When do pilots use checklists? 41
What is CRM (Crew Resource Management)? 42
What is your schedule like? 43
How many flights do you fly each day? 44
When do pilots show up for work? 44
What is a deadheading crewmember? 45
My commuting days, the good ole days - not! 45
Do pilots get special meals? 47
Why do some airlines operate so many brands of aircraft? 48
What do pilots look for in their visual inspection? 49
I saw an aircraft on the ground with fluid gushing from the belly. Should I have said something? 49
What's the significance of the iPad? Whatcha got in your flight bag? 50
The aviation army - getting an airliner airborne. 50
Ready, set, go! 55
What is the longest route flown by my airline? 55
Do jet engines require oil or oil changes like cars? 56
How much fuel is carried? Are the tanks always full? 56
How are runways appointed for landing and takeoff? 57
Did I see duct tape on the outside of the airplane? Tell me a Home Depot handy type is not fixing airplanes! 57
I saw an airplane part that didn't match the aircraft's livery. What's that about? 58
How similar are the flight decks on the small Airbus fleet (A319, A320, A321)? 58
Regional jets and turboprops: Are they as safe as big airliners? What's the experience level of the pilots? 59
Bernoulli and Newton duke it out to explain how a wing flies. 60
Why are airplane tires filled with nitrogen instead of air? 60
How are toilets serviced? 61
Do airplanes ever get unique names? 63
How do you know how much an aircraft weighs? 63
Weight and balance: The allowable tolerances for an aircraft's weight and center of gravity. 64
Are there things the airline does to cut weight, because after all, weight is money? 65
Are passengers getting heavier? You bet! 65
What is datalink? Communicating. 66
Cracking the three-letter airport code. 67
The busiest airports. 69
Chapter 3 After Start Checklist 71
Who starts the engines and taxis the airplane? 71
What is a cross-bleed engine start? If the engine can't start normally, should I be flying? 71
What do all the different hinged surfaces on the airliner's wings do? 72
When an aircraft is ordered, how are engines chosen? 72
How long does it take to get airborne? 72
Taxi! 73
Do airliners have keys, and if so, do pilots have spares? 75
Paint by numbers. 75
Put on hold. Delays - flow control, ground stops, holding patterns. 76
Winglets. Aerodynamically designed wing tip devices to enhance efficiency. 77
What temperature is it in the baggage hold? 78
Treasured four-legged passengers in cargo. 79
Do you add any personal touches to the flight deck? 80
Chapter 4 Before Takeoff Checklist 82
Which is more challenging, takeoff or landing? 82
How does a jet engine work? 82
What is a noise abatement procedure? 83
Do airliners use full power for takeoff? 84
What is that buzzing sound from the engines on the small Airbus fleet? 84
On takeoff and landing, when do pilots engage the autopilot? Music to a pilot's ear. 84
Thirty seconds barreling down the runway in a Dreamliner. 87
When multiple airplanes are waiting for takeoff at the same airport, how is a priority list created? 89
Lasers and flight decks. 89
What's the scoop on drones and airports? 90
What are your favorite airports to fly in and out of, and why? 90
Boeing versus Airbus - the dual aviator in me. 90
Four engines versus two. 91
What's a sterile cockpit (flight deck)? 92
Chapter 5 Cruise Checks 93
Room with a view. 93
Just the facts. 94
Night flight. 95
Are airplane cabins pressurized to sea-level pressure? 97
How is the cabin air kept fresh? Are filters used? 100
Flying fit. 101
Who is responsible for route planning? 101
The flight plan: A required pilot document depicting routing, advisories, and weather. 102
The scoop on great circle routes. How does flying in wide arcs, instead of "as the crow flies," reduce travel time? 103
Getting around: Just how do pilots get from airport A to airport B? 104
Does the Earth's rotation shorten your travel time? 106
Are there two North Poles? 106
Over-the-top polar flights. 107
Santa the aviator (Christmas 2004). 108
Aviate, navigate, communicate - but radiate? 111
North Atlantic tracks - transatlantic flight routes. 113
Eyes in the Sky - new satellites give global aircraft surveillance 20/20 vision in 2020. 114
What is that rumbling heard at cruise phase? 114
Hodgepodge of aviation units. 115
How close do other airplanes get? TCAS (Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System). 117
When you make a PA (public announcement), do you read from a script? 117
PA and radio gaffes. 119
On the job: The unsung heroes (flight attendants). 121
Other unsung heroes: Ramp attendants, colloquially known as "rampies" or "ramp rats." 127
Even more unsung heroes: Gate agents. 128
Seat pitch. It's not the angle. 128
What is the origin of "J" for business class? 130
I'm afraid of flying. Any ideas to help me overcome my fear? 131
What happens when someone has a medical emergency on board? 134
Have you had a death on board? 135
Do pilots take naps? 136
What is the mile-high club? How do I join? 137
Human trafficking - my very serious commentary. 138
Some passengers are not "Kumbaya" types. 139
Coping with COVID. 140
The euphoric side of airline flying. 142
Will there ever be a pilotless flight deck? After all, everything in the flight deck is automated. 143
What does "keep the blue side up" mean? 144
Chapter 6 Pre-Descent, In-Range, Landing and After Landing Checklist 145
How in the heck do you land in next-to-zero visibility? I didn't see the runway until we landed. 145
A pilot's approach. 145
Other important features of the ILS. 146
Not all ILS's are created equal. 146
Welcome to autoland. 147
Waiting for the bump. 148
How does air traffic control differentiate single airplanes and the numerous airlines? 149
Are there speed limits for airplanes? 149
How do airplanes calculate their speed? 149
How are the outsides of airplanes cleaned? 150
How do pilots navigate the runway during the day and night? 150
Do airline pilots fly under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), or do they sometimes fly under Visual Flight Rules (VFR)? 151
Why do the interiors of all airplanes in an airline look the same, regardless of manufacture date? 151
Why all the fuss about cell phones and other transmitting devices? Do they really interfere with the airplane? 152
Raindrops keep falling on my head? 153
Absurd questions. 154
What's more fun to fly, a large aircraft or a small one like a Cessna? 154
Do you talk by radio with pilots flying the same route ahead of you to get information on weather conditions, turbulence, etc.? 155
If you were asked to build or run an airport, what would you have on your wish list? 155
How often are aircraft repainted, and what accounts for the different color schemes? 157
Do airplanes have ABS (anti-lock braking systems) like cars? 158
Radio waves. 158
Jettisoning fuel. Why would a pilot be getting rid of fuel? 160
How hectic is it flying into New York, with three super-busy airports close by? 160
Why do airplanes need to take such long, gradual approaches/descents? 161
The final approach fix (FAF). 162
Why does the landing gear extend so early? 162
Landing vows. 163
How do thrust reversers work to slow down an aircraft? 164
What is a go-around and why the steep maneuver? 164
What's with one main wheel touching down before the main wheel on the other side? Is this a poor landing? 165
Aircraft attitudes. 165
Landing the big one. 166
What is a hard landing? 166
Vacating the runway - the after landing checklist. 169
Chapter 7 Postflight Checklists and Reflections 170
Airplane docking - VDGS (Visual Docking Guidance System). 170
What's with those jerky, gangly, somerimes unreliable jetways (bridges)? 172
If you could fly anywhere to get your favorite food, where would you go? 172
What is the most unusual food you've ever had, and where did you have it? 173
Time to rest. 173
The pro's guide to jet lag. 174
What do crews get up to on layovers? What is the hanky-panky factor? 179
Airline adages for relationship cohesion. 180
"Call home!" Two words no one wants to hear. 181
The beginning of time. What the heck is Zulu time? 182
Zero hour. 183
Destination unknown. 184
Chapter 8 Weather Stuff 186
Can clouds foretell flight conditions? 186
Clouds in my sky. 186
Under pressure. 187
Why the bumps? 189
Turbulent times. 189
Is there any way to detect severe turbulence and detour around it? 190
Is turbulence dangerous? 192
Describing turbulence is akin to describing the taste of wine - it's subjective. 193
Did I hear there are seven types of turbulence? I thought bumps were bumps? 196
Doesn't weather radar detect turbulence? 197
What's a jet stream (atmospheric sky snakes)? 198
Aurora borealis - northern lights (dawn of the north). 201
Wind beneath our wings. 202
I noticed a circular rainbow with the shadow of the airplane inside it. How does that occur? 203
The deice man cometh - taking it off and keeping it off. 203
Is weather getting worse? Is turbulence more intense? Are thunderstorms bigger? 204
Contrails or chemtrails? 205
Our atmosphere. 206
Humidity and temperature. 206
Foggy thoughts. 207
Can it be too hot to fly? 208
Can it be too cold to fly? 209
Frigid facts. 210
Can it be too windy to fly? 212
Is lightning detrimental? 212
St. Elmo's fire. 213
How high do thunderstorms get? 213
Captain D's Observations and Rules to Fly By 216
Questions on the Fly to Test Your Aviation IQ 218
Glossary: Aviation Geekery (Knowing The Lingo) 221
Index 243
