Spokey

It is amazing, the Lateral accuracy is also so good that you pass in opposite directions directly one above the other.

I just use paper maps, good old Slingsby. I love to stop for a coffee and check out the map when out on my day trips.

Normally just a weight issue. Heavy with fuel, they will climb as the fuel burns off. The airlines have a complex system of flight and route planning in order to save costs. I do not know enough about those big beasts and how they operate them but I do believe they will ultimately go as high as possible to reduce fuel burn. You can run into trade offs between fuel burn and ground speed. Perhaps a lower level can give a great ground speed with a strong tail wind. Normally the wind is stronger the higher you go, but not always. Your True Air Speed also increases the higher you go, to a point. Around the middle to upper FL400’s it drops off again due temperature. Good job we have computers to worry about all of that! Occasionally you can be held lower by ATC due to congestion on a Level. This happens often in China. For the long haul airliners that can really eat into the reserves which are usually at the absolute minimum legal requirement anyways.

Nope, RVSM airspace it is still 1000 feet vertically between opposite direction traffic. However, we require 7nm (13km) lateral separation on departure and approach from the A380. That is for our little jet in the Medium weight category. The RVSM tops at FL410. It then reverts back to 2000 ft vertical separation of opposite direction traffic. Sadly our little Challenger is normally in the 36000 to 40000 ft (FL360 to FL400) levels. The Global was normally directly to FL430 or FL450 depending on direction. At those levels, typically above most airliners (especially early in their flights when heavy with fuel), we would get a lot of direct routings in the quieter airspace and therefore save on time and fuel.

Out of interest. These are todays NAT Tracks for west bound on top and east bound below. Very nice to watch on Flight Radar.

Loved this bit about the drag race. Some years back when flying the Global Express, we took off out of Luton for Los Angeles 10 minutes after the BA 747 out of Heathrow to LAX. Landed 10 mins ahead of them!! The Boss always gets a kick out of passing the airliners over the pond. (Atlantic) Normally though, we fly way north up to 70 degrees north in order to pick up the best tail winds so you diverge away from the airliners. The airliners stay in the North Atlantic Track System which tends to be around the 60 degree Latitude and south.

That was a Challenger, like the baby jet I am flying now. The aeroplane was so badly damaged by G Forces during the recovery that it was scrapped. The only thing going in the crews favour was daylight and enough visibilty to distinguish between ocean and sky. The flight instruments basically packed up due to the extreme gyrations of the aerie.......very scary indeed. In the industry we believe that would have been a crash if at night or in cloud. I pay a lot of attention to crossing aircraft to ensure that if it is an A380 we have enough separation.

Blimming heck, that will focus the attention! Double engine flame out. Incidentally, I have had engine failures in a single, a twin and a four engine aerie! Yeah, I believe ice crystals in the Trip 7 fuel.........well, that is what came out anyways....

On my current baby bizz jet we can dump. We have a “vortex generator” of sorts that by disturbing airflow it helps in vapourising the fuel as it dissipates. On large types in an emergency close to the ground the fuel would certainly be liquid when it hits the ground. Normally fuel dumping areas have minimum altitudes to try and ensure that fuel has dissipated before the ground. Jet A1 has a freezing point close to minus 50. Typically the fuel in the tanks is around minus 15 to minus 30. Aircraft use various methods to keep the fuel “warm” some fuel is recirculated via fuel/ oil heat exchangers (on our aerie,heat from warm gearbox oil is used to preheat the fuel into the engine) or sometimes heat transfer systems from hydraulic pump heat can be used to heat fuel. We are limited bulk fuel temp of Minus 37. Then we must decend! Not seen that before though. Edited....but Swiss, I think you know about all them heat exchanger things!

Technical or even medical event that precluded the long trip to Spain. Clearly not serious enough for an immediate return but enough of a problem to dump fuel and head back. Either way, pretty shite for the pax, but safety first! Will be interesting to hear the reason.

Ha ha, yeah......the only time I ever did a wheelie was when I turned into Witkoppen in Josie with the Missus and I on the old FZR. Accelerating hard to stay ahead of the traffic and hooking second the front came up. Buggar it felt like miles.......in reality it was probably just a few inches, still felt lekker! Ever since then I have fancied to ride a bike like an R1 or anything that can wheelie off the power! I do enjoy watching those who can wheelie, I wont get into arguments over safety and responsibility ha ha!

A bit of a peeve of mine..... Trundling along at a rather staid 80 kmph on a short tar stretch of the N9 on the little KLR (conserving my knobblies on the tar) so many motorists pass me as close as they F..ing can and cut in as soon as they can.....knob heads! I think I will ride in the dirt and stones along the side of the road. That will be fun when the **** spins up...........(even the KLR can do it if anyone is wondering ha ha!) Saving for the CRF1000.........or S10.........or Katoom 990!

The little KLR enjoyed a wet and muddy jaunt over Montagu Pass yesterday.

Perhaps on some types Swiss. Tis always on on ours, from entering the runway till vacating it. Was Auto function on my last type.

It just happens. Typically once every few years. I guess the extreme temperature variations. It is just the thin (few mm ) outer layer. The integrity of the main windshield is okay regarding safety. However it is a 50000 USD repair. (Cost of windshield) I have had a crack in the right windshield which was due to a windshield heat failure. The elecrtrical heat system packed out and arced causing the crack. That was just the perimeter of the windshield with good viz.........but still needs replacing. I go on about windshield. For those unaware, the left and right windshields are directly in front of the pilot seats. The windows are to the left and right of the pilot seat. They have different limitations with failures in the allowance of the flight to continue.

Found it. The cracked left windshield. Happened on the descent to Kuwait at around 30 000 feet. The bang when it happens seriously gets ones attention!!! Anyway, no pic of it taped up, but it was completely covered in Hi Speed tape. No viz out of it whatsoever. Just a ferry flight to maintenance in that condition. Edited....spelling, due to vin rouge!

Very good stuff this tape. We had a severely cracked left windshield on our Global a few years ago. The engineers taped it up with Hi Speed tape and we flew from Kuwait to Dubai for a windshield replacement. I flew from the right seat. Was very strange having no direct forward visibility out of that left side. Was an interesting landing! You realise how much you need that peripheral vision!! Will try and find a pic.

I must be a bit mad about this, I change the oil and filter every 5000 kms on all my bikes. Old bikes, I use Activo on the 75 and 83 Honda as well as the KLR and Motul 5100 on the FZR.

Very interesting that you prefer the darkness. My house is surrounded my a lovely “quiet” lawn. I have outside lights on, in fact I am the only one in my area who keeps the outside lights on. Large stands, agricultural plots. My huge Mutts need to see if there are intruders! When my restaurant(on the property) finally opens, I will have lights and cameras. Personally I would do shotgun traps and all, but apparently it is A, Not legal and B, The Missus says no!

It has been a while since I have been out and about in the Klein Karoo. Managed a short 250 km round trip into the Kamanasie valley this week. Food for my soul!

So true this. Cost cutting on the sim training, sad. It surely would not have added much to do that excersise in a sim intitial or recurrent, a matter of minutes!

A little embarrassing.........in front of all the peeps up at the restaurant!

In my experience the wind is generally more steady with clearer approaches. The worst is gusty conditions over bult up areas as the low level winds can be quite turbulent due to buildings, tall trees etc. As an example, instructing years ago at Grand Central, it could be tricky for students taking off to the south when a westerly wind blew. The wind could be quite turbulent at low level thanks to all the hanger buildings. Good learning experience I guess!

Yes, indeed. The speed and comfort of these “Gucci jets” is easy to get used to. However there was something specal about the old Diesal 8. We had amazing trips with very varied destinations and all manner of cargo, operating to every continent except Antarctica. Can’t see my boss wanting to go there on his holiday!

Into Macau in poor viz.