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Dealing with “Time on task”, “Circadian Rhythm” and “back side of the clock”. Decided to start off with a $4.99 breakfast buffet at Terrible’s (hotel and casino) but first — a brisk walk to the strip. The place looks different in the sunrise with fountains and glitter switched off. There’s the usual smokie crowd nursing [...]

T’was my first flight out west, the co-pilot’s first line flight since training, a cabin packed including the company C.E.O (sampling the product) and the flight attendants are all wearing St. Patties Day lime green hair wigs. We’re 5 minutes prior and still no sign of the Gate Gourmet which could be critical since they [...]

A briefing committed to memory: This will be a Cat IIIa approach using an RA based DH of 50′. We will need to see Cat III single, or better, on the FMA. When you see LAND on the FMA call “land green”. If it does not annunciate by 350′ RA then call “missed approach”. Altitude [...]

Today started with a stress test, a 2 1/2 hour written exam, and several in our group had tummies doing flip flops. But, after we got rolling it was a routine validation of what we know that we already knew. We’d been studying the pure magic of system logic (a.k.a PFM) for most of December. [...]

Punch out at 1845. Hustle from Terminal A to the Main Terminal and out through baggage claim. Jump on an employee bus for the ride to the North Lot. Sprint to my airport car, jump in and drive the 10 minute journey back to the crashpad. 1905, stuff my rollerboard collect my gear and race [...]

Worn out cogs and rollers or a SNAFU with the paper tray, my briefing packet held a blank page sandwiched in amongst the other sheets with the data. I rifle through them as I advise my crew of the pertinent particulars until I reach the blank. With a perplexed look, I slide it out and [...]

She apologized profusely, profoundly embarrassed. Stale pot of coffee in one hand, with the intention of disposing down the lav, the FA swung the door wide to expose one of our pax relieving himself. I told her such an event has happened at least once to nearly (all newbies) everyone. She won’t visit the “aft [...]

I’ve cracked the books to learn the following new values:167,329 166,447 137,787 128,969 Rote memorization. These mangled numbers are max weights for zero fuel, landing, takeoff and, ramp. Too bad we are not on the same page as the Europeans. These weights were nice (easy) round numbers at the Hamburg DaimlerChrysler Aerospace plant with Airbus [...]

We launched our pax OT for ATL. Hovering near by – menacing TS Jeanne. Enroute the Wx deteriorated with winds setting up for an 80 degree crosswind the strength of which exceeded aircraft design certification limitations. Electing not to put man and machine in harms way we diverted to Knoxville TN to wait it out. [...]

iAir’s *first* Airbus A-319 which is scheduled to be delivered in September. This is a spy photo at the factory in Germany.