quote:

Originally posted by JoseyWales2:
Is it as simple as opening a interior/exterior door and they [FDR's] are right there or are they buried behind a bunch of other stuff.

It varies from plane to plane. On the Embraer 145, I believe it was bolted to a titanium bulkhead aft of the lavatory in the tail section. On the B737, it's behind an access door in the far aft cabin ceiling.

quote:

Originally posted by phydough:
Thanks, I didn't watch the video (bandwidth issues). It kind of makes sense that the FDRs fail with no power, nothing to record. I guess the RATs power is used to try to keep the airplane flying. I still would have thought that a FDR would be self powered.
The more you know.........
The more you question....why.

The FDR isn't self-powered because when the power fails, it must quit recording: if the FDR keeps recording, eventually it would overwrite its own data, as the FDR works on a loop. Originally, it went on a half-hour loop on a magnetic tape. More modern ones contain more data; typically 6+ hours, and on a solid state drive.

The idea is to preserve the data, which has been recorded up until the airplane was no longer capable of supplying the data. If a complete electrical failure occurs, cutting power to the FDR, it functions as intended, and preserves the data to that point.

Think of it another way: if the airplane went in the ocean or in a remote area and couldn't be reached for 24 hours, if the FDR kept recording and re-writing, instead of shutting off, then the critical data would be lost.

In the event of a mishap, crews are instructed to pull the cockpit voice recorder circuit breaker at the conclusion of the event, to save the data and prevent its loss, for the same reason. Our operations manual states "When the aircraft is involved in a reportable event, after all checklists are completed, the circuit breaker to the voice recorder must be pulled to preserve the data recorded."

U.S. bans Pakistan International Airlines flights over pilot concerns

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Transportation said it has revoked permission for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to conduct charter flights to the United States, citing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concerns over Pakistani pilot certifications.
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[snip]

https://www.reuters.com/articl...ncerns-idUSKBN24A3HV

The DOT should revoke ALL flights conducted by that shit-hole airline. Not just Charter flights...

https://www.piac.com.pk

Their website states that "Due to limited domestic operations, PIA will not be able to provide any service beyond your arrival airport in Pakistan."

They're on a shoe string right now.

The reason that the DOT cited charter operations out of Pakistan is that there are no flights conducted by PIA to the US as scheduled operations. There's nothing to revoke.

https://www.piac.com.pk/international-destinations

^^^^
Thanks for the additional info. The reuters article didn't mention that...

Blancolirio commentary on the just released final report...

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:

Blancolirio commentary on the just released final report..

I too subscribe and watched it last night. As Juan pointed out up front, that is the absolute worst case of Crew Resource Managment (CRM) I have ever seen.

I disagree. I only disagree because it’s like the worst example of just about everything that you can do wrong in a plane. To say it's the worst example of crm is to ignore it being the worst example of everything else too. I’m being sarcastic, of course he’s right. That was unbelievable to listen to.

When I was a flight instructor at American Flyers circa 2002-2004, I had a student from Pakistan who was here on the PIA training program to get his Private, Instrument, and Commercial certificates. The horrifying part of that program is that a student achieves those three licenses/ratings and off they go back to Pakistan and are hired at PIA in an ab-initio training program flying in the right seat with almost NO TIME whatsoever. This particular student had a brother flying for PIA, so nepotism was alive and well for that place.

Our usual training program at the Private Pilot level (well...any level) was to brief the lesson and review all aspects of what the student would accomplish on that flight, assure they did a thorough pre-flight inspection, got ATIS and obtained a clearance from the tower (our school was at a towered airport in NW Houston), followed checklists for start up, taxi, run-up check, and takeoff, flew to the appointed practice area or wherever the lesson dictated, got through the scheduled objectives of the lesson, then flew back to base.

I'll give the guy credit...getting us into the plane and off the ground worked fine, as he pretty much conducted this portion of the lesson by rote. I don't think he had achieved ANYTHING to the "Understanding" level of learning. Try as I might, the guy was just THAT STUPID. And he never studied. As is the Middle Eastern/Arab way, ego, and personality, if you tell them to do something, they will do EVERYTHING in their power to defy you and NOT do what you told them to do.

Once out of the airport traffic area, he couldn't navigate to an airport that was about 5 miles east of Lake Conroe...a HUGE lake depicted on a Sectional Chart and not very far from our base at Hooks Airport. After about 100 hours, he FINALLY passed his Private Pilot Practical Test. In my not so humble opinion, this guy had ZERO business being behind the controls of an airplane. I honestly don't know if he passed his Instrument Rating or Commercial Certificate; I got hired at Continental Express soon after he finished his private. In fact, I might have been gone before he even finished his private, as I don't recall signing him off for the practical test.

THAT...is a fine example and the level of pilot that's flying for that POS airline. While not ALL their pilots may not be that bad, I'd bet money that NONE OF THEM could pass initial airline training at my airline. There's no way. It wouldn't have surprised me one bit if that dude's name had been listed as one of the pilots.

Yeah...he was THAT bad!!!!!! And to boot, he was technically in the country illegally, as he was violating the terms of his student visa by working at his B-I-L's gas station more than coming to flight lessons. But that's another story...

So...Juan Brown's summation? Yup...I believe every bit that this was THE WORST example of CRM, TEM, Decision-Making, Leadership, and everything else encompassed in the CRM/TEM model.

quote:

After about 100 hours, he FINALLY passed his Private Pilot Practical Test. In my not so humble opinion, this guy had ZERO business being behind the controls of an airplane.

Is 40hrs still the minimum? 100 seems like a lot for a competent pilot [which he clearly wasn't]
I solo'd in 9 & was on track for not much more than 40 to be ready back when I was flying. Got to around 26hrs & had to stop [$$$].

^^^^^
Back then it was 40 hours, if memory serves. Yes...he took more than TWICE the number of minimum hours required to pass the Private Pilot Practical Test. Of course money wasn't of concern...he had a Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae loan.

By contrast, there was a guy at our school around the same time that achieved his Private Pilot and Instrument Rating in 30 days. He was a good stick, he came to lessons EVERY DAY, he studied, he came to class PREPARED, and he listened to what we told/taught him.

That jackass from Pakistan?? I wouldn't let him fly a friggin' kite!

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

quote:

After about 100 hours, he FINALLY passed his Private Pilot Practical Test. In my not so humble opinion, this guy had ZERO business being behind the controls of an airplane.

Is 40hrs still the minimum? 100 seems like a lot for a competent pilot [which he clearly wasn't]
I solo'd in 9 & was on track for not much more than 40 to be ready back when I was flying. Got to around 26hrs & had to stop [$$$].

40 hours is still the minimum requirement, but the average is closer to 65. Between more complex airspace and more complex avionics it does tend to take longer than the minimum required.

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

quote:

After about 100 hours, he FINALLY passed his Private Pilot Practical Test. In my not so humble opinion, this guy had ZERO business being behind the controls of an airplane.

Is 40hrs still the minimum? 100 seems like a lot for a competent pilot [which he clearly wasn't]
I solo'd in 9 & was on track for not much more than 40 to be ready back when I was flying. Got to around 26hrs & had to stop [$$$].

40 hours is still the minimum requirement, but the average is closer to 65. Between more complex airspace and more complex avionics it does tend to take longer than the minimum required.

The joys of learning in a 70s Cessna at an untowered airport