USAF pilot helps in airline emergency

[Jaskalas]

Cool story of an unusual situation handled with professionalism.

 

[Eug]

what else would you expect from the military's own propaganda printing press?

True dat. But for whom is this article aimed? Wouldn't other military pilots reading this article also think it's a bit of an odd way to frame the story?

 

[JulesMaximus]

I think it's the term for pilots that are onboard getting a "free" ride to or from work. For example my uncle was an airline pilot, he lived near Charlotte NC but was officially based in Pittsburgh PA, so all the flights he did were out of PA. He would have to catch a flight to Pittsburgh and then back home to Charlotte every time he worked.

So basically they were calling for other airline pilots rather than just any pilot. I'm guessing they only let this guy help since he had experience with large aircraft.

:thumbsup: That makes sense.

 

[_Rick_]

Harder than stepping up was probably holding back and letting the first officer handle the flying. Glad everything worked out.

Nope, that cockpit is unlikely to be very similar to a Bone's, so just the time to figure out all the displays (and especially with glass cockpits and sub-menus, this is a challenge) is a major effort.

Could he have landed the 737 VFR? Probably, with handholding from ATC. IFR? If he had enough time to figure out the nav computer...should be around 5 minutes or so, in addition to the 5 minutes to figure out where gears, spoilers, slats, flaps, reversers, air and wheel brakes are, and how the plane behaves on stick, throttle and rudder input.

But could he have done it properly, following routine procedures? No way. Checklists and cross-checks are already keeping a two person crew busy, and if you're unfamiliar with the procedures, you're not going anywhere. Just calculating proper approach speed would have been quite the achievement.

I don't even believe the FO ever even considered relinquishing control of the airplane, and was always just looking for someone to help with checklists, and to call out air speed etc.

But if the AF needs a hero in their ranks, that's a way to get one

 

[olds]

Wait, I'm not completely sure what's the story here with the support role?

The First Officer is fully competant in flying a plane, and is completely qualified to take over all duties if the Captain is incapacitated. The entire bit with the "USAF Pilot showed extreme humbleness by not taking control of the plane" seems a bit inflated. There was never really an appropriate moment where he could have made the decision to fly the himself and take control from the first officer.

It would have been more relevant if both pilots were incapacitated and he managed to land the plane on his own.

This

 

[Carson Dyle]

Wait, I'm not completely sure what's the story here with the support role?

The First Officer is fully competant in flying a plane, and is completely qualified to take over all duties if the Captain is incapacitated. The entire bit with the "USAF Pilot showed extreme humbleness by not taking control of the plane" seems a bit inflated. There was never really an appropriate moment where he could have made the decision to fly the himself and take control from the first officer.

It would have been more relevant if both pilots were incapacitated and he managed to land the plane on his own.

Yeah, I don't quite get the big deal about that, either. The first officer would obviously have had training (at the least) in flying a 737, whereas he likely had no experience.

 

[McLovin]

I think it's the term for pilots that are onboard getting a "free" ride to or from work. For example my uncle was an airline pilot, he lived near Charlotte NC but was officially based in Pittsburgh PA, so all the flights he did were out of PA. He would have to catch a flight to Pittsburgh and then back home to Charlotte every time he worked.

So basically they were calling for other airline pilots rather than just any pilot. I'm guessing they only let this guy help since he had experience with large aircraft.

When I worked for USAirways, we used to call it "Jumpseating". There is a Jump Seat in the cock pit that folds up behind the door (typically) and only pilots (some times mechanics if they were needed and the flight was full, but this is a very rare exception) from our Airline.

 

[lupi]

Some of yall missing the comprehension part. She didn't know "where to taxi" because she had not been to that field before.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Some of yall missing the comprehension part. She didn't know "where to taxi" because she had not been to that field before.

Yeah? So? He told her where to taxi, which was a help. He didn't fly or land the plane.

I'm not downplaying the fact that he was a big help. Mostly, it seems, in just being there in the cockpit to assist and keep her from freaking out.

 

[Mxylplyx]

So basically a USAF pilot takes a seat next to a fully flight trained first officer who is perfectly capable of flying the plane on their own, and appears to have done so, so we get a piece about how OMG awesome the USAF pilot is because they happen to be military? Am I supposed to be welling up with nationalistic pride and chanting USA! USA! USA! right now?

 

[Paratus]

Pilot taken ill!
Air Force pilot forced to help fly plane!

Surely you can't be serious!

I found a picture of flight deck during this troubled flight:

 

[lupi]

Yeah? So? He told her where to taxi, which was a help. He didn't fly or land the plane.

I'm not downplaying the fact that he was a big help. Mostly, it seems, in just being there in the cockpit to assist and keep her from freaking out.

you are also lacking that comprehension.

 

[Carson Dyle]

you are also lacking that comprehension.

Apparently.

 

[alkemyst]

First Officer was a woman. That's why she needed help.

 

[BUTCH1]

First Officer was a woman. That's why she needed help.

Well hold on now, any mature woman should know what to do with a "stick" in her hands!..

 

[BUTCH1]

Nope, that cockpit is unlikely to be very similar to a Bone's, so just the time to figure out all the displays (and especially with glass cockpits and sub-menus, this is a challenge) is a major effort.

Could he have landed the 737 VFR? Probably, with handholding from ATC. IFR? If he had enough time to figure out the nav computer...should be around 5 minutes or so, in addition to the 5 minutes to figure out where gears, spoilers, slats, flaps, reversers, air and wheel brakes are, and how the plane behaves on stick, throttle and rudder input.

But could he have done it properly, following routine procedures? No way. Checklists and cross-checks are already keeping a two person crew busy, and if you're unfamiliar with the procedures, you're not going anywhere. Just calculating proper approach speed would have been quite the achievement.

I don't even believe the FO ever even considered relinquishing control of the airplane, and was always just looking for someone to help with checklists, and to call out air speed etc.

But if the AF needs a hero in their ranks, that's a way to get one

Assuming benign flight conditions all a person would have to do is get on the radio where they would promptly get a 737 rated pilot to help out and a complete amateur could pull it off, here watch this and judge for yourself.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7WMQUDGDD4

 

[LTC8K6]

Surprised the first officer has never taxied the equipment she is flying.

The story is oddly written. She was not familiar with that airport's taxi ways. whereas the B1 pilot had been to the airport before.

She certainly knows how to taxi a 737. She would have taxied quite a bit before taking off on that flight.

There's no way the military pilot would ever have "taken over" with a healthy 737 FO in the cockpit, imo.

Strange article.

 

[LTC8K6]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/new...irlines-flight-in-omaha-after-pilot-takes-ill

http://www.ketv.com/news/only-on-7-...ons-after-pilots-heart-attack/24512508#!SGFdc

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trendin...ot-has-heart-attack-mid-flight-201315899.html

 

[K1052]

The story is oddly written. She was not familiar with that airport's taxi ways. whereas the B1 pilot had been to the airport before.

She certainly knows how to taxi a 737. She would have taxied quite a bit before taking off on that flight.

There's no way the military pilot would ever have "taken over" with a healthy 737 FO in the cockpit, imo.

Strange article.

The steering tiller apparently is optional for the F/O seat on the 737. So I could see how she might never really have taxied the aircraft in real life conditions or at least done so in a long while. In theory the tower should have been telling them where to go also.

I think that's a Continental bird since United retired all their 737s a number of years back. If so it has autoland which your average 15 year old kid could be instructed to use to land the plane in a worst case scenario.

 

[Carson Dyle]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/new...irlines-flight-in-omaha-after-pilot-takes-ill

http://www.ketv.com/news/only-on-7-...ons-after-pilots-heart-attack/24512508#!SGFdc

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trendin...ot-has-heart-attack-mid-flight-201315899.html

Check out some of the 579 idiotic comments left after that last article on Yahoo. Everybody feels a need to tell their irrelevant little airline or nurse story. "My brother-in-law had was on an airplane once and someone got sick... blah blah blah blah."

 

[LTC8K6]

They landed on 32L apparently, which is not CATIII?

 

[LTC8K6]

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/3/0/0/1616003.jpg

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/8/5/2/2313258.jpg

Yes, it used to be a CO bird.

 

[skyking]

that was cool. Any competent instrument pilot would be a help in the same way that the AF pilot was; take the com, note the ATC instructions, flip whatever switches that are out of reach of the new PIC, and do what you are told. Hand fly while something gets sorted out, etc.
When you "declare and divert" it is a huge game of catch up unless you happen to divert to a very familiar airport. It imposes a big workload on any single pilot.

 

[phucheneh]

http://www.ketv.com/news/only-on-7-...ons-after-pilots-heart-attack/24512508#!SJPs9

That's the most relevant link. I found the audio pretty cool.

The USAF guy obviously played a needed role. Beyond that, who knows. If the OP article is correct about the engines throttling down to idle (does that risk 'flameout' or whatever at altitude?), the copilot was obviously in distress, no?

 

[skyking]

No, it was just a pilot who sat back there and heard something totally out of place. They were in the cruise part of the flight, and the engines drone on and on. All of sudden the copilot pulls the throttles back to begin diverting to the nearest airport.