Behind The Flight Deck Door (eBook)

Chapter 1 — Before DepartureCheck-inFlight planningWeatherNOTAMS – Notice to Airman/AirwomanVolcanoesFuelSecurity screeningWhy does everybody have a laptop?I have sped through security screening; how do I speed through immigration?I am your nervous flyerAircraft checksEngines turning whilst the aircraft is parkedThe hard facts on commercial accidents?Pilots and coffeePilots, alcohol, and drugsOverbookingWing inspection markingsWhat is with the delays?The barking dog noisesWhat about animals, how do they travel?Do you transport bodies? What if somebody dies inflight?Can I find out about my pilots before the flight?Chapter 2 – DuringChecklistsSeatbeltsTurbulenceJettison fuel/dump fuelWingtip vortices and chemtrailsLetters and numbers on the groundDo you really fly it or is it the autopilot?Bad weatherWhat if we get hit by lightning?Can pilots fly different aircraft types?Radios and losing radio contactWhat call signs do they give you?Alpha Bravo Charlie Zulu and the phoneticsWhat happens if you hit a bird?Are aircraft germ labs?Can you get sucked in or stuck on a toilet seat?Does the toilet flush out into the air?Is it possible for somebody to open a door in flight?How do you open doors in an emergency?Reclining seatsAir rage and air frustrationsI saw my pilot in the galley, who is flying?Smoking in a planeWhat is a knot?How does a jet engine work?What does final approach mean?Speed restrictions. Are there speed cameras?If pilots can speed up after delays, why don’t you fly faster all the time?Air routes and short cutsIce on the wingsChapter 3 – AfterThe difference between good landings and a bad oneDomestic vs internationalDo you want to fly the big ones?Are you a Captain? What are the other pilots called?What is seniority and is there really a seniority list?Can you visit the cockpit?What are the ongoing requirements and training?How do you beat jetlag?Chapter 4 — I hate it whenI hear we have a slight technical delayWe are just waiting on the last of the paperwork            — The aircraft Technical Log            — Fuel receipts and dockets            — Load and balance paperworkDelays and the nervous flyerTray table, seat back, and window shadeLights dimmed in the cabinChapter 5 – UniformHatsSunglassesShort sleevesEpaulettesTiesWingsNav bagsChapter 6 — What I can seeAll the colored lights on an aircraft mean?NavigationRotating beaconAnti-Collison lightsLandingFour-engine planes have to be better than two-engineCould I be talked through a landing?How does the plane actually fly?What is a stall?Can we glide?Why do you take-off and land into wind?Chapter 8 – MiscellaneousFuture technologyPilotless aircraftPilot errorMH370, will they find it?In light of an accidentIs Qantas the safest/best airline?What about low cost carriers? Are they still safe?Is Boeing safer than Airbus?