John Lear
16 hrs ยท
Southwest Airline Accident - Engine Explodes sucking one passenger out
(https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/sw-hero-600-6.jpg)
Tammie Jo Shults was at the helm of a twin-engine Boeing 737 on Tuesday with 149 people aboard when one of the aircraft's engines blew. At 32,000 feet, shrapnel from the blown engine smashed a window, and passengers scrambled to save a woman from getting sucked out.
The Southwest pilot hailed as a hero for landing a crippled Southwest plane was among the first female fighter pilots to serve in the U.S. Navy.
Yes, but...everyone needs to know that her 'heroic' actions are what ever single airline captain certificated by the FAA is required to demonstrate every 6 months in a simulator. All pilots, even co-pilots have to demonstrate this ability.
While Capt. Shultz deserves every bit of the congratulations she is getting you need to know this is a 'no sweat' performance that all airline captains are required to demonstrate several times during recurrent training every 6 months, every single year of their employment.
Emergencies such as pressurization failures, hydraulic failures and engine fires are practiced so many times they become 'second nature' and when the real thing happens Captains rarely break a sweat.
Every 6 months Captains go to several days of ground and simulator training. They go over and over aircraft limitations and maximums. They climb into unbelievably realistic simulators where the FAA or FAA designated instructors introduce every possible kind of emergency in two or three 4 hours sessions. Many times the instructor 'compounds' the emergencies by, for instance, introducing loss of hydraulics, then an engine fire. Many of us were drenched with sweat after these 4 four training situations. But in most cases, when the real thing happened, it was, "been there, done that, got the coffee cup, no sweat."
So Tami Jo, congratulations for a job well done! But thats what we train for all of our careers right?
~ John Lear
Dean Cheevers
What would depressurization feel like at FL 320?
John Lear
John Lear Cold. Without supplemental oxygen you have about 5 minutes. that is why emergency descents to 10,000 feet altitude or below have to be accomplished in 3 minutes or less. First thing you do in the cockpit is put on and secure your emergency oxygen mask. Throttle back, Spoilers extend. Gear down. Point nose down and descend (not to exceed max gear speed or Vmo/Mmo) If you are on a heavily travelled airway turn left or right to exit, When you have time call ATC and announce "Mayday, mayday, mayday. (Aircraft no.) leaving Flight level xxx, heading xxx emergency descent). ATC will roger that and request souls on board and fuel remaining. You wont have time to answer them until the emergency descent is complete. Pilot to keep eye on ball!