From the Flight Deck

Toronto's skyline seen from the roof top party

One of the many turbulence charts available out there. Noticed the Great Lakes. Click here for a link to this chart. You can see conditions at different levels and time frames.

The hatched yellow area over the Great Lakes is forecasting moderate turbulence from 29, 000 feet to 43,000 feet.

Another chart depicting those two nasty opposing jets (yellow lines).

Okay, just one leg on a four day pairing to go. We met the pilots that took this bird in. It's always nice to get a quick briefing on "ride" conditions and if there are any new snags. They mentioned the speed brake handle was kind of hard to move and engage. Hmmmmmm?

We entered the flight deck with maintenance already on top of the situation. I could tell it wasn't good, the flight was late arriving, we had a full load and I suggested we delay boarding.

Like anything electrical nowadays it breaks down into components. With a few screws removed the "speed brake box" came out with cookie crumbs falling inside. It wasn't me! My DNA is not on those cookie crumbs....I think....

With a little shake, maintenance could tell something worked loose in the box. Could it be a raisin? LOL
Calgary maintenance said, "this is going to be a two to three hour delay." The replacement would have to arrive on a flight from Vancouver. I suggested opening the box, but the philosophy is don't fix... but "remove and replace." (Maybe this goes for a lot of things?) :)))

Maintenance, and we pilots, assumed there was no way we could dispatch without speed brakes and ground spoilers. But "Jacques from Airbus" thought differently..."mais oui, Monsieur!

What would this entail? A special code for take off numbers. Plus Captain D would have to stand on the brakes in case of a high speed reject (we did not have auto-braking). And we had to use"balls to the wall" (full power) on take off. No problem. For landing we would have to add 30% more for landing distance. No sweat when landing in Toronto.

The speed brake is used to slow us down or descend quicker. The F/O needed it when trying to meet a constraint on the arrival into Toronto, but did a great job making the altitude and speed.

During landing these speedbrakes along with the spoilers turn into ground spoilers but they would not deploy hence the distance penalty. The F/O landed and cleared where we usually do.

While flying along and when offered cookies and ice cream....I abstained. I don't know if seeing all those crumbs buried within the innards of the flight deck or seeing the fitness magazines the F/O was reading  put me off my "flight level treat."

Most don't realize a flight deck is also a kitchen. It's where we eat snacks, have our meals and drink coffee, tea, water, etc. It's also a great place to catch a cold. If the other pilot shows up with the sniffles, dollars to donuts you will be going home with them as well.

It's a place where tears are shed, confessions made, (it's sometimes a  confession box moving at 500 knots), stories are told, silence so thick you can cut it, where singing is done, some whistling (although one captain almost came out of his skin when I started whistling. It's been documented more than once whistling was the last thing heard on the cockpit voice recorder), financial talk is listened to, jokes are told, and where "wind is passed." I could write a book on what transpires in an office the size of a closet. But I'm not coming out of the closet!!! LOL

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Here in Montreal on a gorgeous sunny downtown layover. I went to the gym with the last half painfully running on a treadmill. After eight minutes the treadmill went kaput!

Well I decided...where one door closes another opens so I left my key with the concierge and ran up (yes ran...taking almost an hour) Mount Royal. (Everyone who visits Montreal should walk Mount Royal. The view of Montreal is spectacular. And for those single guys out there, the scenery is amazing and I'm not talking squirrels and trees. lol)

It reminded me of my silly days climbing hills and mountains. I climbed Mount Massda (Dead Sea, Israel), Victoria Peak (Hong Kong), Grouse Mountain, Vancouver, B.C, Signal Hill, Saint John's, Newfoundland (Getjets that's a must visit), hills in Seoul, Korea, etc. and now Mount Royal in Montreal, Quebec. Looks like I'm still being silly at age 50 and I'm still climbing mountains.

Gone flying... yet another "cookies and ice cream" run to Vancouver. Luckily I burned a few calories today.

Most of the class in the Emergency Response Room. I sure hope that room is not used much.

This slide depicts prices around the world. Blue is less than one dollar/km, orange is less than 2$/km, yellow less than 3$ and red is OVER $3/km. The slide is quite faded.

Some of the many dispatch desks located on off airport premises.

Oatmeal raison and chocolate chip cookies at FL 360

The question....

Captain Doug, 

As someone who flies (as a passenger) regularly on jets and helicopters I was wondering how to interpret the code given to runways?  The boards at the entrance and exit of runways and taxiways contains what appears to be a n unintelligible sequence of umbers but I am sure it must make sense to pilots.   

 Please clarify this system and where on-line you can obtain the key to understanding the system?

The answer... (Cedarglen...I did not forget your fuel question but your's is more involved) 
Hi (.....) I've attached a picture of these "boards" situated in Calgary, Alberta.

Captain D holding short of runway 06 left in Toronto during category three operations.

Or even a website? Thanks.

I mentioned I was getting a little low in the pictures department from you guys so now I'm inundated. Funny how that works. Well I thought I would catch up with a post.

Thanks for sending them in....and if I forgotten anyone...email me. :)

...again click on the photos to make them bigger...

Sent in by my number one commenter...yup...Getjets.

 Getjets (New Orleans) sent me the one below but the pic was too small. So Bas (Netherlands) modified it. It depicts airline travel in one year.

I think this picture of the world's airline routes looks like a "butterfly." Maybe I shouldn't admit that? It may have ramifications just like a pilot saying clouds look like bunny rabbits. lol

And speaking of clouds...this cloud looks like it's on fire. Christer from Charlotte, North Carolina said air traffic was rerouted overhead due to these convective clouds that "just showed up."

This is the bus "James" (I posted a pic of James from Edmonton, Alberta) suggested I take to have a meeting with him. He was expecting Captain Doug this summer, but I stood him up. Sorry James.

CAT III Approach who lives in Saint John, New Brunswick but commutes to work in Fort McMurray took this in the Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge. Note the YYZ tower in the background. But more importantly note the website. Best website out there. LOL

Picture sent in by Mike who worked on the ramp for Air Canada in Calgary, Alberta. This Dash 8 flown by North Cariboo (note spelling) was sitting in Fort Nelson in British Columbia waiting out a storm.

Henry who used to live in Canada now resides in Japan. I've yet to respond to his email but this SIM shot is beautiful.

This falcon resides at Toronto Pearson airport and taken by Al (tail spotter) from Toronto.

Sent in by Clinton who lives in the Sarasota/Tampa Bay, Florida area. This small aircraft was not having a good day and was captured by Clinton. Funny, I was asked last week whether it was mandatory for pilots to swim. The answer is "no."

A picture of the Concorde sitting in Jeff's shrine in the Toronto area.

I took this during the walk around in Calgary on September 11th. YYC Dispatcher told me about his bird. It's a DC-8 with upgraded engines. The night before I met "Heather" at her workplace in the YYC airport.

Empty galleys, no passengers, no cargo and no flight attendants and NO coffee. A lonely 9/11.

A 320 cabin with no "butts in the seats."

Captain getting his pic taken with the flight deck door open at FL390 on 9/11. At least I'm smiling.

The lights from Ground Zero hitting a deck of stratocumulus  cloud downwind of 04.(Picture taken from jumpseat observer)

The Freedom Tower resurrecting from Ground Zero's ashes. Notice the "red, white and blue."

If you want to enter an aviation time warp...fly to LaGuardia. Looks like they have some leaky roofs.

Looking down from my hotel room. There is nothing but media with another building beside it with even more media.

A couple of firefighters posing for the camera. The media was everywhere. The 9/11 memorial was closed for this   weekend.

Some of New York's magnificent architecture from days gone by. Another shot from my hotel.

We stared at "Welcome to New York" for 15 minutes just to a get a taxi clearnce. We were number 30 for take off.

Yes, another self propagating pic of Captain D at "Ground Zero" one decade later.

...and the aviation world is still feeling the effects of this "infamous day."

People...for those out there with young kids..start saving!!! Not only is there tuition, residence for my middle daughter, some rent money for my eldest, but there are meal plans, ridiculously "highway robbery" priced books, and yes, I had to buy Diesel Daughter a brand new MAC book Pro Laptop plus a printer.

My eldest displaying her dad's contribution to enRoute Magazine this month in the Dash 8.

I know I am sort of getting closer to Kingston with all these highway paint tests going on.

Not only is Kingston home to Queen's university, Kingston Maximum Penitentiary, Royal Military College and hometown to our first Prime Minister, Sir John A MacDonald BUT it is a recent test site to Tim Hortons and their newly sized coffee cups. A bonus!

Our new edition from Hawaii. Note the American registration. Pic sent in from YYC Dispatcher.

This year's second equipment bid closed and it looks like left seat on the A320 a little while longer.

Last bid had "bottom gun" at #829 on the B767 and it has slid to a whopping seniority #853.

Yes, there were vacancies, but it was just the senior guys shuffling around.

I am number 1171 (Getjets jests it adds up to a "ten." Oh well, she made me smile).

They say never wish your life away, but one can dream. Here's what number "ten" could hold. Heck I might as well play with the numbers.

I could hold:
Toronto B777 F/O at 61%. (For me...once a captain, always a captain. After all, I get to go to work always in a good mood.....that is priceless. Nope, no more F/Oing for me).

Toronto B777 cruise pilot at 1%. Yup, I'd be "top gun" running around to ensure there are enough pillows and blankets for my buddy pilots.

A330 F/O at 9%. (The A330 captain is light years away) Yes, it would be a downbid and I would be potentially frozen for four years.

B767 F/0 7% (Yup, frozen taking four years to thaw)

A320 F/O 1%. Yup, I would be the "big kahunah" but at 60 precent of my present pay.

Embraer Captain. 1%. Again, I would be "Captain Top Gun." No thanks, I don't speak "Brazilian. " LOL

But the good news is I went from 49% to 44%. I may be able to bid Christmas off. Still can't hold summer vacation though. But all of these numbers are called "on paper." It takes months to actually see it due to training back log.

But what's in a number? Everything! :)