Boeing Lounge 737 gate cooling tips

[bp]

Does the 737 have the problem of the PACK filters freezing if you have the temperature set too cold in very humid stations? It's a common 757 problem. The flow reduces to almost zero because of it and it starts getting hot quickly. Then you need to blast the heat until chunks of ice are flying out of the cockpit gasper vents before putting it back to AUTO.

yes

 

[Karnage]

Also, some of yall have your temp gauges in °F which is witchcraft

And yet the operators of planes with such gauges still can’t understand how to make the cabin comfortable despite having the scale denoted in their believed Freedom units.

(I spend enough time in the back of these contraptions that I have Opinions)

And if you’re gonna be stupid enough to willingly accept a plane for a Phoenix flight with an APU that had been deferred for days when it’s 105 degrees outside, maybe don’t board the return flight if the cabin temp with no pax onboard is already over 90? And don’t wait til you’re at the end of the runway to crossbreed the second engine! I know you have plans for the evening back home and don’t wanna delay things but killing the people your company relies on with heat stroke isn’t a good image.

I can always tell when I board my commute if the pilots either commute themselves or non-rev more than once a year by how much effort they put into passenger comfort. I’m getting annoyed that a lot of my commutes are being done on day turns flown by senior crews…

 

[///AMG]

I'm just gonna say that some of the older NG's (I haven't quite figured out a common theme on this, they're random in age) have a real problem with hot surging when the APU is running the packs. And in those planes, though the surging is smaller in magnitude, it happens even in flight on the engine bleeds. Like you move the knob a literal millimeter or less, and they surge 15-20 deg C. So babysitting that thing to get a "comfortable" temperature takes a whole hell of a lot of attention in critical phases of flight on a few specific tails of ours. Maybe Im just lazy, and I'll be the first to admit that I don't have nearly as many hours of experience as a lot of you, so maybe I just don't know the perfect setting. But it for damn sure isn't the A in every airplane. It is the "T" in some in the back, and exactly 10 radians prior to the A in the front on some.......and it is 20 radians prior to the A on both packs in others. And then passenger load plays into it. And •ing FA's who ding you at 1000 ft while busy on the radio/flying the airplane to tell you that "ITS TOO HOT". So I run it a little cool until I know otherwise. Ya'll happy?

 

[Roger Roger]

Oh there are definitely some airplanes out there with personality. Usually the same -800s where “rudder/aileron trim free and zero” results in hilarity trying to get it trimmed out.

I stand by that if you set the the knobs to 9 o’clock in 90% of the airplanes you’ll a) make no difference in how cool the airplane is on the ground and b) freeze out the passengers once you’re airborne.

 

[///AMG]

Oh there are definitely some airplanes out there with personality. Usually the same -800s where “rudder/aileron trim free and zero” results in hilarity trying to get it trimmed out.

I stand by that if you set the the knobs to 9 o’clock in 90% of the airplanes you’ll a) make no difference in how cool the airplane is on the ground and b) freeze out the passengers once you’re airborne.

Oh yeah for sure, that's way too cold with the engines running the packs in flight. I'll crank them to 10-11 oclock on descent if its mega hot where we are going, but no colder than that. Also, by then, the packs have generally chilled the F out on those finicky airplanes. I think you might be right that it is an -800 thing. I don't fly them much, but now that I think about it, they might be every recent example I can think of

 

[Roger Roger]

Oh yeah for sure, that's way too cold with the engines running the packs in flight. I'll crank them to 10-11 oclock on descent if it’s mega hot where we are going, but no colder than that. Also, by then, the packs have generally chilled the F out on those finicky airplanes. I think you might be right that it is an -800 thing. I don't fly them much, but now that I think about it, they might be every recent example I can think of

I can’t swear that it’s only an 800 thing, but it sure seems more common.

The -700 is a complete mystery to me, I usually just don’t touch them the 2 times a year I fly one.

 

[Roger Roger]

To add, as far as I can tell, ALL of the airplanes do the thing where you first turn on the packs and the system sees “OMG THE CABIN IS 2° COLDER THAN THE TEMP SETTING BETTER SET THE DUCT TEMPERATURE TO 60° C AND MAKE IT SMELL LIKE THE DUCTWORK IS ON FIRE”. That’s about the only time I use full cold lol. Sometimes the temp control off trick works on the airplanes where you’re allowed to do it, sometimes not. A hot cabin is almost easier to address haha

 

[///AMG]

To add, as far as I can tell, ALL of the airplanes do the thing where you first turn on the packs and the system sees “OMG THE CABIN IS 2° COLDER THAN THE TEMP SETTING BETTER SET THE DUCT TEMPERATURE TO 60° C AND MAKE IT SMELL LIKE THE DUCTWORK IS ON FIRE”. That’s about the only time I use full cold lol. Sometimes the temp control off trick works on the airplanes where you’re allowed to do it, sometimes not. A hot cabin is almost easier to address haha

Yeah my starting position is normally full cold or OFF (if not placarded otherwise). I give it a couple mins and then I slowly start moving them a couple mm at a time towards a reasonable 11-12 oclock position, then inevitably get greedy and move it just a RCH too far and too fast eventually, and have to go back to 0 again and start all over again. There are a lot of things I like about MAX, but maybe the biggest one is that aside from the same ludicrous pack cold start behavior, they generally require very little additional thought once they're warmed up. The FA adjustment functionality I think is particularly helpful.

 

[///AMG]

The -700 is a complete mystery to me, I usually just don’t touch them the 2 times a year I fly one.

To be fair, I feel like they normally behave. I might move that crazy knob a slight amount at times, but I think they generally are where they need to be when you get the plane, and maybe the single circuit makes it less finicky?? I dunno.

 

[ClearedForOption]

I can always tell when I board my commute if the pilots either commute themselves or non-rev more than once a year by how much effort they put into passenger comfort. I’m getting annoyed that a lot of my commutes are being done on day turns flown by senior crews…

I have now gotten old enough and cranky enough (and I commute on my "own metal") where I will just go up front and tell the operating crew that it's hot as *bleep* in the back - and there are about 100 self propelled space heaters still boarding.

I have to make the uniform last the full 4-5 days and I don't want to sweat through it even before day zero is done.

 

[Karnage]

I warn my FAs in the brief that we have magic temp knobs of mystery. It’s amazing how despite the “put it here for an 800” and “put it there for a 900” the company puts out they aren’t even realistic starting points in most planes. One notch left or right of the word AUTO when the APU first comes online depending on if you’re starting with a with a hot or cold cabin. Leave them there til 10k then slowly adjust til the duct temp is mid 70s. Generally works ok but it’s a Guppy so expect inconsistency and malfunction.

I have now gotten old enough and cranky enough (and I commute on my "own metal") where I will just go up front and tell the operating crew that it's hot as *bleep* in the back - and there are about 100 self propelled space heaters still boarding.

I have to make the uniform last the full 4-5 days and I don't want to sweat through it even before day zero is done.

Same. Though I do carry a spare work shirt just in case, it’s been buried under my sneakers long enough it’s probably not clean enough to wear!