A day like today
- Thread starter omapilot
- Start date
PlaneFan82
Well-Known Member
Problem is the Kyrgs do not know how to forecast weather....always an FU in the forecast with blizzard conditions.
just_blaze
Well-Known Member
Well today was fun.
speedstick
Well-Known Member
on a crap scale of 1 to 10 today would be a 6.....
CPZ9900
Well-Known Member
I don't quite understand why people get go stressed out or freak out when the weather is bad.... most of the time if it's THAT bad, they will just cancel. Additionally, if you plan your flight right you shouldn't have much to worry about. Solid alternate, good route (FAA published reroute), gas to hold, etc. If your dispatching 200's I could see why weight restrictions could play a factor but at that point who cares. Safety comes first and payload will always get bumped.
just_blaze
Well-Known Member
As you're writing this LGA itself had 25 diversions and counting.
Guess what, forecast tend to be wrong.
PlaneFan82
Well-Known Member
Or dispatch predicted on CAT III Mins
. My current shop has not renewed our 3585 exemption.
thewaffles
Well-Known Member
Or dispatch predicted on CAT III Mins
Ahh, good old 3585 and 5549.
PlaneFan82
Well-Known Member
Love some 5549 flying....always makes the HMCs pucker just a bit more.
CPZ9900
Well-Known Member
Nope, but is it really that hard to just find an alternate and drop in and get some gas? I mean really..its not rocket science. When the weather goes down, no need to stress out about something you have no control over. It's not often that a city just completely tanks without some kind of warning signs.. calm winds, temp/dew point spread, line of weather, etc. There are way to many dispatchers who don't carry alternates just because it doesn't require one. If you see a line of weather moving towards the destination or if shifting winds are going to prohibit high arrival rates (DEN/SFO) you're doing yourself and the passengers a disservice by minfueling. Diversions? Again, who cares... you aren't doing anything. The pilot is. Sure, you'll spend 3 additional minutes rebuilding a new release but honestly, is it THAT big of a deal?!? Some people make this job A LOT harder than it has to be.
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pljenkins
Resident Knucklehead
CPZ9900 said:
Well as I had eluded, if there was evidence that the weather was going to be such that an immediate and uneventful arrival isn't a reasonable expectation you're doing everyone a disservice by min fueling.
They being said, I think there are way too many dispatchers carrying way too much gas around on their airplanes. Yes, dispatching airplanes is easy. Any fool can throw together a release, and any minimally trained fool can usually put one together that is legal, but THAT'S NOT WHAT YOUR AIRLINE IS PAYING YOU TO DO. Your airline is interested in making money, and kicking revenue off an airplane to carry gas you THINK you might need could very well have you answering questions you would rather not be bothered with. CLEARLY there are days where operating at a break even is a win. No one is going to question why you carried an extra 30 minutes of fuel and two alternates in the middle of spring storms. What kills the bottom line is kiting that "extra" 500 pounds per trip "just in case". It amazes me how many pilots and dispatchers are convinced if they get to reserves the airplane will flame out and fall from the sky or they'll get violated. You know, that's what the reserve is there for, right? The concept of the reserve was for those situations that you couldn't reasonably anticipate, like the airport shutting down due to incident while you're on final. I know it will come as a shock, but believe it or not there is NOTHING WRONG with an airplane landing with 30 minutes of fuel on board, unless you planned it to do so. Yea, the pilot might not be you thrilled with it, but BOTH of you will be coming to work tomorrow.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't an argument that everything should be min fueled, but when I see a forecast that has 10SM and FEW018 in it and it's blowing out of the departure station sans that revenue cargo we could have made a fair buck on in lieu of the extra grand of kerosene it makes me a sad panda.
In response to the "so divert, no big deal" charge, yeah, diverting should be no big deal if you're in the continental United States. There's airports everywhere. Thing is, I actually care about those people I just sent elsewhere. A fair number of them will blew their connections. Thanks to 117, they might not even get out of thy town until morning. Ultimately, the ACT of diverting a flight and issuing a new release and diversion recovery ranges from pitifully simple to mildly challenging depending on the system you are using.
The bottom line is, dispatchers should NEVER be satisfied to just "phone it in" and blindly pump out releases based on a quick glance at the TAF.
belgiumania
Well-Known Member
Hell of a couple days dealing with snow at stations that don't routinely get any. You know it's going to be bad when in the two horse town you're operating from the fueler also operates the deice truck. What a joy.
And can someone at any airline please figure out how to deal with this 117 thing and pass it along to the rest of the group? We're two months in now and it sounds like the entire industry decided to completely ignore the whole thing until it started causing massive operational problems.
And can someone at any airline please figure out how to deal with this 117 thing and pass it along to the rest of the group? We're two months in now and it sounds like the entire industry decided to completely ignore the whole thing until it started causing massive operational problems.
