Can an A321 do this?

I apologize if I'm repeating some other responses.

There are many variables that go into the equation. The other night runway 08/26 was listed as closed in the ATIS. We had an alternate and had to carry extra fuel. We used the magic words to use Runway 08, but the tower said no dice due to overnight construction. This caused us to be weight restricted. We made it work but had to crunch some numbers and consider using a headwind credit. I'm not sure about the performance on a 737-900 but I think it seats about 20ish fewer passengers. Also I don't know the flight loads, was the AA flight full? What about the DAL flight? As few as 10 empty seats could have made the difference in making it to BOS VS flying to CLT.

Why fly to CLT? Simple. It's a large hub and crew base with flights to Boston. There are almost always extra ground crews available to handle flights. Let's say the flight was dispatched to stop for fuel at an airport just north or south of the weather in the upper Midwest. There's a good chance everyone at the station would have gone home for the night. Or if their shifts had just started they are only properly staffed to work the flights that go out early that morning. Now you could potentially run into a ground delay waiting to be parked and for fuel. The last piece of this puzzle is the crew, are they properly rested for a 2 leg redeye with a possibly lengthy fuel stop? Now the crew is fatigued at an airport that's not a crew base and no flights to Boston, so you're waiting for a crew to be deadheaded in from the nearest crew base. Even worse would be the airline cancels your flight so you have to be rebooked to connect through a hub and then on to your final destination.

This is a great explanation as to why it goes sideways. Most of the travelling public don't realize how many hands it takes to make a flight go, they're usually shocked to learn it isn't just pilots and cabin crew. They always forget about the people below the wing - ground handling, baggage sorting, fueling, catering, and if international CBP port of entry that can accept 100-300 surprise guests.

Flying charter is a little better, since you get just drop in to about anywhere without a running it by the dispatcher, etc. Although you do have to check for the correct infrastructure, such as weight bearing capability of the paved areas and FBO services.
 
I get a little chuckle out of the SWA dudes wearing their "ETOPS" lanyards. Is there a secret handshake too?
You mean they weren’t wearing their SWAPA lanyard?

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Apparently. I've heard ETOPS is a special qual for them, that not everyone has
It is, either whole bases (LAX/OAK) or separate bid groups within a base (LAS) and it's a whole multi day groundschool. I just never saw any of the special lanyards.
 
Just flew with a LCA that showed me the ASR from a recent 757 that had a Trailing Edge Flap disagree on approach into BOG where they got stuck stuck beteeen 0 and 1. 8,300ft elevation, 170kt approach speed with GS approaching 200. They landed Autobrakes 4, max reverse, manual braking initiated at 90kts. Brake temperatures didn't even go above 3, which is your everyday normal landing.

When I flew the 321 at Mean Green you got a brake temp ECAM almost every time you needed MED Autobrakes without brake fans, even using max reverse.

The Bus is fine, but I'll keep insisting the 757 is a beast and will be the annoying guy that talks about the golden days of flying one long after they're retired.
 
looking at those narrowbodies doing ETOPS like

I was bored one time crossing the pond and was looking through the paperwork. Somehow ETOPS paperwork got mixed in with ours. I turned to the CA and was like, "what is this?" He looked at me and shrugged I dunno. So we filed it in the garbage can and I continued to be bored on the flight.
 
I was bored one time crossing the pond and was looking through the paperwork. Somehow ETOPS paperwork got mixed in with ours. I turned to the CA and was like, "what is this?" He looked at me and shrugged I dunno. So we filed it in the garbage can and I continued to be bored on the flight.

"Shuts down engine, still not ETOPS"
 
When I flew the 321 at Mean Green you got a brake temp ECAM almost every time you needed MED Autobrakes without brake fans, even using max reverse
It’s a feature, not a bug. Brake temps too high to take off? Sit there with the brake released getting paid until they come down.

🤷‍♂️
 
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