Written by a Delta pilot on approach to Tokyo during earthq

Re: Written by a Delta pilot on approach to Tokyo during ear

This seems like a good story to have in your back pocket when someone brings up the idea of Unmanned Aircraft or reducing pilots from two crew to single pilot.
 
Re: Written by a Delta pilot on approach to Tokyo during ear

As a controller, good for the pilot, I wish more pilots were that open to declaring an emergency. Like Mike said it may not have meant a hill of beans in such a chaotic situation but by the time he really did reach "emergency fuel" he might have been # 20 as opposed to #7. The pilot recognized that and did what he needed to do to get the plane on the ground ASAP.
 
Re: Written by a Delta pilot on approach to Tokyo during ear

This is good advice. Could have been headed by the crews circling Dulles in Die Hard 2 ... maybe we woudln't have lost Windsor flight 114.
 
Re: Written by a Delta pilot on approach to Tokyo during ear

Murdoughnut said:
This is good advice. Could have been headed by the crews circling Dulles in Die Hard 2 ... maybe we woudln't have lost Windsor flight 114.
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They were fine until the bad guys moved the ILS glidepath.........:)
 
Re: Written by a Delta pilot on approach to Tokyo during ear

With that big round button written ILS GLIDE PATH and the Commodore 64 graphics, like it should be.... What an awesome movie that was !
 
Re: Written by a Delta pilot on approach to Tokyo during ear

Gotta love how in the end, all it took was a light jacket to jam a 747's aileron....... "zeee ailerons....we cant takeoff!!! ZOMG!!! :) " Gotcha now bad guys.
Good movie though.
 
Re: Written by a Delta pilot on approach to Tokyo during ear

NC_BE300 said:
Gotta love how in the end, all it took was a light jacket to jam a 747's aileron....... "zeee ailerons....we cant takeoff!!! ZOMG!!! :) " Gotcha now bad guys.
Good movie though.
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Fred Thompson playing his standard character actor role as a heavy government figure, as the ATC chief. Cool.
 
Re: Written by a Delta pilot on approach to Tokyo during ear

MikeD said:
Fred Thompson playing his standard character actor role as a heavy government figure, as the ATC chief. Cool.
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".....Stack em, Pack em, and Rack em.....Move! "

He did play the role well. lol
 
Re: Written by a Delta pilot on approach to Tokyo during ear

NC_BE300 said:
".....Stack em, Pack em, and Rack em.....Move! "

He did play the role well. lol
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That line, and the other one...something to the effect of:

"Get whatever you need. Borrow, steal, kill."
 
Re: Written by a Delta pilot on approach to Tokyo during ear

Red October (helo pilot)
Yes, sir. I've got a ten minute reserve... but I'm not allowed to invade that except in time of war.

Thompson from DH2
We just bought ourselves, maybe, two hours. After that, those planes that are low on fuel aren't gonna be circling. They're gonna be dropping ...
 
Re: Written by a Delta pilot on approach to Tokyo during ear

MikeD said:
As I wrote, I've been the "you're IFE #7, remain in the hold, expect clearance at 45."

My point is to point out to others that preemptively declaring an emergency may potentially have unintended consequences in these kinds of situations where there are multiple emergencies. Just food for thought.
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I totally see what you are saying and I don't think I would have considered that had you not mentioned it. That being said, I think given the pressure and incredibly complex, changing situation, he made the most prudent choice. With more and more unexpected variables magically appearing each time they attempted to commit to a suitable field, there comes a time to ask yourself how much do you dare push things. ATC has been rattled in a very physical way and certainly emotionally as well. He made a good command decision to say enough was enough and get on the ground rather than risk running into more unexpected variables as fuel ran lower and lower. As PIC how close to that “edge” you really want to get?

If you knew someone ahead of you was in a more critical situation than your own then you would certainly allow them in first. It doesn't sound like they had that much information though.

Thanks for sharing that story.
 
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