AIN's Tales from the Flight Deck Aviation International News

Captain John Bartels and crew were flying in a Boeing 747 in perfect conditions when a sudden explosion caught their attention, made the wings rock, and destroyed some essential wiring. In this episode of Tales from the Flight Deck, Bartels describes the event and how he and the crew of QF30 handled the sudden emergency situation.

An Airbus A330 crew experienced something they’d never trained for: too much power to land and no way to pull the throttles back to reduce power. Cathay Pacific Flight 780 was on the final leg of a trip from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Hong Kong International Airport with 309 passengers and 13 crew on board when this dangerous incident occurred. Captain Malcolm Waters takes us step by step through how this happened, how he and his crew handled the situation and its successful outcome, and the lessons he and his crew learned from that hazardous situation.
This podcast is produced by AIN Publications, publishers of Aviation International News magazine and AIN’s online and digital products. For more information, go to www.ainonline.com or email AINedit@ainonline.com.

In this week’s episode, AIN London-based editor Charles Alcock gives an overview of the latest WingX data, which indicates that business aviation flight activity is awakening from its Covid-19-induced slumber. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C.-based editor Kerry Lynch highlights the results from Bombardier’s first-quarter results and, unfortunately, layoffs at NBAA. AIN news editor Chad Trautvetter discusses layoffs at Gulfstream Aerospace and a bankruptcy filing at JetSuite, and editor-in-chief Matt Thurber concludes with Daher’s delivery of the first 2020 TBM 940, which comes standard with the HomeSafe autoland system.

A routine air cargo run from Miami to Houston meets a tragic end, and information released by investigators paints the picture of a confused flight crew fighting desperately to regain control, and may also highlight ongoing concerns about pilot training within our industry. Today, we examine the NTSB docket on the downing of Atlas Air 3591 and what lessons that all pilots may draw from it.
Participants:
Phil Randolph (pseudonym), B767-300 Captain Kipp Lau, pilot, aviation journalist Rob Finfrock, pilot, aviation journalist

On Oct. 7, 2008, Qantas Flight 72 was flying over the Indian Ocean from Singapore to Perth, Australia. Kevin Sullivan, pilot-in-command of the Airbus A330, was flying on autopilot at 37,000 feet when suddenly warnings started sounding throughout the cockpit; the primary flight control computers were malfunctioning. The aircraft began to pitch down, and Sullivan realized he was just another passenger, for a short time unable to control the errant Airbus. After regaining control of the A330, Sullivan then had to decide whether to make an emergency landing at the nearest airport, the military field at Learmonth, or continue another hour and a half to Perth.


In this episode, Sullivan recounts how he was able to identify the issues affecting the A330's fly-by-wire flight controls and minimize damage while planning how how to keep his 303 passengers safe.
Sullivan continues his tale of Qantas Flight 72 and how he was able to land the aircraft at the military field at Learmonth Airport. He also speaks about how the experience affects him today.
In this episode we will hear from:
Kevin Sullivan, pilot-in-command of the Airbus A330 Bill Palmer, author of Understanding Air France 447 and A330 pilot Gary Rower, A330 pilot, flight instructor and airshow performer Malcolm Yeo, retired pilot and passenger on Qantas Flight 72 Topics in this episode include:
Primary flight control computer  Fly-by-wire system operation Equipment malfunction Autopilot versus manual flying

It's an all-too human tendency, borne from our natural desire to find quicker solutions not only on the flight deck - but also in our daily lives. It's also something all pilots are likely guilty of, especially if you have thousands of hours as pilot in command. Today we explore why pilots choose to break the rules, and what can be done to overcome the natural desire to look for shortcuts, even when we fly.
Participants:
Michael Ott, director of government contracting and an international captain for Phoenix Air Group Charlie Precourt, NASA astronaut, former F-15 test pilot and instructor chairman of the Citation Jet Pilots Association's Safety Committee Rickey Smith, chief pilot at Phoenix Air Group Tom Turner, CFII and Executive Director for the American Bonanza Society's Air Safety Foundation