Quote:
Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile
Unions would protect that idiot and ensure that he went through company paid "retraining" and was back in the cockpit in three weeks.
Left to its own devices, I can think of no private sector entity that wouldn't immediately terminate that pilot, deservedly.
And BTW once you start a turbine engine, it IS always on fire!  |
POP you know better than this! This is not a "union versus non-union" issue.
Anyway, when I flew 747's for Kalitta Air, I used to tell my co-workers during my briefing that unless a section of wing was missing at speeds greater than 80 knots/90 mph, then I was going to continue the take-off and bring it back around for a landing.
Why?
The 747 typically weighs upwards of 833,000 pounds at takeoff. If you reject the takeoff at greater than 80 knots, in my experience,
you are going to have a brake fire. Even normal landings on long runways [25L at Los Angeles: 13,000 feet] resulted in brake temperatures moving up into the yellow caution range. I used to look over my right shoulder and watch the brake temps quickly rise after landing. I could feel it too- they started to get weak due to heat soak. We would land in Anchorage in 20 degree F weather and the rampers used to bring big fans up the the four main gear trucks to try to cool them down! These tires had thermal fuse plugs that would melt if the tire got too hot and blow out all the 300 psi nitrogen, flattening the tire. In 3 years at that airline I never ONCE blew a tire! All because of recognition of the problem and CAUTION.
CKS was a small company, and if we had to buy tires all the time, I'd find myself out of a job. So I was really careful- I wanted my boss to be able to pay me each month. Those wheel and brake assemblies? They cost $26,000 each, and the 747 has 14 of them.....
N!