Sedona is a great destination to really remind us why we love to fly. The airport can be a bit tricky with high temperatures and funky winds. The runway 21/3 has a 2% grade which at 5000 ft doesn't make planning any easier. With calm winds or light tailwind landing 3 is the best and take off 21. They have a nice LNAV+V RNAV approach into 3 which really helps to get stabilized on final. Regardless of the day this airport is very rewarding, with a great fuel price if you land before 2 pm on a Saturday. Make sure you run the numbers very closely and then fly them just as close.
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It sure felt real, but I was in a Level D simulator at Boeing’s Training Center in Renton, Washington, just outside Seattle. My training partner, Edwin Sahakian, a Cessna Citation Mustang owner-pilot who is a friend and client of mine, had wanted to train for a Boeing 747-400 type rating for quite some time. I was honored when he asked me to join him. It turns out that I’m not the only crazy pilot out there who has dreamt of flying a 747. We were able to find a couple of open weeks in our calendars that matched up and we scheduled the course.
After countless hours of studying the manuals, going through a web-based training course, and reading anything that we could get our hands on, we showed up at Boeing to start ground school. I now have just shy of 4,000 hours of flying time and I was one of the least experienced students in the gargantuan building. The biggest airplane that my training partner was type rated in was his Citation Mustang, which has a Maximum Ramp Weight of precisely 1% of that of the big Boeing. This was going to be quite a nut to crack for the two of us. Luckily, we had some of the best instructors in the world, including Mike Miller, who has 22 years of experience as an instructor at Boeing as well as previous military flying career, and Dominick Ruscitti, who was a Line Check Airman at United Airlines on the Boeing 747-400, among other types.
I may never fly a real 747, but in the course of my work helping people buying, selling, and learning to fly jets, I do fly single-pilot jets frequently, so as we went through the course, I took mental note of lessons that I was learning which could be applied to my regular flying. Here are some of the specific techniques and procedures that I intend to incorporate into my flying practices:
Checklist Execution
As we go through our flight training and flying careers, we all learn how important checklists are, but are we really using checklists in the most effective way? At most airlines, critical checklists like before takeoff and before landing are done by the “Challenge and Response” method. This means that one pilot reads a “Challenge”, or item to be checked, and the other pilot verifies that the item has been completed and says a “Response”.
Flying single-pilot, we don’t have the luxury of a second pilot, so we have to figure out a way to gain the same benefit working alone. Reading the checklist aloud is a good first step, but physically touching critical flight controls prior to reading the appropriate responses can force the brain to think in a way beyond just language and may help catch items not-yet-accomplished, similarly to what a copilot might do. For example, on the before landing checklist, if a challenge reads “Landing Gear”, touching the landing gear selector and pointing to the three green indication before saying the response “Down, 3 green”, will likely improve the chances of the item actually being checked.
Dealing with In-Flight Emergencies
When an abnormality is encountered in a two-pilot operation, the pilot flying usually takes over air traffic control communication, allowing the other pilot to focus on reading and accomplishing the appropriate abnormal or emergency checklist. In a single-pilot operation, we must use the autopilot effectively as our “pilot flying”, as we deal with the problem. In addition to engaging the autopilot initially, it is important to check the flight mode annunciator, attitude, airspeed, altitude, and direction of the airplane every few seconds. We must remember to always fly the airplane first.
I also learned the importance of going slowly to make sure that the correct checklist for the emergency is selected and flipped to after appropriate memory items are completed. Most Quick Reference Handbooks (QRHs) are bulky and complicated, so it can take some time to identify the correct checklist. These checklists should then be followed precisely, without the pilot second-guessing or trying to out-think the checklist.
It is also important to act quickly and land the airplane when the continued safety of the flight is in question. If completion of the appropriate checklist has not restored the safety of the aircraft, an immediate landing at the nearest suitable airport is critical to survival. We’ve all heard the adage “I’d rather be on the ground wishing I was in the air than be in the air wishing I was on the ground”. On the ground is the right place to investigate complicated problems, not in flight.
Rejected Takeoff and Emergency Landing
When rejecting a takeoff at a busy airport, after control of the aircraft is assured, a call on the radio should be initiated without delay. The radio call should include not only the fact that you aborted your takeoff, but also the runway that you aborted on and your present location on the runway. The control tower may know what runway you’re on, but the aircraft on final may not, and your call might help that pilot decide if he or she should immediately initiate a go-around. Especially at night or in poor visibility conditions, this action could be critical to your survival.
Also, whether rejecting a takeoff or making an emergency landing, if there is any possibility that you may need emergency vehicles to come to the aircraft, do not exit the runway. It is much easier for emergency vehicles to reach an aircraft on a wide runway than on a narrow taxiway.
I also learned the importance of practicing emergency evacuation procedures. If it has been a while since you practiced opening your emergency exit, donning your life vest, unlatching the fire extinguisher, and grabbing your flashlight, perhaps doing so before your next preflight might be a good idea.
One last very important lesson learned: If you’re going to learn to fly a Boeing, do it with a good pilot and friend, like my friend Edwin.
The course was a great learning experience and great fun, and in the end, both Edwin and I walked away with five new characters on our pilot certificates “B-747-4”; the Boeing 747-400 type rating.
On December 31, 2010 at about 8:00 AM, we departed Ft. Lauderdale for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After stopping in Bangor, Maine, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon, France (which is a group of small islands near Newfoundland, Canada), we arrived for a night halt in Santa Maria, Azores, Portugal at 11:45 PM local, 15 minutes before they rang in the New Year on these islands about 700 miles west of Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean. Over the next 10 days, we delivered the airplane to Saudi Arabia and made training flights to Morocco, Malta, Greece, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Dubai.
I can now really attest to the amazing capabilities of this very sexy jet. The world is very small at 450 knots. For example, Casablanca, Morocco to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is 2,880 nautical miles straight line, but with routings around relatively unfriendly airspace (like Libya and Israel), this quickly becomes a 3,100+ nautical mile flight. With only one stop, we made this trip in a total of eight hours (including refueling time), and it was very easy and comfortable.
The airplane climbs directly to FL450 with ease. Cruising at that altitude, you really can see the curvature of the Earth. Well above the all of the weather and in smooth air with a cabin altitude of only 6,600 feet, the flight is very comfortable. All of the amenities (useable lavatory, sink, cold drink drawer, hot water, etc.) make the passengers and crew very happy.
The airplane I flew was very well equipped. Some of the more important options for this kind of international flying include HF with SELCAL and Satphone. These "big airplane toys" options are very nicely integrated into the Phenom cockpit and make communication with air traffic control, handlers, etc. a breeze. I also got to make some calls back home to my fiance from 45,000 feet over the middle east, which means I can probably still marry her even though I was having all this fun without her.
It was a great adventure.
-Ben
