Air transat

[dirk82]

A few days ago I watched transat bounce a 310 off the runway like a flying club 150, odd to see a jet that big bounce so hard. I met the pilots shortly after and they both didnt look a day over 30. Is this the norm for transat? I don't know much about the company or its ops.

[Nark]

Wouldn't it be nice if you could say the same thing about Flight Attendants.

"I thought the FA's were supposed to look a day over 30"

And on a more serious note: I guess you've never been in a plane that bounced with a grizzled-grey-haired vet pranging it on.

[CID]

Are you suggesting that if a person is perfectly qualified that they shouldn't get the job because they don't have grey hair? Or that everyone doesn't have a crappy landing once in awhile regardless of their hair colour?

[Caracrane]

A 1900 driver from the east coast would have never done that

[Slappy the Squirrel]

Interestingly enough, grey hair and good landings have pretty much no correlation whatsoever! None that I've heard of anyway...

Passengers are often comforted knowing that there is an old-timer up front to keep an eye on the kid that is with them, and I can understand where that comes from. However, I've had the experience of flying with some old farts who I would never trust to take my eye off of for a second. It makes me laugh because passengers get on and say "Thank God ol' skipper is up there, we'll get home safely today". If they only knew.......... haha!

Also, judging pilot ability based on a single landing is not exactly accurate. Everyone out there gets bit every now and again, regardless of ability or experience.

[dirk82]

I know everyone has bad landings, my comments were more based on crew age. I would assume you needed a lot of time in to left seat a 310. I get that grey hair old boys can be lousy pilots too but grey hair also comes with years of flying. At 30 you don't have tons of experiance. Even if you popped out of flight school at 19.

[Go Juice]

You have to grease it once a month. The rest of the time you can smash it down bitches!!!

[Nark]

I know everyone has bad landings, my comments were more based on crew age. I would assume you needed a lot of time in to left seat a 310. I get that grey hair old boys can be lousy pilots too but grey hair also comes with years of flying. At 30 you don't have tons of experiance. Even if you popped out of flight school at 19.

I'm almost 30, and flew circles around my sim partner who failed at the end.
He was 55 and had grey hair. Age has nothing to do with experience.

[Caracrane]

Was it because he had to do both PF and PNF duties cause the other partner wasn't there

[sky Rookie]

Is french mandatory for transat still? what are new f/o required to have/ what do they actually have?

[Chuck Yeagermister]

I find this kind of post ridiculous. First you make a stupid comment about a landing and compare it to c-150, then you demean the pilots on a public forum for looking Young! If you are a pilot, why are you contributing to these forums with crap like this. If you are a pilot I`m sure you can probably think about various reasons on how a bad landing could happen. But to call out ppl on here for something like that is pretty low, and only reflects badly on yourself. Not everybody in this country gets to fly a widebody in there career, and kudos to him for making that at a young looking age as you say. Jealous much?

[1&2SpooledUp]

There goes 5 minutes of my life I'll never get back reading this post. This is the reason why I frequent this site less and less lately.

If you look back over the years there have been a lot of grey haired pilots that have flown planes into the side of hills or off the end of runways and so on. We are all human no matter how much experience we have and whether it be a c150 or 747, they can all bite us in the ass when we least expect it. Dirk82, Some guys fast track to the Airlines and some guys take their time. Its not uncommon to have someone in their 30's in the left seat. I'll save the story about my worst landing for another time

Fly safe guys!!!
1&2

[superconnie]

Wouldn't it be nice if you could say the same thing about Flight Attendants.

"I thought the FA's were supposed to look a day over 30"

And on a more serious note: I guess you've never been in a plane that bounced with a grizzled-grey-haired vet pranging it on.

I'm sorry but you clearly have not seen the fas at transat hired over the last 5 years. They are all under the age of 24.

[Panama Jack]

I don't work at AT but I am a "few" days over age 30.

I try to bounce my jet from time to time just to keep current in this landing technique. Yes, it is always intentional.

[cncpc]

I don't work at AT but I am a "few" days over age 30.

I try to bounce my jet from time to time just to keep current in this landing technique. Yes, it is always intentional.

Yes, currency is very important when executing this manouevre.

[loopa]

A few days ago I watched transat bounce a 310 off the runway like a flying club 150, odd to see a jet that big bounce so hard. I met the pilots shortly after and they both didnt look a day over 30. It surprised me a bit, normally you have grey hair experiance in the left and salt and pepper in the right not 2 kids fresh off a 1900. Is this the norm for transat? I don't know much about the company or its ops.

Sometimes a pilot lands hard on purpose. One of many reason - iced up brakes.

[old_man]

Problem solved:





"Now it looks like I have the experience to grease that landing but still have the energy to stay awake in the cockpit"

[dirk82]

Sure get torn apart on here in a hurry. K I'll try and explain my point.

1. I've never seen a jet, mid or heavy hit that hard before. Every one slams it down hard now and again. This was his day I guess. But again I have never seen a jet hit that hard, new to the business so I don't see these things everyday.

2. I have never seen a captain that young flying anything that big, great for him getting there at a young age. I'm sure there's tons of 30yr olds out there that can out fly grey captains all day long. I just assumed you needed a lot more minimuim time to left seat an airbus. Back to being new to the business and you don't see a 30yr old left seat in a 310 often.

All I was looking for was a "transat hires lots of young guys who can fly" or "transat hires the cheapest Pilots they can find" I was more curious about who transat was and there reputation around the industry. Didn't mean to get some of you all puffy chested looking for your forum beating sticks.

[loopa]

new to the business so I don't see these things everyday.

I think it's just the tone of the way it was written. It came off as a hot-shot who thinks he knows better about landing an a310 probably bitter that he didn't get on at AT and is jealous of the younger generation getting on. LOL, sounds like an insane interpretation doesn't it? But that's to the extent interpretation on these boards go, and then it's just a piss match. Every one wants to show their action men.

It's all good dude!

[snoopy]

Welcome to aviation - where sometimes old men fly small planes, sometimes young men fly big planes... and sometimes the "men" are women...

Cheers,
Kirsten B.

[jetpilot]

Just for your info's you kid's The A310 is one of the Hardest Jet to land period, it as a natural tendency of landing hard, the 4 bogey touch in the same time is one of them, and of course it as absolutely no lift in the flair ( short wings ) , The A310 is a great plane, you feel like flying sit on a rocket, but you pay big time in the landing

just for comparison

I did fly The B737 for about 7000hrs , this is the easiest jet to land it as a natural way of landing and it is so forgiving.

The B727 i did fly for 2000 hrs was much much harder a push pull landing technique, but again again nothing like the A310.

I know fly the A330, the best aircraft i fly in my career , a Joy to land so easy in cross winds , i just greese that bitch in LGW with 40kts at 90 degrees.
i work hard but it was easy.


None of you little men flying B1900 and feel like you are king's can judge a pilot flying an A310's it's a bitch to fly , and if you can made to it ( and many of you won't you a them good pilot. don't judge other pilots and if you do at least know what you talking about.


ps: yes i do have grey hair, but i am ready to take anyone of you young kid's in the sim at anytime

[ea306]

Loved flying the mighty A310. Was over ten years ago and yeah...I was a captain on the thing in my mid to late thirties. She climbs like a rocket and when you do land hard...you feel it ....she has stiff legs!

Miss the old bird and can tell you that any B1900 can learn to fly it....but it will be a mighty steep learning curve. I can promise you, you will most definitely have some firm arrivals as you learn the aircraft.

As for bouncing: I have seen just about every type out there do a bounce from time to time. Low level windshear while entering the flair can undo the best flown approach and set you up for a bounce, especially as you may well have the thrust up to soften the touch down. The important thing is to maintain a correct body angle to avoid a tail strike and then you just chalk it up to just that....better landings next time.

[hst]

Troll alert but here goes anyway. Jetpilot....There are many ways to enlighten and educate those unfamiliar with flying (big) aircraft. If in fact you are who you propose to be, and maybe ESL comes into play here but your post comes off as arrogant and belittling. Not really contributing anything of significance to Dirk82's observation.
I haven't flown the 310 but of all the people I know who have (Wardair and Delta guys) not one of them ever complained it be a difficult bird to land. Be that as it may there are times when you get it wrong (up to and in the flare, energy wise). One thing I can tell you is that the guys up front will have learned from this and be better pilots for it. Btw, It has been my experience that size and stability go hand in hand and the bigger the aircraft the easier it is to land.

[c185]

CUCK, IS THAT YOU?

http://www.chickenwingscomics.com/?p=546

[Hawkerflyer]

None of you little men flying B1900 and feel like you are king's can judge a pilot flying an A310's it's a bitch to fly , and if you can made to it ( and many of you won't you a them good pilot. don't judge other pilots and if you do at least know what you talking about.

Big man is in da house people! He fly's a 330! As for the rest of the post...what? :