FLYING FOR AIR NEW ZEALAND - Part four by Arthur Gatland
We finally come to the last aircraft type that Arthur flew for Air New Zealand. The B787. However Arthur also flies for pleasure outside of work and we will see his story about that later this week.
At this point, Arthur is at the top of seniority list and is also working as an Instructor.
The B787 is still new in the minds of many of us and it is certainly a different aircraft to what we are accustomed to, so Arthur’s notes about this aircraft are quite interesting. Enjoy the read.
Boeing 787-9:
As with the B777 introduction, a small number of pilots went to Seattle to undergo the Boeing B787 type rating, then developed our in-house course. I completed the Air NZ course in January 2014, and for the next 6 months I continued to operate the Boeing B777 while delivering some training on the B787 as well.
The first B787 arrived and started operations in July 2014 and was immediately loved by pilots and crew alike. It flew faster, higher, quieter and more economically than previous types (as you would expect with a new type.)
AIR NEW ZEALAND BOEING 787-9 Day One for Arthur on the new aircraft
The B777 is a very good aircraft from a pilot’s perspective, and Boeing has kept the good features from that aircraft and added several refinements for the B787.
One of these is the HUD (head-up display), which shows all the pilots’ flight instruments on a reflective screen that is directly in the pilot’s line of sight when looking ahead, for example on take-off and landing. We have found that pilots can fly far more accurately with the larger display compared with the smaller flight instruments displayed on a normal head-down panel.
It is incredible that I first used a HUD on the Harrier in 1972, but it was another 42 years before I used a HUD in airline operations.
To be fair, the HUD has a huge advantage in low-level military flying, because when flying at 450 knots at 200ft above the trees, you MUST keep looking outside. This is one area that the HUD is invaluable.
There was obviously debate within airline circles as to the cost-benefit of a HUD – what does it achieve in terms of revenue? The answer is possibly fewer missed approaches because of weather, which cost fuel and delay costs, but of course there are safety benefits because of greater flying accuracy.
BOEING B787 DREAMLINER HUD
Climbing through 20,700ft on the way to 41,000ft, speed 303 knots.
For my line training, I was paired with another Captain for 6 sectors with a Boeing Trainer who was very knowledgeable and an excellent instructor (a contrast from the B777 line training experience.) We had a very enjoyable training experience and certainly felt at home in the B787 very quickly.
The Boeing pilot was a light aircraft pilot in his spare time but had never flown a glider. I invited him to Drury for a glider flight in the Club’s ASK-21 two-seater. After a detailed briefing, I put him in the front seat for an aerotow launch behind our Piper Pawnee 250HP towplane, and away we went. He flew the entire take-off and aerotow unassisted (although my hand was hovering very close to the stick in case I needed to take over.) In fact, after 30 minutes of local flying including thermalling, he followed my instructions well and flew the approach and landing unaided as well. Impressive.
On an early B787 Auckland to Sydney passenger flight, the Sydney area was surrounded by a few strong cumulonimbus thunderstorm clouds, and the airport was closed because of likely lightning strikes. We circled nearby at 20,000 feet for 20 minutes to see if the storms might clear, but we then decided to divert to Melbourne, along with 4 other aircraft. It was now 9pm, and Air NZ Operations decided that rather than wait to return to Sydney, we would simply fly back to Auckland.
We loaded the normal fuel required for this sector, but I decided that once airborne we would fly home at high speed, with no objections from the rest of the crew. Instead of Mach 0.845 we came back at Mach 0.88, which is of course unusually fast for an airliner. It did start eating into our “contingency fuel” reserves slightly, so I reduced speed to M 0.87. It was very smooth and quiet, and only 3hours, 15 minutes gate-to-gate from Melbourne to Auckland. We were really impressed with our new toy!
Flight simulator fun exercises:
Often during Boeing B777 or B787 flight simulator initial training or recency training and check flights (every 6 months), there is some spare time to practice extra exercises that a trainee might request, or that the Flight Simulator Instructor (FSI) suggests. I have a short list of fun activities that are always popular, often something a pilot has not seen before and that always gives pilots superb handling practice and demonstrate some aspect of the aircraft’s “flight envelope” that they have not seen before. These include:
High-speed approach: Demonstrate how a B787 can be flying at 300 knots at 3000 feet, just 10 nm (19km) from landing on a straight-in approach, but slow down to be on approach speed, with landing gear down and landing flap in place, by 1000ft. This can also be done in the B777 and B767.
Double-engine failure after takeoff: At 2000 feet after take-off, it is possible to turn around, and carry out a glide approach to land in the opposite direction on the runway used for takeoff. (Think of “Sully” Sullenberger’s glide approach in an A320 into the Hudson River in New York, with no loss of life.)
Aerobatics: In the B787 simulator, it is easy to perform a barrel roll, and although slightly more difficult, a loop from 10,000ft and 350 knots airspeed.
Quick circuit: The aim of this exercise is to carry out a quick circuit. After applying full power, release the wheel brakes, and take-off, turn hard at low level, and land back on the same runway within 60 seconds.
Many pilots are happy to see this demonstrated, and many love to “have a go”. It teaches extreme aircraft handling skills, and how to interpret the Head-up Display (HUD) when maximum performance is required. My personal target is 53 seconds.
(Melissa here…Check out this video showing Arthur completing exactly this manoeuvre! An absolutely wild ride!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6CRmeSEUkQ
The B787 HUD (head-up display) is a great asset when flying these manoeuvres, particularly when the angle-of-attack limit shows how hard the pilot can pull into turns (or a loop!) without approaching the stall. It is, of course, a huge asset in daily use, and enables pilots to fly very accurately, and to look outside the aircraft while flying on instruments.
After reaching the age of 65, pilots are no longer able to fly on international routes, although they may fly domestic NZ services and Regional flights to Australia and Pacific Islands. I elected to become a full-time B787 and B777 flight simulator instructor / examiner, continuing my years of instructing. It is a rewarding job – and I am still learning about flying!
I am lucky enough to still be fencing competitively, playing basketball and managing the Air NZ team, with a bit of gliding, windsurfing and golf when I have time. What a marvellous life!
Arthur Gatland
