FLYING FOR AIR NEW ZEALAND - Part three by Arthur Gatland
Having spent time on the F27 and B737 (Part one) and the B767 (Part two), Arthur now moves to the B777. He is now very much a senior pilot in the ranks and is a Flight Instructor on the B777.
Over to you, Arthur.
B777 introduction:
I was one of the Flight Instructors for the B777 introduction to Air New Zealand’s fleet and I completed the B777 Type Rating course at the Boeing training facility in Seattle in February 2005.
The course involved two weeks of computer modules (CBT), around six flight-training device exercises, and seven full-flight simulator details. On my last simulator flight, I asked the Boeing instructor – and a new instructor under training - to give me a double engine failure at 2,000ft so I could see if I could do a turnback and glide approach (which I used to do in the B767 simulator). The instructors gave me the failures at 5,000ft. After successful landing I asked why – they said “We have never seen anyone do this before, and we weren’t sure whether you could do it.”
Back in NZ, we tailored the Boeing course (I believe improved it) in various ways. I had built a good relationship with the Boeing Training Manager while in Seattle, and he had asked me for my comments on the training course. When we had revised the course for our own needs, I sent him a copy of our programme which he greatly appreciated, and definitely approved of what we had done.
After the Seattle course in Feb, it was a further 7 months before we took delivery of the first new B777. In the interim, we kept operating the B767, and instructed in both the B767 and B777 flight simulators. On one occasion I was rostered to do a final command check in the B767 simulator, but it was unserviceable. I said to the 2 pilots “Shall we go and fly the B777 simulator instead?” This offer was enthusiastically accepted.
To demonstrate the flight control capabilities of the new B777 compared with the B767, I had the pilots flying single-engine touch and go landings on the short Queenstown airport runway. I also flew the B777 under the “Bungee Bridge”, and then did a double-engine failed glide approach into Queenstown again. They were suitably impressed by the B777.
Our B777 line training of 6 sectors was done under the watchful eye of a Boeing line training pilot. I say “watchful” because although an experienced Boeing pilot, he had not seen an EFB (electronic flight bag) computer display before, and he had no experience in airline operations using FANS (future air navigation system) which included satellite communication messages for all air traffic control instructions, position reports etc. He spent a lot of time just watching us and asking, “What are you doing now?” Our line training went without a hitch, and within a week we were checked out and ready to start training other pilots as well as consolidating our own knowledge on the B777.
B777 inaugural service from Shanghai to Auckland
AIR NZ charity auction – B777 flight simulator ride:
In 2006 Air New Zealand ran one of its Charity Auctions, with a wide range of prizes on offer, including a Flight Simulator Experience with Richie McCaw, All Blacks Captain. This attracted a top bid of over $7,000 towards the charities. I was asked to run this simulator detail on 13 Feb 2007. Interestingly, the recipient did not want to fly the B777 flight simulator himself, just meet Richie and watch him flying it. One of the NZ RFU (rugby football union) officers came along as well. Like me, Richie is a keen glider pilot and owned a Schempp-Hirth Discus, the same type I had owned in the 1980s.
I briefed him as we went, and he did an outstanding job of flying the big aircraft. We took off from San Francisco, flew underneath Golden Gate bridge, across Alcatraz, between the skyscrapers in the CBD (I flew that part) then headed back to the airport for a landing.
The RFU official asked me a question. “We were debating in the office. Is it theoretically possible to do aerobatics in these large airliners?” We took off again, climbed to 5,000 feet, and I talked Richie through a barrel roll which he executed very well. Then I shut down both engines turning the B777 into a glider, and I talked Richie around for a perfect glider approach and landing at the airport.
The final few minutes were spent flying in and around Queenstown, like the other exercises, not something a B777 would normally do. As I have commented, my experience is that sports people who have good eye-hand co-ordination make good pilots and vice versa. Additionally, sportsmen who perform at a high level know how to follow instructions and/or have self-discipline to perform difficult tasks well.
With Richie McCaw in B777 flight simulator, Air NZ Charity Auction
“Bomb threat” in Shanghai:
Not long after this, on a Shanghai flight we were subjected to one of my two supposed bomb threats. We had started engines on our B777, and just asked to taxi clearance, but the Chinese ground controller said “NZ288 hold position due to special reason.” Followed by “Shut down engines, you will be towed to a new parking position”. I made an announcement to the passengers and crew giving minimal information, except that there would be a delay. The Cabin Director came to the flight deck and astutely guessed what was going on. He had witnessed a family dispute at the check-in counter, as a Chinese mother was trying to stop her Kiwi ex-husband leaving with their daughter, also an NZ resident, saying “Her passport expired, she has no visa” and so on. We called Air NZ Operations in Auckland via satellite phone, and they informed us that they thought there might have been a bomb threat against our aircraft.
We were towed to a remote parking spot, and negotiations between the Police, Airport Security and the Company followed. The Police wanted to evacuate the aircraft, remove all bags, and do a complete search of the aircraft and bags. Knowing the background, I asked the Police to follow up on the Cabin Director’s report.
Shortly afterwards we were advised that the bomb threat had been withdrawn. It seemed the desperate mother had resorted to any attempt to have the flight delayed, as we suspected. The Police released the aircraft, and I advised Flight Ops that on the evidence we had, I was sure it was safe to continue. Without further delay (before someone changed their mind) we got underway, after a 1½ hour delay.
Kuwait charter flight:
In June 2007 Air NZ was contracted to operate some charter flights to Kuwait, and I was lucky enough to be the captain on one such flight.
We operated from Auckland to Sydney then Darwin, where we had 2 days layover before flying Darwin to Kuwait. This was my first visit to Darwin, and it was a great experience sightseeing in the local area, viewing 5m crocodiles in their natural river environment as well as other unique wildlife.
The flight to Kuwait was uneventful, apart from having to go over 100 nautical miles off track to avoid a massive line of thunderstorms, and calling Oman Control to be told we were required to delay 13 minutes before entering their airspace! We had added extra fuel for unforeseen situations, so we had sufficient fuel to cover this delay.
After landing in Kuwait, I flew to Dubai to discuss a possible training contract with Emirates Airlines. They had a requirement for Air NZ to train pilots and issue a Boeing 777 type rating. This went ahead later.
Beijing trips:
Air NZ had been flying to China on the Boeing 777 since 2006, and I really enjoyed the new experience of visiting Beijing and Shanghai, both destinations had a lot to offer. In November 2008 I was rostered for a Beijing trip which involved an unusual 5-day layover, a great trip for partners to come too. Others on the 4-pilot crew had the same idea and as a result we had a party of 7 tourists. Apart from visiting the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace, Olympic venues and enjoying fabulous Peking Roast Duck - and of course the great shopping – possibly the highlight of the trip was the Great Wall.
Boeing 777-300 Wellington flight:
In early 2011 it was decided that Air NZ would fly a Boeing 777-300 aircraft into Wellington airport for a staff and selected public viewing day, and I was asked to operate this flight. It would be the longest aircraft ever to fly into Wellington, and although the runway was suitably long enough, some taxiways and parking would be quite tight for its long wheelbase.
There were other operational considerations, and the Air NZ Safety department carried out a risk analysis, with the help of one of the experienced flight instructors. He told me later with a laugh that when the safety officers asked what the mitigations for the operational issues would be, the narrow taxiways, the tight parking etc his tongue-in-cheek response was “Arthur Gatland”.
The flight went ahead on 9 February 2011, with no issues. We showed a large number of people through the flight deck, including the US Ambassador. On take-off we elected to use full power, providing 104,000kg of thrust to a light 182,000kg B777-300, resulting in an impressively short take-off and steep climb. The flight made the local news and prompted cartoonist Tom Scott to sketch an appropriate cartoon.
First B777-300ER landing in Wellington 9 Feb 2011
B777-300 flight into Wellington - Tom Scott cartoon
B777 steep take-off from Wellington
9 Feb 2011
B777 flights (cont’d):
Towards the end of my 10 years on the B777, we had my second “pre-flight disruption” aka supposed bomb threat.
During the turn-round on an Auckland-Melbourne-Auckland duty, as we were about to start our pre-flight checks, one of the Air NZ ground staff said casually “Everyone should leave the aircraft, we have received a bomb threat for this aircraft.”
I was training a new Captain at the time, and the two of us with the In-flight Service Director (Cabin Crew Chief) joined other staff and authorities in the Incident Room for a briefing. In attendance were Airport Security, Police, Air NZ local managers and all our crew, a total of around 30 people, with Air NZ GM Airline Operations and Air NZ Security on a conference call from Auckland.
There were no real introductions as we got down to business without delay, but one imposing figure who caught my attention was one of the Police – possibly a riot squad or bomb squad commander, in military police style uniform, toting one or maybe two probably 9mm pistols on his hips. Very John Wayne-ish.
The briefing was that a female had phoned the airport several times with a verbal bomb threat. She said she had gone to the airport to see a friend off on a Bali flight, and in the carpark she had been approached by a tall Italian-looking guy, slightly balding, wearing a leather jacket and leather boots and a cowboy-type hat, who told her he had some pencil-bombs in his pocket and he was going to fly to Auckland on NZ128.
However, there was no Bali flight that day, and other inconsistencies made us question the whole story. After some discussion, GM Airline Ops said, “It’s really up to the Captain to make a decision, so Arthur, what do you think?” I said that there were many inconsistences in her story, and I felt it was too non-specific and probably a completely spurious threat. “However, to be safe, let’s have Police with bomb sniffer-dogs at the boarding gate, and they can check the passengers for a suspicious tall Italian, leather jacketed, cowboy hat, boot wearing passenger, and if one is found take him away for secondary screening and search. The dogs can sniff all passengers as they board. In the absence of any issues, let’s get out of here.” The imposing John Wayne policeman gave me two thumbs-up, Air NZ agreed, and we departed without further incident.
By the way, on her last phone call the lady had agreed to meet “someone” to confirm all the very helpful information and receive a small gift to say thank you. Obviously, the ‘someone’ was from the Police. Needless to say, the authorities have no sense of humour when it comes to similar threats.
Medical emergencies:
I mentioned earlier that over a four-year period that I surveyed, Air NZ had more passenger medical emergencies than all other in-flight incidents combined.
I had another two passenger medical incidents in quite quick succession. On the first, we were just starting our take-off roll in a B777 on the way to Sydney, and at about 30 knots speed the “Cabin Call” chime and message appeared. It would obviously be highly unusual for any cabin crew to contact the flight deck during take-off, so I immediately closed the thrust levers and stopped the aircraft, and asked the First Officer to answer the call. A passenger has just collapsed and needed medical assistance. We taxied back to the terminal gate, where paramedics checked and removed the patient for transport to hospital. We started our pre-flight checks again, added a squirt more fuel, and resumed the flight after a one-hour delay.
Only a few weeks later we had another incident. I was training a brand-new Second Officer, and we had taken off on the way to Rarotonga. After passing 20,000 feet in our climb to 36,000ft, I got him into the right hand seat and gave him control under supervision.
We were about 400 kilometres away from Auckland, when cabin crew reported that a passenger had collapsed, and shortly after a passengering doctor reported that the patient had very low blood pressure even lying on the floor with elevated legs and was quite unresponsive. To be very clear, I asked, “Are you recommending that we return to Auckland as quickly as possible?” The answer was, “Yes, if we continue, I don’t think he will survive the flight.” That’s quite unequivocal.
I said to Dave (the Second Officer): “In terms of training, this is your lucky day! I would like you to put out a Mayday call to Air Traffic Control, turn the aircraft around, set up the navigation for a direct track to Auckland at maximum speed. We were tankering fuel, ie carrying extra fuel for the return flight. We discussed the merits of jettisoning fuel or landing above maximum landing weight (which is safe but requires engineering checks to be carried out.)
We agreed to jettison fuel while descending at high speed, and to stop when we passed 20,000 feet, regardless of what the aircraft weight happened to be at that point. As it happened, we had reached maximum landing weight by then.
We landed without delay, and an ambulance took the passenger off for transport to the nearest hospital. We managed to get airborne again in 42 minutes and continued at high speed to Rarotonga and back to try and catch up to our scheduled times, and avoid passengers missing connecting flights etc. In these situations, we don’t usually receive any follow-up about the passenger’s welfare, we just do what we can to get them to medical support and hope for the best outcome.
Part four coming on Monday!
