LeeCH

I always share with others these gospel truth about flying and comparing it with video games and driving. 1. No Pause Button. 2. No Crashing allowed. 3. Cannot run out of fuel. 4. You cannot stop and pull aside. In summary, you only have one chance. And you better do it right.

Excellent shots of the A380. I kid you not for those who are not there. It looks like the A380 is a very manueverable plane for its huge size and those steep climb and turn angles. Thanks Benjamin.

Denny, The close ups of the heat waves are simply magnificent. You must be pretty steady since you were not blown away by the jet blasts. You like the smell of Jet A1? Cheers.....great stuff. We go RCSS on my next TPE trip ok?

Norman and JK, thanks for the SQ shots. I love all the shots there, not only the SQ ones. Lovely lovely....have not seen a lot of KLIA spotting trips here lately.....must be busy for all recently....I have been working very hard too.....more please if there is any. Thanks.

I generally use the same formula. (Altitude X 3) + 20 to check my descend profile. I do not reduce the 20 factor for stronger headwind but however I will add 1 mile per 10 kntos of tailwind during the descend if the wind is strong. In Japan, you get up to 150kts on your ass (so I add 15 miles). So watch you IAS so you do not hit the red barber pole as well. This is all at high speed and high altitude. Come lower I use something very simple. We called it gates. At 10,000 feet, must be 250 knots and with 40 track miles to run. At 6,000 feet, clean speed (about 210 knots) with 20 miles to run. 13-15 miles to run, start putting out flaps 1 and flaps 5. And reduce speed of course. 10 miles = 3,000 feet and at flap 5 speed. Then onwards intercept glideslope. Gear down flaps 20 @ 8 miles about 2,500 feet. Flap 30 @ 7 miles, about 2000 feet. These rule of thumb works out fine if ATC and weather is good. In this perfect world, the company will love you for saving fuel, not dragging the plane in as the plane will use almost idle power until Flap 30 is out. More often than not, you get traffic ahead to deal with, turbulent penetration speed and diversion off track and big radar vectors plus ATC levelling off requirements. Then it spoils everything. Then we have to manage it well. We always strive to do a constant decent path. ATC sometimes really suck and keeps you real high and fast. LAX and SFO is a famous place. You maintain downwind @ 7000 feet with 210 knots. Then they cut you short and give you a 8 mile final and they thrwo you a visual approach. You will see the Pilot Flying struggling to get all the drag out (flaps and gear) and descent at the same time like a pelican diving in to get a fish beneath the waters. And ATC is fast and furious, traffic is like Christmas tree on your ND display. In LAX they line up 8 aircraft on ILS finals with a 4 mile seperation. FUN! But of course a lot of smoke on the head coming out and can see I lose so much hair in my past 4 years with more whites as well. With regards to using VOR DME distance, I find it not so accurate unless you are coming in for a stright in approach. Best is to use track miles to touch down which is avail on PROGRESS page 2. Always do a mental calculation and do not trust your VNAV programmed path. Whoever says it is easy being a pilot......

Great stuff Denny. And many thanks for meeting up and showing me around Taipei. Appreciate your effort. I have now touched the Darkside (Azahan's) and also Brightside (Denny's).

TK, You never which aeroplane type.....how to pecah the lubang like that?! hehe...

Try doing a 30 X-wind with one engine inop. No Autopilot. This is where we get our pay.

You might have think I would choose SQ or MH. One is my home airline, one is paying my salary. But I choose Thai for the logo. Not the new logo, but the old logo, which is slightly angled. It displays a kind of gentle charm.....just like the Thai girls......very oriental like...mmm.....

Simply too much automation in commercial and military aviation these days. In a way it improves safety, yes. On the otherside, too much heads in and heads down in the cockpit. Potential cause of an accident. Not that I am against technology. It makes my work easier.....sometimes only. We do a lot of cross checking work to verify the computer is correct. 99% is correct. But when the 1% happens......then....oh oh... Nothing is ever more important than a good pair of eyes looking outside the window when flying. Furthermore, Boeing and Airbus do not build cockpit windows for no reason. Last but not least, the more gadgets they have, the more wires and displays in the plane. Increased chance of an electrical fire/smoke. Lethal stuff to get everyone killed. Look at Swissair MD11. Was just talking about this with the captain while crossing Pacific Ocean to LAX. in 10 hours heading oppostie driection.....

A 757 DHL crashing with a Russian plane just happened when I got accepted as a cadet into SQ. But it definitely did not stop me. Poor thing, the Russian jet was full of children on a school trip.

I asked any of the cute girls onboard during cruise on my break time "Anyone interested to go San Diego Waterworld and Zoo?". They told me "Singapore also got wat" "Yaloh, Singapore one is the best in the world you know ah". So off they went with the other F/O to Universal Studios today and I am here in the crew lounge typing away on MW forum. Fine with me, can surf the net for free.

Greetings from LAX my buddies, 4 minutes is a break? U sure? Have to get ATIS, paperwork, make passenger announcement, complete descent checklist. Thrw in some weather.......fuawah....smoke can come out from head already. Gavin, its SIN KUL SIN and again SIN KUL SIN. I got no complains, I like the fast pace and fly back to my home. Hehe...

SIN-KUL vv sector, speed is always a commander discretion. Hehe.... On a serious note, we always leave it on econ speed, which is close to 300 kts. Very fast for a short sector. Depart SIN on 02 and land in KL on 32, you will get sometimes flight time of 28 mins. KUL approach ask you to speed up, can expect even shorter. If weather is bad, we do 280kts. I am a ladies man, always concern how my crew behind will catchup. I tend to like the 280 kts concepts selected speed for climb cruise and descent. So all my SQ gfs behind will apreciate and love me. Hehe....its tough to serve drinks on a full load 777 on such short flights. In Business class even a light snack. Add in a little of weather, they all will tremble.... Forget to add, our cruise time is about 4 minutes.

The girls will usually want to go Disneyland. How about that? I get them to go and you guys pay for all our entrance fee......hehe I have already done and see all of LA except Santa Monica. Kinda getting bored of the place already. Will be good to meet up MW people. Too bad it will not be a weekend this time round. Anyway I have some studies to catch up on. Base Check coming soon.......very soon. No need to think so much. A345 is the way to go. Time to rekindle your lovely memories with SQ B744 too. 10 years already.

I say go for A345 direct to SIN. You will like it and enjoy the experience. The Executive Economy is great comfort and the cabin quietness is really something. Also you have the use of a small lounge area where they provide free flow of snacks. I know because I took a direct flight to LAX from SIN last Sept. Trust me you will enjoy it. As of me in command on SQ 030 SIN-TPE-LAX, I am actually in TPE now typing away. Departing to LAX later on tonight. Too bad I cannot be around that flight that u plan and I have no KUL flights rostered in March as well. If you need an aircraft change, you can take SIN-NRT-LAX. That will be on a B744. then you would have flown on all three a/c fleet that SQ have. flight no is SQ 012. Last but not least, go for SIA and take some Ah Moi pics for all to see. And also contribute to my coffers please.....thanks.....hehe

Its been a while since we have some live shots direct from KLIA. Good stuff Norman. Keep em' coming. Jonathan supporting Italy for World Cup?

Lovely shots of the middle east carriers. Not sure if you guys noticed or its just me. The Oman Air B737 logo on the tail fin looks like a condom to me. Oops.......pressure rising.

As a pilot these days, you can never go wrong by having an A320 family type ratingg endorsed on your CPL or ATPL license. Its the hotest property around. Everyone will be after you, just like a hot pilot pursued by hot attendents. As the A320 family is common to the new generation Airbus, changing up to the bigger Airbus fleet is also not too much of a problem. Which I can tell you why the A320 simulator in SQ training centre never stops rolling and banking with the funky emergency manuevers as it is one of the five A320 sims in the whole of Asia Pacific.

Flying Tiger 747 went down in Puchong. Not Gombak. Very near my house. It was coming in from Singapore. They descended below the minimums by reading the cleared altitude wrongly while commencing NDB approach and ATC did not catch it. This was part of our case study in Human Factos in Aviation. When ATC tell me, "Singapore 113, cleared descend to nine hundred feet". I only respond in "Recleared niner hundred feet". So where is the mistake? 1. Nine should be pronounce as niner. 2. Never use "Descent to XXX". The 'to' factor can be misinterprated as a 2, in this case making it like 2,900 feet. Very fatal. A lot of ATC controlled suprisngly still go on with this mistake and so are a lot of pilots. They do not care, but I care for my own life, and of course my passengers life and not forgetting attendents like YATI rite, Azahan?

Imran baby, Dun cry, Uncle LeeCH when come to DXB buy you Hainan Chicken from Singapore. OKOK? But you put my SQ pics first la....I also got put EK pic mah....first thing I see EK departing I thoght....this is for Imran.

MANA SQ!!

I will only be back on Saturday night from Christchurch. Will be heading on Sunday early morning. Appoinment with someone from here already. Sorry guys, otherwise I will go also. Read my 10 commandments please on my Story side.......must do things OK? To the rest who are attending, please have a great day there.

Maybe part of the money goes to financing someone's hair implants....

To make it convinient to get the latest and official updates from SQ on the A380, just point your browser to this location. No more wondering and guessing. Official SQ A380 website Lots of pictures, Ah Mois and model planes to see. Just the sutffs that MW is made of. Checkout the lucky draw contest and the prize at stake. How I wish I am not an SQ employee from 21st to 26th and in the same time to be 'The Chosen One'. No worries, I will get away round this by all means.