capnaux.com 777 #Airline #pilot by day-writer by night-kid by choice! Novelist (goo.gl/yVHJV); Columnist for @AirwaysMagazine
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Articles by Eric Auxier
Air India 171 Preliminary Accident Report — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Air India 171 Preliminary Accident Report Ladies and Gentlemen, another difficult post. The world just received a PRELIMINARY report from India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau regarding Air India 171. Note: All photos in this post are screenshots from the official preliminary report; any highlights are from me.
Understanding Air India 171 — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Understanding Air India 171 Folks, what a sad week in aviation history. Another tragic, deadly accident, this time Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787 just taking off form Ahmedabad Airport, India. I’ve been getting so many questions over on our Cap’n Aux Quora page, that I thought I’d better address a few issues here.
What it Takes to Become a Pilot — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
What it Takes to Become a Pilot What does it take to become a pilot?
Quora Quorner Catch Up! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Folks, from the Flight Blog, this is Cap’n Aux speaking… Lately, I’ve been spending quite a lot of time answering your questions over on our sister site at Quora.com.
Recent Tragedies in US Airspace — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Recent Tragedies in US Airspace Well, Folks, it’s been a tough week in aviation. Not only one, but two, high profile aviation accidents has caught the world’s attention. This, after 15 years of nonfatal airline accidents in the United States. Today, I shall briefly address a few factors which may have contributed to each tragedy. Disclaimer As always, in no way do I intend to finger point, armchair quarterback, or even draw final conclusions.
Podcasting with the NonRev Lounge Team! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Podcasting with the NonRev Lounge Team! Folks from the Flight Podcast, this is Cap’n Aux broadcasting! Come in, Radio Tokyo!! I do hope you enjoyed our last post, A Passage to Tokyo! Now, sit back, relax, and have a few guffaws with the ever-fun crew of the Non-Rev Lounge podcast! We chat about everything from life in the sky, some harrowing close shaves, and a few other crazy tales from my past as well! Bonus feature: My wife, Team Aux Producer and Flight Attendant Bunny, joins us to share...
A Passage to Tokyo — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
A Bucket list Dream Fulfilled! Folks, from the Flight Blog, welcome aboard our 14-hour flight from New York’s JFK Airport to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport! Allow me to let you in on a little secret: I’ve longed to say those words over the PA ever since I got into this business! Yes, flying my beloved 777 to Japan has been a dream of mine since I took Japanese language lessons in college! In fact, after graduation way back in ’86, I backpacked through Japan for 2 months! Actually, my very first...
Aviation Incidents in Today's News! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Aviation Incidents in Today’s News! Folks, from the Flight Blog, this is Cap’n Aux checking in with you. Lately, we’ve had a spate of aviation stories garnering a lotta headlines. So, I thought I’d briefly muse over some of the issues raised by these stories. Throughout this post, I will do my best to approach these stories from a perspective of safety, clarifying any possible misnomers, and analyzing how to mitigate future issues.
Quora Question Quorner Update! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Quora Question Quorner Update! Folks, from the Flight Blog, this is Cap’n Aux speaking. While we haven’t been super active on the blog of late, we’ve been seeing plenty of action over on my Quora page, where I answer all your aviation questions. With that in mind, I figured an update of the “Best of the Best” Quora Questions was in order.
An Exaltation of Blog Buddies! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
An Exaltation of Blog Buddies! Folks, from the Flight Blog, this is Cap’n Aux speaking. I’ve long said that the best part of writing this here aviation blog is meeting YOU! And, every once in awhile, we need to hit the Pause button and do just that—celebrate you and our other fellow Blog Buddies! Lately, there’s been a plethora of Blog Buddies in our personal news feed—achievements, adventures, and, sadly, tragedies. So, I thought we’d catch up… Unfortunately, we must start on a sad note.
Flight For Justice! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
It’s out!!! Your wait is over, folks! The latest installment in pilot-author Karlene Petitt’s “Flight For” series! And, boy, is it a doozie! I had the great good fortune of receiving an advanced copy of Karlene’s latest novel, and following is a review I wrote for her. An excerpt from this review appears in her novel. As a pilot with 40 years in the airline industry, I’ve seen some serious changes—some good, some bad.
Aviation Medical Certificate: Revoked! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Folks, from the Flight Blog, this is Cap’n Aux speaking. Recently, for the first time ever, I had my Aviation Medical Certificate revoked! I know what you’re thinking: “But, Cap’n Aux! You were BORN with a 777 Type rating and a lifetime Medical certificate!” Oh, if that would be true! So. What exactly is an Aviation Medical Certificate, anyway? Any solo flight student knows that, to legally fly an airplane, you need two things: A pilot’s license, and An Aviation Medical certificate.
Merry Christmas! WOTR Video Encore Performance! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Folks, from the Flight Blog, this is Cap’n Aux speaking, with a special quick shout out during this special holiday season. Please enjoy a throwback to one of Team Aux’s most beloved videos: our “Word on the Ramp, Special ‘Trekkie’ Christmas Edition!” Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, and … May your New Year be full of Fantabulous aerial adventures! DON’T PANIC!!! Still missing last minute gifts? My aviation books will never fail ya! Click the Panic Button Below:
LEOs and FAMs and FFDOs oh my! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
LEOs FAMs and FFDOs, oh my! LEOs FAMs and FFDOs, oh my! In this post-9/11 world, where terrorist groups around the world—some state-sponsored—actively attack innocent civilians, extra precautions must be taken to ensure safety and security in the skies over the United States. Enter LEOs, FAMs, and FFDOs. DISCLAIMER: ALL information shared in this blog post are from open sources and common knowledge; NO “proprietary” information that could compromise aviation safety will be shared.
A Passage to Sydney — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Ladies and gentlemen, from the Flight Blog, this is Cap’n Aux speaking. Welcome aboard our nonstop, direct service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Sydney, Australia (SYD)! Today, you’ll be flying on a Boeing 777-300, the largest plane in our fleet.
Chasing the Dream: How to Fly on the Cheap! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Chasing the Dream: How to Fly on the Cheap! All your life, you’ve dreamed of flying. You look skyward at every airplane sound. You scour YouTube in search of more flying videos. You can tell a Pilatus from a Gulfstream from a Boeing from 5 miles below. You live, breathe, eat aviation. There’s just one catch: In your country, one hour of flight training costs more than your monthly rent. Or, worse, your draconian government simply bans flying. What’s a wannabe aviator to do?
OSHkosh Quick Turn! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Folks, from the Flight Blog, Cap’n Aux checkin’ in. We in the airline biz have a phrase: Quick Turn. That’s when you fly your plane to Point B, dump your passengers off, grab new ones, and fly back to Point A.
Oshkosh 23—Our Cap’n on the Tarmac! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Folks, from the flight blog, it’s Cap’n Aux here.
Fly Fight Win! Going Mach with an F-16 Fighter Pilot — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Gino will now go to the advanced technical school of his choice, RF Transmission, where he will learn how to set up, operate and repair all that top secret stuff the Air Force uses to communicate! CA: Your mom calls you a “Top Gun.” What’s that mean for an Air Force Airman?
Changing Bases — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Howdy folks, from the Flight Blog, welcome aboard! What’s that mean, you ask? Well, let me explain! As we’ve discussed in the past, pilots often live and work in two different places. For example, a pilot may live in Denver, but be “based” in Chicago. That means that s/he must “commute” (travel as a passenger) to/from Denver–Chicago to start or end their scheduled trip. As for me, for the past year and a half, since I’ve been on the 777, I’ve been based in Dallas.
Nose Gear Collapse! And other Crazy Stuff — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Folks, from the Flight Blog, welcome aboard! Well, this week is full of crazy stuff in the air, which I’ll share off the bat.
Sitting the Dream! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Sitting around my DFW crash pad this week while on Reserve, waiting for that call to fly to some exotic port unknown, I got to thinking: The life of an airline pilot involves a LOT of… In this post, we’ll briefly explore the exciting world of airline pilot…sitting! We in the pilot biz have a bit of a standing joke. When asked, “How’s it going?” the standard reply is, “Living the dream!” Of course, this is a somewhat facetious, if downright cynical, reply to our life in the skies.
This is Your Captain Speaking — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Airline pilot by day—Writer by night—Kid by choice! WELCOME ABOARD! I'm a Boeing 777 captain for a major US airline. I may have over 24,000 hours in the cockpit, but I am still madly in love with flying! Through this blog, I share with you the magic, the joy, and the travails that is the airline pilot career. Life's an adventure—life in the sky, exponentially so! CHECK OUT MY BOOKS! (Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via book links below).
Cap’n Dillon’s P-51 Adventure! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Submitted by Blog Buddy Jim R. This just in: US pilot shot down four Soviet MiGs in 30 minutes – and kept it a secret for 50 years! Seoul, South Korea CNN — none Royce Williams was a real-life “Top Gun” 10 years before Tom Cruise was even born. On a cold November day in 1952, Williams shot down four Soviet fighter jets – and became a legend no one would hear about for more than 50 years.
Triple 7 2023! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Airline pilot by day—Writer by night—Kid by choice! WELCOME ABOARD! I'm a Boeing 777 captain for a major US airline. I may have over 24,000 hours in the cockpit, but I am still madly in love with flying! Through this blog, I share with you the magic, the joy, and the travails that is the airline pilot career. Life's an adventure—life in the sky, exponentially so! CHECK OUT MY BOOKS! (Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via book links below).
Happy Airline Christmas! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
This Holiday season found me in our annual Recurrent ground and simulator skool, wherein we get a refresher on all airline systems, procedures, emergencies, and so forth. Can you believe it? It’s been a year since I started flying the Boeing 777! No pity parties please, however. I deliberately “bid” for this particular schedule, as it butts right up against Christmas eve.
Flight Times International Version — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Last time, we explored my traditional “FLT TMS” Flight Information sheet, which for 3 decades in the sky helped keep me aloft, on track, and legal. This week, we check out my “new-improved, radical makeover” International version! Yep, over on the International side of things, I’ve had to not only “evolve,” but completely revamp my note page for the task at hand. My Preflight Checklist is now in the upper right corner. Again, this becomes the most critical section of my notepad.
Me and My Flight Times — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
I recently came across a fun article entitled, Me and My Sharpie, by Ask the Pilot author, Captain Patrick Smith (https://askthepilot.com/me-and-my-sharpie/) He talked about his ever-present doodle notepad that accompanies him on all flights. With it, he scribbles down—with a red Sharpie—the numbers and such that help keep him flying straight… Well, I can tell you, we ALL do that, to some varying degree. Some simply write down the Flight Number and are done with it.
aNATomy of a Stall — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
You’ve heard the term. You have a vague idea of what it is. But, do you? Why? you wonder. Just cuz the motor conked out? Eh, no. That’s not what a “stall” is in an airplane. It’s widely assumed that a wing will stall only at low airspeeds. However, a plane can stall at any angle or speed. It’s simply a matter of reaching that critical AOA.
aNATomy of a Polar Flight — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Since gobs of us on Planet Earth live mostly in the Northern Hemisphere, it sometimes makes sense to fly Over to Point B, rather than Around to Point B.
Podcast Interview w/the How To Hobby Team! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Airline pilot by day—Writer by night—Kid by choice! WELCOME ABOARD! I'm a Boeing 777 captain for a major US airline. I may have over 24,000 hours in the cockpit, but I am still madly in love with flying! Through this blog, I share with you the magic, the joy, and the travails that is the airline pilot career. Life's an adventure—life in the sky, exponentially so! CHECK OUT MY BOOKS! (Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via book links below).
9/11 In Memoriam 2022 — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Airline pilot by day—Writer by night—Kid by choice! WELCOME ABOARD! I'm a Boeing 777 captain for a major US airline. I may have over 24,000 hours in the cockpit, but I am still madly in love with flying! Through this blog, I share with you the magic, the joy, and the travails that is the airline pilot career. Life's an adventure—life in the sky, exponentially so! CHECK OUT MY BOOKS! (Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via book links below).
Coast Out to Coast In — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
In our last post, while in Flight Ops, we prepped for our Atlantic transoceanic flight from JFK (New York) to LHR (London). Now, it’s time to make the donuts! After liftoff from JFK, we crossed a swath of eastern Canada, and approached the Atlantic coast somewhere in the vicinity of Gander. Before we can go “feet wet” over the Atlantic, however, we still need one last crucial piece of paperwork: the Oceanic Clearance.
aNATomy of a NAT Flight — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
August 19th is official National Aviation Day. All weekend, there will be activities at your local airport. So, get out there and FLY!!! Since this time we’re not flying all the way to, say, Delhi, but we’re simply hopping over “The Pond” (as we like to call the mighty Atlantic), we’ll only need a crew of three: a Captain, First Officer, and FB, or Relief FO. In fact, JFK-LHR is short enough (5-6 hours) that we could actually get away with a 2-Pilot crew.
Diverting to Alternate! Part 2 — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Waking from a dead sleep to a premature Ding!, I answered the Crew Bunk phone to some crummy news: “Captain, a passenger drank too much, and has become belligerent!” Well, sadly, this is fairly common news, especially on a flight with nearly 300 passengers. Taking over up front, FO Brian and I first had a powwow with relief pilots Stewart and Don. We all agreed that this situation was most likely caused by a combination of alcohol and medication(s)… Sadly, again, a very common issue inflight!
Diverting to Alternate! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Most often, a flight is planned with these possibilities in mind, based on the actual forecast.
A Passage to India Part 4 — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
This time around, I was assigned to be the Primary Captain—that is, I’ll be calling all the shots, and doing the takeoffs and landings—along with my trusty sidekick, our Primary FO. Also on our team this time: FB Don and Relief Captain Stuart. I refrained from mentioning the name of my trusty FO-to-be, because I don’t know who it will be. Why?
A Passage to India Part 3 — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
As mentioned, due to the even longer flight home, we had only minutes to spare to get to the runway and take off before our “drop dead” time expired. As luck would have it, one of our required oxygen bottles was low, and there was a question as to whether the replacement bottle was authorized for our plane.
A Passage to India Part 2 — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
For this flight, each team—Captain and FO, and Relief Captain (me) and FB—took 3.5 hour shifts. Within a half hour after takeoff, FB Mike and I took the first break. When we came back for our shift, we were most of the way across the Atlantic (see my posts about ETOPS and NATracks), and flew through much of Europe. Next shift, Captain Dave and FO Mark flew from Eastern Europe through Turkey and much of the Middle East. This set Mike and I up to do the final stretch over the Himalayas.
A Passage to India Part 1 — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
As you can see, our aerial pièce de résistance comes with quite a few challenges. However, given the amazing depth of experience that I’ve found with every single 777 pilot I’ve flown with, I know that our team will be able to complete this mission safely. I’m happy to be the Relief Captain (RC) on this first flight, which will help me to get my “sea legs” for the trip. And, I’ll be even more eager to fly as Captain on the next one.
My Quorum Q&A Favs! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Your Quorum questions are still flooding in (at the moment I have nearly 50 requests!), but of the one’s I’ve answered, there’s been several that have stood out. Why? Well, my criteria for these “best of” answers have been: You’ll love it here on the blog; I was quite satisfied with my answer; It hits a profound point that we can all benefit from. So, without further ado…
A Quora Aviation Q&A Quorum! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
I won’t be answering all of these questions, just the ones I think you’ll be interested in here on the blog—and, of course, only the ones the answers to which I know! This blog post will be a sampling of some of those over on Quora, so scroll through and enjoy the answers.
A Month in the Life of Cap'n Aux — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Folks, in the past several posts, we’ve been talking about a pilot’s schedule. How trips are assigned and flown, how reserve works, and how a commuting pilot deals with the schedule s/he’s dealt. In this post, we’ll put it all together by looking into an airline pilot’s typical monthly schedule. We’ll do this by taking a look at mine.
Life as a Reserve Commuter Pilot — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
(Above: due to often high load factors lately, I’m frequently stuck in the jumpseat going to/from work. But, it’s the closest thing to a “guaranteed” seat I can get!) What’s more, with the electronic online tools we have, I can keep close tabs on who’s being called for what, and therefore assess my chances of call out, and plan accordingly. In fact, if I see that I’m at or near the top of the list to be called out, I can even put in my bid preferences for what to fly.
Southwest Flight 1380: Anatomy of an Inflight Emergency
DALLAS – Southwest Airlines (WN) Flight 1380 was a Boeing 737-7H4 that experienced a contained engine failure in the left CFM56-7B engine. A passenger in the window seat, Jennifer Riordan, was fatally injured. It would be the first death on a U.S. airline flight since 2009. The incident took place after WN1380 departed from New York–LaGuardia Airport (LGA) en route to Dallas Love Field (DAL) on April 17, 2018.
Life as a Reserve Pilot — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Life as a Reserve Pilot. Unlike pilots who "hold a line" (schedule), Reserve Pilots have no schedule. They wait for the phone to ring.
Aviation Acronym Extravaganza Part 2! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Aviation Acronym Extravaganza Part 2! Cap'n Aux continues our exploration of Aviation acronyms by hitting the Airbus side of things!
Aviation Acronym Extravaganza! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Aviation Acronym Extravaganza! Ladies and gents, from the Flight Blog, this is Cap'n Aux speaking. By mucho popular demand, today we'll explore
Glenn L Martin Aviation Museum—Wow! — Adventures of Cap'n Aux
Glenn L Martin Aviation Museum-Wow! Cap'n Aux explores one fantastic aviation history museum, which includes Pan Am memorabilia. Join him!
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