Had an interesting commercial flight

[OLDCROWE]

Round trip Tulsa to Washington DC via American. The last leg comming home was interesting (AA 757) out of DFW for TUL, North departure, I've rode this short hop so many times you know where you are by the what the planes doing. On departure, normal climb out then a rapid throttle back at about 8000-10000 ft (window guess) followed by a maybe a minute of nose high low thrust kind of just hanging around (kind of like SteveE looking for critters) then a series of gentile low bank turns to the West, still at low thrust. This was not any normal departure route so my flight brain says we're turning back to DFW (great) but then we settle on a West heading. Maybe a two + minutes later I see I-35 out the window, now right over Alliance (the other AA maintenance base) and I’m thinking either the crew forgot something at Cabalas’ or this can't be good. Next we get a wide left (like we're joining the downwind real high) then straighten out and throttle back some more then hear stuff cycling (I'm just in front of the wing) but not the main gear, then thrust comes back up a bit (like long enough to talk with departure) then it spools up to more thrust and we start a climbing right turn and then they really pour the coal to it and head more direct TUL than the DFW standard via McAlester. Once we get settled into the climb the crew comes on with the usual stay seated, the flight attendants will yada, yada, yada... and say and we'll continue the flight to TUL as they resolved a problem come back on with arrival info (about 10 late). So I'm guessing something wouldn't configure for fast or higher altitude flight or a gear door what? Usually the flight deck door gets opened after shut down at the gate but not this time or I would have asked the crew what the deal was.

So any of you airline folk got a clue, my AA Engineering bud that could have found out in no longer there

 

[Taledrger]

Possibly a hung flap or slat or at least the indication of one. Don't remember exactly but I think the max speed for flaps extended is about 230 Knots. A 757, lightly loaded, at that altitude and speed would feel like it was at idle. It may have been a false indication but the Flight Management Computer would default to the max flap extended speed. Once the problem was rectified or it was determined that it was a false indication they may have accelerated to 250 below 10000 ft and then to 300+ climb speed. Just guessing????
The only reason I say flap/slat is because of the sounds you heard. It could have been almost any problem as the speeds and vectoring you describe would be indicative of running an abnormal checklist. They either fixed it, or determined it was a failure that was deferrable.

 

[tempdoug]

Thats it the leading edge slats were hanging up.

 

[Ruffair]

Good assumption on it being the slats.... (transit light)

And for you Cub pilots with slats,

Remember NOT to exceed 230 Kts with slats extended...!!

 

[BradleyG]

Was there ice or snow on the runway or taxi ways at DFW? If so there may have been gear cycling to insure that there was no moisture or water to freeze on the landing gear fitting. The cycling is supposed to blow off any build up. Other than gear I would lean toward the slat LE flap transit problem. Warning light, sensor, or actual slat/flap in a down, intermediate position, or not full up. Hard to tell exactly by not being in the aircraft, especially with no PA from the cockpit. All of this is just an educated guess. (35+years of flying Boeing)

 

[OLDCROWE]

No ice, snow or moisture on the ground and it was a good bit above freezing.

I really appreciate the responses, there is sooooo much stuff that has to work properly on airliners for you to have a good day... it really makes me appreciate my cub even more!

 

[Scouter]

Kirby:

I saw something on a flight to Vegas last month I havent seen before. I sensed something of a commotion in the very back, flight attendants going back and forth. Then the lead attendant came on the PA and gruffly announced "the rear lav is out of order from this point on", then put 2 sick sacks on her hands like gloves and headed to the rear. Never did see how big the mess was, but it was funny from my seat.

Jim

 

[SteveE]

Kirby:

I saw something on a flight to Vegas last month I haven't seen before. I sensed something of a commotion in the very back, flight attendants going back and forth. Then the lead attendant came on the PA and gruffly announced "the rear lav is out of order from this point on", then put 2 sick sacks on her hands like gloves and headed to the rear. Never did see how big the mess was, but it was funny from my seat.

Jim

Anybody that has a business knows the extreme difficulty in keeping the bathroom clean.... Most of my problems come from the womens restroom,,,, its like MY GOD,,, cant you hit the pot.. I mean,, the lid is always down and sometimes it looks like a bomb exploded in there... AND they never offer to clean it up,, always leave it for someone else...... ANY of you women want to comment on WHY all the explosions.... Its like they exploded on the way to sit or something.... Go put a fresh pile of cow crap in a paper bag,, then stick a M80 in there,,, you get the idea.... Unbelievable sometimes...

 

[btracy]

I wish the would let them bring the M80 on the flight with them. They way it is they just drop the brown paper bag down the toilet and then it gets stuck in there. That's when the trash bag and shoulder length gloves come out to go fishing for it. What I want to know is how they loose there panties in there.

 

[skywagon8a]

Perhaps the plane picked up a large piece of sod on takeoff and they needed to cycle the flaps to clear it out? No wait, it could not have been. DFW has hard surface now, doesn't it?

 

[cubdriver2]

Kirby:

I saw something on a flight to Vegas last month I havent seen before. I sensed something of a commotion in the very back, flight attendants going back and forth. Then the lead attendant came on the PA and gruffly announced "the rear lav is out of order from this point on", then put 2 sick sacks on her hands like gloves and headed to the rear. Never did see how big the mess was, but it was funny from my seat.

Jim

Jim, same lady serve you dinner later on

Glenn

 

[Scudrunr]

Jim, same lady serve you dinner later on

Glenn

You must not have flown commercially lately.....

 

[aktango58]

oldcrow,

maybe the pilot realized that SteveE was a passenger, and was worried he might be arrested for transporting a Oaky cub terrorist...

or he realized that he forgot his Supercub.org calendar in the operations office and was waiting to ensure it would not be taken by someone else!

 

[Snert]

I think the pilots were trying to clear a Cessna from the slats.

 

[Ruidoso Ron]

No ice, snow or moisture on the ground and it was a good bit above freezing.

I really appreciate the responses, there is sooooo much stuff that has to work properly on airliners for you to have a good day... it really makes me appreciate my cub even more!

I was in ground school for a commuter airline, and the VP Ops came in to talk with us. When asked about the Dash 7's that the airline was operating, he said that it was the biggest mistake they had ever made. He said that a 4-engine airplane has four times the likelihood of not dispatching as a single.

 

[Taledrger]

I was in ground school for a commuter airline, and the VP Ops came in to talk with us. When asked about the Dash 7's that the airline was operating, he said that it was the biggest mistake they had ever made. He said that a 4-engine airplane has four times the likelihood of not dispatching as a single.

With 7000 hrs in Dash 7s I would respectfully disagree. Well maintained it was one of the most reliable airplanes I've ever flown. Who'd ya work for?

 

[Torch]

Sounds like you were sequenced for traffic. I give clearances to Alaska Airlines jets daily. Often times there will be altitude restrictions in the clearance to sequence for traffic and I work in Kotzebue, Alaska. I am thinking there is a bit more IFR traffic in Tulsa than in Kotzebue. But, what do I know. When the jets have an altitude restriction they obviously cut power back until they are cleared for a higher altitude. I ride on Alaska Airlines every week and I am a passenger that has seen very similar situations. That plane you were in isn't the only one up there. But you know that. My personal best guess, they were sequenced around SteveE in his Cub.

 

[mike mcs repair]

..... was the biggest mistake they had ever made. He said that a 4-engine airplane has four times the likelihood of not dispatching as a single.

huh... that's a different way to look at it, but i guess there's something there......

 

[Ruidoso Ron]

With 7000 hrs in Dash 7s I would respectfully disagree. Well maintained it was one of the most reliable airplanes I've ever flown. Who'd ya work for?

ASA. Been a long time ago. Flew the EMB110 Bandeirante, AKA the Mexican King Air. It wasn't Mexican, and it wasn't a King Air, but it was a pretty good airplane in its time. They flew the Dash 7, because of some of the short runways that they served. All RJ's now, I think.

 

[AntiCub]

Sounds like you were sequenced for traffic. I give clearances to Alaska Airlines jets daily. Often times there will be altitude restrictions in the clearance to sequence for traffic and I work in Kotzebue, Alaska. I am thinking there is a bit more IFR traffic in Tulsa than in Kotzebue. But, what do I know. When the jets have an altitude restriction they obviously cut power back until they are cleared for a higher altitude. I ride on Alaska Airlines every week and I am a passenger that has seen very similar situations. That plane you were in isn't the only one up there. But you know that. My personal best guess, they were sequenced around SteveE in his Cub.

That was my first thought too.

I had a similar experience coming out of Anchorage on the way to fairbanks on a 727 about 15 years back. There were only 24 people on board (I'd counted because the plane was so empty), so we were blasting out of there like a rocket ship. At about 8 or 10k ft the engines suddently went to idle, the nose dropped and the plane did a gliding turn back toward ANC. We spent a couple minutes like that, just gliding with the engines idled, flaps partially deployed. I was looking down at all the ice flows in Cook inlet going "Please God, just let us make land". Then suddenly, all engines to full power again and off we went to Fairbanks. No one said a word and I was afraid to ask. I still have no idea what happened.

 

[FdxLou]

huh... that's a different way to look at it, but i guess there's something there......

FredEx Smith was once quoted as saying "if I had my way we would haul packages in single engine, single pilot airplanes" He later corrected that to sat "single engine RPV's"!
Note: Fedex hasn't had 4 engine jets since the Tiger merger (1989)! When they buy NEW A/C it is a twin! (777's replacing MD-11's).

Lou

ps....Ron, Colin flew the Brasilia and RJ for ASA for 6 years before Fedex. Good job, not enough money.