AlaskaAV
GONE WEST
Mission, TX
Of course all pilots and future pilots know there are some things that cannot be taken aboard a passenger aircraft for transportation for legal and safety reasons. I have to assume this holds true today even in GA aircraft like the Super Cubs. Remember, I stated legal and I am used to big iron.
The following information may have changed by now but when I wrote a completely new 135/121 airline operations manual for our airline from scratch for transportation and training of hazardous materials, I found some very interesting situations to think about.
This one started in 1969 or 1970 on an F-27A flight from Anchorage to Point Barrow. As I recall, there were 34 passengers and crew of 3.
Weather: beautiful and no turbulence even over the Brooks range.
At some point over the middle of the Brooks, the flight attendant notified the captain that many of the passengers were getting ill. She was told to keep her eye on them and to let him know if anything changed.
It didn't take long before she called again and even stated she was getting ill. Since we didn't serve inflight meals, everyone was at a complete loss. Sealed peanuts?
At some point, the captain asked for the cargo manifest. When checking what was on board, he noted an entry of a shipment going to the Arctic Research Lab at Point Barrow containing dry ice. Than he noticed the quantity: 155 pounds packed in a cardboard box.
The flight crew immediately went on oxygen, notified the flight attendant and tripped the masks in the back. He also immediately called for and was approved for an emergency descent right down on the deck. He told me later he didn't know an F-27 could drop like that. Over redline? I never asked. Once they got on the deck and slowed down, he had the first officer go back and roll up the side cargo loading door. Had that been our F-27B, it would have been an outside lifting type door instead of an internal roll up door and imposable. The first officer rolled it up about 2 foot and they flew the rest of the way configured like that at not much over stall speed. Ah, fresh air for everyone.
They got on the horn to me with the situation and I immediately called the local hospital but that was some 7 miles away and no way to get there other than a highly modified WW II truck stretched out and modified with a wood bus shell and running DC-3 tires so it could be driven on the beach of the Arctic Ocean (polished granite type rock about the size of eggs and ping pong balls)
Once they got to the Point Barrow airport and deplaned, they were really feeling better and all refused medical attention. What a story to take home. This only possible by the actions of a great captain who had a hunch and the rest of the crew that followed through and for a change, a passenger load that listened to the entire crew.
Everyone says carbon monoxide is odorless but when I first walked in the aircraft, it smelled just like Chlorine. Once we got into the baggage/cargo bin up front just behind the cockpit, we found the box of dry ice under all the tourist's baggage and loaded right next to a heater outlet just above the floor. When I opened up the box, I suspect 3/4 of the dry ice had vaporized. Back in those days and especially in the F-27, we didn't have much of a choice of air circulation. Mostly recalculate only.
As I recall at that time, max amount of dry ice allowed on a passenger carrying aircraft was 5 pounds in an insulated container and there we were with 155 pounds in a cardboard box that wasn't even sealed. ]
Since the Director of the Arctic Research Lab was a friend, it was easy to talk to him about the problem without making it a major issue. Needless to say, he made sure it never happened again.
Talk about a lucky day for everyone.
I should make this into a Q & A but instead will just comment on what was legal when I wrote the manual.
All of this involves passenger carrying aircraft in commercial operations.
Women's (men's) hair spray, max 8 oz. 16 oz cans are forbidden
Nail polish remover restricted.
Perfume: one ounce. (OK guys, perfect reason never to buy that special lady more than one ounce of very expensive perfume at a time)
Charcoal: not allowed on passenger flights
Oxygen: container has to be aircraft certified and most airlines require the container be furnished and charged for by the airline.
Needless to say, white gas, propane and kerosene are restricted but jet fuel can be carried in limited amounts.
This goes on and on.
When the first 747s came out, a slightly over weight lady wearing spike heals exceeded the load limits of the floor. I am not sure about the other commercial jets but suspect they were the same.
The following information may have changed by now but when I wrote a completely new 135/121 airline operations manual for our airline from scratch for transportation and training of hazardous materials, I found some very interesting situations to think about.
This one started in 1969 or 1970 on an F-27A flight from Anchorage to Point Barrow. As I recall, there were 34 passengers and crew of 3.
Weather: beautiful and no turbulence even over the Brooks range.
At some point over the middle of the Brooks, the flight attendant notified the captain that many of the passengers were getting ill. She was told to keep her eye on them and to let him know if anything changed.
It didn't take long before she called again and even stated she was getting ill. Since we didn't serve inflight meals, everyone was at a complete loss. Sealed peanuts?
At some point, the captain asked for the cargo manifest. When checking what was on board, he noted an entry of a shipment going to the Arctic Research Lab at Point Barrow containing dry ice. Than he noticed the quantity: 155 pounds packed in a cardboard box.
The flight crew immediately went on oxygen, notified the flight attendant and tripped the masks in the back. He also immediately called for and was approved for an emergency descent right down on the deck. He told me later he didn't know an F-27 could drop like that. Over redline? I never asked. Once they got on the deck and slowed down, he had the first officer go back and roll up the side cargo loading door. Had that been our F-27B, it would have been an outside lifting type door instead of an internal roll up door and imposable. The first officer rolled it up about 2 foot and they flew the rest of the way configured like that at not much over stall speed. Ah, fresh air for everyone.
They got on the horn to me with the situation and I immediately called the local hospital but that was some 7 miles away and no way to get there other than a highly modified WW II truck stretched out and modified with a wood bus shell and running DC-3 tires so it could be driven on the beach of the Arctic Ocean (polished granite type rock about the size of eggs and ping pong balls)
Once they got to the Point Barrow airport and deplaned, they were really feeling better and all refused medical attention. What a story to take home. This only possible by the actions of a great captain who had a hunch and the rest of the crew that followed through and for a change, a passenger load that listened to the entire crew.
Everyone says carbon monoxide is odorless but when I first walked in the aircraft, it smelled just like Chlorine. Once we got into the baggage/cargo bin up front just behind the cockpit, we found the box of dry ice under all the tourist's baggage and loaded right next to a heater outlet just above the floor. When I opened up the box, I suspect 3/4 of the dry ice had vaporized. Back in those days and especially in the F-27, we didn't have much of a choice of air circulation. Mostly recalculate only.
As I recall at that time, max amount of dry ice allowed on a passenger carrying aircraft was 5 pounds in an insulated container and there we were with 155 pounds in a cardboard box that wasn't even sealed. ]
Since the Director of the Arctic Research Lab was a friend, it was easy to talk to him about the problem without making it a major issue. Needless to say, he made sure it never happened again.
Talk about a lucky day for everyone.
I should make this into a Q & A but instead will just comment on what was legal when I wrote the manual.
All of this involves passenger carrying aircraft in commercial operations.
Women's (men's) hair spray, max 8 oz. 16 oz cans are forbidden
Nail polish remover restricted.
Perfume: one ounce. (OK guys, perfect reason never to buy that special lady more than one ounce of very expensive perfume at a time)
Charcoal: not allowed on passenger flights
Oxygen: container has to be aircraft certified and most airlines require the container be furnished and charged for by the airline.
Needless to say, white gas, propane and kerosene are restricted but jet fuel can be carried in limited amounts.
This goes on and on.
When the first 747s came out, a slightly over weight lady wearing spike heals exceeded the load limits of the floor. I am not sure about the other commercial jets but suspect they were the same.
