Position: 200 nautical miles west of Philly (KPHL)
Altitude: 35,000 feet
Groundspeed: 570 knots (655 mph)
Equipment: A321 Enhanced... New metal
Pax-on-Board: 183 plus 3 jumpers
Airborne... No twilight yet. Winter tailwinds have put us one hour ahead of sched arriving into Philly this morning; my dispatcher has assured me Philly ops knows we are about to come out of warp for the descent.
The cockpit jumper is an FAA pilot inspector... A GA (general aviation) type going to a meeting. We do not see many GA inspectors in our cockpits, but I am always glad to have them. It is interesting to hear what is happening on the other side of Orville and Wilbur's grand adventure.
Ten this side of COFAX...
ATC has issued us a descent clearance to cross 10 miles this side of COFAX intersection at 25,000 feet. The co-pilot has ten years experience in the Boeing 737 and 757... Two weeks in Fi-Fi, or third trip. Overall, things are going as well as can be expected with the ink barely dry on his new type-rating.
He is trying to build a virtual crossing waypoint and put it in the flight plan, but Fi-Fi is not cooperating. She can be frustrating to a new pilot. We are doing better than 10 miles p/min and past the top-of-descent. The 135 knot wind on the tail is adding to his problem with descent planning.
I hate to say anything, but... Uh, how about lets start down and I'll help you with that on the way.
Altitude hold OFF and the engines slowly roll back to idle thrust as the nose drops below the horizon. She will use gravity to maintain the flight management computer's requested Mach number as I show the co-pilot a quick-and-dirty method of building a virtual waypoint that Fi-Fi will accept in the flight plan every time.
He sequences the new waypoint on this side of COFAX and then re-engages VNAV (vertical navigation). In a few seconds a small VNAV indicator appears in our primary flight displays showing where the vertical path is located relative to the airframe. In our case, it is 400 feet above us... Fi-Fi slows the descent rate, adds chemical energy to maintain airspeed and merges with the digital VNAV path from beneath.
The shiny new 321 punches the center of the virtual waypoint at 25,000 feet and 320 knots indicated airspeed; after a frequency change we are cleared direct to BUNTS intersection.
"Good Morning Folks..."
I use the mythical captain's voice to wake up the pax and welcome them to Philly airspace, give them a quick weather report (calm winds, clear skies, thirty degrees Fahrenheit, and viz better than ten miles), and thank them for flying with us. Seat belt signs to ON.
BUNTS intersection... 8,000 feet
Approach- Fly heading one-one-zero for vectors visual two seven right. Uh... Keep it moving for me. I got one coming up from the south. Maintain six thousand.
Me- Roger, one-one-zero two seven right, go fast and down to six thousand.
The co-pilot has 250 knots selected, as requested by the controller; groundspeed is 320 knots. He is getting tunnel vision about the approach. I can see it coming... He dials 6,000 in the auto-pilot altitude window, pushes the VNAV descend button and nothing happens... And he does not notice.
I see this all the time with new Sparky pilots. There is no VNAV when you are flying a raw-data compass heading. Why? Because she does not know where you are going. You have left the room; are off her nav grid.
Me- Uhhh.... We are not descending.
CP- Oh *%#@, sorry about that...
He releases altitude hold and we leave 8,000 feet; 250 knots IAS. The houses are moving into our six very fast. About here, we are leaving 250 knot CLASS B airspace. The new speed limit is 200 knots indicated.
Me- Better slow down... You are beneath CLASS B.
CP- Yeah, I forgot... Sorry.
The two V2500 A5 engines roll back, barely above idle, as the co-pilot selects 200 knots. Groundspeed is 270 knots. Things are starting to happen fast for him.
The approach controller asks You see the airport? It's about, uh... About three o'clock and ten miles.
I ask the co-pilot if he sees the airport. He glances out his side window... Yeah, I got it out there.
Me- Yes sir, we have the airport.
Approach- Roger, you are cleared for the visual two seven right. One eighty or greater until seven mile final. Tower at JALTO...
Piece-o-cake for an experienced Electric Jet pilot. But, for a newbie, it is trouble with a capital T.
JALTO...
The crossing altitude at JALTO is 2,100 feet. If I was flying, I would have this beautiful aluminum bird in the Super Cub mode... Stick and rudder, thrust levers back to the idle stops, wing spoilers fully extended, flaps/slats to TWO. One eighty indicated or greater (certainly greater...) on the airspeed indicator. Cross JALTO at 2,100 feet and then add a few layers of digital magic for an extra safety margin. It is totally dark and we have been flying all night against the body clock.
But, I am not flying... I am squirming in my seat as I watch the co-pilot struggle with the new and strange (to him) automation. It is how he was taught in the School House. I disagree with this training approach, but they do not care what I think and have told me as much... It is the New Age of Aviation Training and you better get used to it. After all, we know more than you do. Don't you have an airplane to fly somewhere? Quit bothering us...
Well, OK, I guess...
Still, we are going to be fast and high because the co-pilot is unsure of how to integrate the automation with the flight path.
Me- You see the runway, right? At two o'clock? Probably ought to get the landing gear out...
All gear doors open as the main hydraulics unlock and extend the gear into the slipstream. It is still doable if he would be aggressive, but he is not... He is hanging on to the tail wondering why he can't make this incarnation of the Dark Side obey his automation commands.
We cross JALTO too fast and too high, landing gear down, flaps/slats partially extended, but going to fast to extend more flaps.
Me- We're kind of high and fast here...
Auto-pilot OFF...
Too late, though. He raises the nose to slow down and get more flaps/slats out, which flattens the descent rate, aggravating the situation. At 1,000 feet above the water... 40 knots too fast with the glideslope full scale deflection below us. Obviously, this is not going to work.
Me- Ok, this is not a stable approach. Let's go around and try it again.
He says something that makes me laugh... Now?
Me- Yes, now... Go around.
TOGA thrust... (take-off go around)
The "stretch" jet responds to thrust levers all the way forward vigorously. The nose pitches to 18 degrees as the co-pilot, finally, gets with the program. He comes back to the cockpit after hanging on to the tail for the last five minutes. There is no question that he knows how to fly big jet aircraft, but this New Order of Smoke and Mirrors will take a few months to grasp. It took me more than a year to finally see the light, but, admittedly, I am not the sharpest pencil in the box.
Flaps to go-around setting... Positive rate/ landing gear UP... Fly runway compass heading...
I tell the tower we were too high and fast on that one, gonna try it again...
Tower- Roger, you will be number one for the runway... Re-enter downwind and stay with me... you are cleared to land runway two seven right.
Me- Roger that... cleared to land two seven right... again.
The first hints of twilight in the east as the co-pilot maneuvers back to a downwind leg for 27Right.
"Folks, this is the captain..."
The "Voice", an octave lower, explains that we just did not like the way that approach was looking, so, to err on the side of safety, we are going to do it again. Have you all on the ground in a few minutes, still arriving early. Thank you...
CP- Hey boss, I really screwed that up. Sorry 'bout that.
Me- Ahh, you are doing fine. Nice go-around, too. Stay with it and I'll work on the nav for you.
He flies a nice, tight downwind leg at 1,500 feet above the water, calls for gear and flaps turning base leg. I re-sequence the magic for him so that he has good information on his nav display. The localizer and glide-slope are centered as he rolls onto final approach with the flight director, also, in the center of the little airplane symbol. He has it wired this time. What a concept! Fly the aircraft first. Use the automation to reduce the workload, but always fly the aircraft first.
Over the fence at 145 knots, I remind him that we are in a 321... Watch the tail. Her tail is a long ways behind the cockpit.
Touchdown is a thing of beauty; could not have done better myself. We easily make the first high speed turn-off, raise the flaps/slats, landing lights OFF, stow the spoilers and are about to call ground control, but tower tells us taxi to the gate with me.
Eight emergency slides disarmed...
Door 1-Left opens... I can hear engine number one spooling down as the lead flight attendant greets the gate agent. The FAA inspector unbuckles his seatbelt and pats the co-pilot on the left shoulder... Good job young man. That's what we want to see.
CP- I am so sorry. That was embarrassing.
Me (laughing)- Nah, it was OK. Better to be safe than sorry. We are still early with plenty of fuel. Let me tell you about one night in Anchorage a few years ago with yours truly flying...
Life on the Line continues...
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