Slats and Flaps

Position: 70 nautical miles southwest of KDTW (Detroit)
Altitude: Descending thru 29,000 feet
Groundspeed: 540 knots (621 mph)
Equipment: A320 V2500-A5 engines
Pax count: 150

Airborne...

General Yeager believes pilots are made, not born. Since my aviator abilities would not make a pimple on the General's tail section, who am I to argue that point. Having said that, I wish the General could see what is sitting over in the right seat tonight. She has to be one of the best pilots in the airline business, definitely in my top ten list of favorite co-pilots. She is in demand with captains who recognize her talent and ask her to buddy bid us.

Unbelievably, there are a few captains out there who feel threatened by her abilities and micro-manage her in the flight deck... Big mistake, I say. Why would anyone want to suppress superior airmanship?

She is young, very attractive, highly intelligent, and in command of the aircraft to the nth degree. On top of that, she respects the left seat, to the point of allowing me to whine about my aches and pains...

Hey, my ankles are hurting today when I push the rudder pedals. Would you mind flying? 
                                                     
Or my infamous Hey, all this button pushing is hurting my fingers. Can you fly this leg?

Bad captain? Well, maybe so, but I believe in using talent when it is available. And it is available tonight in large quantities as we drop out of the star splattered skies southwest of KDTW.

Air friction...

The descent angle is steep, engines at idle thrust, indicated airspeed close to the barber pole in the smooth night air. Far below, faint smudges of light spotting the undercast as we approach the outskirts of Detroit. The chronometer in my head says we are going to be at the gate 10-12 minutes early. Another reason I like flying with this young lady... She keeps the wing's leading edge warm from air friction. What a concept! We have 150 pax in the back who paid to arrive on-time or early.

Midnight over MIZAR...

MIZAR intersection at 12,000 feet and 330 KIAS; slowing for 250 KIAS at 10,000 feet and below. Here, the thin undercast is broken, showing fleeting glimpses of life at midnight underneath the clouds. The approach controller vectors us to a downwind leg for runway 22-Left, speed our discretion. At 10,000 feet and 250 knots, the co-pilot extends the landing lights.

KDTW is in our three o-clock and ten miles, 250 knots indicated, 9,000 feet and descending, clean wing. If I were flying, it would be 200 knots, leading edge slats extended half-way, and spoilers raised fifty percent. But, compared to her, I am a hacker. Like a bar room piano player next to a concert pianist.

Even so, my gut is tight because she is carrying a lot of excess energy this close to the runway. It is hard not to squirm in my seat.

Airport in sight...

The co-pilot tells me she sees the airport out her side window. Approach control turns us on base leg and issues a descent clearance to 4,000 feet. She banks right thirty degrees at 250 knots, raises the nose slightly and starts taking withdrawals from her energy account. It is a thing of beauty as the airspeed begins to decrease. Dark, wispy clouds rush past, momentarily illuminated by the powerful landing lights.

Established on base leg, we are cleared for the visual approach, contact tower at HULKA. She rolls the wings level briefly, looks out her side window at the approach lights, two o'clock and about twelve miles... Airspeed and altitude continue to decrease as she lowers the right wing again to slide onto the localizer radio beam extending from the runway. A tiny digital diamond appears on the left side of the primary flight display, starts moving toward the center... It's the localizer symbol.

Runway in sight... eleven thirty...

OSKER at 200 knots... 4,500 feet, on the localizer, above the glideslope, but not for long. The co-pilot asks for slats and flaps, and then landing gear DOWN.

HULKA at 2,500 ft... 160 knots

Wind from the co-pilot's side at twenty knots, eleven knots on the surface. The approach lights are dim... A dark and murky night. I know there is something I need to do, but can't remember... Oh yeah! Call the tower! HULKA is in our six now.

Uh... We're inside HUKLA on the visual runway two two left...

Roger, cleared to land two two left... Wind three zero zero at ten.

Roger that... Cleared to land two two left

I look over at the co-pilot and tell her you've got the nod for the sod. Good luck, we're all counting on you. 

She smiles at the poor old captain trying to be humorous... Did I actually say you've got the nod for the sod? That's so bad...

Radar altimeter alive...

At 2,000 feet she calls for the third notch of flaps and the landing checklist. Fi-Fi is ready to land; approach speed 148 knots, flaps 75%, gear down with three green lights, engines spooled to 40%.

This is one of those moments... Hard to put in words. I have just watched one of the airline's top pilots descend out of the night sky using only gravity and airframe energy until turning final approach, when she spooled the engines up. She probably covered 110 nautical miles with a reversal of course at low altitude, all at idle thrust.

I have flown this aircraft thirteen years, probably have 9,700 hrs in the Electric Jet, and I can rarely do what she just did, seemingly with ease. Keeping in mind that ATC did not restrict her altitude or airspeed... Late at night we get these types of descents often. Even so, I usually have to add a smidgen of Jet-A energy here and there, or raise the wing spoilers, because I have misread the wind, or come in too steep, or too shallow.

Maybe all pilots are made, like General Yeager says, but some must be made a little better than the rest of us... I have proof in the right seat.

Over the threshold at 148 knots...

Fi-Fi's digital voice announces 100, 50, 40... The co-pilot brings the thrust levers to idle... 30, 20... She presses the left rudder and lowers the right wing to take out the wind angle... 10... Raises the nose a couple of degrees... 5... The right main tires roll gently on the concrete, followed by the left mains. She pulls the reverse thrust triggers about the same time the nosewheel settles on the runway. Wing spoilers rise and both engines get serious about reverse thrust. Fi-Fi shakes a little bit as the last of the flight energy is shed.

It's a thing of beauty... In fact, I am tearing up. Pass the Kleenex, please.

I think the best co-pilot I have flown with, ever, is the Argentinian Kid, whom I have written about on this blog. I may be changing his position on the list, though. This young lady is amazing!

High speed turn-off...

She takes the high speed runway exit at 60 knots, zero side load on the landing gear, and slows to walking speed before I take the aircraft.

Flaps up, please... That was pretty darn good. Don't think I could have done better myself.

Thank you...

Don't tell anyone I said that... I have a reputation to protect.

It's my secret...

I see wands up and wing walkers waiting. It makes me all warm and fuzzy to arrive early at the gate. It has been a long day... Day one of a four day.

Life on the Line continues...