Resident BBS pilots should enjoy this.

This is so good I had to translate it for y'all. It was all over the news today in France. There is an investigation going on right now into the practices of air traffic controllers in France who apparently only work about half the hours they are supposed to, resulting in understaffed operations in total illegality. The actual recording of the conversation is on this newspaper's website, but it's in French.

French newspaper article here

ATC: Air France flight 735, descend and maintain flight level 360, reduce speed to Mach .75.

Pilot: and why are we being penalized this way and letting fights behind us get ahead, Air France 735?

ATC: there are only two runways at CDG.

Pilot: there are only two runways and two controllers, you guys don't do shit. We had made up for a late departure, this is my last flight, and I'm going to go into retirement in a very bad mood.

ATC: well, I don't give a damn.

Pilot: asshole. All you fuckers work like assholes.

 

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!

 

Nice.
I love ATC stories.
I have a few of my own.

 

you guys that are pilots, can you recommend good sites or boards to research becoming a pilot? I don't mean the test, I mean more the functional aspect of flying yourself around. as in the day-to-day stuff like:

"how fast can I reasonably expect to make the trip, including pre-flight, actual travel time, etc.? (I can see the manufacturer's specs on their sites for the plane, but I assume those are b.s., plus apparently you don't get to fly at the altitude the speed is spec-ed at very often, etc.)?"

"how long does it typically take to refuel on a long trip?"

"how do you get to and from the airports you land at--I don't see the small ones listed on avis et al's web site?"

basically I'm totally ignorant of the 'flying yourself from place to place' thing and am just trying to find out if it's worth looking into further.

so, for example, let's say I fly from JAX to ORD now, with a layover in ATL.

if the flight leaves at 3:00, I have to be there at 2:00, and leave for the airport at 1:20. so if it lands at 9:00 that's 7:40 of travel time.

if I'm looking at a mooney with a claimed speed of 200 m.p.h., and the trip is 900 miles, that's a 4:30 trip. score.

but, will the plane cruise at 200 m.p.h.? I read that that's a speed at, say 5000 feet, and that you'll usually fly higher or lower than that and true cruise is more like 120 m.p.h. (these are all examples, I'm not asking about a mooney for certain, just rules of thumb) how long does it take to get the plane ready to fly each time (I assume it's not like getting into a car and turning the key)? can I fly in a straight line, or do I have to jag like commercial flights? if I land to refuel, how long does that take generally? I assume I can't or will not want to land at ORD or MDW, are there rental cars at smaller airports? and not just chicago, what about concord, n.h., austin, tx., springfield, il., etc.?

basically, for feasibility study purposes how can I convert time and travel of commercial aviation to private aviation, if at all? is it even worth pursuing? or, I'm not so much interested in the joy of flying as I am in replacing delta. is that a worthwhile and reasonable goal?

 

Sounds like he isnt bitter at all.




everyone knows ATC is the hardest working gubment job.

 

scotth

landings.com has a lot of good info.

Find a local airport that offers private pilot instruction and talk to the people at the flight school. They usually offer introductory rides for you to see if that is really what you want to do.

 

That is frickin classic!!!!! Since we are part of AF-KLM it is even funnier.....I have never had a problem with the french controllers but I know people who don't bid CDG because of problems they have had....

 

Good thing about being a helicopter pilot is speed and altitude don't help much. I fly low and slow and have a ton of ATC stories around Orlando with all the flight schools we have here in the area. If anybody wants entertainment go to the justhelicopters.com forum.

 

Eighteen years' worth of French is good for something.

I wanna know more about the 40-year old BCBG dame on the RHS of that Figaro page.

And why is this assassin on the run allowed to post a letter to the newspapers?

 

Mine life's dream is to fly choppers.. Crazy $$$$ to get enough hours in to actualy get a job. Only real option seemed like the military and I was way to much of a candy ass for that. I grew up in O town watching those things buzz all over I drive

 

were you in the O Town Posse?

 

No, he was in the boy band.

 

Yes, you can get rental cars at airfields. When stopping at a FBO for things like lay-overs, fuel, etc most FBO's will have a courtesy vehicle for use and most have preferred car rental access. You can always call ahead and ask these questions while plannng your trip.

As far as routes, well, it's pretty direct but not always. Routes are split between Jet and Victor. Jet are higher altitude cruising routes, think expressway in the sky. Victor routes are lower and slower, think couty roads. Flying cross country, you'll primarily follow each route point-to-point so it's not a straight route. However, you can always ask to cut some of points out and fly direct to a certain point. That's up to the controllers and traffic. One time I was cleared direct somewhere over Phoenix to Jax.

Time wise, plan on 2 hours for pre-flighting and getting airborn. Could be less, could be more , all depends on you. How many short cuts do you want to make with your life? If your just looking to cut time/expense compared to flying commercial and do not have a joy of flying, your better off staying with the airlines. The time and financial committment required is much more then the inconvenience of the airlines. But, if you love flying yourself, love the money being thrown out the window, spending money on maintenance, etc then there isn't anything better. Think of the money you've thrown out the window racing and multiply that 10 fold plus. Not trying to talk you out of it, just trying to say that it's not as simple as jumping in your car and driving 5 hours. If you love flying and are willing to spend the time and money, there aren't that many things that are better. If you can do that and put yourself in an aircraft that make trips like that convenient, then it could be a great asset to you.

 

If you are at all serioud about this, go to AOPA.com, sign up for a year (which comes with really good bennies) and get on their board. Maybe find a old gray haired mentor like I did. Very much worth doing. Just keep in mind flying ANYWHERE in a GA plane is not going to be a cost effective solution.

PM if you have any questions I can help with.

 

Honestly, if flying isn't something you have a passion for then it's not worthwhile for pure transportation. Aircraft ownership is not cheap by any means, especially near large cities because hangar rental cost are very high at busy airports. The more you fly, the less the cost of ownership will be based on hours flown. Florida has a lot of weather so to make trasportation viable in that area you will need an instrument rating in addition to your license. For short hops in good weather, you can beat the airlines (taking into account arriving early, waiting for bags, ect.), but on any long-haul the airlines will have to beat.

I still recommend you go to your local airport and take an introductory flight. You may end up liking flying more than motorcycles...

 

I took an introductory flight with a similar (not identical) mission in mind. It struck me after wards that flying, if done correctly, is for the most part boring. You dont want excitement in the cockpit. In that respect it will never replace racing/track riding for me. And the costs of GA flying are scary, insurance, annuals, training, operating costs jeebus!!! Not to mention cost of ownership. Hell my brother has a plane and when he pops for a new instrument its more than my whole race bike.

 

I had this conversation with the PPL holders where I work (we're all engineers). I told them I didn't want hours of meticulous planning, control over 100,000 variables etc. to make my flight as safe as possible, in a craft with enough power to get me off the ground and make slow progress over the ground, subject to the vagaries of the winds; didn't want to plan for hours in a craft with little margin of power, hoping white-knuckled that nothing goes wrong.

Those kinds of 'ponderous risks' I can take at work, this would be no different.

I told them I wanted something with a ridiculous power-to-weight ratio, full of acrobatic flight potential, and that I'd probably only ever fly from, and return to, the same strip.

I want to ride a sportbike in three dimensions, you know?

 

My dad has a Mooney 231. It will do 200 straight and level, but you never cruise that fast. (hard on motor and GULPS gas!) Typical cruise for him is 140-160kts. (150-175mph) His is a turbo and has O2, so, depending on the winds aloft, you can sometimes climb high and slip into the jetstream (W-E only) and add an extra 50-100kts to your cruise. Still, what everyone else has said: If your looking just to beat the airlines, don't bother. For the most part, the airlines are faster and cheaper.