Flashlight

[Suggy]

Hi.
Is the flashlight (on the lower part where the sidestick controler is situated, facing the pedestal) fixed in position or is it removable by the pilot\FO for emergencies?

Thanks,

Darren Sugden

[dodiano]

Yupe!! Completelly removable and if that light is not operating Like no Batteries or light broke is a NO GO item!!

Take care,

Roberto

[Suggy]

Thanks, Roberto.

[Trevor Hale]

Yupe!! Completelly removable and if that light is not operating Like no Batteries or light broke is a NO GO item!!

Take care,

Roberto

Your kidding, isn't that interesting. I can see it now......

First Officer - "Captain Sir We have a left engine abnormal fuel flow indication +/- 100lbs"

Captain - "No problem son, the flashlight is working we're good to go"

ROFL. That cracks me up. Must be a French airplane :)

[dodiano]

Is not that, that is a No Go item you have to check on Pre-flight why cause if by anything you have either an evacuation at night, an Electric Emergency configuration where you loose the Backlighting of the FCU the lamp can save you... And I think it is the same thing with Boeing is just Emergency Equipment and you have to have all your emergency equipment functioning or NO GO! As simple as that.

Roberto

[Trevor Hale]

Roberto,

I know that safety equipment is Number one when it comes to flight. I am sorry that you took that the wrong way. It was meant as a joke, and frankly I still laugh at it. It is just the sound of it that makes me laugh, however I know in reality something simple like a flashlight might just save hundreds of lives.

Sorry for the miscommunication

[dodiano]

Please in no way no offense taken Bro!! Maybe is was not the best way to answer it to you buddy... Sorry for that... but you are right stop a flight cause you don`t have a lamp had to be a Bus LOL!! **** I carry a lamp in my Flight Kit jejejejeje!!

Take care,

Roberto

[NicD]

I was on a flight recently where all passengers were de-planed and had to change aircraft at the last minute. It took one hour to do that and switch all the bags over. Why? ... we were just about to pushback when the captain announced that his 40 million dollar aircraft could not proceed because a $20 bulb in the rotating beacon (top of fusleage) had blown :(.

[dodiano]

Well first of all it is Illegal to fly without the Beacon Unfortunatelly cause it tells other planes, personell etc... that you are either in a moving aircraft or about to move just to make it simple... Now on the Plane we have a book MEL (Master Equipment`s list) Which tell us with what things not working we can fly with if the books says that the beacon is a NO GO item well tthen that is the legal way to proceed.

Now They might have changed you aircraft cause it might be a 1 hour delay to change equipments than the 2 hour delay to change that Bulb... Probably they had or to Hangar the plane or get the crane and probably it was not easy to get... That is what I can think off... Sometimes those problems arise at that last moment because beacon is only ON when are ready to leave the gate! Sorry to hear that but there are several Legal things we have to take into account when we take a decission... And also we have to think in the costs involving our Airline...

Regards,

Roberto

[NicD]

Thanks for the info. Roberto. It didn't upset me at the time - just amused me a bit, and the captain was fairly jovial about it too. As the saying goes - better safe than sorry.

[Westozy]

Hi Nic, I was wondering what plane was worth 40mill, must be a small one as a new 737NG costs AUD$855,400,000 (from the Virgin Blue Captain who visits my sim). I can't get that much together for a while!

Gwyn

[NicD]

hehe - it was a 737-400, and he was probably talking US dollars

[dodiano]

Wait you are saying a 737 is worth how much?

Regards,

Roberto

[W9XE/Project777]

I regards to the beacon. Mission essential for military aircraft as well. We used to use them on our helicopters Bell 205 (USAF HH-1H) but then modernized to strobes. They were more reliable with vibration than a rotating beacon. However you had to be very careful of the charging capacitor that fired the strobe. It really put out some kick *** current. We could see the chopper quite a lot farther out than before.

When they were first installed of course you really had to test them out. All five choppers in the hanger at night with lights off but the strobes. :cool: Could not take that too long. :shock: Ours had 2 colors white for day and red for night. White was like looking into the sun. You could really hear the power supply charge up and fire the strobe.

If we had a problem it was usually the power supply. Was usually a quick change so rarely did we have to change aircraft. Would have meant more work and we just couldn’t have that. :lol: