767 at LAX did a go-around today!

Yep. Friend of mine is a AA pilot and told me that they had to land once
without flaps. Trouble was that none of them knew what the speeds were for
that setup, so they had to dig out the books ("professional" pilots mind
you). They were a bit close, so they went around and announced that another
plane had come out on the runway.

Kinda irked me because it gives the non-flying public the impression that
ATC/GA/Another pilot had put them at risk, when this was not the case. Why
lie? Just tell the passengers whats happening and get on with it.

Come on, that's easy. Most people will be freaked out enough that they
aren't landing on the first try, without having to believe it's a problem
with their own plane.

"Jeff Franks" wrote in message
...
Yep. Friend of mine is a AA pilot and told me that they had to land once
without flaps. Trouble was that none of them knew what the speeds were
for
that setup, so they had to dig out the books ("professional" pilots mind
you). They were a bit close, so they went around and announced that
another
plane had come out on the runway.

Kinda irked me because it gives the non-flying public the impression that
ATC/GA/Another pilot had put them at risk, when this was not the case.
Why
lie? Just tell the passengers whats happening and get on with it.

Bull. Don't lie to me. Even if I know nothing about whats going on.
Explain it to me in a way that I'll understand that "hey this isn't a big
deal, we'll just land on a longer runway while going a little faster than
normal". I'd rather see that than to be told that the whole friggen system
is at fault and some "small plane" (that was the term they used) had just
screwed up. Not for me.


"Yossarian" wrote in message
et...
Come on, that's easy. Most people will be freaked out enough that they
aren't landing on the first try, without having to believe it's a problem
with their own plane.

"Jeff Franks" wrote in message
...
Yep. Friend of mine is a AA pilot and told me that they had to land
once
without flaps. Trouble was that none of them knew what the speeds were
for
that setup, so they had to dig out the books ("professional" pilots mind
you). They were a bit close, so they went around and announced that
another
plane had come out on the runway.

Kinda irked me because it gives the non-flying public the impression
that
ATC/GA/Another pilot had put them at risk, when this was not the case.
Why
lie? Just tell the passengers whats happening and get on with it.

Yep. Friend of mine is a AA pilot and told me that they had to land once
without flaps. Trouble was that none of them knew what the speeds were
for
that setup, so they had to dig out the books ("professional" pilots mind
you). They were a bit close, so they went around and announced that
another
plane had come out on the runway.

Kinda irked me because it gives the non-flying public the impression that
ATC/GA/Another pilot had put them at risk, when this was not the case.
Why
lie? Just tell the passengers whats happening and get on with it.

I wonder what compels them to get on the horn and say something about it in
the first place. Just fly the damn plane.

"Jeff Franks" wrote in message

....Trouble was that none of them knew what the speeds were for
that setup, so they had to dig out the books ("professional" pilots mind
you).

That's normal. That's the safest way to do it. There's no point in
committing details of abnormal procedures to memory -- plenty of time to
look them up. And you don't "..dig out the books..". There are convenient
checklists all prepared that cover virtually all eventualities. There are a
few emergency procedures that you do memorize -- immediate action items
only.

Regards,

John Gaquin
B727, B747

"Jeff Franks" wrote in message

Kinda irked me because it gives the non-flying public the impression that
ATC/GA/Another pilot had put them at risk, when this was not the case.
Why
lie? Just tell the passengers whats happening and get on with it.

It's a careful balancing act. Some people watch the progress of the flight
out the window, and have some familiarity. But not many. Most people
haven't got a clue what makes an airplane tick, and if you tell them
somethings not absolutely 100% normal, they'll get upset. You could wind up
causing more problems than you already have. Generally speaking, if you're
dealing with an abnormal, glossing over it is acceptable -- it really is no
big deal. If you have a bona fide emergency, you play straight and right up
front.

--
Regards,

John Gaquin
B727, B747

In article , Jeff Franks wrote:

Friend of mine is a AA pilot and told me that they had to land once
without flaps. Trouble was that none of them knew what the speeds were for
that setup, so they had to dig out the books ("professional" pilots mind
you).

I'd be willing to bet that the landing speeds vary over a wide range
depending on gross weight of the aircraft. They probably have to
check a table every time they take off or land to see what the reference
speed is. I think if your "friend" is reading the thread, you owe him
an "apology."

Regards,

Mike Beede