http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/RSS.ashxKuoni PagesMon, 23 Apr 2007 13:44:38 +0200http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=1http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=1 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=2http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=2 Greetings from the cockpit 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=3http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=3 Hello, children and welcome on board My names Johan and Ill be your captain on the flight. You can join me on a flight from grey and foggy Arlanda airport in Stockholm. When you get off the plane youll be at your holiday destination for a few lovely weeks. Perhaps well meet again on your return trip, or on your next Novair flight. All right, lets go 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=4http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=4 Tonight were going to set off on a long flight. The flight leaves at midnight. There are a lot of preparations to be done before my crew and I go out to the plane. So it is important to be prepared on time. My crew and I meet at the crew room well before the departure. 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=5http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=5 Our flight tonight is called NVR841 and the plane we are going to fly is an Airbus A321. Our flight destination is Goa on the west coast of India. On our way to Goa we will be making an intermediate stop in Dubai, which is in the United Arab Emirates. The stop is called a technical landing and it means that we will refuel the plane and get a change of crew on board. My colleagues and I will then get off the plane in Dubai and another crew will be waiting there to take you on to Goa. The flight time to Dubai is 6 hours and the rest of the trip to India is a little over 3 hours. 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=6http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=6 Tonight Im flying with copilot Nicklas. Nicklas and I start off by going through the flight route we have tonight. We look at maps and check to see which countries we will be flying over. Our flight route is divided into various way points that we follow. All the different way points have different names. Our flight plan tells us the names of the way points that we will pass and how long it takes to fly to these points. We also check to see if there are any special rules about flying over the countries that we will pass. Sometimes we fly over large mountain ranges where we have to keep to certain heights when we fly over them. 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=7http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=7 We also check the weather conditions for the planned route and on destination. If there are any thunder clouds along the route, we can prepare for them. We always fly around thunder clouds We calculate how much fuel we need to fly to Dubai, we also have to check how much wind there is going to be. If were going to get a hard headwind, then well need more fuel, but if were going to have a tailwind then thatll help us on our way. As the captain, I decide which one of us is going to fly the plane and which one of us will man the radio. Both the captain and the copilot can fly and speak into the radio. This time I decide that Nicklas will be the one to fly and Ill be the one to man the radio contact. On the way home well switch over so that Ill fly and Nicklas will take over the radio. 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=8http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=8 Then its time for me to brief the cabin crew. Briefing means that I give the crew information about the flight. Ill tell them about the weather were going to have on the flight, about the flight time, which countries well be flying over, how many passengers well have on board and more. Ill tell the crew which destinations well be flying to and what the weather will be like at your destinations. After all, its good to know at the beginning of your trip that itll be sunny at your holiday destination 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=9http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=9 My crew and I head out to the plane well before the departure. Tonight, apart from Nicklas and myself in the cockpit, therell be 4 crew members in the cabin of the plane. Once were on board the plane, there are more preparations to be made before we can take off. First, I inspect the outside of the plane. Then Nicklas and I continue our preparations inside the cockpit. The captain always sits in the left seat of the cockpit and the copilot sits in the right side one. There are exactly the same instruments and controls by both the left and right hand seats. 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=10http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=10 I also check to see how the runway looks. Is there any snow on it Is it raining We can takeoff and land in any weather conditions as long as the runway is open, but it is important to know what the runway conditions are. Nicklas enters our flight plan into the flight computer which is on the control panel. Once we have completed all the preparations we check each other by using checklists. The air purser, who is in charge of the cabin crew, tells us that all the passengers are seated with their seatbelts fastened, and that all the doors are closed. We give the okay to the pushback truck that pushes us out from the airports terminal. Then we start our engines and taxi out to the runway. We drive along the runway at 300km an hour and then we lift off We fill the fuel tanks. I get a loading plan and see how your baggage is loaded, and where you are to be seated on board. In this way I make sure that the weight and balance of the plane is correct. 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=11http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=11 Once weve reached a certain height, or, altitude as we say, then I raise the landing gear by using a control in the cockpit. A little thud is heard when the landing gear doors open and close. I am in constant contact with flight traffic control on the ground which give me information about which altitude we should fly at. We decrease the thrust, or force, of the engines at around 1500ft. Now were high enough so we dont need as much power. You can probably hear that in the cabin as the engines then run more slowly and quietly. Once weve reached the altitude were supposed to fly at with our Airbus A321, then weve reached our 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=12http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=12 Whenever we approach a new air traffic control area, I call over the radio and let them know who we are, tonight I call over the radio telling air traffic control people that we are Navigator 841. Air traffic control on the ground below answer and tell us we are welcome in their airspace. I make notes in our flight plan about what time we passed certain points and how much fuel we have left in our tanks. If the winds have changed we may have reached a certain point faster than we had thought and so we may have used less fuel. I also get regular weather reports via the radio. We meet other airplanes along our trip. Our instruments show us all other planes for 70km around us. Nicklas navigates, that means he takes our plane forward according to our flight plan During the entire flight I talk to the flight traffic control people in the various countries that we fly over. 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=13http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=13 Five hours later, were starting to get close to Dubai. Those of us in the cockpit start to prepare for landing. We ask you to fasten your seatbelts 25 minutes before landing. The cabin crew need this time to complete their work and get ready for landing, too. We start to descend slowly. During a landing a special approach route has to be taken to the airport. The air traffic control tower at the airport tells us what height to keep to and when to descend to the next height. 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=14http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=14 Ten minutes before landing we tell the cabin crew to prepare for landing and they do a final check of the cabin, tell us everything is in order and then we all fasten our seatbelts. Now I lower the landing gear. The landing gear and the wing flaps slow the plane down. 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=15http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=15 Nicklas makes a perfect landing in sunny Dubai 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=16http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=16 I taxi the plane at the airport and park it at the terminal. Stairs are brought up to the plane so that you can all get out and stretch your legs. Nicklas and I prepare the flight report for the new crew that is coming to take over. 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=17http://valtech.ipapercms.dk/Kuoni/KuoniScan/NovairUK/GreetingsFromTheCockpit/?Page=17 Its lovely to come here to the sunny weather. Now we have to get to our hotel and get some sleep. If were lucky we may wake up before the sun goes down here One things for sure, when you all arrive in India well still be sleeping Well be flying home again tomorrow on another plane thatll make a stop in Dubai. So, on the second day of your holiday, well be back in rainy Stockholm again. But therell be other flights Be seeing you Captain Johan Now were done with our workday, or rather night 2007-04-23T13:44:38+02:00