Operating Experience for Two ... Again
By Les Abend
January 2009
 Leon and I shook our heads as we stared at the line of airplanes in front of us that we had been instructed to follow. In contrast to the other line for JFK's Runway 22 Right, our line wasn't moving. The weather on the initial route was preventing our departure. The frustrating part was that we had reached the number three position up until being banished to the other kingdom.
The trip hadn't started out well from the moment we began boarding our passengers. The June heat wave was taking its toll. With our APU rendered inoperative, air conditioning was only available through the jet bridge-supplied pre-conditioned air (PCA) unit. And as luck would have it, the PCA unit was also inoperative. The only source of air was the two air carts used for starting. The carts externally pressurize the airplane bleed system through the packs. The packs were doing their best just to cool the cabin down to 79° ... and that was only in one section. Judging by the matted hair and glossy sheen on the cheek of our purser, we hadn't been very successful in the forward part of the airplane.
For almost two and a half hours, mostly due to weather and congestion, we had occupied space on the taxiways. And now we were facing another problem. A glance at the fuel gauges on the overhead panel indicated that it would be only a matter of minutes before we would have to taxi back for fuel.
As a supplement to the story, I was acting in the capacity of check airman, performing copilot duties in the right seat. Leon was beginning the first leg of his captain's operating experience (OE) on the 757 since completing simulator training. He was a veteran of the left seat, having been a 737 captain prior to the upgrade. The trip was proving that it wasn't just Leon that was gaining experience. The OE was also becoming part of my training. I discussed some of these details in last month's Jumpseat column, Operating Experience for Two.
My stare at the fuel gauges was joined by Leon. We had reached the minimum takeoff quantity. And it had already been adjusted previously during a prior consultation with our dispatcher. The lengthy delay had also prompted our dispatcher to negotiate a later curfew time for our arrival into Bermuda. The airport was performing night construction. A landing past the curfew incurred a $50,000 fee. The fee was beyond my debit card limit.
It was now a certainty that our need to refuel would force us to arrive past the renegotiated curfew. In fact, we reached our fuel limit at almost the same time that we reached our departure delay limit. An unfortunate part of the equation was that our company had subjected some of our passengers to a similar issue the night prior. The flight had cancelled for mechanical reasons. And it looked like we would have to cancel again.
During our entire taxi adventure, Leon had been very forthcoming in explaining each issue as it transpired via the PA. That's a good quality. But sometimes too much information can lead to passenger anxiety. In addition, the information can be premature. Such was the case in this circumstance.
Although it was necessary to explain our need to taxi back to the gate for fuel, the curfew dilemma was another matter. It had been renegotiated once already. Perhaps we could be successful again. Regardless, Leon decided to announce the bad news to the passengers. Interestingly enough, during the course of our travels on the taxiways, the purser had informed us that one of the passengers was dating a Bermuda air traffic controller. The passenger had contacted his controller friend via cell phone in hopes of helping with the curfew. I hadn't discouraged the creativity, but I wrote the information off as fun but not quite worthwhile.
I contacted the dispatcher regarding our return while Leon taxied us back to the gate. I was incredulous after being informed that the curfew had been eliminated. Amazing. There was no doubt that our controller-dating passenger had his own motives, but no one could argue with the fact that he had saved the day. I only hoped that our airline would reward him appropriately. We would complete the mission after all. But we wouldn't do it without more problems.
Company ramp control assigned us a gate with an operating PCA system this time. A ground crew was available to park the airplane. A fueling truck was nearby. An agent moved the jet bridge cab up to the forward entry door. On the ramp, one of the ground crew began to lower the external power cord and drag the PCA hose out of the bin. So far, so good.
With the completion of the parking checklist, Leon and I slithered out of our seats. We discussed the need to allow passengers an opportunity to deplane temporarily in order to stretch their legs. They had been cramped in their seats for almost three hours.
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