Santa's Little Helper: A Cargo Pilot's Christmas Eve

It makes perfect sense that Santa Claus would employ freight aircraft to help him with his Christmas duties. Here's an account of what a real cargo pilot goes through at the most wonderful time of the year.

jwanwest

Friday, December 04, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A new, flawed GPS approach combined with modern, automated sleds creates an impossible flying situation for new pilots trying to deliver Christmas gifts.
The core technical issue involves critical errors in the approach chart and a digital HSI that provides reversed course guidance after crossing the North Pole, rendering automated systems unreliable.
A veteran pilot's "freight dog" ingenuity and old-school flying techniques, like treating the approach as a backcourse, are required to overcome the flight system's limitations.
The narrative emphasizes the importance of adaptability, improvisation, and foundational piloting skills when advanced technology is flawed or fails.

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It was a dark and stormy Christmas Eve, just like it is almost every year. What were they thinking? Christmas should be in July.

I thought I was retired from working for the Big Man, but no. There was the text message in that green-on-red font. (How does he do that? Must be a deal with Apple.) I didn’t have to read the text; I could tell just listening to the howling wind outside. The weather was low and the kids hauling Santa’s bags to build their 1500 hours were in trouble. Santa was calling to the old dogs…meaning I had to go.