Seven Wonders of the Ancient World | EFHK-LGRP | BLX472 | B738

[Kepti 108]

Hey and good thursday evening everyone!

 

For your enjoyment I decided to draw the line a bit further with these picture stories that try to be realistic. This story presents a Helsinki Airport scenery that hasn't been released yet. Please notice, that the scenery is still work in progress and might have a thing or two which is not ready yet.

 

Welcome to follow captain Lindén's typical working day! Today we will be flying from Northern Europe, to be exact from Helsinki, Finland, to Rhodes, Greece with TuiFly Nordic. Rhodes has been the number one destination for Finn tourists for a dozen of years. It is an ideal destination for one; it has sunny beaches and warm temperatures, and it's located under 4 hours from your door step.

You have to remember though, while on holiday in Rhodes, you might burn your skin so you have to extra careful today!

 

What could be better than going to your destination with a Boeing 737 fleet? After sitting four hours with your knees in your mouth, you start to realize you're not sitting in a Emirates business class. In reality you're in a middle of the working class passengers.

 

So todays aircraft is a Boeing 737-800, manufactured in 2003. It's registration is SE-DZV. The planes has a new Honeywell MCP, analogue standby gauges and 189 seats for passengers, which does not include four cabin crew members and two pilots.

 

So enough of pre-speech, let's get into the business.

 

Welcome onboard!

 

 

Today our aircraft was waiting for us at the gate 25. I started the walk around immediately while the first officer went to do the first touches to the cockpit.

 

Our ATS-plan is the following. Callsign is "Bluescan" 4-7-1, aircraft is Boeing 737-800 followed by the equipment in our aircraft. The departure time from Helsinki is 0500Z, which is 0800 local time. The speed today is TAS 453 knots and 37 000 feet of air below us. This is followed by the route we are using today. If you look close enough, you can see some "steps" and unit changes during the route.

We will be arriving at Rhoder after flying for three hours and 36 minutes, the alternative is Dalaman airport in Turkey.

After all this there is a section 18 for remarks, which includes registration information with estimated times to different UIR's, and so.

 

(FPL-BLX471-IS

-B738/M-SDIHPRWYX/S

-EFHK0500

-N0453F370 DOBAN L732 NITSO L977 DOLAT M983 SOGBI/K0841F370

UM983 TADUN UN616 BUKOV/N0441F370 UN616 DINRO/K0818F370 N616

RIXEN/N0441F370 UN616 CRD/N0443F380 UW78 DAL N136 SOTIV

-LGRP0336 LTBS

-REG/SEDZV SEL/CJBF DOF/120607 EET/EETT0009 EVRR0025 EYVL0041

UMMV0057 UKLV0116 LRBB0148 LBSR0224 LTBB0236 LGGG0328

RMK/TURKEY CAT-1533 RVR/200 OPR/BLX RMK/AGCS EQUIPPED RMK/TCAS

EQUIPPED RMK/ID BLX471 RMK/RTE A1 RMK/SEQ10001)

-E/0434

C/LINDEN

 

So our route will be going straight to South, via Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, the Ukraine, Turkey all the way to Greece. The weather is expected to be quite good, with a large cloud coverage area during enroute. Wind is a crosswind, but somewhere in the middle of our flight it should turn to be a tailwind.

 

With air conditioning and electricity already on, I'm ready to jump in the cockpit!

 

 

Before I got to sit the first officer told me we had a problem. The number two stall warning is inoperative. After checking this myself we were able to prove that correct. At this time we had to take the MEL -manual from the shelf and start to look if the flight would be a no-go because of this. Well, everything turned up to be good because Boeing recommends to continue the flight with at least one stall warner warking. And we wouldn't stall the plane anyways, would we?

 

 

Overhead looks to be in good fit after being prepared by the first officer. The most important things at this point is the electricity, hydraulics, air conditioning, fuel configuration and the pressurisation.

 

 

It's important to do the light test for the first flight of the day. This is a very critical part, since it would show if we had a broken landing gear light for example.

 

 

After the IRS has alignes we can perform a TCAS test. If everything goes like in movies, the system should say: "TCAS SYSTEM TEST OKAY". After this we're checking the fire systems warnings.

 

 

Filling up the FMC route data. Switching the ND screen for PLN (plan) -mode, so we can see the route coming up to the ND at the same time we're writing the route.

 

 

We are also filling up the performance section. This is a very critical to fill up correctly to keep the plane flying. If you make a mistake during this part in real life, there will be problems followed. Wouldn't be the first time...

 

 

Now it's time to listen the ATIS. It contains the following information:

EFHK 070450Z 24004KT 210V290 8000 BKN003 09/08 Q1009 BECMG BKN005

 

Weather is quite bad. Wind is lightly blowing from the west. Visibility is eight kilometers, broken cloud at 300 feet (100 meters). Temperature is nine degrees, and the dewpoint is eight degrees. That explains why it's so misty. QNH is 1009.

 

ATIS tells us the departing runway is 22L. NOTAMs says that the runway 22R is closed because of the construction work. This is okay for us, so next we will look at the aerodrome chart and the expected taxi route. (Marked with red)

 

 

The ATC cleared us for RNAV VAVIS2F -departure routing. The route is fairly easy to fly: just follow the red line I've drawn to the map. When airborne, continuing straight ahead to 730 feet, which after making a left hand turn to heading 200 towards VAVIS -intersection. After VAVIS we will take a direct to our first point, DOBAN. I have also marked up some good to know information, such as altitude and speed restrictions (250 knots below 4000 feet/max 4000ft before clearance to higher altitude), as well as the VORs we've selected to our NAV radios.

 

 

There is 187 passengers onboard and with the cargo it makes a load of 14 920 kilograms.

So the zero fuel weight is 57 900 kilograms.

We will load 11 520 kilograms of fuel to our wings and center tanks, which is sum formed by the following factors:

 

TRIP: 9050kg (3h 36min)

CF: 270kg (7min)

TAXI: 200kg

FRES: 1090kg (30min)

ALT: 910kg (21min)

_______________

REQ: 11 520kg (4h 34min)

 

The take-off mass is 69 200 kilograms.

 

The takeoff calculator is thinking for a second, and then giving the following results for runway 22L:

 

We will be using TO-2 derate, which gives the following with engine anti-ice on:

 

FLAPS 5

V1 144

VR 144

V2 150

STAB TRIM 5.7 (CG22.6%)

 

STOP MARGIN 1300 METERS

 

After setting up the MCP (V2 150, HDG 220, ALT 4000) we are ready to go. Cabin crew just reported the cabin is seated and ready to safety demo.

 

 

Exactly 15 minutes late of our schedule the ground crew removes the jetgate and prepares for push-back. Engines will be started in a sequence of 2 and 1. Starting the engine is simple: turning the ignition on, and after the turbine is spinning at 25%, we will add the fuel in.

 

 

Now both of the engines are running, and after start flow is completed. We are now testing the control movement.

 

 

Flaps five, off we go. Bye Helsinki!

 

 

Taxiing towards to Zulu, which after crossing runway 15 towards to holding point ZA, runway 22L as previously planned in the chart.

 

 

Then things start to happen. First checking that the left and right are clear, which up lining-up runway 22L. Selecting the strobelights on, transponder on, autothrottler armed. First officer is giving the cabing a call.

 

 

Chrono is on at time 22. Takeoff! I'm adding some thrust to and let them stabilize, then pressing the TOGA -button. CFM -engines are pushing the plane forward with accelerating speed.

 

 

V1, Rotate, V2, ...

 

 

... Airborne! Now we are continuing to 1500ft AGL with the takeoff thrust, then reducing to climb power. After reducing the thrust we will accelerate through the flaps-up speeds.

 

 

We started to see the sky at around 10 000 feet. Sunglasses on! 8)

 

 

City of Riga in the right hand side.

 

 

After 25 minutes of climbing we finally reached our initial flight level, 370.

 

 

Then follows one of the most interesting part of this flight. When the possible fuel in the center tank runs out (low pressure lights of before), has the pilot turn off the fuel pumps. Here I presented this procedure for you! ;D

 

 

After playing with the fuel pumps we need to fill up the navlog. Here you can see my beautiful handwriting.

 

 

Do you know which city is this?

 

 

After hours of cruising we can finally see the light in the end of tunnel. Here you can see the shore of Turkey and the city of Istanbul. Now it's a good time to start preparing for the approach.

 

 

Here is the approach briefing with the chart pictures as usual. The weather in Rhodes is quite good:

LGRP 070820Z 26010KT CAVOK 24/17 Q1009 NOSIG

 

It's a wind from west again, blowing with 10 knots. Visibility is over 10 kilometers and no clouds detected belov 5000 feet (CAVOK), temprature is nice, 24 celsius degrees, QNH 1009. No significant changes.

 

FMC tells us there will be around 2900 kilograms of fuel while we land. This plus our zefo fuel weight gives us a landing weight of 60 900 kilograms. So the landing performance is the following:

 

FLAPS 30

VREF 154

VAPP 143

AUTOBRAKE 2

RUNWAY REM 2200M

 

Picture from ND presents the approach spaghetti.

 

 

So we will be flying a SOTIV1C -arrival route. The red line marked in the chart will be flown. We will be flying to SOTIV -intersection, where we should be at FL130 minimum. Thereafter we will continue straight towards to Rhodos VOR, which is our initial approach fix as well. We shouldn't be lower than 6000 feet over the Rhodos.

 

 

Once we're over the Rhodos VOR, we will continue to follow radial 064 with a left turn. At 15 nautical miles, we will make another left turn to intercept the localizer. We need to note, though, that there is a maximum speed restriction of 185 knots while intercepting the localizer. The ILS glide will start from 2500 ft, and it will be ending at 300 feet the latest, which is our minimum.

If we need to make a go around, we are continuing straight to 12 nautical miles, which after we are intercepting Paradis radial 283 and climbing to 6000 feet at the same time and eventually holding.

 

 

Then the top of descent comes up and we are starting to glide. We never really made up to FL380 (though the ATS -plan says so) because of the heavy traffic restrictions.

 

 

Rhodes can be seen from here! It's the left island, and the airport is located in the right shore of it.

 

 

Greece and Turkey at the same picture!

 

 

Rhodos VOR is shortly under us, and we will be turning our nose back to where we came from.

 

 

... And at the same time descenting to 2000 ft and reducing speed to 185 knots.

 

 

Localized captured! We are continuing from here over the beaches towards the runway.

 

 

Starting the glide. Gear down, flaps 15!

 

 

Short finals with hand flying. Minimums closing by!

 

 

And here we are. One minute after the planned flying time, so it was close enough! Vacating the runway and then following the following chart...

 

 

... to the stand four where we will empty the plane.

 

 

IRS going to be re-aligned before flying back to Helsinki. Have a nice holiday in Rhodes!

 

A passenger took a shot while leaving the plane.

 

Thank you for reading this far. I wish you can post a comment, suggestions or questions if you have one. I hope you had a nice time reading!

 

Regards,

 

Aleksi Lindén

[vc10man 732]

Aleksi, this so unbelievably real and just fab to read. What a work of art.

[777-Pilot 0]

Well done! Really nice!

[kjjj11223344 48]

Thanks for posting this it was a very enjoyable read.

[va3fyc 1]

A joy to read - thank you!

[steve howlett 137]

excellent mate .really well done

 

steve-0

[Kepti 108]

I really appreciate your comments!

 

Regards

[utd4life10 0]

Excellent! Very interesting read! Thanks for taking the time to post! Look forward to seeing more like it in the future!

 

Kind Regards,

 

Dan

[Kepti 108]

Thanks Dan. Apologies for some grammar errors... Just noticed a bunch of them.

[Birdman 0]

Well done ! :-) I will be flying this rte soon. Thanks for sharing. Great read :-) Nice scenery also. Would love to see more of these :-)

[wisefox7524 9]

Very cool! Where did you get the dispatch release/fuel log?

[RichBowman 1]

Wonderful effort! Well done!

 

Screenshots look stunning - would you mind sharing your settings?

 

Best wishes,

 

Richard

[dskviator 4]

Gr8 story and very well narrated, it looks like an excerpt out of the just plane dvd's. Screenshots are all looking very nice, but those that you intended to look like r/w, well they look r/w-ish...cheers!!

[larrywell 0]

Nice trip, how did you get the navlog?

[Kaly 22]

What a lovely presentation!!

 

My family is originally from the island,and I visit it every summer.

 

Cheers!!