The Mad Dog âGrowlâ âApril / May 2006 Page 1 - Delta Virtual Airlines

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Boeing employee Kelly Jenson spent 21 years building passenger planes before shifting to the C- 17, where his fate is uncertain. “We spend a minimum of eight hours a day here, sometimes 10 or 12,” Jenson said. “We’re with each other more than we’re with our family. This is our family.” Article from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12452483/ Photos from:http://www.freerepublic.com The Mad Dog “Growl” –April / May 2006 Page 6
Flight Deck Visits By: Larry Foltran For an aviation enthusiast, a visit to the cockpit is a great and memorable experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to have several such visits under my belt. The fact that 90% of my family lives in Brazil and we used to make frequent trips to visit them, provided me the opportunity to earn more flight hours before the age of 18 than many people accumulate in their life time. I still have very vivid memories of the short hops from DTW to LGA aboard the sleek American Airlines Super-80s and the long, overnight flights aboard the giant Pan Am 747s. One especially vivid memory comes from many years back during one of our Rio to JFK legs. I remember being awakened by my Dad and seeing a smiling flight attendant standing in the aisle way. We were lead from the deep recesses of coach, towards the nose of the plane and finally up the spiral stairs. I remember being amazed by the legroom provided in the elite level of the jumbo jet as our small procession continued. Still trying to wake up, my Dad and I were shown into the flight deck. I remember the sun just sneaking over the horizon and the illuminated instruments spread before me. The Captain invited me to come closer to the throttle pedestal as he sipped his morning coffee. I’m sure my Dad was equally as excited about being granted entry onto the flight deck. Having me along as some leverage helped and there’s nothing wrong with that in my book. My next visit came years later. As I grew older, I developed an inner-ear condition that made flying somewhat uncomfortable. That condition ended up turning into a fear of flying. People who knew of my love of airplanes always gave me a strange look when I told them that I had a fear of flying. My response was always, “I love everything about planes, except for being in them.” In 2000, my wife and I (she was there for support) attended a fear of flying program offered by Northwest Airlines. Part of this program included a hanger visit at Detroit Metro Airport (DTW). During this visit, we had a free ticket to walk around and inside a NWA DC-9. What an opportunity that was. Trust me, I took plenty of pictures. During the 3-day program, I talked quite a bit to a Northwest 757 Captain who was there as part of the “instructor” panel. Having an airline pilot available to answer every question I had bouncing in my head was a dream come true. The program concluded with a “graduation flight” from Metro Airport to Grand Rapids aboard an A319. My new “pilot friend”, as my wife referred to him as, sat directly behind me and we discussed what was going on in the cockpit throughout the flight. He was also nice enough to arrange a cockpit visit for me during our brief layover in Grand Rapids. The pilots were extremely friendly and provided me the first opportunity to take the FO seat in an Airbus. I know opinions vary about these aircraft, but you have to admit that they give pilots plenty of leg room. A few months later, after a conversation with the First Officer prior to boarding, I was invited to the cockpit of a NWA 757 for a very brief visit before departing to Orlando (MCO). Not wanting to interrupt their preflight procedures, I made my visit a quick one. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take any pictures on this occasion. My most recent cockpit visit came during a trip to Denver for a job interview. I had promised my kids that I would bring home some pilot wings when I returned. Upon reaching the gate in the Mile High City, my attempt to claim this prize disappeared as I saw the pilots leaving the plane before I had a chance ask them. The next evening, as I boarded a United Airlines 737 for the return trip, I decided to take advantage of a traffic jam in first class and The Mad Dog “Growl” –April / May 2006 Page 7
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Page 3 and 4: MD88/90 Program News New MD-88/90 M
Page 5: Only 180 more C-17 planes remain on
Page 9 and 10: Training Info From the Pro By: Larr
Page 11 and 12: To counteract this, you will need t
Page 13 and 14: I was fiddling with the throttles a
Page 15 and 16: Flight Spotlight - CVG to YYZ by: L
Page 17 and 18: unways, because I landed on 23. As
Page 19 and 20: • Flt Controls, “TEST” - Pilo

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The Mad Dog âGrowlâ âApril / May 2006 Page 1 - Delta Virtual Airlines