Re: Way OT : Any maths bods around?

["Ben McCormack" <ben@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

--- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, "Malcolm Lansell" <mlansell@f...>
wrote:
> > Once up there, he would probably want to land again fairly soon -
>
> You'd think so, wouldn't you?  But I suspect all this talk of
engine
> failures was brought on by the report last weekend of a BA flight
from LA to
> London that suffered an engine failure on take off.  Instead of
dumping fuel
> and landing back at LA, or burning some off by diverting to Chicago
(for
> example), the pilot attempted to fly all the way back to London.
>
> On 3 engines he couldn't reach the normal cruising altitude, and so
ran low
> on fuel (jet engines are less efficient at lower altitudes) and had
to land
> at Manchester.  Seems like a crazy risk to take to me.
>
> Mal

Mal

100% correct. There is a BA pilot on another forum I visit. The news
article prompted him to have rant and a number of people to wonder
what is the chance of all 4 engines failing

Here are his thoughts on the news report

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'm getting really fed up with folk asking me about this:


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-2-1499342,00.html


Apart from the messages, I've got stopped 3 times by neighbours
stopping whilst driving past and even in Waitrose I wasn't free from
it.

It's standard operating procedures, and has been for well over 10
years to get the machine as close to home as the fuel / safety will
allow. The procedures we follow in the event of losing a donk are:

1- How much fuel on 3 can we go with adequate reserves on landing and
is it advantageous to go there.
2- Can we get to a suitable runway if another quits.
3- Can 1 and 2 be achieved with adequate terrain clearance.

The majority of aircraft crossing the Atlantic only have 2 engines to
begin with.
As for the emergency landing, air traffic control have to call out
the emergency services for any small problem including 1 engine out
which is hardly an emergency for us......Jeeze, even the autopilot
can do it on a -400.
Fuel was never running dangerously low otherwise it would go to
Shannon.

Makes you realise what other stories are seriously crap reported in
the press.....God I hate them

Oh....and the photo in the paper aparently made it looked like it had
crashed...or so I've been told.