Emirates is the largest operator of 777's in the world. I'm a retired Field Engineer for a company that made, among other things, aircraft fuel gauging systems, but not the one on the 777. The 777 uses an ultrasonic fuel gauging system, and the probes were notorious for faulting, which affects the accuracy of the system, which can cause false low fuel readings. I was working at Emirates and got to know the head of maintenance. He asked me if I knew what was causing the faults (the repair action involved grounding the aircraft, draining the wings, opening the wing up, and replacing the subject probe). I explained what was happening, the probes themselves weren't failing, it was caused by gasses absorbed by the fuel coming out of solution as the aircraft climbs, going from higher air pressure on the ground to lower air pressure at higher altitude, the same thing happens when you open a bottle of soda, and you get a lot of bubbles, and that their was no way to prevent this. We supplied capacitive gauging systems used on large Airbus aircraft (A340-500/600, A380's and later on the A350) and they were practically problem free. He asked if we would be interested in building a system to replace the system on their 777 fleet. Marketing came back saying it would just too expensive to design and certify, so it never went anywhere. But I do know that the B787 does not have an ultrasonic system because of the 777 issues. Aside from that, the 777 is probably the best commercial aircraft ever built!!!
I am almost certain that many problems currently being experienced in the US manufacturing sector are actual sabotage. The elites and their stooges are very busy. This treachery has been going on for decades, and it is reaching the point of no return. Wake up beloved country! This includes all of the democracies. We must demand refunds from the treacherous dealers. ethermail - censorship carries the eternal fires of hell.
Thanks, mate! That´s really interesting! What I don´t understand, is how aviation still seems to struggle with transporting fuel at different angles. Why wouldn´t airplanes have self-purging systems with multiple intakes to account for all differnt angles? I mean, as a lumberjack, I look at my saw, and wonder how this thing can work just as well no matter how I hold it, even upside down. How hard could it be to make a plane work the same way?
I was on this flight. We were supposed to land in Seattle and it was very stormy/windy, so had to do a go around then diverted to Vancouver without a second landing attempt at SEA (which, I thought at the time, was odd). The pilots (wisely) didn't mention the fuel situation to the passengers. We eventually got to SEA but it was a big mess. I didn't know until quite awhile later that we were almost out of fuel! P.S. I'm super geeking out that you covered a flight I was actually on!!!
This would have been really helpful info: knowing they had already tried destination and had diverted vancouver for weather + short fuel / mayday fuel. Makes more sense than 'they might not want to admit their mistake and reluctant to call mayday'...just a reality that weather caused a go-around, and a second attempt at the same weather would be possible but would then remove any diversion possibilities away from said weather. Alternates should be within the fuel allowance before having to call mayday.
@@frollard he only said that pilots are sometimes reluctant to call out a mayday at all for that reason. These pilots clearly did call the mayday, and at the beginning he even mentioned that they had to divert from their original destination.
@@contra1124 not going to rewatch but I must have missed... Not just divert but divert after go around. Divert as a first option doesn't make sense to end up low fuel since it's back tracking... If that makes sense. 'we have to divert because short fuel' is different to 'we tried destination and diverted and are now bingo fuel'
I'm really glad you were able to watch Kelsey's video about your flight from the comforts of home and not floating around in a cold ocean because your plane ran out of fuel! Pretty cool actually!
I was a very nervous flyer for many, many years. Over time I learned that the thump was just the gear coming up or down, that loud noise was the reverse thrusters, going over the Rockies is always bumpy because of air currents. I watch this channel now so that I understand just that much more about what is going on when I fly. And besides, Kelsey talks in such a way to be calming with a bit of humor, very enjoyable.
Such fears develop when we don't understand things. Its the same reason people are scared of dentists or spiders. Usually people go to these fear of flying seminars, where they get taught some relaxing techniques, which is nice, but doesn't solve the issue. What fearful flyers should do, is what you did - by getting things that actually happen explained.
The more you understand something the less you fear it. The exact opposite is also true and is why people often fear things they don’t understand or are unfamiliar with.
This channel has been very helpful to me as a nervous flyer. I haven't been on a plane since fall 2019 due to COVID, but I don't feel as rusty and wary of planes as I would be if I didn't have this channel to watch each week.
In an Airbus, you'll hear a lot of strange noises; mostly during taxiing. It's their hydraulic system, it often sounds like a dog barking, sometimes it sounds like the plane is crying, but one time, after we landed, parked at the gate and the engines were spinning down, it sounded like someone was using a giant hacksaw and sawing the cabin in half. I think it was an A319.
@@LS-Moto that’s not always true. I loved flying and made a career in aviation as a flight test engineer and avionics designer. Then I was flying a lot in the late 80’s early 90’s when a lot of accidents were happening. I understood almost all of aviation and I still got nervous. Still do
I like how the communication slowed down and words were clear. These guys handled "Mayday" the way I would want them to if I'm in a passenger seat. The hotter the fire, the cooler mind will win. Every time. Nice work.
Your comment about using precise language and a mayday call is so spot-on. Compare this to what happened on Avianca Flight 052; the 707 was running out of fuel while trying to land at JFK in poor conditions. The crew were hesitant to make a mayday call and ATC didn't grasp the gravity of their situation until it was too late. All four engines flamed out short of the airport and 73 people perished as a result.
As a non-English speaker I really appreciate your explanations. These videos help to understand what's going on and how to avoid possible mistakes when you're planning to become a pilot. Thank you for your work and greetings from Ukraine :) WOW, so many comments! Thank you, everyone!!
Why do folks get all soppy when someone mentions they are from the "U word", Your corrupt leader is as big an actor as ours in the uk and murica, the people need rid of the warmongers in governments. Top marks for your writing though.
A friend of mine is an air traffic controller for the Atlanta FIR. He loves working with Emirates because of their extremely rigorous training and clear, concise diction.
He’s a rock star!! Would love to chat with him…..his videos are so clear and instructive….besides, the search for the elusive free breakfast never ends
Emirates are one of the best in the world, their cabin crew and check in staff always impressed me. You never hear from the pilots so have no idea how good or not so good they are, this answers that question. The pilots are just as professional as the rest of their staff.
It's more than just knowing how many people to look for, I'm an emergency responder, based on how many souls on board, we roll different resources. If you have a large cargo aircraft, or an aircraft ferrying empty, will send the fire crews, and a couple ambulances. You have 300 souls on board, and we're rolling medical support units loaded with hospital tents, hundreds of extra stretchers, etc, and starting to look into finding ambulances from neighboring jurisdictions. Most of the time those will turn around the instant you're on the ground safely, and never get near the airport. That doesn't mean they didn't start moving!
This is random and I know you're not a pilot but since you're a responder maybe you'll know: is there a reason they use the term "souls" instead of passengers? I think boats do the same yes? Is that just a way to emphasize how these lives are in their hands (whereas calling them simply passengers doesn't convey that?)? Is it just a holdover from prior years? I only ask because when you hear about car accidents and other stuff like that, they use the terms "victim" or "passenger." I've never heard someone say "There's 30 souls on this bus," For example
@@mcnamaraky I don't have a great answer for you. I think it's pretty much a historical thing. Some people say it's because you could potentially have a cargo including human remains, and you want to differentiate the living from the dead, but honestly, I don't think that explanation holds water, it sounds like something someone made up after the fact to try to justify something they don't know about.
Emirates is my favorite airline recently, their professionalism really shows in everything they do. I'll gladly ride with them as often as I can. I often make the DXB stop just to use Emirates airlines even if it adds a few hours to my trip, the experience is worth it IMHO.
I’m no pilot, but could it be that the situation was not *that* critical? On a beautiful day 30 minutes of fuel sounds like good enough margin, even if you have to go around. Of course the Mayday call is still a good thing because you don’t want to get stuck in a holding pattern and waste those 30 minutes of fuel flying in circles.
@@Mike-oz4cv Depends on the length of the final, descent rate, winds, and whether you have to go-around. If you take 20 min on final and miss the landing because of crosswinds, then you are cutting things rather short.
They better be if it's me riding in the cabin :) I'm currently learning to fly, and while the small pkane I'm in is a far cry from these big boys, it does give me an appreciation of what the job entails; these pilots are not glorified bus drivers. I thought a lot of the work would be learning to handle the aircraft and fly it, but it turns out that is actually the easy part :)
There is personal pride that motivates pilots to sound calm on the radio. Also it’s just good practice: not being clear and calm causes extra confusion in an already busy situation.
They probably create so much artificial stress in training that when it’s really down to the wire they run on muscle memory, or at least that’s my guess. This pilot specifically struck me as a pro for clearing plan b before he even attempted plan a, but that could just be normal behavior. I’m certainly not a pilot.
I can’t imagine how hard and exhausting it is to be a pilot and made videos every week. You are honestly doing amazing, and you are making the lives of almost a million people better. 👍👏
Love your work. I think that calling out the controller for not having prefaced his offer about closer airports is a bit picky on your part. Clarity and clear and concise communication is always the goal and I believe in the situation being experienced in the video perhaps the controller could have started with “I can offer you a couple of closer airports”, but the momentary delay in him saying “that there are closer fields available if needed”, more than clarified his previous communication. If Emirates was not able to make YVR then they would have certainly requested something closer. If you want to get picky, when the flight contacted arrival they only used the word MAYDAY along with call sign on initial call up, where they should have added “FUEL”, as in “MAYDAY FUEL”, Yes picky, but let’s understand that communication usually involves at least 2 parties and both must be communicating in the clearest manner possible. Bravo to all involved, very professional and special mention to our Canadian controllers. Keep up the great work.
I am a non-english speaker too. Your videos are helping me understanding intentions of both parties ; I consider your walking us though the scene of (dis)stress and focusing on being pragmatic helpful in getting social karma. Kudos.
Literally better grammatical structure and understanding of English language than my own writings and speech. I’m a native english speaker. Kudos to you! Whoever you are.
Fun fact: I was on a flight from Philadelphia to Buffalo and when landing in Buffalo the wind was high like this. There was a major gust over 30 mph and then the wind died for a second. The pilot, who was correcting for the crosswind, lost the lift and we slammed down like that 747 and the wing tip came within a foot of the tarmac. Pilot did a great job recovering to keep that wing off the ground.
Excellent video. As a GA pilot today and previous military pilot, the distinction between min fuel and emergency fuel is really important. Pride should never keep you from declaring an emergency for low fuel. Getting on the ground when your engine(s) are still running is most important. We have too many GA aircraft that crash because they run out of fuel. Sad and totally preventable.
Yes. Unfortunately many recently rated commercial pilots don't know this interaction with the controllers. And should prepare for unexpected higher head winds.
I live very near to London Stansted Airport and we have a regular Emirates service in and out to Dubai. It uses a 777 and it really is such a highlight seeing that beautiful graceful bird on finals over my garden. Its usually at between 2500-3000 feet unless it's gone missed then you get a really nice close up at around 1200 feet or so. The thought of having to rush one of these great big things down onto the ground really does take some imagination for us armchair pilots. The Triple Seven is no 747 but she's certainly a beautiful lady, that's for sure.
Your terminology when describing a particular situation is great. When watching your videos with others that are not a pilot or as experienced in aviation I dont have to pause the video and explain what is that is happening. This is why your my favorite youtube creator. Thank you!
I’ve had instructors always say this, “plan for the worst, hope for the best.” And in the cases of whether or not to declare an emergency, I had an old timer tell me something that always stuck with me, “better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.” Basically, so long as you are alive at the end, no matter what the judgement of your decision comes out too in the eyes of the FAA, you’re alive and kicking. I also loved how clear and console the Emirates pilots were. Super stuff!
You are AWESOME in educating average people like myself about air travel and emergencies. I deeply appreciate that as an infrequent but nervous flier! 🙂
My sister is a nervous flyer. She brings along a squish ball and her laptop to keep her mind off of it. She also refuses to sit at the window. I'm curious, what do you do to help you with your nerves?
@@stusue9733 autorotation lasts a lot less than gliding and requires more skillful execution. Would still rather be in something that's designed to glide regardless.
@@BrentLobegeier yeah but, you need a lot less space. Not to many places you are going to put down a 737 that don't have airport at the end of their name.
Shoutout to ATX! I was on a smaller plane - an Embraer or something - on a flight from Dulles to Toronto when the fire alarm in the cargo hold went off while we were in cruise. We were on the ground in Buffalo -- with the chase trucks -- in about 10 minutes flat. It was amazing how fast they got us down (and the descent was a little scary as a result). Turned out it wasn't a fire, it was some sort of leaking liquid in a suitcase that was evaporating, and that set off the sensor. Couldn't take off, though, because they had discharged the suppression system and the hold had to be cleaned and the suppression system recharged first. Took a cab of all things to Toronto.
Hey Kelsey.. Airport firefighter here.. You're correct, knowledge about souls onboard, fuel remaining and Hazmat are all concerns we have in the case of the worst case scenario.. Red 9+2 is just as you stated.. Callsign Red 9 +2 additional vehicles.. Some departments or airports use different call signs for their emergency services.. My department uses "crash" but not all departments use it. If you ever end up in KABQ, reach out and I'll show you our department.
This reminded me of Avianca 052 in 1990 which ran out of fuel and crashed on Long Island trying to land at JFK after many weather-related holds and a go-around at JFK. There was definitely poor communication in that incident, which claimed 73 lives, but 85 survived the crash.
That is why the rules are in place that required this mayday call. The flight crew was already on the approach and knew safe landing was assured, but it had to be said so everyone knows the situation. Before Avianca 052 there was no need to tell anyone.
Lamia flight 2933, that’s the one that killed the entire Brazilian soccer team. Only difference is the pilots of 2933 purposely declared a mayday too late.
The Avianca pilots did not declare a Mayday Mayday Mayday fuel to air traffic control. They said that they were low on fuel and to make them a priority to land.
@@sharmilasoomair568 As I understand it, that was a part of the language barrier. When the pilots said "priority" their mindset was what we mean with mayday. The controller didn't use "priority" as "mayday".
I flew as air-medical crew on aeromedical flights in the south pacific for a number of years. Had a few pucker up moments where my patient's condition sink rate was quicker than the aircraft - I only ever instructed the pilot to declare a medical emergency once, but it sure got us onto the tarmac quick (we ran out of oxygen for the patient just as we touched down).
Love your channel, thank you. Had an engine failure/turned out to be a low side governor failure at 1,200 feet AGL in South Korea in a UH1. Single pilot with a crew chief in the left seat 50 miles from the closest airfield. Went to guard, started the MayDay call and remembered thinking this is not going to help me….went back to working the problem. N1 was below 70% and falling which indicated an engine failure as opposed to low side governor failure. Landing area was small climbing tiered rice paddies. My cynical attitude probably saved me from an accident. I threw the emergency governor switch into emergency anyway….thinking If I rolled it over the accident board would at least say “the pilot tried everything”. As you know the accident board will find something you did wrong. Right in the flare the engine came screaming back…I had left the throttle in the full open position….did not expect it to be a low side governor failure. Safe power on landing…wrote up the engine and rotor overspeed and called it a good day. We had several governor failures in UH1s that year. Crash in Germany killed 6 (memory?). The Army had a new vendor that was overhauling the fuel controls. A ¼ inch brass bushing failed and blocked a port in the fuel control. The Army changed the UH1 emergency procedures to include putting the governor switch in emergency on all engine failures. I have always said “The UH1 is like your mama. She will forgive you even when you do not deserve it”.
Great video Kelsey, this could be used for refresher training with aircrews and ATC. You explain things clearly that happen on both sides of the Frequency in a way that everyone can learn from. Thanks. I wish you were around when I was an ATC Training Administrator, my job would have been much easier.
I've been an avionics tech in the US Navy for 8 years. Funnily enough, I'm also terrified of flying in general, to the point where I often physically shake from anxiety, especially during takeoff and landing. That's despite knowing a lot more than the general public about how avionics systems work, particularly with each other. These videos really ease my mind. It's very reassuring to get a better idea of exactly how many failsafes are in place in civilian aircraft. I've worked in quality assurance roles, and while deployed have been told to sign off on maintenance actions that could have had extremely dangerous consequences. I'm a person that is quite conflict adverse, and have been tempted to cave in while getting yelled at by far higher ranking folks threatening to pull my qualifications (as an E-5+, you won't advance in rank if this happens to you most of the time). It's good to know that outside of the nonsense I've seen, civilian side seems to follow general common sense.
I have a relative who now works a very similar job to Kelsey, but was previously a Navy pilot. Good to know there are support crews who value their work, even over pressures to value your job over your work. (Hopefully that made sense. I’m curious if you are familiar with the last flight of Lt ‘Abrek’ Zilberman?
This man cures fears of flying. I used to be fine with flying as a child, but as I got older and fully understood flight risks; 9/11 in America for instance. I've been finding it unpleasant and anxiety producing at the mere thought of airports, never mind airplanes. Knowing what happens on flights and how pilots like Kelsey are trained, it helps a bit with flight anxiety. 💯
I'm impressed by the calm, clear, communications from the pilot. Sounds like he has a slight French accent. Canadian controllers are used to French accents.
As someone that’s intimately familiar with Victoria Airport, the decision to divert to YVR was absolutely the correct one. We can barely handle a 757, much less a 777. I’m not sure why the controller even offered it. An overrun on either side of the East/West runway is going to end up in a fjord or onto a major freeway.
The amount of things pilots must do to get safely on the ground is mind-boggling! I have a great respect for pilots. I'm a little bit nervous flying but I love it! I have traveled on many types of planes... 727...737...757...747 and A330. I love the feel of the bigger airplanes...it is always so thrilling to take off and land on planes.
As a controller, like a pilot, you have a workload too… so may have had other aircraft to deal with and it could be that his supervisor is behind and needs the info….. i like it when the pilot repeats himself on the mayday… we are all human and it makes us wake up a bit more!
Wow, good timing today. Found my way to the video five seconds after it was posted. This is appointment viewing for me every week! Always look forward to meeting you here, Kelsey.
Mayday got its start as an international distress call in 1923. It was made official in 1948. It was the idea of Frederick Mockford, who was a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London. He came up with the idea for “mayday" because it sounded like the French word m'aider, which means “help me."
credit to these ATC people, i have never seen one who lost the plot under pressure, and its got to be a high stress job, imagine your first "Mayday" call you are gonna shit the bed internally, but they always sound chilled out
There was one in Southern California who got totally 180 deg out on her bearings and confused left with right and nearly flew an airliner into the mountains, close enough that they had to use terrain avoidance procedures (very unpleasant for the passengers) even though it keeps them safe. She totally lost it, giving contradictory instructions and then arguing with the pilots who were doing their best to comply except when the ground proximity warning kicked in and overruled her. It is painful to listen to. I gather she had to be relieved on the spot and then lost her job when they went through the tapes.
Another reason to use the mayday call consistently: the mayday flight is the priority for air traffic control and the least helpful thing for the situation would be for the mayday flight to be diverted due to confusion. By including that designation, they reduce the potential for mistakes. When a potential emergency sounds routine, that's good training.
🤓 Another great video, Kelsey, thank you! An ADDITIONAL reason for stating the MAYDAY frequently is to alert other aircraft in the area of the ongoing situation. Very important, especially when changing frequencies. 👌
Pleasure to watch you dissecting and slicing up these videos in the most professional and fun way! I agree on Emirates being very rigorous in their training, I was lucky to have worked for them as ground staff for 5 years in the UK, and was lucky enough to tour the world with them... One of the BEST airlines out there and one of my best career chapterI had...
I always enjoy Kelsey's videos every week! He makes each video so interesting and informative even for the fact I don't know much about aviation, but learning different things!
Within the first minute of this video, I already love the coms! I work in a place where I have to coordinate people left and right all day, and I would kill to get this kind of discipline when people even call me. These people are EXTREMELY professional on open air frequencies! I´ve been an operator in the army, and I enjoy the banter when the time is right, but some people really lack the skills to figure out when sh1t goes down!
Hope I never get a the fire truck welcome committee. However this great explanation I definitely will be more relaxed as the pilot and the air traffic controller is doing everything to make sure all the souls get to wait for the baggage at the carousel. Thank you pilot for taking the time explaining. Another very informative video.
He's too skinny and small to be Santa... He could definitely pull off a pointy festive hat and matching shoes with bells on the ends though, so maybe an elf?
@@Rekuzan …OR is he SUCH the opposite that possibly Santa is playing 3D chess on us and disguising himself (holographically of course) as the least likely possibility?
Very good video about Calculated Minimum Reserve (CMR), actions upon reaching Minimum Reserve and the appropriate way to inform ATC. Some airlines use 30 minutes, some use different fuel calculations for Pan and Mayday calls. The go around planing is very important in these very low fuel situations. Sometimes a go around is not possible and the aircraft is committed to landing. ATC need to know. Regarding “Roger” and “Wilco” … I was taught that “Roger” stands for “Received.” Ie the message was received and understood. “Wilco” was a little more and meant understood And I “Will comply.”
Fantastic video. I was a C-130 pilot. Really appreciated the explanations. I had not thought about some of the emergency actions/responses before. Thanks mate.
In a "normal" emergency what you see on the runway is 2 or 3 ARFF rigs and maybe a supervisor escorting the plane. What you may not see is 20-30 fire rigs and medics including Hazmat and USAR at a staging point in case things go toes up. Once the incident commander announces on fire command that the plane lands safely, all those other rigs clear the airport and return to service. I've been on these calls with my brother who served as EMS Shift Supervisor in his department for a number of years
I've chosen to fly Emirates for years; always impressed with their flawless in-flight service, excellent safety record and value compared to similar good airlines. Good to know that trust is well placed based on these pilots' performance.
Love how far this channel has come! Kelsey, you’re doing amazing work thank you! It’s so good to have educational content like this for free. Much appreciated!
Kudos to the controller for accepting fuel on board in hours/minutes and not asking "How many kilograms (pounds) of fuel?". Too often one hears a controller come back asking the already overtasked pilots to convert the value given: time to weight or weight to time. The time to weight is at the request of the fire department so they can determine their "pucker factor" and the later is so the controller can ascertain his or her "pucker factor". Then there are controllers who ask for fuel in liters or gallons...
Fuel in weight is relevant to tell the first responders what they might be up against if there’s a fire. Fuel in time is relevant to controllers making sure they don’t keep the plane in the sky until it runs out of fuel (especially relevant in a fuel emergency). So there’s different reasons they ask for each
I always give my fuel state in time. Actually minutes if I’m in a hurry. If I have 24,000 lbs of fuel, I have 240 minutes. Easy for me to figure out, and easy for the controller to understand. He can figure that it is four hours.
The one time I saw fire trucks outside my plane, they were there for a water salute. It was our captain's last flight before retirement and, not gonna lie, was pretty cool.
The vector 350 into Vancouver means that the plane was already between Vancouver and Seattle and they had to turn around to land. Guessing the aircraft was over Bellingham when they made the Mayday call, which was why Victoria and Abbotsford were offered. If they were really over Bellingham, then 70 km to Vancouver versus 140 km to SeaTac. The difference going to SeaTac would be about 5 min at cruise speed, but rules are rules - go to the nearest airport even if you could reasonably have made it to the destination.
Great analysis and explanation of this situation, Kelsey!! Thoroughly enjoy your work!! Thanks for taking the time to explain different situations and how they are handled. Bravo!! -- and kudos to ATC and the Emirates pilots!! 💕✈✈💕
This was so good to watch! It shows how well things work when we collaborate properly, a dire situation dealt with calmly and professionally by numerous people. I almost applied for an apprenticeship to become an Air Traffic Controller... I've worked in high-octane environments such as being a chef in a very busy kitchen, but I'm not too sure how well I'd do as an ATC. We should definitely give these people more recognition, it must be immensely stressful! I wonder how many spend restless nights going over the day's events in their heads?
Such a great video as usual! This one is also going to be played in ground schools all over the world Im sure! That Emirates pilot radio work was so clear and articulate and totally professional. Recall that hes in a giant tube with 300+ people in the back and 30 mins or less fuel onboard. Just reading that induces nervousness in me. Yet this guy is cool as a cucumber - hallmark of a pro! Thanks Kelsey for your awesome videos!
Reminds me of the Avianca52 crash back in 1990. There was a push to blame the air traffic controllers at NY Center for not passing on his fuel status to approach control. However, when the audio tapes were replayed, not once did the flight crew say Mayday, Pan Pan or Emergency. They never even declared minimum fuel, just said they were low on fuel and couldn't hold any longer. The aircraft was handed over to NY Approach who lined them up for the approach for JFK 22L which, subsequently the flight aborted and performed a missed approach. NY Approach asked if the flight could take a vector for a 20 mile final, the flight crew responded affirmative. The flight crashed as the plane ran out of fuel as they just lined up again 20 miles out from the runway.
Im guessing that the atc tower has a mayday sop and the one of the first things on the list is to ask if the mayday plane needs immediate landing. I know its redundant but its probably the way this guy was trained.
Great video. I understood all of this stuff, but for anyone who did not you certainly make it clear. Especially the man up and admit your MAYDAY situation.
Correct me if wrong but I think the main reason they ask "souls on board" is to include the crew. If they asked how many people on board, a common interpretation of that question is "how many passengers are you carrying?" And thus wouldn't include the flight crew. But it's a good point that planes sometimes carry the deceased and that could interfere with the investigation in the event of a crash.
Love these demonstrations of big-team teamwork in tricky situations. 😀👍 ... and Kelsey you’ll need to start planning your million subscriber celebration soon ... plan ahead!
I was on a plane that 'dropped out of the sky' onto the runway. We'd had a tail wind almost all the way home and were ahead of schedule. We had to hold on the runway while a couple of trucks made a tour around us before we could wander off to find a gate. They never said what had happened but announced there would be officials from the airline waiting in the terminal if anyone want to talk to them... LOL, I was tired and just want to get through customs and go home.
Thank you Kelsey, I am fascinated by all types of flying and your videos are so entertaining and educational as well, as a driving instructor I have picked up a coupke of good sayings from you that work with drivers as well, probably sounds a bit daft, but true. Only just discovered your channel and am hooked! Well done mate. 😎
Regards 777 Mayday Fuel... you broke the conversation apart so well that you scared me. One extra sentence by the controller, "And Emirates 229, are you in need of immediate landing?" and you pointed out it was unnecessary? Which it was. I thought it was5 or 6 seconds more than he needed to say, and that's a problem? But it's compounded by the need for the pilot to respond, and it just aggravates the situation when everyone is occupied. I really do respect you. When you can do this kind of dissection, on what seems to be an innocuous conversation, you get my vote.. for what it's worth.
The controller doesn't know at this point why the fuel is low (miscalculation, leak, engine issue running too rich) or how much is left. Mayday fuel does not by itself mean they must land immediately (NOW!), it may mean this, but it can also mean they need priority landing, and these can be two different things. Language is a funny thing and can be interpreted differently by different people. I could argue (for argument's sake) that if the pilot needed to land immediately then going to an airport 15 miles closer would be the option to choose, and since he chose the other option then he didn't have to land "immediately", making the controller's question valid. Certainly the atc could have skipped using the word "immediately" altogether and just asked if the pilot wanted to go to one of the two closer airports, but in real time what most likely happened is the atc's brain sensed what other options there could be, asked the "immediately" question as a place holder while he was processing the other airports and their proximities correctly before giving the information to the pilot. And that "extra" time was not at a time when the pilots would be overworked in the cockpit.
One minor point: I don't know how they use them in civil aviation, but technically, "Roger" means "heard and understood", whereas "Willco" stands for "will comply". Most of the time, Roger will refer to legal orders, and thus imply a "Willco", but there are exceptions, e.g. "Roger, unable to comply" would be a perfectly valid response.
Yes I was going to make the same point. Check the Pilot/Controller Glossary @74 Gear. Roger is received glossary says "It should not be used to answer a question requiring a yes or no answer (see Affirmative) (see Negative)".. Wilco " i have received your message, understood it, and will comply with it"
Aged 14, my dad asked me if I'd like to fly to Helsinki and back with him for the day from London Gatwick (he was captain on a DAS Air Cargo Boeing 707 freighter)? What was on the load sheet for the return leg? Full load of Hydrochloric acid and Sulphuric Acid. It was a good trip, and we parked up next to a C5 Galaxy at Helsinki. I'm pretty sure the landing at Gatwick was extra smooth.
The only comment I would make re the comms was the word 'Fuel' when ATC request fuel and souls on board.. I've heard this on a couple of occasions during my career and heard the pilots come back with something like 2500 kilos.. what the controller needs to ask is 'Fuel Endurance?' Time not qty is what's needed. The pilot on the radio has a British accent which would explain the Wilco.. that's what we use.. goes back a long way in time. While operating in Afghanistan, flying into Bastion, where British controllers were in charge of ops I got to use the term 'Angels 15' or whatever.. made me feel like I was flying a Spitfire.. wonderful :>)
Great video - I really enjoy these! Kelsey is so good at seeing everyone’s point of view, he has the ideal temperament. I love his hazmat explanation - “it can’t go over the Atlantic on a passenger plane, but we’ll put it on Kelsey’s. It doesn’t matter if we lose him.” 😂
About 25 years ago I travelled from San Francisco to Heathrow on a Virgin 777. As we approached London I noticed that communication between between cockpit and ATC was on one of the headphone channels. If a mayday had been declared I would have freaked out.
@@iaexo hmm. This made me think a bit. I know I'm right with the date because it was a few weeks after the death of Diana (a big talking point over there at the time). Looking it up, it seems I may have been on one of the earlier flights of their one year lease of a 767. However, I did fly AA on that trip but I'm almost certain that was NY to SF. Could be mistaken though.
Kelsey, when it comes to explaining everything you're the best! I wondered why, if the plane landed safely, would the fire trucks be needed to follow the plane all the way to the gate, since they made it down safe, and fire trucks can't refuel or add gas to the plane why would they be needed. But as you said, better to have them and not need them, but still I see where it might concern pax to see the emergency vehicles racing along side or behind the plane. Great job Kelsey!!! Oh having all those lithium ion batteries on board would make me nervous too!!!
Emirates is the largest operator of 777's in the world. I'm a retired Field Engineer for a company that made, among other things, aircraft fuel gauging systems, but not the one on the 777. The 777 uses an ultrasonic fuel gauging system, and the probes were notorious for faulting, which affects the accuracy of the system, which can cause false low fuel readings. I was working at Emirates and got to know the head of maintenance. He asked me if I knew what was causing the faults (the repair action involved grounding the aircraft, draining the wings, opening the wing up, and replacing the subject probe). I explained what was happening, the probes themselves weren't failing, it was caused by gasses absorbed by the fuel coming out of solution as the aircraft climbs, going from higher air pressure on the ground to lower air pressure at higher altitude, the same thing happens when you open a bottle of soda, and you get a
lot of bubbles, and that their was no way to prevent this. We supplied capacitive gauging systems used on large Airbus aircraft (A340-500/600, A380's and later on the A350) and they were practically problem free. He asked if we would be interested in building a system to replace the system on their 777 fleet. Marketing came back saying it would just too expensive to design and certify, so it never went anywhere. But I do know that the B787 does not have an ultrasonic system because of the 777 issues. Aside from that, the 777 is probably the best commercial aircraft ever built!!!
I am almost certain that many problems currently being experienced in the US manufacturing sector are actual sabotage. The elites and their stooges are very busy. This treachery has been going on for decades, and it is reaching the point of no return. Wake up beloved country! This includes all of the democracies. We must demand refunds from the treacherous dealers. ethermail - censorship carries the eternal fires of hell.
woah never knew about this. good to know
I truly enjoyed your comment. So nice to read skilled technical writing. (Well, technical enough for Facebook.)
Thanks, mate! That´s really interesting!
What I don´t understand, is how aviation still seems to struggle with transporting fuel at different angles. Why wouldn´t airplanes have self-purging systems with multiple intakes to account for all differnt angles? I mean, as a lumberjack, I look at my saw, and wonder how this thing can work just as well no matter how I hold it, even upside down. How hard could it be to make a plane work the same way?
I was on this flight. We were supposed to land in Seattle and it was very stormy/windy, so had to do a go around then diverted to Vancouver without a second landing attempt at SEA (which, I thought at the time, was odd). The pilots (wisely) didn't mention the fuel situation to the passengers. We eventually got to SEA but it was a big mess. I didn't know until quite awhile later that we were almost out of fuel!
P.S. I'm super geeking out that you covered a flight I was actually on!!!
This would have been really helpful info: knowing they had already tried destination and had diverted vancouver for weather + short fuel / mayday fuel. Makes more sense than 'they might not want to admit their mistake and reluctant to call mayday'...just a reality that weather caused a go-around, and a second attempt at the same weather would be possible but would then remove any diversion possibilities away from said weather. Alternates should be within the fuel allowance before having to call mayday.
@@frollard he only said that pilots are sometimes reluctant to call out a mayday at all for that reason. These pilots clearly did call the mayday, and at the beginning he even mentioned that they had to divert from their original destination.
You ain't going know your out of gas until you hit the ground or the ocean
@@contra1124 not going to rewatch but I must have missed... Not just divert but divert after go around. Divert as a first option doesn't make sense to end up low fuel since it's back tracking... If that makes sense. 'we have to divert because short fuel' is different to 'we tried destination and diverted and are now bingo fuel'
I'm really glad you were able to watch Kelsey's video about your flight from the comforts of home and not floating around in a cold ocean because your plane ran out of fuel! Pretty cool actually!
I was a very nervous flyer for many, many years. Over time I learned that the thump was just the gear coming up or down, that loud noise was the reverse thrusters, going over the Rockies is always bumpy because of air currents. I watch this channel now so that I understand just that much more about what is going on when I fly. And besides, Kelsey talks in such a way to be calming with a bit of humor, very enjoyable.
Such fears develop when we don't understand things. Its the same reason people are scared of dentists or spiders. Usually people go to these fear of flying seminars, where they get taught some relaxing techniques, which is nice, but doesn't solve the issue. What fearful flyers should do, is what you did - by getting things that actually happen explained.
The more you understand something the less you fear it.
The exact opposite is also true and is why people often fear things they don’t understand or are unfamiliar with.
This channel has been very helpful to me as a nervous flyer. I haven't been on a plane since fall 2019 due to COVID, but I don't feel as rusty and wary of planes as I would be if I didn't have this channel to watch each week.
In an Airbus, you'll hear a lot of strange noises; mostly during taxiing. It's their hydraulic system, it often sounds like a dog barking, sometimes it sounds like the plane is crying, but one time, after we landed, parked at the gate and the engines were spinning down, it sounded like someone was using a giant hacksaw and sawing the cabin in half. I think it was an A319.
@@LS-Moto that’s not always true. I loved flying and made a career in aviation as a flight test engineer and avionics designer. Then I was flying a lot in the late 80’s early 90’s when a lot of accidents were happening. I understood almost all of aviation and I still got nervous. Still do
I'm not even a pilot and I love your videos. So many other industries can benefit from aviation's hard-learned lessons...
I like how the communication slowed down and words were clear. These guys handled "Mayday" the way I would want them to if I'm in a passenger seat. The hotter the fire, the cooler mind will win. Every time. Nice work.
Fear is the mind killer and all that jazz.
Except a passenger wouldn't usually hear this interaction, just a message stating they will land elsewhere.
Your comment about using precise language and a mayday call is so spot-on. Compare this to what happened on Avianca Flight 052; the 707 was running out of fuel while trying to land at JFK in poor conditions. The crew were hesitant to make a mayday call and ATC didn't grasp the gravity of their situation until it was too late. All four engines flamed out short of the airport and 73 people perished as a result.
As a non-English speaker I really appreciate your explanations. These videos help to understand what's going on and how to avoid possible mistakes when you're planning to become a pilot.
Thank you for your work and greetings from Ukraine :)
WOW, so many comments! Thank you, everyone!!
So true!
slava Ukraini
You're writing English better than most Americans on RUclips. 🇺🇦 🇺🇸
Your English is better than some native speakers! Stay safe!
Why do folks get all soppy when someone mentions they are from the "U word", Your corrupt leader is as big an actor as ours in the uk and murica, the people need rid of the warmongers in governments. Top marks for your writing though.
A friend of mine is an air traffic controller for the Atlanta FIR. He loves working with Emirates because of their extremely rigorous training and clear, concise diction.
I recently met Kelsey at MIA Marriott. It was a pleasure to meet him. Made my day.
Lucky
Anytime I'm at an airport lately I'm always looking for him !😂. Autograph!
He’s a rock star!! Would love to chat with him…..his videos are so clear and instructive….besides, the search for the elusive free breakfast never ends
Emirates are one of the best in the world, their cabin crew and check in staff always impressed me. You never hear from the pilots so have no idea how good or not so good they are, this answers that question. The pilots are just as professional as the rest of their staff.
It's more than just knowing how many people to look for, I'm an emergency responder, based on how many souls on board, we roll different resources. If you have a large cargo aircraft, or an aircraft ferrying empty, will send the fire crews, and a couple ambulances. You have 300 souls on board, and we're rolling medical support units loaded with hospital tents, hundreds of extra stretchers, etc, and starting to look into finding ambulances from neighboring jurisdictions. Most of the time those will turn around the instant you're on the ground safely, and never get near the airport. That doesn't mean they didn't start moving!
This is random and I know you're not a pilot but since you're a responder maybe you'll know: is there a reason they use the term "souls" instead of passengers? I think boats do the same yes? Is that just a way to emphasize how these lives are in their hands (whereas calling them simply passengers doesn't convey that?)? Is it just a holdover from prior years?
I only ask because when you hear about car accidents and other stuff like that, they use the terms "victim" or "passenger." I've never heard someone say "There's 30 souls on this bus," For example
@@mcnamaraky I don't have a great answer for you. I think it's pretty much a historical thing. Some people say it's because you could potentially have a cargo including human remains, and you want to differentiate the living from the dead, but honestly, I don't think that explanation holds water, it sounds like something someone made up after the fact to try to justify something they don't know about.
Emirates is my favorite airline recently, their professionalism really shows in everything they do. I'll gladly ride with them as often as I can. I often make the DXB stop just to use Emirates airlines even if it adds a few hours to my trip, the experience is worth it IMHO.
Except that one of the biggest producers of OIL runs out of fuel......haha
I love how calm everyone was. These folks are pros, and it shows.
I’m no pilot, but could it be that the situation was not *that* critical? On a beautiful day 30 minutes of fuel sounds like good enough margin, even if you have to go around. Of course the Mayday call is still a good thing because you don’t want to get stuck in a holding pattern and waste those 30 minutes of fuel flying in circles.
@@Mike-oz4cv Depends on the length of the final, descent rate, winds, and whether you have to go-around. If you take 20 min on final and miss the landing because of crosswinds, then you are cutting things rather short.
They better be if it's me riding in the cabin :)
I'm currently learning to fly, and while the small pkane I'm in is a far cry from these big boys, it does give me an appreciation of what the job entails; these pilots are not glorified bus drivers. I thought a lot of the work would be learning to handle the aircraft and fly it, but it turns out that is actually the easy part :)
There is personal pride that motivates pilots to sound calm on the radio. Also it’s just good practice: not being clear and calm causes extra confusion in an already busy situation.
They probably create so much artificial stress in training that when it’s really down to the wire they run on muscle memory, or at least that’s my guess. This pilot specifically struck me as a pro for clearing plan b before he even attempted plan a, but that could just be normal behavior. I’m certainly not a pilot.
I can’t imagine how hard and exhausting it is to be a pilot and made videos every week. You are honestly doing amazing, and you are making the lives of almost a million people better. 👍👏
you do get a good 5 day weekend so that helps
The pilots and controllers both did a terrific job here. Very professional. Great video, Kelsey.
Love your work. I think that calling out the controller for not having prefaced his offer about closer airports is a bit picky on your part. Clarity and clear and concise communication is always the goal and I believe in the situation being experienced in the video perhaps the controller could have started with “I can offer you a couple of closer airports”, but the momentary delay in him saying “that there are closer fields available if needed”, more than clarified his previous communication. If Emirates was not able to make YVR then they would have certainly requested something closer. If you want to get picky, when the flight contacted arrival they only used the word MAYDAY along with call sign on initial call up, where they should have added “FUEL”, as in “MAYDAY FUEL”, Yes picky, but let’s understand that communication usually involves at least 2 parties and both must be communicating in the clearest manner possible. Bravo to all involved, very professional and special mention to our Canadian controllers. Keep up the great work.
I love Kelsey. He is the most informative captain concerning emergency situations that I have ever listened to.
Watching your videos gives one an appreciation for the pilots and people making sure you fly safe. Lots of responsibilities!
I am a non-english speaker too. Your videos are helping me understanding intentions of both parties ; I consider your walking us though the scene of (dis)stress and focusing on being pragmatic helpful in getting social karma. Kudos.
Uh your English is perfect.
Literally better grammatical structure and understanding of English language than my own writings and speech. I’m a native english speaker. Kudos to you! Whoever you are.
Fun fact: I was on a flight from Philadelphia to Buffalo and when landing in Buffalo the wind was high like this. There was a major gust over 30 mph and then the wind died for a second. The pilot, who was correcting for the crosswind, lost the lift and we slammed down like that 747 and the wing tip came within a foot of the tarmac. Pilot did a great job recovering to keep that wing off the ground.
Excellent video. As a GA pilot today and previous military pilot, the distinction between min fuel and emergency fuel is really important. Pride should never keep you from declaring an emergency for low fuel. Getting on the ground when your engine(s) are still running is most important. We have too many GA aircraft that crash because they run out of fuel. Sad and totally preventable.
Yes.
Unfortunately many recently rated commercial pilots don't know this interaction with the controllers.
And should prepare for unexpected higher head winds.
I used to read that as ‘Georgia pilot’ and wondered why the small plane pilots from Georgia were so chatty online.
Avianca 052 taught us the dangers of not being emphatic enough about the fuel situation.
*In specific cases.
I live very near to London Stansted Airport and we have a regular Emirates service in and out to Dubai. It uses a 777 and it really is such a highlight seeing that beautiful graceful bird on finals over my garden. Its usually at between 2500-3000 feet unless it's gone missed then you get a really nice close up at around 1200 feet or so.
The thought of having to rush one of these great big things down onto the ground really does take some imagination for us armchair pilots.
The Triple Seven is no 747 but she's certainly a beautiful lady, that's for sure.
Thank you for explaining everything in regular people terms. Good to know that Emirates has excellent training of their pilots.
Your terminology when describing a particular situation is great. When watching your videos with others that are not a pilot or as experienced in aviation I dont have to pause the video and explain what is that is happening. This is why your my favorite youtube creator. Thank you!
I’ve had instructors always say this, “plan for the worst, hope for the best.” And in the cases of whether or not to declare an emergency, I had an old timer tell me something that always stuck with me, “better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.” Basically, so long as you are alive at the end, no matter what the judgement of your decision comes out too in the eyes of the FAA, you’re alive and kicking. I also loved how clear and console the Emirates pilots were. Super stuff!
You showing us nervous flyers that there is always a plan even in the worst case scenario comforts me so much, thanks!!
You are AWESOME in educating average people like myself about air travel and emergencies. I deeply appreciate that as an infrequent but nervous flier! 🙂
My sister is a nervous flyer. She brings along a squish ball and her laptop to keep her mind off of it. She also refuses to sit at the window. I'm curious, what do you do to help you with your nerves?
@@electricheartpony I’m not a wussy who is scared of planes
@@Random_Eebs but, John is.
@@electricheartpony i use noise cancelling earphones on the flight with loud music and beforehand this channel haha
Can we please get our man Kelsey his gold play button? He truly deserves it
he has those gold wings why would he need a gold button 😁
he needs a Collection@@1BigBen
Running on empty takes a whole new meaning when you're on an airplane. I'm glad it all worked out.
Even more so in a helicopter
@@BrentLobegeier You get that they don't just fall out of the air when the engine stops right?
First guess I think I'd rather be in the helicopter.
@@stusue9733 autorotation lasts a lot less than gliding and requires more skillful execution. Would still rather be in something that's designed to glide regardless.
@@BrentLobegeier yeah but, you need a lot less space. Not to many places you are going to put down a 737 that don't have airport at the end of their name.
I like that they are talking at a regular speaking speed. unlike often when controllers speak at the speed of light!
Shoutout to ATX!
I was on a smaller plane - an Embraer or something - on a flight from Dulles to Toronto when the fire alarm in the cargo hold went off while we were in cruise. We were on the ground in Buffalo -- with the chase trucks -- in about 10 minutes flat. It was amazing how fast they got us down (and the descent was a little scary as a result). Turned out it wasn't a fire, it was some sort of leaking liquid in a suitcase that was evaporating, and that set off the sensor. Couldn't take off, though, because they had discharged the suppression system and the hold had to be cleaned and the suppression system recharged first. Took a cab of all things to Toronto.
Hey Kelsey.. Airport firefighter here.. You're correct, knowledge about souls onboard, fuel remaining and Hazmat are all concerns we have in the case of the worst case scenario.. Red 9+2 is just as you stated.. Callsign Red 9 +2 additional vehicles.. Some departments or airports use different call signs for their emergency services.. My department uses "crash" but not all departments use it. If you ever end up in KABQ, reach out and I'll show you our department.
This reminded me of Avianca 052 in 1990 which ran out of fuel and crashed on Long Island trying to land at JFK after many weather-related holds and a go-around at JFK. There was definitely poor communication in that incident, which claimed 73 lives, but 85 survived the crash.
That is why the rules are in place that required this mayday call. The flight crew was already on the approach and knew safe landing was assured, but it had to be said so everyone knows the situation. Before Avianca 052 there was no need to tell anyone.
Lamia flight 2933, that’s the one that killed the entire Brazilian soccer team. Only difference is the pilots of 2933 purposely declared a mayday too late.
Slava Urkraine
The Avianca pilots did not declare a Mayday Mayday Mayday fuel to air traffic control. They said that they were low on fuel and to make them a priority to land.
@@sharmilasoomair568 As I understand it, that was a part of the language barrier. When the pilots said "priority" their mindset was what we mean with mayday. The controller didn't use "priority" as "mayday".
I flew as air-medical crew on aeromedical flights in the south pacific for a number of years. Had a few pucker up moments where my patient's condition sink rate was quicker than the aircraft - I only ever instructed the pilot to declare a medical emergency once, but it sure got us onto the tarmac quick (we ran out of oxygen for the patient just as we touched down).
Kelsey, one of your finest videos, both in content and clarity. Thank you for your time and effort. Fly high and safe. 💕✈️❤️
Love your channel, thank you. Had an engine failure/turned out to be a low side governor failure at 1,200 feet AGL in South Korea in a UH1. Single pilot with a crew chief in the left seat 50 miles from the closest airfield. Went to guard, started the MayDay call and remembered thinking this is not going to help me….went back to working the problem. N1 was below 70% and falling which indicated an engine failure as opposed to low side governor failure. Landing area was small climbing tiered rice paddies. My cynical attitude probably saved me from an accident. I threw the emergency governor switch into emergency anyway….thinking If I rolled it over the accident board would at least say “the pilot tried everything”. As you know the accident board will find something you did wrong. Right in the flare the engine came screaming back…I had left the throttle in the full open position….did not expect it to be a low side governor failure. Safe power on landing…wrote up the engine and rotor overspeed and called it a good day. We had several governor failures in UH1s that year. Crash in Germany killed 6 (memory?). The Army had a new vendor that was overhauling the fuel controls. A ¼ inch brass bushing failed and blocked a port in the fuel control. The Army changed the UH1 emergency procedures to include putting the governor switch in emergency on all engine failures. I have always said “The UH1 is like your mama. She will forgive you even when you do not deserve it”.
Great video Kelsey, this could be used for refresher training with aircrews and ATC. You explain things clearly that happen on both sides of the Frequency in a way that everyone can learn from. Thanks. I wish you were around when I was an ATC Training Administrator, my job would have been much easier.
I've been an avionics tech in the US Navy for 8 years. Funnily enough, I'm also terrified of flying in general, to the point where I often physically shake from anxiety, especially during takeoff and landing.
That's despite knowing a lot more than the general public about how avionics systems work, particularly with each other. These videos really ease my mind. It's very reassuring to get a better idea of exactly how many failsafes are in place in civilian aircraft. I've worked in quality assurance roles, and while deployed have been told to sign off on maintenance actions that could have had extremely dangerous consequences. I'm a person that is quite conflict adverse, and have been tempted to cave in while getting yelled at by far higher ranking folks threatening to pull my qualifications (as an E-5+, you won't advance in rank if this happens to you most of the time). It's good to know that outside of the nonsense I've seen, civilian side seems to follow general common sense.
Sad to hear of the pressure and consequences.
I have a relative who now works a very similar job to Kelsey, but was previously a Navy pilot. Good to know there are support crews who value their work, even over pressures to value your job over your work.
(Hopefully that made sense.
I’m curious if you are familiar with the last flight of Lt ‘Abrek’ Zilberman?
This man cures fears of flying. I used to be fine with flying as a child, but as I got older and fully understood flight risks; 9/11 in America for instance. I've been finding it unpleasant and anxiety producing at the mere thought of airports, never mind airplanes. Knowing what happens on flights and how pilots like Kelsey are trained, it helps a bit with flight anxiety. 💯
I'm impressed by the calm, clear, communications from the pilot. Sounds like he has a slight French accent. Canadian controllers are used to French accents.
This is a great scenario based video. I was just hired on as dispatcher for a major carrier and this is great training material. Thank you very much.
As someone that’s intimately familiar with Victoria Airport, the decision to divert to YVR was absolutely the correct one.
We can barely handle a 757, much less a 777. I’m not sure why the controller even offered it. An overrun on either side of the East/West runway is going to end up in a fjord or onto a major freeway.
The amount of things pilots must do to get safely on the ground is mind-boggling! I have a great respect for pilots. I'm a little bit nervous flying but I love it! I have traveled on many types of planes... 727...737...757...747 and A330. I love the feel of the bigger airplanes...it is always so thrilling to take off and land on planes.
is that
in planes
or on runways
@@raypitts4880oh you're funny...
I agree; best yet is on the top deck of the A380; that plane is one beautiful beast.
As a controller, like a pilot, you have a workload too… so may have had other aircraft to deal with and it could be that his supervisor is behind and needs the info….. i like it when the pilot repeats himself on the mayday… we are all human and it makes us wake up a bit more!
Wow, good timing today. Found my way to the video five seconds after it was posted. This is appointment viewing for me every week! Always look forward to meeting you here, Kelsey.
Excellent presentation. As a retired 747 pilot I am well impressed
Thumbs up 👍 to the controller and the super calm and collaborative crew!
Mayday got its start as an international distress call in 1923. It was made official in 1948. It was the idea of Frederick Mockford, who was a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London. He came up with the idea for “mayday" because it sounded like the French word m'aider, which means “help me."
any idea who came up with code brown?
@@ghostwriter720 It is similar to "Mayday". It means we are crapping our pants and this is an emergency. You're welcome.
@@tomperkins5657 I know what it means, I was curious about who came up with it and how it became a universal code that is recognized worldwide
Now, that's a great fact, about the origin of "Mayday." Thanks.
credit to these ATC people, i have never seen one who lost the plot under pressure, and its got to be a high stress job, imagine your first "Mayday" call you are gonna shit the bed internally, but they always sound chilled out
There was one in Southern California who got totally 180 deg out on her bearings and confused left with right and nearly flew an airliner into the mountains, close enough that they had to use terrain avoidance procedures (very unpleasant for the passengers) even though it keeps them safe. She totally lost it, giving contradictory instructions and then arguing with the pilots who were doing their best to comply except when the ground proximity warning kicked in and overruled her. It is painful to listen to.
I gather she had to be relieved on the spot and then lost her job when they went through the tapes.
I like the phrase "lost the plot." I've not heard that phrase before.
Another reason to use the mayday call consistently: the mayday flight is the priority for air traffic control and the least helpful thing for the situation would be for the mayday flight to be diverted due to confusion. By including that designation, they reduce the potential for mistakes. When a potential emergency sounds routine, that's good training.
🤓 Another great video, Kelsey, thank you! An ADDITIONAL reason for stating the MAYDAY frequently is to alert other aircraft in the area of the ongoing situation. Very important, especially when changing frequencies. 👌
Pleasure to watch you dissecting and slicing up these videos in the most professional and fun way!
I agree on Emirates being very rigorous in their training, I was lucky to have worked for them as ground staff for 5 years in the UK, and was lucky enough to tour the world with them... One of the BEST airlines out there and one of my best career chapterI had...
I always enjoy Kelsey's videos every week! He makes each video so interesting and informative even for
the fact I don't know much about aviation, but learning different things!
Within the first minute of this video, I already love the coms!
I work in a place where I have to coordinate people left and right all day, and I would kill to get this kind of discipline when people even call me. These people are EXTREMELY professional on open air frequencies!
I´ve been an operator in the army, and I enjoy the banter when the time is right, but some people really lack the skills to figure out when sh1t goes down!
Always love seeing professional people be professionals.
Hope I never get a the fire truck welcome committee. However this great explanation I definitely will be more relaxed as the pilot and the air traffic controller is doing everything to make sure all the souls get to wait for the baggage at the carousel. Thank you pilot for taking the time explaining. Another very informative video.
"Who brings all those cell phones across the ocean? I do!!" 😂 Kelsey is the 'grown up's' Santa! HAHA! Have a great week everyone!
Are you implying that Santa's middle name might be Kelsey? 🤔
@@reiyasombaz5056 😂
He's too skinny and small to be Santa... He could definitely pull off a pointy festive hat and matching shoes with bells on the ends though, so maybe an elf?
@@Rekuzan …OR is he SUCH the opposite that possibly Santa is playing 3D chess on us and disguising himself (holographically of course) as the least likely possibility?
if you have a 747 passenger plane than you could also have a ton of cell phones on the plane.😮
Very good video about Calculated Minimum Reserve (CMR), actions upon reaching Minimum Reserve and the appropriate way to inform ATC. Some airlines use 30 minutes, some use different fuel calculations for Pan and Mayday calls. The go around planing is very important in these very low fuel situations. Sometimes a go around is not possible and the aircraft is committed to landing. ATC need to know. Regarding “Roger” and “Wilco” … I was taught that “Roger” stands for “Received.” Ie the message was received and understood. “Wilco” was a little more and meant understood And I “Will comply.”
Fantastic video. I was a C-130 pilot. Really appreciated the explanations. I had not thought about some of the emergency actions/responses before. Thanks mate.
In a "normal" emergency what you see on the runway is 2 or 3 ARFF rigs and maybe a supervisor escorting the plane. What you may not see is 20-30 fire rigs and medics including Hazmat and USAR at a staging point in case things go toes up. Once the incident commander announces on fire command that the plane lands safely, all those other rigs clear the airport and return to service. I've been on these calls with my brother who served as EMS Shift Supervisor in his department for a number of years
I'm a frequent flyer and I love to fly. Kelsey does a great job explaining details. THANK YOU, Kelsey!!!
I've chosen to fly Emirates for years; always impressed with their flawless in-flight service, excellent safety record and value compared to similar good airlines. Good to know that trust is well placed based on these pilots' performance.
I'm watching Kelsey on something he brought from overseas. Thank you, Kelsey.
I am an IT professional. Completely unrelated to aviation.
I love your channel! I watch it instead of Netflix.
Love how far this channel has come! Kelsey, you’re doing amazing work thank you! It’s so good to have educational content like this for free. Much appreciated!
Having this kind of 1st hand explanation and insight is so cool thank you
I live in Seattle and was working the emirates check in counter that day. I remember this very clearly. Made for a very long day
Similar to a weather closure at SEA with planes diverted to other airports? Or does that rarely happen there?
Kudos to the controller for accepting fuel on board in hours/minutes and not asking "How many kilograms (pounds) of fuel?". Too often one hears a controller come back asking the already overtasked pilots to convert the value given: time to weight or weight to time. The time to weight is at the request of the fire department so they can determine their "pucker factor" and the later is so the controller can ascertain his or her "pucker factor". Then there are controllers who ask for fuel in liters or gallons...
Should be standardized.
Fuel in weight is relevant to tell the first responders what they might be up against if there’s a fire. Fuel in time is relevant to controllers making sure they don’t keep the plane in the sky until it runs out of fuel (especially relevant in a fuel emergency). So there’s different reasons they ask for each
@@juliusreiner5733 I believe that is what I explained...
@Zhang ShiYing The proper usage of the English language is doomed for sure. Beyond that I will not speculate....
I always give my fuel state in time. Actually minutes if I’m in a hurry. If I have 24,000 lbs of fuel, I have 240 minutes. Easy for me to figure out, and easy for the controller to understand. He can figure that it is four hours.
This member of the flight crew is a regular on this leg (DXB-SEA) and ive asked him about this incident after watching this! Super nice guy
The one time I saw fire trucks outside my plane, they were there for a water salute. It was our captain's last flight before retirement and, not gonna lie, was pretty cool.
That’s awesome
That must be a great experience. I hope the pilot had a good retirement.
Cool, calm and collective. Professionals at work
The vector 350 into Vancouver means that the plane was already between Vancouver and Seattle and they had to turn around to land. Guessing the aircraft was over Bellingham when they made the Mayday call, which was why Victoria and Abbotsford were offered. If they were really over Bellingham, then 70 km to Vancouver versus 140 km to SeaTac. The difference going to SeaTac would be about 5 min at cruise speed, but rules are rules - go to the nearest airport even if you could reasonably have made it to the destination.
love the detailed breakdown, which gives us viewers basic fundamentals and understanding of the communication between pilots and atcs.
Great analysis and explanation of this situation, Kelsey!! Thoroughly enjoy your work!! Thanks for taking the time to explain different situations and how they are handled. Bravo!! -- and kudos to ATC and the Emirates pilots!! 💕✈✈💕
This was so good to watch! It shows how well things work when we collaborate properly, a dire situation dealt with calmly and professionally by numerous people. I almost applied for an apprenticeship to become an Air Traffic Controller... I've worked in high-octane environments such as being a chef in a very busy kitchen, but I'm not too sure how well I'd do as an ATC. We should definitely give these people more recognition, it must be immensely stressful! I wonder how many spend restless nights going over the day's events in their heads?
Such a great video as usual! This one is also going to be played in ground schools all over the world Im sure! That Emirates pilot radio work was so clear and articulate and totally professional. Recall that hes in a giant tube with 300+ people in the back and 30 mins or less fuel onboard. Just reading that induces nervousness in me. Yet this guy is cool as a cucumber - hallmark of a pro! Thanks Kelsey for your awesome videos!
That discussion on souls on board finally makes sense. Thanks. I watch your video all the time.
Reminds me of the Avianca52 crash back in 1990. There was a push to blame the air traffic controllers at NY Center for not passing on his fuel status to approach control. However, when the audio tapes were replayed, not once did the flight crew say Mayday, Pan Pan or Emergency. They never even declared minimum fuel, just said they were low on fuel and couldn't hold any longer. The aircraft was handed over to NY Approach who lined them up for the approach for JFK 22L which, subsequently the flight aborted and performed a missed approach. NY Approach asked if the flight could take a vector for a 20 mile final, the flight crew responded affirmative. The flight crashed as the plane ran out of fuel as they just lined up again 20 miles out from the runway.
If it's the one that I'm thinking of, the F/O kept saying "priority" instead of Mayday. The F/O was the only who knew some English.
What a perfect video. Have always loved flying Emirates. The pilot was spot on professional.
Im guessing that the atc tower has a mayday sop and the one of the first things on the list is to ask if the mayday plane needs immediate landing. I know its redundant but its probably the way this guy was trained.
Great video. I understood all of this stuff, but for anyone who did not you certainly make it clear. Especially the man up and admit your MAYDAY situation.
Man those Emirates pilots were really awesome. Cool to listen to.
Wow! A pilot and ATC pairing who talk slow enough even for non-pilots to clearly understand!
Correct me if wrong but I think the main reason they ask "souls on board" is to include the crew. If they asked how many people on board, a common interpretation of that question is "how many passengers are you carrying?" And thus wouldn't include the flight crew. But it's a good point that planes sometimes carry the deceased and that could interfere with the investigation in the event of a crash.
Souls includes lap infants as well who are not ticketed pax or crew.
@@aawillmaTogether with pets and service animals as well.
Watching this video with the sound off and watching K's face is the best thing ever. Love what do you sir never change
Love these demonstrations of big-team teamwork in tricky situations. 😀👍
... and Kelsey you’ll need to start planning your million subscriber celebration soon ... plan ahead!
JUST NOTICED THAT. Only 43K more…..
I fly a lot for work and getting to see/hear the stories from up front is always neat.
I was on a plane that 'dropped out of the sky' onto the runway. We'd had a tail wind almost all the way home and were ahead of schedule. We had to hold on the runway while a couple of trucks made a tour around us before we could wander off to find a gate. They never said what had happened but announced there would be officials from the airline waiting in the terminal if anyone want to talk to them... LOL, I was tired and just want to get through customs and go home.
Thank you Kelsey, I am fascinated by all types of flying and your videos are so entertaining and educational as well, as a driving instructor I have picked up a coupke of good sayings from you that work with drivers as well, probably sounds a bit daft, but true.
Only just discovered your channel and am hooked!
Well done mate. 😎
Regards 777 Mayday Fuel... you broke the conversation apart so well that you scared me. One extra sentence by the controller, "And Emirates 229, are you in need of immediate landing?" and you pointed out it was unnecessary? Which it was. I thought it was5 or 6 seconds more than he needed to say, and that's a problem? But it's compounded by the need for the pilot to respond, and it just aggravates the situation when everyone is occupied. I really do respect you. When you can do this kind of dissection, on what seems to be an innocuous conversation, you get my vote.. for what it's worth.
The controller doesn't know at this point why the fuel is low (miscalculation, leak, engine issue running too rich) or how much is left. Mayday fuel does not by itself mean they must land immediately (NOW!), it may mean this, but it can also mean they need priority landing, and these can be two different things. Language is a funny thing and can be interpreted differently by different people. I could argue (for argument's sake) that if the pilot needed to land immediately then going to an airport 15 miles closer would be the option to choose, and since he chose the other option then he didn't have to land "immediately", making the controller's question valid.
Certainly the atc could have skipped using the word "immediately" altogether and just asked if the pilot wanted to go to one of the two closer airports, but in real time what most likely happened is the atc's brain sensed what other options there could be, asked the "immediately" question as a place holder while he was processing the other airports and their proximities correctly before giving the information to the pilot. And that "extra" time was not at a time when the pilots would be overworked in the cockpit.
One minor point: I don't know how they use them in civil aviation, but technically, "Roger" means "heard and understood", whereas "Willco" stands for "will comply". Most of the time, Roger will refer to legal orders, and thus imply a "Willco", but there are exceptions, e.g. "Roger, unable to comply" would be a perfectly valid response.
Yes I was going to make the same point. Check the Pilot/Controller Glossary @74 Gear. Roger is received glossary says "It should not be used to answer a question requiring a yes or no answer (see Affirmative) (see Negative)".. Wilco " i have received your message, understood it, and will comply with it"
Communications this good give me goosebumps. Brilliantly handled all round. Sure the first ATC was 2% sketchy but that's easily forgivable.
So in the event of raining iPhones we all know Kelsey forgot to lock his cargo bay door.
🤣🤣🤣🛫
Yep 😂
Aged 14, my dad asked me if I'd like to fly to Helsinki and back with him for the day from London Gatwick (he was captain on a DAS Air Cargo Boeing 707 freighter)? What was on the load sheet for the return leg? Full load of Hydrochloric acid and Sulphuric Acid. It was a good trip, and we parked up next to a C5 Galaxy at Helsinki. I'm pretty sure the landing at Gatwick was extra smooth.
Or there's a hole in his plane floor.
I hope they are in LifeProof cases
The only comment I would make re the comms was the word 'Fuel' when ATC request fuel and souls on board.. I've heard this on a couple of occasions during my career and heard the pilots come back with something like 2500 kilos.. what the controller needs to ask is 'Fuel Endurance?' Time not qty is what's needed. The pilot on the radio has a British accent which would explain the Wilco.. that's what we use.. goes back a long way in time.
While operating in Afghanistan, flying into Bastion, where British controllers were in charge of ops I got to use the term 'Angels 15' or whatever.. made me feel like I was flying a Spitfire.. wonderful :>)
Great video - I really enjoy these! Kelsey is so good at seeing everyone’s point of view, he has the ideal temperament. I love his hazmat explanation - “it can’t go over the Atlantic on a passenger plane, but we’ll put it on Kelsey’s. It doesn’t matter if we lose him.” 😂
Very interesting topic.
Great explanation on DG's and handling of lithium batteries.
Brilliant. Excellent explanations. All the way through. Kelsey is the man.
About 25 years ago I travelled from San Francisco to Heathrow on a Virgin 777. As we approached London I noticed that communication between between cockpit and ATC was on one of the headphone channels. If a mayday had been declared I would have freaked out.
Virgin was operating the 777
25 years ago....I'm getting old.
@@hewhohasnoidentity4377 I don't think Virgin Atlantic did - must have been BA or AA?
@@iaexo hmm. This made me think a bit. I know I'm right with the date because it was a few weeks after the death of Diana (a big talking point over there at the time). Looking it up, it seems I may have been on one of the earlier flights of their one year lease of a 767. However, I did fly AA on that trip but I'm almost certain that was NY to SF. Could be mistaken though.
@@stegra5960 I should have looked at the rest of the comments after I saw the reply. I just checked and Virgin Atlantic has never operated the 777.
Kelsey, when it comes to explaining everything you're the best! I wondered why, if the plane landed safely, would the fire trucks be needed to follow the plane all the way to the gate, since they made it down safe, and fire trucks can't refuel or add gas to the plane why would they be needed. But as you said, better to have them and not need them, but still I see where it might concern pax to see the emergency vehicles racing along side or behind the plane. Great job Kelsey!!! Oh having all those lithium ion batteries on board would make me nervous too!!!
if you ever see fire trucks outside your plane it's gotta be a good thing, it means you're on the ground and alive/conscious.