Ask Captain Lim

Dear Captain Lim,

Thank you for providing such a great resource for the flying passengers. I have many questions, so I hope you don't mind!

I travel from Newark to Hong Kong direct a number of times a year. If I let my mind dwell on the fact that we are flying a Polar route close to the North Pole, I get a little disconcerted. I actually spoke with one of the pilots who was walking up and down the aisle on this 16-hour flight - on a 777-200 I might add. I asked him about the route we were taking and he seemed to think that this particular flight was the only one in the area since there are very few direct flights between North East America and South East Asia.

One question is; if this is actually the case, how can the flight be pre-warned of conditions up ahead on the route since I assume it is normal on, say on trans-Atlantic routes, that flights can warn those following of rough air or turbulence? How does the crew prepare for weather that might be experienced on such a long flight? Are they able to get weather reports prior to leaving on a Polar route? Is it safe to fly a Polar routing if you are the ONLY plane in the area? Does the 777 have radar that shows weather up ahead in sufficient detail that would allow time for a diversion?

Also, I mentioned ETOPS to the pilot and he said there were no airports where we were headed, but there are areas designated where a flight could land in an emergency? He joked about a landing strip no better than a flat area on an ice floe! This seems a bit of a concern if true? Where can a flight over the Polar area land if need be and there is no bona fide airport?

Some other questions: Is the weather on the Polar routes calmer in general than elsewhere and is there a lot of high altitude cloud cover over the North Pole route? Does the jet stream ever travel over the Polar routes?

Is there a danger of the fuel freezing or gelling on a 16-hour flight on a Polar route? Also, I hope the Chinese do not fly like they drive, which is always scary, but seriously, should I be worried about Chinese air traffic control when we fly over Mainland China? How do Western pilots communicate with native Chinese speaking controllers? Is the separation and air traffic control considered safe over China or similar "less well developed" countries? Does the 777 have equipment to let the pilots know of other planes in the vicinity, or do both planes have to have a transponder (sic) and they both have to be turned on for this concept to work? I'm remembering that high altitude collision over Russia or Asia a couple of years ago.

Lastly, on my last 777 flight to Hong Kong from Newark in March of 2005, my seat mate told me that he was on the flight the previous afternoon, and during the takeoff, there was wind shear in the area. The 777 was involved in a "tail strike" when it was hit by wind shear just at takeoff and the tail was forced violently down onto the runway when the plane had just become airborne. The flight made it up and circled, vibrating and shuddering all the while for 4 hours as it dumped fuel (over land!!) before landing safely back in Newark. Can you comment on this passenger's description of the scenario that it seemed that there was a battle going on between autopilot and crew as whether to land or take off? He said it seemed that after the tail strike the nose seemed to dip as though the plane was going to land, but then the nose suddenly jerked up to climb and this was repeated a few times up and down before the plane ended up gaining altitude?

So, how common is a tail strike on the 777 and is takeoff on autopilot? If so, when a tail strike occurs does the pilot have to take manual control as the autopilot shuts off or becomes disabled? What is the procedure when such an incident occurs? This passenger also told me that members of the FAA were in the cockpit during this event (he seemed to have a lot of info - no!), so what would be the repercussions for the crew?

Sorry for the barrage of questions but I do not see these addressed on your web site. Thanks in advance for any answers you can provide.

Jamie S. Ross
Miami, Florida

Hi Jamie,

Yes, you have many questions that would require a book to cover adequately. Anyway, most of them have been asked before.

To save you the trouble of referring to about 1000 FAQ in my site, I will answer them very briefly here.

Normally, on a route that is frequently plied by airlines, one has the luxury of getting reports from other pilots ahead. However, on a less-flown track like the Polar route, modern computerized flight plans and weather forecasts are generally quite accurate to keep pilots informed of turbulence ahead. Pilots do a thorough briefing prior to the flight and continue to keep themselves updated as the flight progresses. So it is safe even if you are flying the only plane in the area.

The Boeing 777 has very good radar (in fact two) to monitor any detailed weather ahead. The flight would not normally proceed with all the radars failed unless it is a short flight with clear weather. Flights would be illegal if there are not designated alternate airports (please read my ETOPS topic) along the route. Thus, in case of an emergency, the Boeing 777 will divert to these alternate airports that may be up to 3 hours away.

Weather over the Polar region are generally better because the plane flies above the tropopause which is lowest at both the Poles. For your information, most weather is found below the tropopause. Jet stream does not exist at the Polar region but you would nevertheless encounter them at either side of your journey.

Fuel freezing over the Poles is a slight possibility and pilots are warned to be vigilant by constantly monitoring the fuel temperatures - for instance, by flying faster (warming the skin of wings through kinetic energy) or descending to a warmer level.

There are no worries about Chinese controllers as they all speak English to International air traffic. I have seen notable improvement on the air traffic controllers' performance lately as Mainland China is trying very hard to impress the International community with the approaching Olympic Games in 2008. Traffic separation in their airspace is adequate but pilots must get used to the metric system because they use meters instead of feet for flight levels.

The Boeing 777 is equipped with TCAS (traffic collision and avoidance system) to warn pilots of traffic in the vicinity. Any tail strike on the plane will be shown on the cockpit by a warning signal. Tail strikes on this plane are rare but it can happen if pilots are not well trained to lift the plane off correctly during the take off. Wherever there is an incident or accident, there would be an inquiry to find out the cause and make recommendations. (Actions would be taken against the crew if found negligent - e.g. grounding, demotion, retraining or licence suspended, etc.)

It seems that your seatmate's description of the tail strike incident is probably what is known as "passenger embellishment" of events. Takeoffs are never performed on autopilot! It is carried out manually by the pilot and only engaged at 200 feet above ground level. However, a landing on autopilot right up to the ground level is often performed in bad weather with poor visibility. It is the pilot*s responsibility to take over whenever an autopilot fails. So human intervention is still the last link in any automation.

Wish you a pleasant New York to Hong Kong flight over the Poles!