Airline Guys Question

Goofy

Goofy

Line Up and Wait
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Nov 19, 2011
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Goofy
Why in hell do some flights have no air flowing and are stuffy as hell while others freeze you out? Had one of each last night....?
 
Because the pilots don’t care to monitor the cabin temp throughout the flight.
 
I have NEVER been cold on a commercial flight. Most the time its way too hot for me but I'm a minority compared to the old ladies that complain to the flight attendants. If you tend to get cold, plan accordingly and bring a jacket or a sweater. Hot natured people can only get so naked but cold natured people can put on more clothes.
 
Pilots do monitor the temp but it is easy to get behind when it is -54 C outside. Airflow is pretty much automated to the “needs”of temp and pressurization.
A lot depends on the ducting and how leaky it is.
 
Most airplanes struggle on the ground when the outside temperature is very hot or cold. Most do pretty good in the air (the E145 is one big exception. In the air it is cold in the front of the cabin and hot in the back).

In the air we're relying on the cabin temp gauge, which isn't very accurate, and the F/As. When I ask the F/As how the temperature is doing the reply I most often receive is, "No complaints". So, if you are not comfortable in the air, ask the F/A to pass your complaint up to us.
 
Could be the aircraft system but most planes have two air conditioning packs they can dispatch with only one working you can guess the results
 
Last night on 'Arctic Air' every first class seat had a well used blanket on it when we walked through....crazy cold 737. Snowmobile maker plane before that was hot and stuffy....barely anything coming out of vents.
 
bluefishbeagle said:
Could be the aircraft system but most planes have two air conditioning packs they can dispatch with only one working you can guess the results
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This! If it was CRj200 (50 seats) operating on one pack (a/c) will not cool the cabin, plus no flow. The CRJ 700 & 900 vastly improved and can cool better if one pack deferred. Mainline jets should be similar.
 
I had a flight delayed because the intercom wouldn't work from the back of the cabin up to the front of the cabin. So you're saying you can fly passengers even if the ones in the front or back roast or freeze? What's wrong with this go no-go checklist?
 
I think the biggest problem is what I think is too cold, someone else thinks is too hot.
So responses in this thread show that to be true.

Also, zone temperature gauges are often extremely inaccurate. If you're sitting on the side with the sun beaming in you will be hot. On the other side near the exit, probably cold.
 
I had a PAC quit on the way to the runway for an ATL-LAX leg in a 767. We troubleshot it for a while and ops said that we couldn't fix it. We made several PA's about what it would be like if we went as is - "frozen burrito" is how I explained it. The front and back will be hot and the middle will be cold. The FA's said everyone on the ground was saying "don't cancel my flight", "I can't be late" and "so what, who cares how the temp is". We went and of course all the way across the country everyone complained about the temp...

But yes it depends largely on the type of aircraft. In the 757/767 there is a small rotary knob above the F.O.'s cranium. As far as I could tell, 1/16th of a degree of a turn equaled about a 15 degree swing in cabin temp. :p Seriously it's not much to make a big difference and we don't know unless you ask (via the F.A.'s)

I also had one F.A. call up front and ask if I could cool row 34 down a little bit because they were hot, but seat 27B was cold so could I heat her spot up. Yeeeeaaaaahhhhhh..... I'll be right on that.
 
If any of you are American Airlines pilots and are flying from Phoenix to Philadelphia on the 10th, please make it cooler.

There...that oughta do it. It's great to have an "in." ;)
 
Timbeck2 said:
I had a flight delayed because the intercom wouldn't work from the back of the cabin up to the front of the cabin. So you're saying you can fly passengers even if the ones in the front or back roast or freeze? What's wrong with this go no-go checklist?
Click to expand...
Comfort vs. Safety.
 
Without looking at our MEL it's hard to say what's permissible for dispatch and what isn't, but I'm certain there needs to be some method of communication. I suppose in certain situations it could be walking the aisle.

Regardless, if the MEL does not provide relief, the crews hands are tied.
 
Regardless, my point was that we were grounded for a communication issue but possibly not for an AC PAC issue.
 
It also is a possibility one was MEL’d and not working

But as others have mentioned it just depends on the plane and the outside conditions etc. usually just asked the FA’s if they were hot or cold and adjusted accordingly.

However there are times it’s impossible to keep up with the temp due to what’s going on outside, when I used to fly the CRJ, if it was a 200 I could never get it to cool down in the summer once it got hot that’s why you may find some flights pretty cold in cruise that way it stays cooler longer on the ground. Some planes like the CRJ-700/900 you can set a target temp and the packs would change the output air to hit that temperature, but others you move the knob for hotter or colder air which is why it may feel like extremes

As for the pressures changing, the packs are pretty consistent but if they are running off the engines you will get greater air flow with the power up then if we are at idle in a descent. The pressures can vary widely with the power aettings of the engines thus why it feels the out pressures of the AC are changing

Side bar I noticed when I used to fly the CRJ-700/900 if I had the front pack set to 21c and the aft pack set to 23c is when I used to get the least amount of complaints to make it hotter or colder
 
Timbeck2 said:
Regardless, my point was that we were grounded for a communication issue but possibly not for an AC PAC issue.
Click to expand...

I got that. The aircraft quite possibly was operating under some restrictions due to the Pack.

JustinD said:
It also is a possibility one was MEL’d and not working
Click to expand...

True. With one pack MEL'ed the 757, for example, would have restrictions of: 1. Altitude limited to FL350, and 2. Remain within 60 minutes of landing at a suitable airport.
 
Larry in TN said:
Most airplanes struggle on the ground when the outside temperature is very hot or cold. Most do pretty good in the air (the E145 is one big exception. In the air it is cold in the front of the cabin and hot in the back).

In the air we're relying on the cabin temp gauge, which isn't very accurate, and the F/As. When I ask the F/As how the temperature is doing the reply I most often receive is, "No complaints". So, if you are not comfortable in the air, ask the F/A to pass your complaint up to us.
Click to expand...

I can vouch for one that is particularly hot on the ground in the summer (spring, fall you name it) is a 737-400...plenty of experience here. Once you get in the air it usually is more like "Well, it's still hot as **** in here but nothing like when we were sitting on the ground for 2 1/2 hours" While it is not too much better, it certainly is a welcome sight when an 800 shows up instead of a 400. Seems to do a little better both on the ground and in the air.
 
True story. Back when I flew passengers the FA’s were notorious for calling the cockpit and saying “warm it up”. Did it to the VP of Ops on a flight and the next thing we knew maintenance was rewiring the FA lighting and PA panel with a temp controller so they could adjust over a small temp range. Many memos were sent to all crew members as to the proper usage and how to stay ahead of the temp. Very nice detailed work. No complaints after that.

What was the rotary switch controller attached to? Absolutely nothing. They had perceived control and were happy.

The best way to keep the temp “right”? Feed the pilots.
 
EvilEagle said:
But yes it depends largely on the type of aircraft. In the 757/767 there is a small rotary knob above the F.O.'s cranium.
Click to expand...
HEAD. The Air Force isn't listening. You can speak freely here.
 
EvilEagle said:
Some habits will never die: cranium, container and deceased insect are in that category. I don’t fight it anymore.
Click to expand...
I never quite figured out if that language was compliance or rebellion?? I switched over too late in the game to ever really understand it. The Air Force's irreverence is much better masked than the Navy's.
 
TCABM said:
What’s the Navy definition of head?
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Nugget. ****ter. And other things MSCard can tell you about.

Edit: First time I've been censored by the host!
 
I flew for a small company in Alaska. If one of the heaters was not working on the plane in winter, that plane was grounded until fixed.

Make that passenger heater. No one cared about the pilots.
 
Cooter said:
Nugget. ****ter. And other things MSCard can tell you about.

Edit: First time I've been censored by the host!
Click to expand...

Whoa don't get me in on this! :rofl::rofl::rofl:
BTW it's automatic when you write a naughty that's it's censored.
 
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