First flight of the P-8A Poseidon and all things related to transition

[CommodoreMid]

OMG, another 'WarPig Airlines' culinary upgrade - a Pastry Chef billet!

You asked for it!

*For the elder non-PC AWs: Flight Attendent = Stewardess.
BzB, pointy-nosed pest

Meh, I'm personally a fan of this old P-3 joke:
Why was the P-3 the first Navy combat aircraft to integrate women?
Because it has a kitchen.

 

[Gatordev]

What does this mean? Has VP managed to make a modern two-aircrew cockpit into a three-person cockpit?

• 
  Funny x 3

I'm all about laughing at VP guys, but I was actually curious what the real answer was. Ironically, so was one of the VP guys, but he chickened out and deleted his post.

 

[scoolbubba]

I'm all about laughing at VP guys, but I was actually curious what the real answer was. Ironically, so was one of the VP guys, but he chickened out and deleted his post.

Ha. I'll put it back up.

In reality, we use a natops qualified observer to run all of the back end EPs (fire bailout ditch etc) on min crew flights, as well as be another set of eyes at the ass end of the plane during engine starts and ground evolutions.

Since the p8 has no props and the observer window is about 2 feet behind the flight station, I have no idea what they do on the ground. Get the first round of in flight meals and the in flight movie ready would be my guess.

 

[BusyBee604]

Get the first round of in flight meals and the in flight movie ready would be my guess.

IN FLIGHT MOVIE? Hadn't heard that one before... say it isn't so? Between chompin', slurpin' & oglin' flix.. how will you find time for a mission in SuperJetPigII? Built in popcorn machine? lol
BzB

 

[Gatordev]

Ha. I'll put it back up.

In reality, we use a natops qualified observer to run all of the back end EPs (fire bailout ditch etc) on min crew flights, as well as be another set of eyes at the ass end of the plane during engine starts and ground evolutions.

Since the p8 has no props and the observer window is about 2 feet behind the flight station, I have no idea what they do on the ground. Get the first round of in flight meals and the in flight movie ready would be my guess.

Thanks, that makes sense. Kind of like a crewman, but in a more manegerial sense (I don't mean that in a bad way).

 

[Jim123]

Meh, I'm personally a fan of this old P-3 joke:
Why was the P-3 the first Navy combat aircraft to integrate women?
Because it has a kitchen.

Lalalalalalalalalala I can't hear you I can't hear you I can't hear you lalalalalalala!!

I just filled out one of those online equal opportunity surveys and there was a specific question about jokes just like this <--- melodramatic shocked smiley

 

[CommodoreMid]

Ha. I'll put it back up.

In reality, we use a natops qualified observer to run all of the back end EPs (fire bailout ditch etc) on min crew flights, as well as be another set of eyes at the ass end of the plane during engine starts and ground evolutions.

Since the p8 has no props and the observer window is about 2 feet behind the flight station, I have no idea what they do on the ground. Get the first round of in flight meals and the in flight movie ready would be my guess.

A lot of the same concepts in the P-8. Handles all the emergency equipment preflight, energizes whatever gear the flight station wants (assuming no other tube types), handles smoke/fire/fumes (what we now call FOUO drills) procedures, and traffic calls. On our flight to Seattle we actually energized all the tube gear to get more button mashing time, so we needed someone observer qualled anyway.

 

[xj220]

So min crew for the P-8 is now three I assume?

 

[CommodoreMid]

Yup

 

[Gatordev]

Okay, I can't resist after this...

A lot of the same concepts in the P-8. Handles all the emergency equipment preflight, energizes whatever gear the flight station wants (assuming no other tube types), handles smoke/fire/fumes (what we now call FOUO drills) procedures, and traffic calls. On our flight to Seattle we actually energized all the tube gear to get more button mashing time, so we needed someone observer qualled anyway.

So basically, because you turned some stuff on, you need someone to watch it? Is the Fire Watch a new PQS? Do you earn an ESWS pin with that? How do the airlines survive without that third person to watch for traffic?

Okay, I'm done.

 

[CommodoreMid]

Goes back to the P-3 mentality, which is understandable. Electronics in the P-3 had the nice tendency to overheat/catch on fire, coupled with the difficulty in isolating what was faulting, a separate observer was necessary. In the P-8, from what I've heard from our instructors, we haven't had any SFF emergencies yet, so we don't know how difficult it will be to isolate/fight a fire like this. Not being a pilot, I can't speak to how difficult it would be for the CP to cover the observer's preflight duties in addition to whatever they do, but I will say given all the electronics in the back, I see why we keep the observer position for inflight emergencies. Maybe in the following years when we establish the reliability of our systems in the back it will change, who knows, but for now I can understand why we do things the P-3 way.

 

[kunks]

Primary reason for an observer on the P8 during non-mission flights is that the fire/smoke detection system for all the equipment racks has no interface with the flight station so if something in the back catches on fire they can secure power, put the system in smoke removal, etc.

 

[squorch2]

the fire/smoke detection system for all the equipment racks has no interface with the flight station

.... what?

So if something is overheated, smoking or on fire in an equipment rack, there is no indication in the cockpit?

 

[PropStop]

Goes back to the P-3 mentality, which is understandable. Electronics in the P-3 had the nice tendency to overheat/catch on fire, coupled with the difficulty in isolating what was faulting, a separate observer was necessary.

Blah blah blah - real reason?

Those hot pockets aren't going to make themselves!

 

[scoolbubba]

Primary reason for an observer on the P8 during non-mission flights is that the fire/smoke detection system for all the equipment racks has no interface with the flight station so if something in the back catches on fire they can secure power, put the system in smoke removal, etc.

Throwing the bullshit flag on this.