Day 3 of a 4 day.
Day 1 was a cluster. Supposed to do 3 legs. Due to that little emergency I only did 2.
As luck would have it the EXACT same aircraft I declared an emergency in was scheduled for my one leg out on day 2. I made sure to arrive at the gate when it parked.
I asked the crew how the plane was and specifically about engine number 2. They said they saw the write up and watched it carefully. No issues.
My Flight Attendant was not happy about being on the same plane, "If that damn engine has issues again I'm going to take an axe to it." he said jokingly.
My leg out. My third female Captain of the month. Most ever in one month.
I briefed her about the issue I had and we examined the logbook. Several valves had been replaced.
On takeoff she monitored the power and all was well. Around 5000 feet I turned the autopilot on and also monitored the engine. It seemed normal.
Passing FL280 we were talking when I noticed the N2 on the number 2 engine getting higher than the number 1.
"It's happening again," I said.
This time the ITT was around 830 on number 2 and 800 on number 1. The day before ITT was 890.
Passing FL340 the ITT on number 2 was 850 while number 1 was 820. The N1 was 1% below target while N2 was at 100%. We were exactly halfway between our departure and destination.
The Captain got on the horn with the dispatcher. She also called back to the Flight Attendant. "Now don't freak out, but the engine is having issues again. We're halfway and have decided to continue on to our destination."
Level at FL370 the ITT was well within limits. The mechanics fixed one issue, but there was still something wrong.
Normal ILS to near mins landing. The outbound crew came down the jet bridge and thought it was a minor issue. I let them know the plane wouldn't be going anywhere. They weren't happy as it was one leg in for them.
Their flight cancelled and ended up deadheading home on the next flight.
Odd overnight. Old hotel that needs updating. It was also odd as my hotel was in between 2 La Quintas. One had a Waffle House while the other had a Denny's. Very odd.
The next morning I woke up early. I was down in the lobby at 5:45 AM for a 6 AM van.
Left the hotel on time.
As we approached the TSA checkpoint at the airport, I opened my jacket and felt for my ID. It wasn't there. I had left it in the hotel room! Second time in 7 years I have done this.
I immediately called the hotel. The rest of the crew went on to prepare the aircraft.
Thankfully the van driver returned at 6:42 AM with my ID. I tipped him $5. Departure was supposed to be 6:55 AM. I was in my seat by 6:50 AM. Delayed. The first two Ground Power Units were faulty so boarding had not started.
Blocked out at 7:05 AM. Four legs later and done.
Tomorrow I would have had one leg in and done. I added on a 4.5 hour turn on overtime. It's risky on Christmas Eve especially with weather. Here's hoping I don't get stuck.
And the aircraft with the troubled engine is still stuck at the out station....I bet it will bet there until Saturday.
I think I like the new format, Geek. (Thinking...) Yes, I get the calendar at the upper-left. Still, IMHO every post ought to have a dateline at the top. Period.
ReplyDeleteA great post!! As noted many times... you will soon hold that left seat, if only as a reserve, at least for a while. You won't like the Junior Reserve Captain's schedule, but perhaps the increased bucks will help offset the schedule. Ah... Themes done bee duh rules - and you already know them better than we do. At least you probably won't have to commute. For some strange reason..., I just cannot picture you as a commuting pilot, no, not even as a Green Captain wishing to retain that fourth stripe. A zero bet from here. In any and all cases, best wishes to the Captaincy class of 2015!