Is DUer Trof the retired airline pilot around today?

I just wanted to relate that I did pretty well with the aborted take-off in the Air France Airbus when we flew out of Newark. I remembered the Eleven Minute rule... and tried to just calm myself down.

We rolled back to the gate and the pilot told us there was some indicator light came on that suggested a problem with the airconditioning. About a half hour later, we were back in the queue for takeoff and the rest of the flight to Paris was uneventful.

Pilots are trained to do them, and they practice them in simulators. Usually they will abort a takeoff for just about any indication of a problem, even a relatively minor one, as long as they aren't yet going too fast (about 80 kts). After that they will abort only for major problems, like an engine failure, and after a certain speed (called V1, basically a decision or go/no-go speed, which is mainly based on the airplane's weight), they will take off and deal with the problem in flight because it's safer than risking going off the end of the runway.

In your situation it sounds like they got a caution indication on the ECAM (a computerized system monitor used by Airbus) and did a very routine RTO. A lot of these things sound scary but they really aren't. Air France is a very good, safe airline. Glad you weren't too rattled and everything went well afterwards -- and that you had a great trip.

nine-week course originally taught by U.S. Air at Logan Airport, Boston. We did relaxation training with a psychologist and read a book about flying, and heard from a retired pilot, Captain Pettee.

One of the assignments was an "aborted" or rejected take-off and I was very panicky, but when we did it, there was nothing to it. However, this was the first time since that class in the mid-1980s that I had actually experienced a real one, and we have flown many, many times since then.

Anyway, I was a bit shaken and I whipped out my cell phone as we made our way back to the gate and called my cousin by marriage. He is retired AF and essentially told me the same thing you did -- no big deal. My cousin is now a volunteer at the Teterboro Airport Museum in New Jersey, a really savvy pilot who is awaiting his medical clearance to see if he can still fly at his advanced age (75? 80? Not sure...)

Thanks so much for going over the details with me. Except for some clear air turbulence, we had uneventful flights on Continental from Portland to Newark and on to CDG-Paris on Air France, and returning from EDI to Newark, and home to Portland the next day on Continental.

The one difference between being a RECOVERING FEARFUL FLYER is, unlike alcoholics or narcotic users, who promise to never "use" again -- RFFs really MUST take that next flight, instead of avoiding it!

In mid-August, we're off to San Francisco, and I don't expect anything but a great vacation!

Has anyone heard whether or not grandbaby-trof has made her appearance yet? :shrug:

That is almost a brand new aircraft
What is the 11minute rule, never heard of it

90-something percent of aircraft accidents happen during take-off plus 3 minutes and landing minus 8 minutes.

So, statistically, there only 11 minutes where you really should worry.

The rest of the flight is virtually 'incident free'.
:-)

...that 100% of crashes take place within the last second before they hit they ground? :D

I kid, of course.

The general rule is to try to stay in the middle of the air. Do not go near the edges of it. The edges of the air can be recognized by the appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees and interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly there.

I appreciate those comments as well as these.

the Eleven Minute Rule, Trof, when you have time.

Am definitely a reluctant flyer. Would like to overcome it.

Has the new grand daughter made her appearance yet?

Thanks.

the Eleven Minute Rule, Trof when you have time.

Am definitely a reluctant flyer. Would like to overcome it.

Has the new grand daughter made her appearance yet?

Thanks.

the three minutes from wheels up and the 8 minutes before wheels down are where almost all aircraft problems happen. flying is easy, taking off and landing is stressful on the plane and much less forgiving of potential issues.

once you are in the air, and the seatbelt sign is turned off, the plane basically flies itself, and the window of opportunity to address problems is much larger. it's like saying that most car crashes happen at intersections, when everyone is tooling along at 65 mph on the freeway, you are pretty safe, but when there is cross traffic, or people have to do something besides go in a straight line, you are at higher risk. that's all.

remember, you are much more likely to die from a lightning strike than a plane crash. statistically, more people in the US die from dog bites than plane crashes. yes, you are putting your life into someone else's hands, but remember that their lives are in their hands as well, and they are highly trained. on the highway, you run the risk of the next guy over having a learner's permit, while the pilot of your airplane has years of specialized training. pilots don't earn their paychecks at 30,000 feet, almost anyone with a modicum of time in a simulator could fly an airliner in a straight line, even without the autopilot.

But that's just me.

Yep, no airplane EVER crashed while on the ground.
So if you see a problem while on the take-off roll, you just don't take off.
What could be easier?
:-)

used in the original fear of flying class in the 1980s.

sadly.

and the addendum to the 11 minute rule is that if something really major happens outside that window, you are going to be dead probably before you even know about it, so no point in worrying.

and a couple of high speed ones in the service. Everything worked as advertised, no harm done. They do tend to cause anxiety among passengers, just because they are so rare.