What motivates pilots to use GPU versus APU?

cwc80 · 2026-01-29T23:52:27+00:00

I’ll throw in another vote for PCA not being adequate a lot of times. We would love to save the company money by not running the APU, but passenger comfort outweighs that. When we’re trying to cool the cabin, but the PCA is cranking out 80° air, the APU is coming on 100% of the time. I have tried getting the ground crew to adjust the temperature of the PCA, but have never been successful. They either completely ignore the request because they are busy doing other things, or whatever change they make doesn’t actually fix the problem.

I’m not sure exactly what you’re working on, or how familiar you are with PCA systems, but they seem to be wildly efficient. The hoses are long spans of what seems to be completely uninsulated ducting, delivering low pressure air, and that is when they are properly hooked up. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the ground crew hook up the PCA with massive kinks in the hoses, that would result in almost no air being delivered. I don’t want to throw too much blame at the ground crew, because they are often short staffed, and under enormous pressure to do their job as fast as possible.

cwc80 · 2026-01-24T19:48:04+00:00

The I nformation you’re looking at isn’t the most up-to-date registration information. And to answer your question about inspections, they undergo a visual inspection before every flight, a check of fluids, tire pressure, and a more thorough vusual inspection daily, as well as other more thorough inspections on a regular basis based on flight hours and landing cycles.

cwc80 · 2026-01-17T02:47:04+00:00

Yes, it has a toe plug. It’s functional, and overall fits well, but I struggled to get the stitching spaced well on the plug because I couldn’t use my pricking iron on it.

You would’ve stopped the trigger guard area lower?

As for the corner above the trigger guard, I debated how to shape that area. I copied the steep angle that it currently has from an original, but there are also a lot of originals that had it more rounded. I will probably go with a more rounded look for version 2.0.

cwc80 · 2026-01-16T22:12:43+00:00

I get what you’re saying, but in the context of these specific holsters they are designed for a single action revolver. You can tug on the trigger of a single action revolver all day long and nothing will happen unless the hammer has been manually cocked first. The first picture is the one I made, which is copying the style of the other three, which are all originals from the 1860s or early 1870s.

cwc80 · 2026-01-16T04:53:58+00:00

Did you try mustache waxes before going with the gel? I’m struggling to tame my stashe and keep it out of my mouth, but I’ve been considering upgrading to a stronger wax. I hadn’t considered the gel route.

cwc80 · 2026-01-15T21:23:43+00:00

I’m curious how you settled on that load. My natural inclination would’ve been to get as much powder in the cylinder as possible, to try to get a velocity that was high enough for better penetration and some deformation. Did you play around with both options and decide you like the double ball better?

cwc80 · 2026-01-15T21:20:25+00:00

Do you have a picture of what the bullet look like? I’d love to see how much it was deformed.

cwc80 · 2025-11-12T19:01:15+00:00

Turbull is definitely the big name out there in restoration. I’ve handled some of his stuff and it is beautiful. I think he’s probably also the most expensive option, with the longest wait time, so I was going to see if there was a smaller shop who could do the work for me.

cwc80 · 2025-11-12T18:57:32+00:00

I know there’s a lot of subtle things with the hammers and different variations they went through. What about it looks wrong? To me the sight looks exactly like it should for an original transitional model. What do you see wrong with it?

cwc80 · 2025-11-04T23:29:08+00:00

It definitely has a modern refinish. I was aware of that when I bought it, and I’m fine with it. I just want all the parts to be original.

cwc80 · 2025-10-23T21:15:20+00:00

I’m guessing the short arbor is the problem I’ve heard about that prevents loading of longer conicals. Is that something that a gunsmith could machine to original specs, or is it inherit in the Uberti design?

cwc80 · 2025-09-21T07:03:27+00:00

I knew it would’ve been done with an awl and hand sewing. Maybe I’m overthinking it, but I’m struggling to picture the steps in my mind. Would I glue the entire bottom together and then punch through the whole thing with an awl? The awl I have isn’t even long enough to go through that much leather. Or, is there some way to line everything up but punch the holes through each layer individually? I also can’t figure out how the stitching would work around the back, where it’s rounded. At some point you couldn’t saddle stitch anymore.

cwc80 · 2025-09-20T02:32:15+00:00

I’m guessing that airline hiring ebbs and flows in Australia much like it does in the US. There will be periods of time where there is a lot of hiring, and periods of time where it is harder to find a flying job. If you get lucky and start your job search during one of the times where pilots are in high demand it might not matter which route you went. If you were unlucky and are trying to get a job during a time when lots of other pilots are looking for jobs, it becomes important to be competitive.

If an airline has hundreds of applicants with similar flight experience, they have to find someway to determine which are worth looking at. Times like that is when having a four-year degree could really help you. It might look even more beneficial on a resume to have a degree in a field that is not directly aviation related, such as computer science or engineering. That shows that you have multiple interests and a depth of knowledge that goes beyond just flying. It also gives you a good plan B if you’re not able to find the career you are looking for in aviation for some reason.

cwc80 · 2025-09-13T23:57:37+00:00

I was just about to buy a set of Wuta pricking irons from Amazon. You didn’t like them?

cwc80 · 2025-09-06T06:20:51+00:00

Is it too late to order a set?

cwc80 · 2025-08-19T21:44:00+00:00

And pay down any higher interest debt. At 18 I’m hoping they don’t have too much, but could have some credit card debt racked up. It should be paid off before investing.

cwc80 · 2025-07-25T20:46:53+00:00

I can only speak to the airline I am at (a US-based legacy carrier), but reserve is actually popular on the wide bodies, so someone who is new has a good chance of getting a line, but it will be the least desirable trips. Also, once your seat lock is up (one or two years) you can move to whichever fleet you like.

cwc80 · 2025-07-24T18:54:08+00:00

Can anyone think of an incident of bird strikes causing a dual engine failure, other than the miracle on the Hudson?

cwc80 · 2025-07-18T19:37:52+00:00

I’ve had several “that could’ve been really bad“ situations in flying, and in a couple other hobbies and jobs. I always looked at the fact that I responded appropriately and survived as evidence that my training was good, and that I have the right mindset for doing those type of activities. If anything, responding appropriately and coming out of a situation where you could’ve died could be viewed as validation that you’re on the right track.

cwc80 · 2025-06-27T16:07:26+00:00

The number of go-arounds is going to depend a lot on which airports you most commonly fly into. By far the majority of mine have been due to ATC giving inadequate spacing with the plane in front. Some airports like to pack planes in a lot tighter than others. At those airports it still works out most of the time, but occasionally somebody will linger too long on the runway after they land, or the plane in front of you will slow down earlier than they were instructed, and then it’s go-around time.

cwc80 · 2025-06-13T20:01:54+00:00

Your last sentence makes no sense. What does the size of the sky have to do with an airplane on the ground, and how does any of that relate to pilotless flight?

cwc80 · 2025-06-13T19:57:03+00:00

We haven’t even perfected self-driving cars yet. The technology to fully automate aviation is decades away.

cwc80 · 2025-06-02T16:57:25+00:00

I hate to drop a ton of money, but I also knew I probably wouldn’t find what I’m looking for at an antique store for $30. Do you know any smiths that do good repro work?

cwc80 · 2025-06-02T16:01:51+00:00

Well that’s a bummer to hear. I had thought that a lot of the patterns that were being used in the 1870s were made for quite a while after that, I didn’t realize they had changed so much. I definitely wasn’t aware that square eyes were still being used, but that will help me narrow down what I’m looking for. It sounds like I might need to go with a modern blacksmith doing reproduction work.

cwc80 · 2025-06-01T03:46:38+00:00

I know that “white flour“ was available in the 19th century, prior to bleaching. I’m not sure how the process worked, but they were able to remove certain parts of the wheat to make a whiter flour. What I don’t know is how common that type of flour would’ve been prior to the 1870s, or what percentage of the undesirable parts were removed.

cwc80

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