Pilot Logbooks: Tradition vs. Technology
The discussion begins with a question about whether pilots are required to maintain logbooks and if paper logbooks are still the official recommendation. Users clarify that while paper logbooks are traditional and still widely used, digital options are increasingly common. The implications of losing a logbook are also touched upon, highlighting the potential difficulty in reconstructing lost data.
"A lot of people still use paper (and fill it in after landing each flight), but there are quite a few digital options on the market now. I use one called LogTen, which stores everything in a SQLite file behind the scenes which is what I used to make this." - jamesharding
"You go back to every airline you ever worked for, beg for your flight logs, hope they are willing to provide them, and then over the course of weeks re-enter them into your paper logbook or software. Then you hope that the airline will also be willing to sign-off your logbook. TL;DR: you're screwed." - markdown
"You are only required to log time required for 61.51.a.1 or .a.2, but are not required to log “all [your] flying hours” by the FAA. (Your airline might require it and it’s a good idea to log all your flights, but it’s not a law.)" - sokoloff
Impact of Geopolitical Events on Flight Paths
A significant portion of the discussion revolves around an observation in the data visualization that showed some longer flights taking more time per nautical mile. The author explains this is due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, which necessitates longer flight paths to avoid restricted airspace. This leads to a discussion about the practical implications of airspace closures and differing routes for outbound and inbound flights, with a mention of the influence of jetstreams.
"Great question! It is not an anomaly, it is very geographically specific. Due the the Ukraine war (and my home base being in the UK), we have to fly the long way around to get to far-east destinations like Tokyo and Hong Kong. Flying outbound from London we have to fly down over Turkey (which adds about two hours of flight time). Flying home from Tokyo with the ongoing airspace closure, if the the weather is suitable at the ETOPS airports enroute, it is actually quicker to fly home eastbound again, flying up over Alaska. A proper around-the-world in 4 days!" - jamesharding
"So for London-Tokyo the return route is completely different from the outbound route? Fascinating! I guess that has something to do with the jetstream (which only helps you when travelling eastbound)?" - rob74
"Not OP, but commercial airliners fly on airways: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwaYDVbQvKI& , from waypoint to waypoint. When there's missiles in the air heading to land on innocent babies, the airlines choose waypoints so that they don't fly over these areas." - netsharc
"I wish I had it! Our flight plans contain the full routes (waypoints and airways), but there is no easy way to capture this information. While not exact prohibited airspace, this map shows where GPS jamming is highest, which roughly corresponds to the warzones: https://gpsjam.org/" - jamesharding
User Interface and Data Visualization
Comments are made about the quality of the data visualization, with a suggestion to improve the display of clustered airport labels for better readability. The author acknowledges the suggestion and states they will look into it.
"I wonder if you can spread out the airport labels a bit when they're clustered together, like the cluster around CYOO in the US." - arccy
"Good idea! Not sure exactly how to do this with globe.gl but I will look into it." - jamesharding
Intersection of Aviation and Software Engineering
The discussion highlights the author's transition from a computer engineering background to becoming a pilot, sparking a conversation about career changes and motivations. Several users express admiration for the author's continued engagement with software and engineering projects. The author shares their personal motivation and the feeling of choosing a career path that aligns with their passions.
"Having a computer engineering background, what motivated you to become a pilot and switch careers?" - iamspoilt
"Looking at your projects, seems like you still have the hacker going in you! Saw Home Assistant one! Kudos!" - iamspoilt
"I had always been interested in aviation, and I was fortunate that I was in the right place at the right time after graduation to join an airline on a sponsored "cadet scheme". I still (hopefully evidently) very much love software/engineering, but I guess I chose the path of "professional pilot, hobbyist engineer" over the alternative of "professional engineer, hobbyist pilot"." - jamesharding
"I loved programming before doing it as a job. Now, I really can't be bothered to program outside of work. At what age did you make this change? I love medicine, researching diseases I hear about and learning about the body is hobby for me. I would love to get into it but I am almost 40." - avgDev
"You're young! Saying that as a fellow almost-40." - svara
Passenger Comfort: Ear Pressure and Cabin Altitude
A user inquires about ear pressure issues for pilots and any remedies. This leads to a discussion about how modern aircraft, like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A330/A350, have systems that help mitigate ear discomfort by maintaining a lower simulated cabin altitude, which passengers flying on these newer planes experience less ear popping.
"This is great work! I have a somewhat off-topic question. How are your ears? Do pilots have any tricks to save their ears from getting clogged due to the constant pressure changes?" - andreygrehov
"Thank you :) I haven't had issue with my ears (other than the occasional lingering cold), but usually a good yawn or chewing gum will clear it. On a normal day, I am fortunate to have wide eustacian tubes I guess!" - jamesharding
"Not a pilot but fly frequently -- A lot of the modern larger planes 787 Dreamliner or an A330/350 have something that helps with the ear clogging. I travel NY/LON a lot, and I rarely have any ear popping. If I travel on a smaller plane say NY -> Miami, I easily get the clogged feeling." - lbotos
"The newer planes pressurize their cabin to a lower simulated altitude." - netsharc
Data Storage and Technical Implementation
There's a brief technical inquiry about how the raw and display data is stored. The author clarifies it's managed through the LogTen app, which uses SQLite and allows for querying. Another user points to the specific post detailing this technical aspect.
"Cool visualization for your personal logbook. How is the raw or display data stored?" - ok_computer
"He answered in the post that he uses LogTen Pro[1] which enables querying with SQL[2]. In the SQL post he says the app has an export for CSV but the app stores it in SQLite which you can access and query from directly." - wetoastfood
Pilot-Copilot Communication and Professional Dynamics
A user poses a question referencing a TV show depicting potential friction in pilot-copilot communication, asking for the author's thoughts on its portrayal and whether it represents an edge case or a generally recognized dynamic within the profession. This delves into discussions about communication styles, biases in retention, and the need for support within high-functioning teams.
"As an airline pilot, I am curious, have you watched the season 2 of Nathan Fielder’s Rehearsal on HBO, that comically addresses the topic of pilot-copilot communication? If so what are your thoughts on his portrayal of the existence of copilot communication friction. And without intending to dig into your personal business, do you think there is a tendency and survivor (retention) bias for the profession to remain high functioning ______, without recognizing a need for help. Or is this portrayal of stunted coworker dialog an edge case that is amplified from his perspective." - ok_computer