Think-Dash

Experience is Priceless:

Sitting at Gate 33 in Boston and ready to push back, I am bombarded with certain procedures particular to this airport. I must first call clearance on 121.65 and request push back, along with informing the guy up in the tower which departure procedure we will be using. Then I will switch to ground control and they will call us. I also realize we are too heavy to use runway 9 for a transcon flight, and so we must request 4R. These are all things that have come from experience and local knowledge over the years, and is information that I do not need to look up anymore. It is rote.

I have also learned not to get smart with JFK ground controllers. I am sure you all know why.

Never to stop at Chicago O'Hare when exiting the runway; always keep moving or you will get yelled at.

I have learned to call tower over the outer marker at LAX's 25L and not before.

I know to fly at 280 knots above 10,000 feet while exiting Charlotte's airspace to the north, until advised.

I know to slow to 200 knots prior to crossing the LAX 130 degree radial westbound below 5,000 feet as we approach Long Beach.

There is almost always moderate turbulence while descending into Las Vegas from the west most times of the year.

I better have an alternate when flying into Arcata, CA in the morning.

I know I can request to fly direct to the GILRO intersection to intercept the 30L localizer at San Jose, CA thus saving us a few minutes.

There are large mountains just to the east of Anchorage, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Portland, just to the west of Denver and Reno and just north of Ontario, CA. Flying one thousand feet above these airports in those directions will eventually kill you.

I know that if we have a rapid decompression in the western US, I better level off at around 15,000 feet. Any lower and we may just hit terrain.

I know during the spring and summer months, DFW may change the arrival on at least three times.

I know between the months of May-August to avoid any airport in Florida between the hours of 11A and 4P. Thunderstorms pop up quick down there and quickly cloak off airways...and airports!

I know to monitor 121.50 on the secondary radio at Washington DCA.

I must state the first fix on our departure procedure to ramp control on pushback at Dulles.

Be conservative at Burbank and Midway Airports.

If I need to divert when halfway to Bermuda, plan on making a 90-degree turn and head for land.

Unless you're on it, plan on being high and fast when using the localizer to runway 27 at San Diego. I've seen plenty of go-arounds there.

San Francisco is probably the only place you can count on an ILS PRM approach, and occasionally to a breakout. I've done at least one.

Never accept a visual approach into San Diego's Brown field from the east at night. There's a mountain that has claimed many many lives over the years.

I know to contact Havana Control when I'm five minutes from the CANOA intersection westbound, and to contact Santo Domingo Control when I'm five minutes from the BESAS intersection southeast bound.

Plan to have the sun in your face for five hours if you depart Los Angeles for Honolulu at 5PM.

I know to not fully understand Mexican controllers while departing Cancun, or any Mexican airport for that matter.

The controllers in Quebec love to speak French all the time. Parlez-vous Francais?

...and many, many more.

This all comes from experience, and in this industry, experience is priceless. Do you have any to share?