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  #1  
Old 01-07-2011, 01:21 PM
nomocom's Avatar
nomocom nomocom is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Caldwell ID
Posts: 253
Default Handling of cockpit fluids (refreshments)

I hadn't thought much about coffee as a safety of flight issue, until I saw a report on United flight 940 (Jan 3) in the WSJ yesterday, page A3. The incident went from an inconvenience to bad, then fortunately, rather than get worse it was sorted out.

Coffee was spilled in the cockpit during some turbulence. The liquid took out some communications, so one of the crew uses the transpoder to notify ATC of lost com, except they fat finger it and enter 7500 instead of 7600. The flight was a Chicago to Frankfurt and was over Canada at the time. Transport Canada was notified by United Dispatch office that it was not in fact hijacked (7500), but was experiencing com problems- so it didn't escalate (United Dispatch was texting back and forth with the crew). The flight did divert to Toronto and passengers got put up in a hotel overnight, then caught a flight the next day.

I can't help but think this could have been serious had they been flying by a security TFR or the DC ADIZ.

This leads to my product recommendation. The Thermos vacuum bottle JMW500P6. It will keep liquids hot or cold for several hours like any vacuum bottle, but the real beauty of it is you can drink very nicely once you've released the top half of the clam shell lid. Enjoy a few swallows, then swing the lid back down closed and it is spill proof and leak proof. Even if turbulence knocked it loose with the lid flipped back, the restricted outlet would likely limit the flying beverages.

JMW500P6 http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-JMW500...4430795&sr=8-1
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  #2  
Old 01-07-2011, 01:42 PM
Transporter Transporter is offline
 
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Location: Lee's Summit, MO
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Default Fate is the Hunter

No relation to the Ernest Gann book of the same title (he didn't like the script)...but spilled coffee was the culprit in the 1964 movie crash.

Nice thermos!

Mike
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  #3  
Old 01-07-2011, 04:17 PM
Flying Scotsman Flying Scotsman is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Transporter View Post
No relation to the Ernest Gann book of the same title (he didn't like the script)...but spilled coffee was the culprit in the 1964 movie crash.

Nice thermos!

Mike
This was *just on* the other night, on TCM I think...very eery!

I won't spoil the plot if you haven't seen it (it's predictable enough, though...LOL!).
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  #4  
Old 01-07-2011, 08:02 PM
Scott Hersha Scott Hersha is offline
 
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Location: Cincinnati, OH
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That's a good idea Stan. I like the fact that it's a thermos. You can get a cup holder for it at your local boat supply store and mount it in a convenient place in your cockpit. A common water bottle works pretty well too because of the cap. However, the likelihood of a spill causing problems with your communications/transponder equipment is much less likely in a typical RV installation because of it being mounted on a more vertical plane. This equipment on the United Boeing is on the pedestal between the seats on a horizontal surface with convenient lips surrounding this equipment to contain the spill - so it has a better chance to soak into your radios and transponder. Quite effective at funneling coffee, or say orange juice - don't ask me how I know this... There is a fix that's been in place for quite some time in airline SOP's. The requirement for cockpit beverages to be served in 'crew cups' with a lid. This is a very unusual incident blown completely out of proportion by a drama-starved media. It's funny how everything that happens in aviation ends up on the front page.
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  #5  
Old 01-07-2011, 09:55 PM
radiokaos radiokaos is offline
 
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Location: Phoenix, AZ
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Darn you Stan for sending me shopping.

In the past the only safe way I found to get my coffee fix was to hang a IV bag and set the drip level to .05 per second.
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  #6  
Old 01-07-2011, 11:43 PM
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craigvince craigvince is offline
 
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Location: Stockton, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radiokaos View Post
Darn you Stan for sending me shopping.
Yep, ya got me too. I just went to Amazon and ordered two of 'em.
Thanks for the tip!
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  #7  
Old 01-08-2011, 05:18 AM
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cfiidon cfiidon is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: California
Posts: 652
Default Be careful out there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nomocom View Post
This leads to my product recommendation. The Thermos vacuum bottle JMW500P6. It will keep liquids hot or cold for several hours like any vacuum bottle, but the real beauty of it is you can drink very nicely once you've released the top half of the clam shell lid. Enjoy a few swallows, then swing the lid back down closed and it is spill proof and leak proof. Even if turbulence knocked it loose with the lid flipped back, the restricted outlet would likely limit the flying beverages.

JMW500P6 http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-JMW500...4430795&sr=8-1
Use caution with a thermos. Opening a thermos full of hot liquid at altitude can be just like taking the radiator cap off your car. The sudden reduced pressure causes the liquid to boil and ... yikes!

Best to leave it vented.

Don
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  #8  
Old 01-08-2011, 05:52 AM
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rleffler rleffler is offline
 
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Location: Delaware, OH (KDLZ)
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You can purchase cup holders from a fellow RV'er and VAF advertiser, Geoff Combs.

Here's the link, scoll down towards the bottom of the page.

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  #9  
Old 01-08-2011, 05:58 AM
Bob Axsom Bob Axsom is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 5,685
Default I go 4 or 5 hours without coffee very well

I don't even drink anything before takeoff - I did once. I have taken water with me on flights but seldom use it. The idea of hot coffee in the cockpit seems like a risky idea. On very long trips I keep all snacks in a bag behind the seat, with screw on caps on the liquids (sorry RV3, 4 and 8s).

Bob Axsom

Last edited by Bob Axsom : 01-08-2011 at 06:03 AM.
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  #10  
Old 01-08-2011, 06:31 AM
Scott Hersha Scott Hersha is offline
 
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Location: Cincinnati, OH
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HTML Code:
I go 4 or 5 hours without coffee very well
I could go 4 or 5 years without coffee, but none of us should go 4 or 5 hours without water, especially while flying (I know Bob didn't say he did that). I've done a little studying about pilot fatigue and dehydration, and we should try to keep ourselves hydrated on long flights - more than two hours. Coffee makes it worse. Helps with the fatigue part on a short term basis, but long term it worsens the situation.
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RV6/2001 built/sold 2005
RV8 Fastback/2008 built/sold 2015
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RV8/2018 built/Sold(sadly)
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