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CRJ200 Cabin Pressure Panel

This week I started a trip in COS and flew in the California system with an airplane cabin pressure controller that was MEL’ed. Looking in the maintenance log prior to leaving COS, cabin pressure controller (CPC) #1 was removed, replaced and ops checked as good, however…upon landing in SFO, the cabin pressure descended to -500 feet at a rate of -1200 feet per minute (fpm).

We looked at the ECS page and noticed that the cabin pressure controller was on #2.

During normal operations, the airplane would depressurize upon landing, (i.e., both outflow valves would open completely and dump any pressurization), then after three minutes automatically switch to the other controller. In this case it had been longer than three minutes and we were on CPC #2 which meant that we were flying on CPC #1…the “fixed” one.

As we pulled into the gate, the airplane switched its pressurizing trend and began pressurizing the cabin to an altitude of +500 at a rate of +1200 fpm and the pressure differential was 0.4. Normally, on the ground it should be 0.1. Ears were aching throughout the plane. We waited another minute or so to see if the cabin would settle down and equalize the pressure but it didn’t so we opened the main cabin door.

Again, uncomfortableness as the airplane now depressurized. Whoosh!

After talking to Maintenance in SFO, we did one more flight to see if the other cabin pressure controller was bad. It turns out that CPC #1 was mostly good. We did get a slight “pressure bump” after landing but not nearly as extreme as when we were on CPC #2. We couldn’t really explain it, so to avoid any further “pressure bumps” we started doing the following procedure.

After deferring CPC #2 which was obviously broken, the MEL calls for switching the CPC to the good CPC before each flight. So after landing and before the three minutes were up, we cycled the CPC back to CPC #1 and switched off both air conditioning packs. This insured that we were on the “good” CPC and it kept new air from entering the cabin and pressurizing it if there were still any problems.

Everyone was happy! Could we have done things differently? Probably. But when you are in the middle of it, the solution isn’t always obvious and you do what you can.

All this made me start wondering what the difference between the Cabin Pressure Acquisition Module (CPAM) and the Cabin Pressure Controller (CPC) were.

If you look on the ECS page, you will see that they are both listed there, so what was the difference?

CPAM

CRJ200 - Environment Control System Page

The CPAM monitors the information from the CPC, communicates with the DCU, and and displays cabin altitude (CALT), cabin rate of climb or descent (RATE), and differential pressure (delta P) on the EICAS.

If any of the following conditions are met, the airplane takes some sort of action to notify the crew:

• 8,500’ cabin altitude – CABIN ALT caution message
• 10,000’ cabin altitude -  CABIN ALT warning message and an aural alert “CABIN PRESSURE”
• 14,000’ ± 500’ – AUTO deployment of oxygen masks
• 10,000’ MSL (usually in descent) – if the SEAT BELT sign and/or NO SMOKING switches are selected to AUTO, the NO SMOKING or FASTEN SEAT BELT signs are automatically illuminated

Now, if you lose the CPAM, the standby controller will assume the CPAM duties but you lose “auto deployment” of oxygen masks and auto illumination of the NO SMOKING and FASTEN SEAT BELT signs.

What about the Cabin Pressurization Controllers?

The CPC can be manually selected on the Cabin Pressure panel. Remember, this is usually an automatic function changing controllers after 3 minutes of weight-on-wheels but you can change it as well. By pressing the PRESS CONT switchlight, you can cycle from CPC #1 to MANUAL to CPC #2 to MANUAL and back to CPC #1.

If something goes wrong with both controllers, the switchlight has a FAULT light that will illuminate and if you use manual pressurization, the MAN light is illuminated.

• FAULT (yellow) - is illuminated when both CPC’s fail
• MAN (white) – is illuminated when operating in MANUAL pressurization mode.

Automatic Mode Switching the the Pressure Controllers

The CPC also has some automatic modes which eliminate pilot intervention.

The automatic pressurization modes of operation follow:

• GROUND – Outflow valves commanded FULLY OPEN
• PRE-PRESSURIZATION – Outflow valves close to pressurize the cabin to -150’ on takeoff
• T/O ABORT – TL retarded – Returns to field elevation at 500 fpm then fully opens
• FLIGHT ABORT – The logic criterion for flight abort is: 1) Descent of 1000’ within 10 minutes of take-off and/or 2) Aircraft did not reach flight elevation 6000’ above take-off field before descent
• CLIMB – Typically limited to 500 fpm but will vary slightly with rate of climb and landing elevation
• CRUISE – Assigned cruise altitude – when reached – descent mode armed
• DESCENT – Typically 300 fpm until 150’ below landing field elevation but may vary if high descent rate
• LANDING – WOW – Cabin climbs at 500 fpm to field elevation then outflow valves fully open
• TOUCH-AND-GO – LANDING MODE to PRE-PRESSURIZTION MODE

Conclusion

So there you have it, CPAM does one thing and the CPC does another. They work together to make sure the cabin pressurization works in the most efficient manner without pilot intervention and maintains a safe cabin pressurization during the flight. If you notice a change in pressure, select the ECS page and see what is happening.

If you were interested in this discussion, please let me know, or if you would like me to discuss anything else specifically about the CRJ200, let me know.

As always, be safe…

Jeffrey

P.S. Don’t forget to get your CRJ200 Cockpit display here. Remember, when learning about the CRJ200, it is imperative that you have the cockpit layout available. This will assist you in learning to systems and the layout of the airplane. Order yours today at Training Crue Graphics. They have best layouts in the industry.

Another link you might be interested in: Bombardier CRJ Home Page

As a captain at a regional airline, I have to attend recurrent ground training once-a-year. During this training, we review “problems” and procedures and recent company concerns. We also have a security briefing where we review procedures related to hijackings and other unsavory events. It is never a fun topic but necessary in our line of business.

After September 11th, it become obvious that the way of doing business on the flight deck was never going to be the same if a hijacking were to occur. Instead of being passive about the events occurring during a hijacking, it become obvious that now it was imperative to take action immediately. With that in mind, two programs were initiated: 1) Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program and 2) TSA Crew Member Self-Defense Training. Both are programs that I would very much enjoy being involved in. Here is something that I’ve wanted to do for a long, LONG time. If you are a current airline crew member for a Part 121 operation, i.e., you fly for an airline, you are eligible for most likely eligible for this training.

History

President Bush signed the Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act into law on December 13, 2003. This Act, also known as the FAA Reauthorization Bill, is designed to strengthen America’s aviation sector and enhance the safety of the traveling public.

The Act further requires TSA to develop and make available to flight and cabin crew members an advanced self-defense training program that includes appropriate and effective responses for defending against an attacker. Administered by the TSA Office of Law Enforcement / Federal Air Marshal Service, the Crew Member Self Defense Training (CMSDT) program is available free of chargeto all actively employed crew members.

CMSDT is delivered in two parts.

First, the participating crew member reviews a self-paced, interactive DVD and student manual designed to familiarize them with self defense concepts and techniques.

After completing the review, the crewmember schedules and attends a one-day “hands-on” training program conducted at participating community colleges around the country.

Crew Members may repeat the training as often as they would like.

Vision 100

The Vision 100 – Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act requires air carriers providing scheduled passenger air transportation to conduct basic security training for their flight and cabin crew members in order to prepare them for potential threat conditions that may occur onboard an aircraft.

The Act further requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to develop and make available to flight and cabin crew members an advanced self defense training program that includes appropriate and effective responses for defending against an attacker.

Administered by the TSA Office of Law Enforcement / Federal Air Marshal Service, the Crew Member Self Defense Training (CMSDT) program is available to any actively employed flight or cabin crew member. The program is delivered in two parts as mentioned above.

Currently scheduled class dates and locations are listed here. So if you have the opportunity as a flight crew member, I recommend that you attend this training. And, if I ever do attend this training, I will write about it here.

Fly safe and be diligent…

Jeffrey

Jeffrey is a captain at a regional airline and flies the CRJ200, CRJ700, and the CRJ900. He has over 4000 hrs of flying experience in many different airplanes and is a Gold Seal flight instructor to his credit. He has recently written “The CRJ200 Quicknote Study Guide” that simplifies the systems of the CRJ200 into a easy-to-understand, downloadable eBook. Click here to get your copy today!

In turned into one of those days that lasted two days.

As you probably remember, I’m now commuting to ORD from COS. Don’t necessarily like it but I don’t necessarily hate it either. I wrote about it here, 5 Tips for Making Your Commuting Life Easier. It’s a mindset and until my entrepreneurial efforts take off I will keep doing it.

Now we both know that ORD is one of the busiest airports in the world. On a good day over 100 airplanes move through that airport in a single hour. But on BAD days…cancellations, reflows, and flow delays are the words of the day. And on this particular day, no exceptions, except the problem wasn’t actually in ORD!

Now, the commute to ORD was unthrilling except that I had a terrific conversation with Greg Miles, President and Founder of a company called, Security Horizon (www.securityhorizon.com). Greg and two others started the company back in 2000 and had a 1M revenue year this year. Greg left the USAF and found a niche, believed in and cut loose. I learned a lot from Greg and wish Greg all the best.

Back to my story…

If you have had any experience flying in cold weather and snow, you will remember that it is always a challenging environment. On this day we were suppose to go to Winnipeg (YWG), Canada, except it was -26 degrees C and blowing snow and one mile visibility. It turns out getting in there wasn’t the problem…getting OUT, was.

Two SkyWest airplanes were already stuck there because they couldn’t de-ice/anti-ice the airplane AND make it to the runway in time to takeoff.

The anti-ice fluid would fail, which means its ability to keep the wings from icing up would stop. The amount of time that we can stay on the ground after de-icing/anti-icing is determined by the temperature and the amount of precipitation occurring. We have charts in the airplane that help guide us but if in doubt, err on the side of caution.  Many airplanes have crashed because of ice or snow on the wings, which by just having a little bit can ruin the airflow over the wing thus disturbing the lift enough that the airplane can’t fly.

And ultimately, the pilot-in-command (PIC) is the one that makes that decision and it most cases is based on years of experience. One thing that I always remember about de-icing is that the cost of de-icing fails in comparison to what could happen if you don’t.

So anyway, I got up in front of the passengers, “tried” to explain the situation, and waited for everyone to leave. Most went quietly but one passenger had trouble understanding my explanation and though I tried to explain it further to her, her focus was on getting to YWG. I understand and empathize with her but safety and aircraft positioning trumps her needs in this case.

I personally don’t like weather cancellations because they are so disruptive and in most cases the airlines will not compensate you for it. They will just rebook you on another flight and say “thank you very much.” It’s up to you to feed yourself and find accommodations.

So we ended up being re-flowed and flying to IND and then back to ORD. We were originally suppose to fly ORD to YWG to DEN to Great Falls, MT (GTF), but after we got to ORD we flew to Lincoln, NE (LNK).

The next day was another cancellation day and personally I didn’t see it coming. We flew LNK to DEN and as soon as we landed we were notified that our flight to Springfield, IL (SGF) was now cancelled as well. The dispatcher said is was because of weather but I didn’t see it. So…we just went to the hotel and that was that.

So though it wasn’t the most exciting two days it did have some interesting twist and turns in it. For instance, I had never cancelled because of not being able to de-ice/anti-ice at my destination. That was a first.

So adventures in flying for a regional airline continue…

Be safe…

Jeffrey

P.S. I forgot to mention, on this particular day, it was one of the most disruptive windy days that I have ever flown into in ORD and I’ve been flying in ORD for many years.

Links you might be interested in:

• Holiday Travel! Consider Your Passenger’s Needs
• Empathy and Connecting with Your Passengers
• More Information On Aircraft De-icing/Anti-icing

The CRJ-200 transfers power automatically when one source is lost or taken away. Most the times the power transfer is instanteous but occasionally can take several seconds. It might get oddly quiet when fans and other systems go offline while the transfer is occurring.

The AC Power Priority is as follows:

On-Side Generator -> APU -> Off-Side Generator -> External Power (Ground Power Unit (GPU) or other).

CRJ200 – AC Electrical Priority (example) ->

As an example, if the following conditions are all met:

• GEN 1 on
• APU GEN on
• GEN 2 on
• External Power ON

If the GEN 1 switch is selected to OFF. All the systems that run off GEN 1 will transfer to the APU.

If the APU GEN is then switched OFF, all the systems now transfer to GEN 2. If GEN 2 is the then selected OFF, and External Ground Power is connected and the phase and voltage are within limits, then all systems transfer to External Ground Power.

If for some reason you don’t want the CRJ-200 to automatically transfer power to another source, you can press the AC AUTO XFER pushbutton and it will inhibit the transfer.

The AC Bus automatic transfer pushbutton and features will be explored in another entry. We will also look at what happens when ALL electrical power is lost and how that can occur.

To Your Flying Success…

Jeffrey

P.S. If you really want to get a headstart on learning the CRJ200, don’t forget to get your CRJ-200 poster here!

Jeffrey is a captain at a regional airline and flies the CRJ200, CRJ700, and the CRJ900. He has over 4000 hrs of flying experience in many different airplanes and is a Gold Seal flight instructor to his credit. He has recently written “The CRJ200 Quicknote Study Guide” that simplifies the systems of the CRJ200 into a easy-to-understand, downloadable eBook. Click here to get your copy today!

Since I’m on the road a lot, usually four days out of seven, it has become even more important to make my life easier on the road and stay connected at home.

There are three things that I recommend if you are on the road, whether a pilot or some other road warrior type, that will make you life a bit easier and keep you in touch.

Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks

First, I recommend the Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks.

Small, sleek, battery powered, with a USB wireless adapter which means no more cord.  It takes up less space in your bag, can be used on the airplane during those long commutes, and fits comfortably in hand.

I loved this thing so much that I bought the larger version for my home. The fact that it is wireless was a huge bonus because now I didn’t have to worry about the cables. It is awesome!

Logitech ClearChat Comfort USB Headset

Second, I highly recommend that you get the Logitech ClearChat Comfort USB Headset. Using this headset you can make free calls over your preferred network such as: Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, or Logitech VideoCall. Did I mention free? Personally, Skype is my choice. They were the original and still leader in voice over Internet calling.

Now imagine…you are in Canada (like me) and you want to call the USA or you are in Germany and you want to call home. All you have to do is use your computer, login to one of the above providers and make a free call to your computer at home. You don’t pay a thing. And believe it or not, most times the quality is 100% better than you would get on a cell phone or land line. And recently, a lot of these companies have added the ability to call cell phones or landlines for a reasonable charge. Very cool!

Logitech QuickCam Deluxe for Notebooks

Finally, go get yourself the Logitech QuickCam Deluxe for Notebooks. In this little contraption, you have the ability to web cam over whatever network you prefer. Most the companies listed above provide video service as well.

With this capability, you can view people who have a web camera  or at the very least they can view you. Imagine again, your kid being able to see over the computer while you are on a trip. Priceless! And if you can see them, even more priceless!

Now there are a lot of mouses, headsets, and video cams out there but personally I like Logitech. I’ve own several of there products and have never been disappointed. They also have the best prices, too.

So there you have it. Three cool accessories that pilots should not go without. When family is the most important thing in your life but you have to make a living, and you are going to make that living as a pilot, it pays huge dividends to stay connected and in touch with you family.

Stay connected and stay in-touch…

Jeffrey

P.S. Now if all else fails, don’t spend a bundle on roaming charges. Get a calling card. You will find the Lowest Calling Cards available on the Web at ->CallingCards.com!

Useful link: To learn more about Skype, listen to this mp3 download by Yaro Starak that explains it all — http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/118/audio-the-skype-revolution/