Inputs from E190 pilots, please.

[SkyKhan]

I'll be transitioning from the F100 to the E190 sometime, this year.

Any pertinent/relevant idiosyncrasies I should be aware of, pre-training?

What do you like best?

Any pet peeves?

Thanks in advance for any input.

SK

[Check Airman]

I've never flown it, but I read an interesting write-up a few weeks ago.

For reference, B6 = JetBlue

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/major/93134-whos-gonna-bid-190-dal-9.html#post2062940

[SkyKhan]

Thank you. Quite useful, even if more anchored on the negative traits.

The references to the seats being marginally better than the 145 or even a step back from those are a bit worrisome...

I've flown the 145 for 3 years, 15 years ago, and my back still remembers those...

SK

[Check Airman]

I hear people complaining about the 145 seats all the time. I never had any issue with them.

[SkyKhan]

Viewed from my corner of the world, that's, most probably, because of 2 factors:

1. The 145 fleet you have flown with (or still fly) is doing the kind of sectors the a/c, in general, and the seats, in particular, were designed for, not the extended ones my company flies, on account of my country being on the western-most tip of Europe.

2. The legal and regulatory systems in your country work well enough for you employer to know it is a bad idea to let a cumulative body of evidence to accrue, one that might lead to a future lash-back, so they take good measures in keeping the seats in their intended comfort conditions.

The ones I used to fly in had the bottom pad tilt-converging into the a/c longitudinal axis (Cpt. downwards, to the right, F/o downwards, to the left) and the back pad tilt-converging into the vertical axis (Cpt inwards, to the right, F/o inwards, to the left.)

This created an "hole" in lower right area of the seat (for the Cpt.) that had to be "filled" with an awkward posture that left your back in an unnatural curved position throughout the whole flight.

When this became obvious I bought a small "tempur" pillow which I molded to that "hole" before each working day but until I realized it, my back took a good battering, compounding the problems I already had from a bad L4 and a military jet ejection in my early days.

Many, many of my colleagues already underwent back bone surgeries and, still, the company does not take proper action regarding this problem (i.e. inspections and reconditioning at much smaller intervals than "C" or "D" checks).

When I was flying the 145 I once dead-headed on a A320 flown by a good friend of mine from the air force days. Mid-flight, he pulls his flight deck tray table and says to me, with a smile "wouldn't you like to have one of these?".

I immediately retorted "No, not really...but I would kill for one of those", pointing to his chair. :)

Current legislation, namely the just implemented new European FTL rules, allow for 11, 12, 13 duty-time working days with the correspondent "seat times".

It never ceases to amaze my how a TIR/18-wheeler driver seat is so much better designed with so much better quality and higher number of adjustments than many commercial aircraft flight deck ones.

[Chesty Morgan]

I flew the 195 for over 5 years and never had a problem with the seats.

Best bits:
- the brakes.
- the HUD/HUGS.
- everything is automatic. For example - bleeds off take offs require one selection in the MCDU.
- EFIS manipulation, system displays and massive information.


Worst bits:
- it's not designed for hand flying. It's got quite high break out force and the feel is a bit springy.
- full airbrake.
- FBW tiller can be jerky as it transitions to high rate just when you don't want it to although later mods smoothed it out a bit.
- the MCP is a mess.
- MCDU is full of crap and unless it's been updated the max and opti flight levels are rubbish and we had to carry laminated BOB charts.

[SkyKhan]

Thank you for the input, CM. Excellent pointers.

For the benefit of any future users reading this thread I'll link to this, which I've found in another forum:

Embraer 190 - Airline Pilot Central Forums (http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/flight-schools-training/73241-embraer-190-a.html)

SK

[Alpine Flyer]

Here (http://www.pprune.org/tech-log/463191-embraer-190-195-a.html) is a longer thread with some information.

The most important bit first:
There is no more speed brake worth the name. Fly as on a Fokker with speed brakes U/S ;) (It's actually not that bad, but it isn't the "save every pilot and controller descent planning oversight magic handle" the Fokker has.)

Compared to the Fokker you'll find the flight deck a good bit tighter, like entering a sports car rather than a minivan, to give it a positive spin ;)

There is a severe lack of stowage for "loose items" such as sunglasses, phones, etc. and at least in the LH config the cup holder is so awkwardly placed as to make it inconvenient to use. There is no stowage at all in the cabin so you'll have your jackets hanging over the observer seat and pilots' crew luggage will have to go into the hold if it exceeds the size of an overnight kit. There is more baggage space behind the captain's seat than on the Fokker, though, behind the copilot there is a console.

Depending on your leg length, the "ram's horns" installed instead of a yoke might get in conflict with your knees if you retract your feet from the pedals unless you sit with your legs close to the column. Long legs might also get in conflict with the footrests when attempting to reach the optimum viewing position for the HUD.

The seat adjustment needs a bit getting used to and the pneumatic lumbar support does not seem to work equally well (euphemism for "at all") on all tails.

As for real flying, I found the ram's horn easy to adapt to. If you ride motorbikes, just don't try to twist it for more thrust ;) It feels a little less natural than the Fokker, especially for trimming; after all you're just wrestling a couple of springs.

The non-Hud path-based flight director is very small and not as conductive to precise flying as the conventional crossbars on the Fokker. If you have HUD it looks much better (as it's magnified about 6x) and allows for very precise flying once you get used to it.

The HUD seems to be a "love it or hate it" affair. Colleagues opinions are split. I like it but there is a tendency to get "stuck in the HUD", not looking elsewhere even on the ground and in VMC. You have to integrate the HUD into your approach setup as it needs to be configured differently depending on the type of approach. (Apart from that, the airplane uses a switching logic derived from the Baro/RA decision height setting and the height set to determine whether you want to fly a Cat 1, 2 or 3 ILS.

The flight director/autopilot is poorly designed compared to the Fokker. You can deselect modes (e.g. flying in HDG mode, pushing the HDG button will revert you to ROLL mode). The knobs are small, poorly labeled and lighted, and easy to mix up. There are more knobs than would actually be required (e.g. you need to select VS with a button first and then turn a very fiddly wheel for the actual rate and there are separate knobs for VS and FPA). On the bonus side, FPA can be used as a command, not only as an indication.

There is no hold and preselect mode for speed, but on the bonus side IAS/Mach changeover doesn't wait for overspeed to happen but is altitude based.

There is no fixed coupling of FMS managed speeds and Profile mode. I.e. you can fly VNAF (like PROF) with manually selected speeds or use FMS managed speeds in FLCH or VS mode. This takes a bit getting used to coming from the Fokker and is connected to one of the drawbacks, namely the way the profile mode works. The FMS calculates an angle-based profile rather than the "descend idle, whenever possible" system of the Fokker. On the plus side, the angle is fully programmable but drawback is that the FMS does not check if you'll be actually able to fly it (regarding TWC, A/C weight, etc.). There are speed restrictions but apparently you can't tell the FMS to be at a certain waypoint at a certain altitude and speed and expect that to actually work. Unless you take care of the correct angle, you might end up with the FMS just reducing the speed target but not descending early enough to actually allow for deceleration. On the bonus side, you get a very good view of what the FMS is planning with a dedicated VNAV display below the map on the MFD.

The PFDs and MFDs can show a lot more than the Fokker, PLAN view is much easier to use, but all configuration is made using the touchpad which is about the same quality as an early 2000s laptop, nowhere near current PC technology. The touchpad based interface is not as easy as it could be, requiring unneccessary steps. On the plus side, you don't need it that often.

You'll have to get used to RNAV approaches as all non-precision approaches but LOC are (very comfortably) flown with the FMS. Be prepared to learn a bit about RNP, etc. to know what you're supposed to do. In my case the typerating didn't consider that I came from a GPS-less oldtimer and basic knowledge of RNP/RNAV concepts was taken for granted. (There is a CBT for that now.)

The warning system is less sophisticated than that on the Fokker, there is less inhibition and more thinking is required to get the correct checklists. There are no electronic checklists (and even if that option is fitted, abnormal checklists are not prioritized automatically, etc.)

The FMS (MCDU) has a lot more pages than the Fokker. It has a decent number of NAV features (such as abeam waypoints, BRG/DIST from waypoint, cold weather altimeter correction, etc.) the Fokker does not have, but be prepared for some learing curve to find everything you need.

Radio tuning via the MCDU is straightforward and after a couple of days you won't want to go back to the Fokker radios. The audio panel seems a bit too modern at first but works well. Cabin calls are a bit strange because another push on the button is required once the cabin crew picks up the phone and only the pilot originating the call will be online. So if the captain calls the cabin you'll have to push a button as well in order to hear the cabin crew.

There are very few checklist items, no taxi check at all as per original Embraer procedures, and you hardly ever have to touch the overhead panel.

The galley camera beats the spyhole for admitting cabin crew to the flight deck, but the screen is quite bright for night ops even when fully dimmed.

The brakes are really good.

Climb Performance is better than the Fokker. Vmo is the same with a reduction to 300 below FL100 (a bit like the Dash). Mmo is higher of course. Prepare to see the low speed indication during cruise, it's not a "coffin corner" but especially with a bit of turbulence you'll be much closer to stalling speeds in cruise than you ever where on the Fokker.

The gear ist faster than on the Fokker, the flaps are slower. Be prepared to memorize a lot of limiting speeds for the flaps and gear retraction is more limiting than extension.

As for speeds, there is no such thing as Vma+5 for all seasons. You'll have to get landing speeds from a table for every landing and always correct for headwind component. There are lots of speed corrections for all kinds of malfunctions.

Have Fun!

[SkyKhan]

Alpine Flyer,

I can't think of a better laid out "F100->E190" analysis.

I now already have a very good picture of the operational differences, thanks to you, and can relate to many of the mentioned things, as they seem to be Embraer's idiosyncrasies and I've flown the 145 for some time.

These already validate my fears that I will miss the F100. What an incredible well thought-out aircraft...

I operate it with complete confidence at LPMA and our fleet has landed there in days where the A319/20/21 are "hit and miss". Let's see how the E190 will handle that little operational "pearl"...

Thank you for you detailed, extremely "use-oriented" input.

All the best and safe flights!

SK

[Flap40]

The most important difference is that the E190 has an aircon system that really works.
Even with only one bleed and one pack operating you can still heat or cool the cabin. Also the Cabin temp is usually controlled by the cabin crew although there is an override in the cockpit. No more 'it's too cold/hot' calls every 10 minutes!

[Piltdown Man]

First thing is, don't fly it like a Fokker. You will be high and fast with no way out. Instead, learn to take your time and let it glide. You will also need to pay attention to its ceiling and maximum possible descent angle. The aircraft is totally ignorant of its own performance.

Abnormal/Emergency checklist handling. Rule one, for any given problem, determine if "Memory items" need to be done. Then if there is a message on the EICAS, determine which synoptic page needs to be looked up on your MFDU. Determine what is wrong and then say something like "Bleed one fail checklist, my R/T". If you have a problem that is not on the EICAS, then you will need to refer your colleague to the 'Non-annunciated checklist' with a statement like "Non-annunciated, engine oil over temperature checklist, my R/T". Other failures such as an FMS on one side are left for you to work out (in such a case, press the FMS button on the failed side enough times to select the off-side FMS). Also, unlike the Fokker, many failures can not reset so you will just have to fly with them and possibly accept a performance ans/or speed penalty on landing.

Good things: Plenty of poke and engines that respond very quickly, slow approach speed, quiet, nice rudder and elevator control, excellent steering, an APU that will cool or heat the cabin and plenty of margin to carry fuel.

Bad things: It shakes like a sh!tting dog in turbulence, the buttonology is rubbish (six button presses for a direct!), the ailerons - the only non-FBW flight controls, are totally out of harmony with the rest of the controls, you can not easily get in the holds and the metal strips inside regularly fall off and present a hazard; certain failures end up with you having to suffer with likes of "Throttle - throttle - throttle etc." for the rest of the flight and the organisation and layout of the pages in the FMS/MCDU were dream up by a hopeless bunch of third raters, each of whom hated everyone else on the team.

However, there are plenty of these things, they are still being made and they are cheap. That means they should put you in a position so you are able to put food on your family's table for many years to come (or buy some toys). :)

PM

[Flap40]

I make it five (or 7/9/11 etc if the new point is on P2/3/4 etc of the flight plan).

ATC: Direct XYZ

Press LSK next to XYZ
Press LSK 1L
If there is more than one XYZ then the FMC will give you a list of all waypoints called XYZ and which countries they lie in.
Press LSK next to the correct XYZ
The FMC then gives you a set of choices (straight to the wpt/intercept the track to it/if the point also forms part of the missed approach then to there etc)
Press the LSK according to your choice.
You then get the MOD FLT PLAN page where you finally get to press LSK 6R to ACTIVATE!

There probably is a sixth stage that I have forgotten!

[darkbarly]

There probably is a sixth stage that I have forgotten!

Step 5. Cabin crew call chime.
Step5a. ATC Direct XYZ!

My lower back did not agree with the embryo. Seats too close to the floor, pelvis tilted back, not forward and pneumatic lumbar is hit and miss.

[Piltdown Man]

ATC "Direct to XXXXX"

1. Press FPL
2. Almost certainly press NEXT (enough times) to find the waypoint
3. Press LSK next to waypoint to place in scratchpad
Or, type in waypoint name into scratchpad. And then face another question if the waypoint is on the flight plan.
4. Press LSK 1L to move scratchpad to ACTIVE
5. Possibly select correct waypoint in duplicate list
(Yet another step if the waypoint is part of the missed approach)
6. Press ACTIVATE
7. Press NAV if current mode is HDG
Etc...

[speedrestriction]

3 important things:

No stick shake
No stick push
Control column neutral position in pitch does not change with trim input - as you trim you must release pressure on the control column to return it to the neutral position otherwise you will start pitching up or down depending on the the trim input.

[Piltdown Man]

These have to be customer options because all of ours have stick shakers. And I'm also led to believe that the stick position is always proportional and representative of the position of the elevator. The trim feels and appears to operate in a totally normal fashion, in fact the entire pitch control system is one of the aircraft's strengths (the ailerons are utter shyte). However, the E175 may well be different. I'll tell you when I fly one.

PM

[Flap40]

The control column certainly moves with trim on an autoland.

At approx 600ft the system winds in a load of up trim and the column moves forward several cm.

[A-FLOOR]

Column movement in this case is due to the autopilot compensating for the trim up movement that is introduced by the autoland logic so the aircraft has a net nose up tendency should the AP trip off. The E190 column does not move because of the trim itself. In fact: its breakout force is independent on the airspeed altogether, and rather it's the elevator deflection which is reduced with a given column deflection with increasing airspeed. Indeed, a very elegant system which includes tailstrike protection, autotrim with gear/flap/speedbrake extension and some other things, but no stall protection. I don't know where speedrestriction got the idea that there are no stickshakers as it most definitely has them and needs them (and their motors are liable to fail).

[FE Hoppy]

It has AOA limiting which prevents stall. It doesn't however prevent lift being less than mass. You need to manage the VSquared bit yourself while the aircraft keeps Alpha max.
Column position is indeed proportional to elevator deflection and the ratio varies with speed above 160kt.
And stick shaker is not an option. They all have it.

[Flap40]

Column movement in this case is due to the autopilot compensating for the trim up.....

Very true!

Note to self engage brain before posting ;)

[Dehavillanddriver]

As Hoppy says all have stick shaker, but none have pusher (in the manner that the 737 has) - the FBW manages that.