At a previous airline, the Airbus FMGS secondary flight plan was simply a “copy of the Active”. Not a good plan. It leaves one with a really significant programming deficit should you need to fly an immediate return.
What should be done with the secondary is, after the last point on your SID, use a lateral key to enable the “New Destination” prompt. Insert CYVR. Insert the ATIS landing runway, and on the SEC PERF page, insert the weather and the MDA or DH. And on the G/A page, set the MAP altitude as the acceleration altitude. Now a couple more useful keystrokes. A lateral off the new destination (CYVR) will give you the ALTNT prompt, where you can put in KSEA. Why not? So established, the secondary flt plan is completely set for the return approach, the missed approach, and a nearby alternate. All speeds, fuel predictions and weights will be accurate as soon as it is activated. Setting this out, on the written page, it sounds like a lot of work – but with just a bit of practice, these significant FMGC inputs rob one of only a couple quick gulps of coffee.
Now to the “Immediate Return Briefing” that you simply append to your standard Take-Off Emergency Briefing:
“If it is imperative to get the aircraft on the ground right away, same ECAM drill; we’ll clean up to 1+F, climb at S Spd to ___’ ASL,
activate the SEC, activate the APPR. and take vectors/self position ourselves for a downwind L/R for an ILS/RNAV/etc. Rwy __. We are over the Ldg Wt. however, for Rwy__, the APP. climb gradients and field length are/are not limiting. We will have to run the Over Wt. Ldg Checklist. Questions, concerns, comments?”
And the procedure:
IMMEDIATE RETURN
Engine Failure and/or Fire
- as per V1 fail to “Stop ECAM” then:
- With the initial ECAM items complete, and at or above the acceleration altitude – press ALT.
- Accelerate and clean up.
- At “F” speed, “Flap 1”
- Select “S” speed
- At “S” speed, ALT pull set MCT
- Select and verify an appropriate altitude.
- Bird On and obtain a clearance or self position to downwind
- At Alt* activate the SEC, and activate the approach.
- Call for the Status page, and ask for a review of the landing and stopping items.
- Call for the “Overweight Landing QRH”.
- Abeam the threshold start timing, or instruct ATC for an appropriate gate.
- At 45 seconds (for 1500’) call “Flap 2, A/P off, F/D off, set Runway Track”.
- When flap 2, “Gear down”.
- When gear down, “Flap 3 Ldg Checklist”. (all engine, “Flap Full Ldg Checklist”)
- - Just check Gear and appropriate Flap.
-Secure/Alert the cabin.
- Land
- After stopping prepare for Evac, as per RTO.
Documents state (and having run performance examples confirm) that if you took off from the runway, you will be able to land on it – barring a deterioration of the RSC (runway surface condition) so long as you have at least one reverser operative.
The serious and practical point is, that with just half a minute of preflight attention and programming, you are completely set up for a quick return and can devote your time to the situation and the landing – not hopelessly trying to do all that plus correctly enter all the keyboard work while you're on fire and everybody is talking at you.