PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - First Officer "assertiveness" versus Captain's "authority"???
Old 28th Jun 2007, 15:32
  #11 (permalink)  
Wino
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Join Date: Feb 2000
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A go-around might be expensive
This is part of the problem in people's thinking.

A go around is NOT expensive. A320/737 circuit is somewhere around 1800-2400 lbs of gas... (from the last possible second nearest the ground IOW most fuel used) It is not a cycle on the engines or anything else. so that makes it 3-400 gallons of gas.

To an airline that is CHUMP change, especially when weighed against the consequences of a mistake... Even in the A300-777 range of aircraft we were aren't talking about more than 700 gallons of gas or so.

NO one should even CONSIDER expense when contemplating a go around. I actually let an F/O go around twice and land the 3rd time. It was gusty windy in pouring rain, he called his own go arounds when he got uncomfortable before things got out of hand and he landed nice and safe the 3rd time.

On the debrief afterwards he asked "why I didn't take it?" I said he was doing fine and getting himself out of trouble...and next year he was going to be captain and then what would he do if it was windy or something else happened.

Said the same thing to the chief pilot after the flight attendants reported it. Chief said "Well done!" F/O in question has been an excellent captain for the last 6 years.

Moral of the story, GO arounds are cheap, and Good captain's should have "A wide strike zone" as long as it isn't unsafe...

Cheers
Wino
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