justme69
When I said "more frequent TOWS checks" I meant more than just once a day and whenever pilots changed or were away from the cockpit for a long time. In more practical and specific terms, I meant "once a day by maintenance and shortly before each takeoff by the crew"
Im not type rated on the MDs
As far as I know, the actual procedure for testing the TOWS is to advance thrust levers while the flaps are up or the airbrakes are out.
Nobody wants to do that while taxying, and nobody wants to be in an abnormal condition « shortly » before take off
just to test the warning system !
But this is so easy to perform (at least partially) before start, that I dont see any reason not to perform it before each start up. (Let it be a partial check : the airbrakes « out » condition would not be checked
)
« First flight of the day » checks are a pity
A test is either important and then it is wise to make an habit of checking those systems before each flight
or that test is not really so important, and then let us forget about it and concentrate on more important items directly affecting safe operation.
Then, giving a look at the RAT indication before departure would give a clue about air/ground mode if the reading is abnormaly high. And there are other good reasons to observe that instrument shortly before departure ...
There are other ways to improve proper take-off configuration set-up :
- do it as soon as practicable, as a priority action. Say - typically - just after push back
- keep the taxi checks to a strict minimum
- ask for before take-off check list before calling « ready for departure » and keep that check list short !
By the way, a captain should silently review the killer items just for himself before asking for the check list (IMHO and that is my personal private safety net, my « pride » not to be saved be the check list).
Justme69
I, nonetheless, disagree that training or "corporate culture" in those companies promote or condone this kind of behavior [macho culture], but SOME pilots engage on it right away shortly after their license/rating is granted.
Firing someone with a powerful union behind is not easy or cheap in Spain. And with closed-door cockpit policies, other than consistently spying on your own pilots through CVRs and QARs I don't know how they can figure out the good apples from the bad.
I'm all in for planting videocameras in the cockpits and have one person in the airline reviewing everyday random flights and suspending pilots left and right. But I can see hell being raised by them and their unions, so it probably won't happen and the "machos" will continue to dominate the skies.
It is part of the chief pilots responsibilities to see at it that a « macho culture » does not survive in the company. Many tricks are available during sim checks to have macho's regain some humility ...
Yes, spying crew as much as practicable is a chief pilot duty
and a common practice by top companies. Crews are aware that recorders are going to be checked, either by their chief pilot or by state inspectors
Firing an undisciplined pilot is difficult, or expensive ? Try an accident !
In any way, that will hold true for the first firing, less so for the second one
and then, there will no longer be any need to fire somebody ...
Justme69
And all of you are going to excuse me, but I still fail to see how management or training etc can have much to do with a basic, simple human mistake like not lowering flaps.
I do excuse you
You cannot realise the accident prevention intricaties and subtilities if you are not « in charge » in the real world