Oh ... oh ... let's not be too cavalier there, good Slasher ....
(a) the AFM as approved or authorised for use by YOUR local airworthiness authority (and one needs to consider the State of Registry as well as the Authority which controls your company's AOC) dictates what is the minimum acceptable airworthiness data. The operations people or, indeed, your own people (but the latter is probably unlikely), might well impose some additional requirements for some or all operations and I suggest the final requirement is what is the legally required minimum) .
If you don't have the distance required by the AFM and operational requirements which sit on top of that document then you probably are going to find yourself VERY, VERY lonely at the inquiry. The company is unlikely to support you at all ... nor would I like to have tea and bikkies with the insurance people either ...
(b) I suggest ... that the unfactored QRH tables are ABSOLUTELY ADVISORY and only give you an INDICATION of the minimum distance you MIGHT be able to get away with ON A GOOD DAY in an emergency where you don't have a better alternative. I think that you are taking a gigantic leap of misplaced faith to even think that Boeing is suggesting that the QRH data is what you are "expected" to use. I have no doubt at all that Mr Boeing would direct you to the AFM and any over-riding operational requirements associated with your AOC.
In using the QRH data without lots of extra distance (ie at least what the AFM says you require and hence my suggestion to my students to look at the normal factors on top of the QRH data), I would feel a very icy cold wind whistling in and about and around my bewtocks (as Torch would put it in a well known magazine) ....... think of it like there is a BIG brick wall at or about the distance suggested in the QRH ... for this is something in the vicinity of what it means ...
If you do a search on this subject, there was a thread some time ago wherein a chap from the frozen north related similar tales ... he acknowledged that ill-considered use of the QRH data .... provided regular episodes of adrenalin-enhanced cardiovascular and alimentary excitation ....
If you are flying for whom I think you are, who is the Chief now ? He who was there earlier would never have condoned what you are suggesting is the norm .... in a fit.
Last edited by john_tullamarine; 17th Apr 2002 at 06:42.