The military distance to go siteboards were(are?) great for what they were designed for, but are not suitable for current civil ops. For example, they'd be totally useless in a limited viz takeoff, which is very much a part of any airline's operation these days, and, if anything, is a situation that cries out for some such 'acceleration check' system far moreso than a CAVOK takeoff. Remember the days when we always did TOGA takeoffs in such conditions? (Whatever you come up with, gentlemen, let it NOT be another female voice cluttering up my headset. Miss *** RAAAS - another 'slam the stable door after the horse has bolted' extra we've had added to the system, blocks or partially overrides far too many ATC calls as it is. Hands up all those who'd like to see all her airborne calls dispensed with?)
Coming up with some sort of simple calculation for the trend arrow on the PFD is probably the most promising suggestion, although I was taught by the man who first endorsed me onto the 777 a very long time ago now (a 'personal extra' on his part, I hasten to add, that is not to my knowledge mentioned anywhere in the Boeing documentation), that anything under a 15 knot value on the trend arrow means something is seriously wrong and best you do something about it.
Any 777 pilot will know that, except on the highest AUWs and at the most marginal of conditions, the trend arrow is usually well above that, as much as double it. However, it's one of my 'little extra things' that I check on every takeoff, a bit like that last look on short finals that there really is a 'gear down' indication. (I don't care how many bells, whistles and other aural warnings Boeing have built in to the system to prevent a gear up landing, it's just another one of my 'things', part of the 'belts, braces and chastity belt' approach I take to most of my flying as the 'old' has increasingly replaced the 'bold' in my operation.)
I'd have to agree with quite a few others that the current situation during the 15-20 minutes before doors closed with an augmented crew on board is far less than ideal - (and Mutley, your 'take' of the number of people coming and going to the cockpit during that time is far different to mine). I can recall one very senior EK checkie (Robin H.) telling me, many years ago now, that he'd counted one day the number of interruptions between his taking the seat and pushing back. It was 27. I don't believe things have changed since. Just an example: on your average trip, how many people do you usually have come up to the flight deck to ask if they can close doors, even after you've called the CC who's manning the door on then interphone to give the go ahead?
After starting out with the attitude that, as augmenting crew, I'm an extra overseer on the flight deck, I'm now very much one in the 'stay off the flight deck as long as I can prior to engine start' camp. Unless you dibs the right jump seat, you're at best, very much in the way and at worst, a distraction to the operating crew.
I don't think we, the Great Unwashed, will ever see it in print, but I believe the CVR of those 30 minutes prior to engine start on this flight will make for some very interesting listening - and not just in the most obvious areas - for the investigators.
Last edited by Wiley; 28th Mar 2009 at 11:11.