Let me add three short tales that might be useful for all, especially the newer folks.
During departure taxi in a Metro III, the first officer noted that the flap handle was correctly set in the detent for 1/4 flap, but the indicator had not moved. She offered to go back and look. Now, that was always awkward in the Metro due to the confined space. At the time, I was a check airman and aircraft systems ground instructor. I knew that system inside and out, and knew that the detent was a suitable indication; indeed, the MEL allowed operation with the indicator inoperative as long as the airplane had the detented flap handle (older versions did not). So I declined her offer. The truth is she was an attractive enough gal, but I perceived her as a bit of a pain. She tended to irritate me. But she persisted. Finally, I said, "Well, you can go back and look, but I think we're fine..."
I'm sure you can guess the end of this. I have used that story when teaching CRM for many years now. It was a model example, on her part, of persistence and ultimately effective communication. All I modeled was the north end of a southbound mule.
I was once flying with a brand new captain on the 727, departing PHX to the west. The dispatch release had planned a departure off the left side of the complex, but we always used the right because it was much, much closer to our gate. So we asked for and received the right side. Just after rotation, I became aware of a very tall crane about a mile off the end. The tower controller said, "Hey, XXX, you gonna miss that crane?" Well, it was clear and quite easy to see...and not quite in our path...but it obviously intruded into the protected gradient.
About a week later, I'm flying the same trip with a grizzled old captain. I looked in the NOTAMs specifically for the crane, convinced that we had been misled on the earlier trip. Sure enough there is the NOTAM. I said something sarcastic to the effect of, "Wonder how long that's been in there...", to which the old timer said, without even looking up, " 'Bout a month".
That would be why the dispatch release was planned for the left side. Read the NOTAMS. All of them. Every day.
Lastly, one of my favorites. Back in the early days of my career, I was copilot on a Convair 240 freighter operating between New England and Chicago. One day, the chief pilot and I landed at BUF in a howling snowstorm. Forty knots at forty five degrees, RVR 1000 variable 2000, holding, etc. We taxiied to the ramp, opened the door, dropped the ladder, and the wind literally stuffed one's parka up the crack in...
We were supposed to offload some freight, then fly the rest over to Toronto and return. To do so, the station guys would open up the large cargo doors and forklift out the skids. In this wind, someone would almost certainly have been hurt. But they were young and enthusiastic...I know because I had trained them. Captain John, a retired Air Force transport/tanker pilot, looked at the station manager and said, "Don't even open her up, Al, we're not goin' to Toronto..."
A few minutes later dispatch called with the owner on the line. The owner could be, well, intimidating. He and John had a very subdued conversation on the phone in the corner office. John finally hung up the phone, came out and said, with the slight twinkle in his eye that was the only way you could ever know he was amused, "Well, we're not goin' to Toronto. Now, I already made that decision, but now the company's blessed it."
That was the day I started learning about the captain's job.
Last edited by Mansfield; 20th December 2009 at 00:20.