piratepete, I had hoped that the question would generate some debate; not IMHO, result in a statement of a poorly constructed SOP (#10).
The isolated (unqualified) ‘SPEED’ call does not help to clarify the situation and conveys little explanatory information: Speed high or low?
The point which may have been missed, and I reiterate, is that ‘SPEED’ requires that both crew members understand which context it is being used in, and thus what the call means in that situation.
However, one purpose of monitoring is to alert the handling pilot to an error which could be due to a poor understanding of the situation, but understanding the situation is a requirement for using the SOP. Thus the call could be puzzling – generating confusion; this adds workload. The reverse is also true, if the PM originates the error - mishearing the ATC request or the approach briefing; the inappropriate SPEED call could also be confusing.
A better method of operating / monitoring (the ‘SOP’), could be an alert formulated by the situation, e.g. “ATC has requested 250 (180)”. This would direct attention to airspeed, and also crosscheck the crew’s joint understanding of the target speed for the situation at that time; this would involve less workload and opportunity for confusion, and provide an error check from wherever it originates.
Last edited by PEI_3721; 14th May 2012 at 15:44.