What, do you sit there and look at the screens for 12 hours
I flew to Tel Aviv and back from London the other day, which is a long time to spend in an aircraft cockpit as two crew - not 12 hours but four and a half each way, so 9 hours two crew (no relief, except for a turn around).
First we deal with the extra security precautions before departure, and think about the heavy weight take-off (with 16 odd tons of fuel on board).
Across the North Sea (and I can see the bottom on a good day, too ), over Holland and Southern Germany completing the paperwork, updating the onboard weather reports for European diversions and sending ACARS reports.
As we approach the Alps high terrain area, get out the Jeppesen Alp terrain awareness chart and give a high terrain brief including the changes in depressurisation and descent strategies, brief the memory items.
Then over the Balkan states, talk about diversion strategies in the Balkan countries, and the different
security requirements.
Fuel in the tanks is getting a bit cold, descend 4000' to deal with that.
Update the weather for the destination.
Into Turkey and then deal with the Ercan control hassle over the captured territory of Northern Cyprus (where the Turks attempt to illegally control the aircraft while it is in Greek airspace over Cyprus).
Comply with the security notification and passenger requirements for entering Israeli airspace.
Entering the Med, take special note of the NOTAM in which the Americans warn that their warships will fire upon unrecognised aircraft in the Eastern Mediterranean/Middle eastern region (and also recommend that the civilian weather radar is turned on, transponder is set and aircraft external lights are on, to aid identification! )
And then the whole thing in reverse, and against the wind.
Also remembered to bring
Toasti Toes, as the company ordered the airbus without the optional foot warmers - and the cockpit footwell gets VERY cold after about two hours with the temperature outside at -65ºC (as in "cold enough to be physically painful" ).
If it's a nice clear night, good for star gazing.
... so, no, I don't just sit there and stare at the screens, and if I were a passenger I would hope that the operating crew were doing a bit more than listening to sports and
not even looking at the screens.
