I did a year on the T3 (after 5 on the Vanguard) and spent more time on the systems panel than in the P2 seat, which was sometimes frustrating. But even more irritating was the unbalanced workload. Besides doing the perf calcs, admin tasks and operating the panel, P3 had to reach forward to select the navaids ('Biggin on the red victor, Epsom on the green alpha', and so on) as demanded by P1 or P2, whoever was PF for the leg. I could never understand why these chaps couldn't make the selections themselves. On one LHR-ORY leg the coffee that the CSD brought in for me during taxi out remained untouched until after arrival, with the Capt then nagging me for tardiness in digging out the taxying charts. The return leg was a repeat of the outbound (P2 was doing pre-command training IIRC so I was P3 for both legs). Driving home afterwards the thought occurred to me that perhaps working for another employer might be more satisfying. And thus it turned out. Less than four years later I was LHS on the B737 in a different airline.
Last edited by Discorde; 31st Dec 2013 at 18:15.