A few years ago I mentioned in a post about the profession of being a pilot that nowadays we only get to make five decisions as captain.
Which leg to fly.
How much fuel to load.
Which level to fly at.
Which meal to eat.
When to stop the show. (Divert, cancel etc)
My point was that either in a company manual, or a manufacturers manual, would be words TELLING you HOW to do everything. The rest is just process.
I was of course howled down by the big watch brigade as knowing nothing about the role of a jet captain. Pretty funny stuff. I believe my theory holds true.
Very true, Icarus2001. Though I would modify that to read: How much EXTRA, if any, fuel to load since the company has already decided on a minimum fuel quantity.
It's the company's train set these days...not the Captain's. (I, too, was howled down recently in another thread for suggesting similar in relation to FO's not needing to
grovel to skippers for a PF leg in modern airline ops)
Its all just part of the PROCESS. A process that is dictated by the company (not the Captain) via a manufacturer-derived, regulator-approved Ops Manual.
PG
(PS. Before anyone gets hot and bothered by that reality....yes, of course Captain still = PIC!
)