vapourlock
20th Apr 2017, 06:42
The pace at which Airbus is coming out with FCOM revisions is getting a little annoying now. I for one like to print my FCOM and read, instead of reading from the iPad. Airbus came out with a revision on 1st March and now again a complete new FCOM on 22nd March. Why couldnt they get their stuff together and release it in one go. I would like to know how everyone is going about changing their FCOMs annotations, bookmarks every month. How are your companies keeping up with it. Is there a smarter way to do this?
+TSRA
20th Apr 2017, 16:12
You've never worked in Flight Ops before, have you!
Some amendments to manuals are knee-jerk reactions to a newly identified problem, and manufacturers are no different to companies.
Other amendments have been worked on for months prior, with a due date set and sometimes it blows, but they end up back to back.
Can't speak to how my company specifically manages it, as I'm not in the Flight Ops department here - just a line pilot for the first time in a LONG time - but in previous companies, we would issue a memo and get started on the fixes. Nothing else you can do.
Is there a smarter way? Not really. FCOMs are living documents that are meant to be changed. Sometimes you go months without one and other times they come flying out the door. It all depends on when the regulator/manufacturer/company wants to see a change done. If they want it done yesterday, then your only choice is to issue a change today, regardless that another revision comes out tomorrow.
It blows, but that's the reality of aviation that they don't teach at flight school!