Block Time Definition
 

Gentlemen

Where can I find the definition of block time? I looked everywhere (UK CAA, JAR) but no lauck.

Does the block time start when an aircraft is pushed back or when it starts to taxi?

before you ask read your own Q again and again and again
 

What does it mean block to block ?
or a chock (or as many chocks as somebody placed in front or behind or in front AND behind of your a-craft wheels) to next (after landing) chock or chocks i.e. a block time ?

General definition from our company has been from the time the aircraft move under its own power until reaching the final parking position.

Some companies use pushback time as it is linked to their on-time-performance stats, however this is seen by some as farcical as I have seen aircraft still attached to a tug 40 mins after leaving the gate due to congestion.

As for real definitions cant help you there as our parameters are as per OM-A.

From CAA LASORS
 

The CAA definition of Flight Time (for what its worth) is :

Aeroplane flight time

An aeroplane shall be deemed to be in flight from the
moment the aircraft moves under its own or external
power for the purpose of taking off until the moment it

comes to rest at the end of the flight.

This is from CAA.CO.UK (LASORS section A app B)

IHD, read the answer above mine. The important bit is "...the a/c moves under its own or external power.... As a pilot you log block time unless you are an air force type who only logs airborne time.

It may be silly to you for someone to log the time whilst they are still connected to a tug but them's the rules. Last night I landed at JFK and thanks to the complete gridlock that the ramp controller managed to make, it took over an hour to get to our gate. That's an extra hour for the log book and had I been a keen young new-hire, that'd be very nice thank you for building up my totals.

Block time is from 'off-blocks', as long as it is for the purpose of starting a flight. Whether pushed back or just taxied straight off. 'On-blocks' is when you finally come to a stop and set the parking brake for the last time before you get off. At some airports, we have to stop before we get onto stand, shut down the engines and wait for a tug to tow us the last few metres onto the stand. Until we are on the stand and the brakes are set, the block time isn't over.

As for flight time, that's fairly obvious. Our on-board systems record both block time and flight time and give a very nice little print out at the end of every sector!

Mumbo Jumbo

How does your aircraft "know" when it is off and on blocks? INS's?

If you expect your aircraft to KNOW about it then YOU better STAY home !!!

100 down,
A/C fitted with acars report off blocks automatically whan the parking brake is released. This means incidentally that you can record an on time departure simply by making sure that either the tug is connected or the chocks are still in place and then momentarily releasing the parking brake!

Tc

ACARS can now be set, by the airline, such that it requires either wheel rotation via the tacho or for the IRS to sense a groundspeed of more than 3 knots, to avoid pilots fooling the system as described by tightcircuit. The airline I work for changed to such a system several years ago.

Inverted commas
 

Green Guard

Read up on punctuation and inverted commas!

That makes sense, but why would an airline pay extra to have a mod that scuppers its own on-time stats?

Because over the years there have been a number of incidents when aircraft have moved whilst boarding / loading / refueling, when the park brake was released to fool ACARS into recording an 'on time' departure.

If you know that releasing the brake won't achieve the objective then the brakes don't get released, nobody gets hurt and the aircraft doesn't get damaged. It avoids disrupting the operation and a great deal of paperwork.