EasyJet A319 lands on closed Runway at Pisa 30/12
Join Date: Jun 2000
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I asked this question earlier; no reply, yet. In some of my previous airlines, at those bases which flew to destinations with operationally critical issues, there was a 'notam' board in the crew room kept up to date by the local crew room manager. This was very useful. Does ez employ this type of conspicuous highlight system? I appreciate that ez has a large network, but not all destinations are served from all bases.
If this system is in use this item should have been up there along with e.g. U/S air starters, ILS, CAT 2/3, closed runways with time windows, etc. There is so much buff & trivia in NOTAM's that noticing the critical ones is often tricky. Much also depends on how much time the company allows for flight planning. Some airlines use quite short check-in periods, but yet increase the amount of self-help briefing necessary. The days of 'dispatchers' at this level are over.
Does your airline make it easier for you?
If this system is in use this item should have been up there along with e.g. U/S air starters, ILS, CAT 2/3, closed runways with time windows, etc. There is so much buff & trivia in NOTAM's that noticing the critical ones is often tricky. Much also depends on how much time the company allows for flight planning. Some airlines use quite short check-in periods, but yet increase the amount of self-help briefing necessary. The days of 'dispatchers' at this level are over.
Does your airline make it easier for you?
Last edited by RAT 5; 5th Jan 2016 at 11:21.
1) Remain in the crewroom until briefing is complete.
2) Continue the foreshortened brief in flight.
Both case clearly require a MOR and possibly further action, up to and including declining further flights until this critical failure in the flight safety system is addressed. I can see no other option but to decline the duty.
In no case can a Professional crew defend carrying on regardless and respond with "not surprised" when an incident occurs.
I acknowledge that the above is a difficult path to take, but it is surely the only path that a properly motivated and properly protected employee could take.
I respectfully suggest that a plea of "7 minutes to print, read, understand, brief and leave crew room = not surprised" would cut no ice whatsoever with a law court - indeed it would seal your guilt instantly.
"Not surprised" just won't do.
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7 minutes to print, read, understand, brief and leave crew room = not surprised.
Nov 2007, then presidential candidate Barack Obama was heading for Cedar Rapids but his pilot landed the plane about 100 miles west in Des Moines! Easy mistake.
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Notams
7 minutes to print, read, understand, brief and leave crew room = not surprised.
7 minutes to print, read, understand, brief and leave crew room = not surprised.
We have 15 mins to do the above, NOT 7!
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Its enough time and if I havent finished my flight preparation, I simply carry on. I've never had any comeback for not preparing fully and on time, quite the opposite in fact.
What doesnt help on here is trolls taking wild, uneducated guesses at how we conduct our business. Sensational claims of 7 minutes are ridiculous and gives the poster no credibility at all.
What doesnt help on here is trolls taking wild, uneducated guesses at how we conduct our business. Sensational claims of 7 minutes are ridiculous and gives the poster no credibility at all.
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Actually, it is not being over sensationalised. There is overt pressure to have the aircraft ready for boarding at STD-25. We are expected to conduct our inter crew brief either en route to the aircraft or on board prior to the first flight of the day. If the aircraft departs late and the 3rd party handling agent determines that the crew were not ready on time, you will have to explain yourself. Now I am quite able to defend my actions but have no doubt, heavy commercial pressure is ever present. The rushed collation and digestion of the paperwork prior to flight IS a problem.
15 mins is NOT enough time to:
-Sign in and select correct flight plans
-Print off PLOGS, TAFS, METARS, NOTAMS etc (sometimes have to load paper or toner cartridge to the printer. Sometimes have to reboot the computer)
-Assemble paperwork and flight folder
-Sort out and staple up paperwork (sometimes have to mend or refill stapler)
-Sign and annotate same with crew names etc
-Check head/tail wind on wind charts
-Check PLOG uses correct wind component
-Check PLOG for correct aircraft, passenger number and cargo etc.
-Check PLOG for operational notes specific to destination airports
-Read TAFs, METARs to determine which runways in use at departure and destination airports
-Calculate fuel adjustments for track mile differences to opposite runway(s) if
reqd
-Check weather and NOTAMS and agree alternate
-Calculate RTOM if reqd
-Check if tanking sector
-Check aircraft servicability and deferred defects.
-Decide, calculate and agree on fuel figure
-Phone handling agent with fuel figures, check CTOT, stand and cargo.
-Brief crew
-Get in bus
15 minutes is barely enough time to even skim through all this. I will admit that I have missed airspace closures and level restrictions in the FIRs downroute because there isn't time to read all the NOTAMs thoroughly. We got away with that without having to make a tech stop, but we were lucky. In the past we used to carry a healthy amount of extra fuel so we had plenty of contingency, but now it has to be absolute minimum fuel, so a mistake at the briefing stage can be very embarrassing.
I now report well early just to get all this done to maintain OTP. Most others do the same or download everything at home to read before driving to work.
File an MOR? yeah good luck with your career !
-Sign in and select correct flight plans
-Print off PLOGS, TAFS, METARS, NOTAMS etc (sometimes have to load paper or toner cartridge to the printer. Sometimes have to reboot the computer)
-Assemble paperwork and flight folder
-Sort out and staple up paperwork (sometimes have to mend or refill stapler)
-Sign and annotate same with crew names etc
-Check head/tail wind on wind charts
-Check PLOG uses correct wind component
-Check PLOG for correct aircraft, passenger number and cargo etc.
-Check PLOG for operational notes specific to destination airports
-Read TAFs, METARs to determine which runways in use at departure and destination airports
-Calculate fuel adjustments for track mile differences to opposite runway(s) if
reqd
-Check weather and NOTAMS and agree alternate
-Calculate RTOM if reqd
-Check if tanking sector
-Check aircraft servicability and deferred defects.
-Decide, calculate and agree on fuel figure
-Phone handling agent with fuel figures, check CTOT, stand and cargo.
-Brief crew
-Get in bus
15 minutes is barely enough time to even skim through all this. I will admit that I have missed airspace closures and level restrictions in the FIRs downroute because there isn't time to read all the NOTAMs thoroughly. We got away with that without having to make a tech stop, but we were lucky. In the past we used to carry a healthy amount of extra fuel so we had plenty of contingency, but now it has to be absolute minimum fuel, so a mistake at the briefing stage can be very embarrassing.
I now report well early just to get all this done to maintain OTP. Most others do the same or download everything at home to read before driving to work.
File an MOR? yeah good luck with your career !
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-Check PLOG for operational notes specific to destination airports
Out if interest; was the status of runways at PSA noted on the Plog? If so then critical data had been highlighted and could have been reviewed en-roue and before approach briefing. We still wait to find out what ATC said in their landing clearance.
Out if interest; was the status of runways at PSA noted on the Plog? If so then critical data had been highlighted and could have been reviewed en-roue and before approach briefing. We still wait to find out what ATC said in their landing clearance.
