B737. New Russian rulesl
 

Hello guys!

One of the Russian companies prohibited manual landings a couple days ago. Pilots is received strange document. Scan is here (in Russian) http://s017.radikal.ru/i420/1608/6a/e55108ff18cb.jpg

Translation:

To B737 pilots

During flights on Boeing 737 is prohibited to down the level of automation. On at least cat1 airfields all landings must be do with AUTOLAND.

What do you think about this?

It's not an outright prohibition, but it's close. It says that Autoland must be used, if aircraft is legal for it and (implicitly) if the runway is legal for it.

No background information is given, so I'd be curious to know what brought this on.

Maybe the company has lost faith in its crews to fly manually? Maybe too many passengers have complained of heavy landings? That being so, an autoland normally gives a stable approach and touch down without pilot input. Hence the company direction to do autolands where facilities permit. Problem solved

So they fly autoland into a cat1 runway without LVP protections will be interesting at least! Lost in translation maybe?

I think autoland performance to CAT I only runway should not be taken for granted. There is manufacturer's guidance that even says so. When done carefully and once in a blue moon, the negative impacts of such activity are negligible.

Once prescribed as a standard way of doing things, the sheer number of events increases through the roof and sooner than later, it will backfire. Statistics.

SIA runway exursion in MUC provides a good reference. Unprotected autoland went wrong but there are statistically very few instances of this type of landing being attempted.
Once you mandate such, even on a tiny, 4-aircraft strong fleet, there would be 600 chances for something to go wrong in a month!

Not a wise decision, but do we know the reasons for such ruling? And yet, how are the crews going to keep their proficiency and skills sharp for a non-ILS landing??? :ugh:

Expect new AvHerald entries soon, either for unprotected autolands going South, or because of basic handling skills disappearing for those involved...

Good point. With normal landing skills perceived low (to warrant such ruling), further diminished by non-practice, how are you going to salvage and autoland gone wrong? That requires above average landing skills and sharpness.

If not salvaged, baulked landing on two engines seems to hit the news lately too. For instance THY last year.

It's POBEDA Pobeda Airlines LLC, Aeroflot Group

Hmm, are we reading the full story? Perhaps the company is in the process of obtaining LVO approval and need a nubmer of autolands, hence the temporary requirement to do them whenever possible?

Or its just Russian propaganda and messing with the "merikans"

that scan takes you to Russian malware!

As this is not April 1st, or do the Russians have a different date, I wonder how they conduct base training for type rating approval.

Would be interesting to see how often CAT I autoland conditions are met/authorized, and SOP at the DA/MDA for CAT I autoland.