Airlines with a policy that allows pilots to refuel by themselves?
 

Hi

I'd like to know any airline that has a policy which allow the pilot to control the Re-Fuel Panel to get the aircraft fueled up when there is no maintenance guy on site and/or re-fueling personnel is unfamiliar with a particular aircraft.

I'm asking because my company wants to revise the company's manual in such a way the captain can officially control the Re-fuel panel when it's really needed in case of diverting to a new airport where there is the non-contracted fuel servicing (which usually does Fuel pipe connection only) and no maintenance personnel is onboard.

If anybody know any airline that I am looking for, please let me know. Many thanks in advance.

Almost every short haul airline in Europe would be a good start.

From my own experience it's aircraft size dependent. Anything bigger than an A321 or a B757 usually either the refueller has full responsibility or the ground engineer/mechanic.
There are anomalies. AA air crew tend to look after their own refueling on a regular basis even with their bigger aircraft such as the 787.

Uh... Why wouldn't you be allowed to refill your own aircraft?

The easiest way would be to opt for the flight deck refueling panel (option for Airbus). Set it up and the bowser just needs to connect and go. On the A320 comes with fueling ports on both wings.

the only time i had to take an engineer along was when the MEL required a drip stick check each time, apart from that any pilot should be competent enough to handle it themselves. Even though the refueller is perfectly able to, just depends on the booked and paid for service level.

Multiple types with multiple airlines (all US based). Never instructed on how to do anything with the refuelling panel except ensure the latches are closed.

Things are done differently elsewhere I see.

I used the fly the 777 and would always have to operate the fuelling panel if we diverted. The steps were quite a way up obviously!

Even on the basic 737 without the fuel preselect, we're really talking about 3 ON-OFF switches, one for each fuel tank. Figure out how much you need in each tank, open the required valves, close each valve 20-30kg below the desired tank quantity.

Hardly a difficult task compared to what is required to actually fly the airplane.

I don't think it has anything to do with difficulty.
It can be time consuming, especially on older aircraft. Pilots tend to be quite busy doing preflight tasks, drinking coffee, not getting wet.... 😁

Being on my third operator while flying the A320, there hasn't been a restriction or prohibition in the different OMs to refuel the aircraft. In fact, there have been provisos allowing the pilots to refuel if having to divert to an alternate without any company support. The reason I mention the A320 is because there is a "Refueling" supplementary procedure in the FCOM, and well... we do all the other supplementary procedures in there when needed. I even took my iPad last time I did it (I've only done it a couple of times, and SUP procedures are meant to be done in a "read and do" fashion, according to the FCTM :8). Also, at one particular operator, I recall having CBT lessons about the refuel panel and its operation. This same operator also instructed us how to refuel the Dash 8.

Regarding the time taken to do it: since this wasn't an assigned routine responsibility, well... the couple of times I've had to do it we did depart late, and it was quickly reported that the reason we were late was because there wasn't anyone to refuel us so we had to do it ourselves. And we can only do so many things at once! Never heard back from those situations...

This thread brings back memories of when we had to do our own refuelling at some ports in africa. On one particular day I had asked for my crew meal to be warmed up while I went out, refuelled and did a walk around. While refuelling you pretty much had to stand at the panel, which was directly under the wing refuelling port, and manipulate the individual tank refuelling valves. Little did I know that the nozzle from the bowser had a pressure relief valve which would squirt jet A1 out whenever a refuelling valve was closed. I simultaneously closed the valve for one of the tanks and yawned with my mouth directly in line with the pressure relief valve. It was bad. Mouth full of fuel, shirt and tie soaked. Needless to say, I did not enjoy the crew meal afterwards 🤦‍♂️

It’s a supplementary procedure, company doesn’t need to give approval. There is no captain statement in there, even the FO should be able to do it. Fuel hose connection is not in there.

I've never worked for a company where pilots were prohibited from refueling the aircraft. On the Dash-8 we routinely refueled on our own (granted this was never through a single point, always over-the-wing). On the 737 we're trained how to do it as a component of our aircraft service and ground handling course every year. The closest I've come to doing it myself is in the Caribbean where we have to go down and give the refueler the breakdown per tank, but they always speak far better English than I do Spanish, so it very rarely comes to an issue. But to help us in case we need it, my airline published a Supplementary Normal Procedure in our FOM.

Been a few years now, but pressure refueling etiquette is to give the tanker or rig driver your calculated uplift, in volume litre/gallons which would need a conversion chart from Kg/lb against his relative density; you need to climb aboard most hydraulic lift rigs with the driver whom might have his hoses to connect, not likely you would mess with them, they have shear necks and other features; the trick is not to shut off all the aircraft fueling valves at once or even the the last one as this causes a back pressure to the Refueler, but signal to him to slow down or cut his pressure.
A colleague of mine transiting a large Indian East coast airport climbed the loaned steps, to set the wide body refuel panel only to find himself on the concrete with a broken leg.
Climbing equipment has a peril a pilot should avoid.

Has anyone ever hot refueled an Airbus with an engine running? FCOM refers.... :E

You'd do whaaatttt???!!! :{ Captain Shirley asks "surely you can't be serious?!".

I frequently set the panel myself and occasionally switched the valves open on several turboprops and a jet. On the current plane it‘s too high to use without ladder and I may have set it once or twice if a refueller was unsure about the procedure. No rules against it here.

Being type-rated on the bl***y airplane should include being able to operate the fuelling panel.

I don’t disagree with you, but I’ve never had anyone do anything more than gesture vaguely in the direction of the panel and say “make sure it’s closed”.

Thats the same logic I used to stop hanging outside the cockpit to clean the windows