What kind of quick decisions do you have to make as a pilot, As you become Captain or someone in charge of the plan, and how often do you have to make adjustments for particular issues.
Jeremy,
That is a rather open ended question, it really depends on what comes up and when I does. On a typical flight where everything goes as planned, there are very few adjustments to be made.
Yesterday we pushed off the gate and one of our GPS units failed. We had to pull over to the side and address this issue with maintenance control over the phone. The extra time sitting there ate into our fuel load, so we decided to fly slower to conserve fuel as that would add less time than returning to the gate for more fuel. This was a transcontinental flight, so a slower speed can really save some fuel.
There were several adjustments made there, all of them small, but all necessary to safely complete the flight. Now of course more drastic issues like system failures would require far more drastic adjustments, like landing at a different airport. This does not happen often.
Chris
Yes, sorry for the open ended questions, just trying to see more about everyday flight details as a pilot. I figured that would give me a few answers either way.
Thanks,
Jeremy,
Today both legs of flying went according to plan, no issues. However yesterday was another story:
On the first leg of a three leg day, just after takeoff we got a STALL FAIL caution message. We continued up through sterile and the captain started running the appropriate checklist. The checklist calls for a rest of the stick pusher and if the message doesn’t clear, for higher approach speeds and an increase in landing distance at the destination. It also has a note that the wind shear alert system might not work with one or both stall protection systems inop.
We get the weather at our destination, the runways are wet, it’s gusty and wind shear advisories are in effect. We run the landing data and with the wet runway, increased approach speed and increased landing distance with the stall fail caution message, the margin for a safe landing is reduced significantly. Add the extra threat of wind shear advisories without the confirmation of a functioning alerting system.
You see on a day with a perfect plane and perfect weather, flying isn’t so hard. But the days when one seemingly minor issue snowballs in to more threats, that’s when pilots are put to the test. You never know which kind of day you’re going to have.
Hannah
Jeremy,
I often say everything is fine and easy until it ain’t and that’s when you earn your paycheck.
That said as pilots we are always making decisions. Some are big, some are minor, but few are “immediate”. While many need to be made quickly and in a very timely manner (ie, engine failures, fires, etc), reacting too quickly can and often does get you in trouble. When I first started the old crusties would say things like “wind your watch” or “light a cigarette”. The idea being before you start hitting switches, pushing buttons and pulling handles, take a moment and access. This can help avoid making a bad situation worse and lead you down the wrong path. It’s for this reason good pilots need not only good decision making skills but a calm demeanor.
Adam
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