Enter 0 when no fuel uplift
Companies require pilots to use a type of telex system (called ACARS) to enter all sorts of data into the airlines operational database. This is handy to keep track of services provided and allows for…
Category: Work-As-Done
Aviation Work-As-Done
Is it down or not?
The Airbus Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitoring (ECAM) system is great in making the pilot’s job a lot easier. Unfortunately, things might become confusing. When the ECAM shows L/G GEAR NOT DOWN this indicates a sensor…
Aviation Work-As-Done
Strange de-icing mixture
A few weeks ago, we performed a de-icing. After completion, the coordinator reported a 33% fluid/water mixture. Unfortunately, the ACARS reporting form only allows selecting 100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 mixtures – which are by the…
Aviation Work-As-Done
A NOTAM for a NOTAM
The way pilots receive aeronautical information today is based on a system that was designed in the 1920s. There are simply too many NOTAMs and the format is outdated. Duplicating information (e.g. on the use…
Aviation Work-As-Done
Wrong take-off calculation!
Did you know that every time an aircraft takes off, it is based on the assumption that it will experience an engine failure?! That’s why pilots perform a detailed take-off calculation before each departure. This…
Aviation Work-As-Done
Pushback hindered by a catering truck
Look at how this pushback truck needs to manoeuver around the white truck (I removed the markings) to reach our aircraft. As you can see, the truck is parked outside of the so-called staging area…
Aviation Work-As-Done
APU inoperative (INOP sticker)
Whenever a system is inoperative, pilots or mechanics apply a so-called ‘INOP sticker’ to the associated controls (switch or pushbutton) as a reminder not to operate the system. unfortunately, the stickers are often coloured red…
Aviation Work-As-Done
New airport information styling
During flight operations, pilots heavily rely on navigation charts. Two well-known chart providers are LIDO and Jeppesen. They gather all available aeronautical information from different sources and present them in a standardised format Recently LIDO…
Aviation Work-As-Done
Contact twice
Reading our clearance from top to bottom, we were a bit surprised to read that the next frequency was 127,780 while the line below mentioned contacting 121,730 first. Also, look how easy it is to…
Aviation Work-As-Done
The Crew briefing sheet
Many airlines provide their crews with a so-called ‘crew briefing sheet’, a printed page containing all relevant information concerning your mission: departure and arrival times, flight numbers, number of foreseen passengers, etc. This simple page…