Airbus Drivers: Single-Engine Taxi 'n APUs

BobDDuck said:
Airways is pretty much the only company (other than maybe JetBlue? I'm not sure) that has them. With the number of delays our fleet takes out here due to hot brakes, I'm amazed more places don't invest in them.
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Yea, we have brake fans here at Blue. Works good.
 
Derg said:
Buddy start?

ALL EARS MAN!
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It goes like this....

You get a "buddy" DC-9. Can be running the APU...or just running. Connect the pneumatic hose from the pneumatic port on one DC-9 to the other. Apply bleed air. Start. Done. Laugh politely at 100th innuendo laced joke from the CA about this process.

Or, you can just roll the first DC-9 down a hill and let the clutch out.

As for powerbacks...they go like this:

1) Wait for rampers to show up to give you the spinning finger.
2) Point out that rampers have no safety goggles.
3) Wait 5 minutes while rampers go find safety goggles.
4) Ramper finally gives you the finger, the stars align and you actually have the required wing walkers.
5) Start both engines.
6) Roll forward a bit to "get off the flat spots"
7) Set 1.4 EPR ("1.4 feet on the floor"). Remind self to keep away from the brakes.
8) Much sound and fury, and a vortex of sand, crap and debris swirl around the airplane.
9) FINALLY start creeping backwards at a clam's pace. Remind self to keep away from the brakes.
10) Pray that the ramper is paying attention, and not direcrting you into a culvert, ditch or other immovable object.
11) When enough groundhogs have been deafened by the sound and fury from #7, GENTLY come out of reverse and use a touch of thrust to stop. Remind self to keep away from the brakes.
12) Observe, with some satisfaction, that the fuel you just burned could have powered a tug until the heat death of the universe.
13) Proceed onwards to a life of religious fulfillment.

Note: All of the above are done with hand signals.

The 727 version of this was similar, except:
5a) Remember to remind the FE to turn the packs off
8a) Much more sound and fury.
9a) Backwards movement is 1/10 of a clam's pace.
11a) Remember to remind the FE turn backs back on.

Richman
 
Richman said:
It goes like this....

You get a "buddy" DC-9. Can be running the APU...or just running. Connect the pneumatic hose from the pneumatic port on one DC-9 to the other. Apply bleed air. Start. Done. Laugh politely at 100th innuendo laced joke from the CA about this process.

Or, you can just roll the first DC-9 down a hill and let the clutch out.

As for powerbacks...they go like this:

1) Wait for rampers to show up to give you the spinning finger.
2) Point out that rampers have no safety goggles.
3) Wait 5 minutes while rampers go find safety goggles.
4) Ramper finally gives you the finger, the stars align and you actually have the required wing walkers.
5) Start both engines.
6) Roll forward a bit to "get off the flat spots"
7) Set 1.4 EPR ("1.4 feet on the floor"). Remind self to keep away from the brakes.
8) Much sound and fury, and a vortex of sand, crap and debris swirl around the airplane.
9) FINALLY start creeping backwards at a clam's pace. Remind self to keep away from the brakes.
10) Pray that the ramper is paying attention, and not direcrting you into a culvert, ditch or other immovable object.
11) When enough groundhogs have been deafened by the sound and fury from #7, GENTLY come out of reverse and use a touch of thrust to stop. Remind self to keep away from the brakes.
12) Observe, with some satisfaction, that the fuel you just burned could have powered a tug until the heat death of the universe.
13) Proceed onwards to a life of religious fulfillment.

Note: All of the above are done with hand signals.

The 727 version of this was similar, except:
5a) Remember to remind the FE to turn the packs off
8a) Much more sound and fury.
9a) Backwards movement is 1/10 of a clam's pace.
11a) Remember to remind the FE turn backs back on.

Richman
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Excellent. I've been looking for a new signature line for a while!
 
Seggy said:
This hasn't been talked about yet...

Another nuance is that in Le'Airbus if you taxi on two engines a lot of times you have to much power even at idle thrust and have to use the brakes to slow down. The brakes are the Achilles heal of Le'Airbus and then could be waiting for a LONG time down at the end of the runway until they cool, throwing any fuel savings out the window.

On the 737-800/900s you can single engine taxi, but it is a lot harder to get those things rolling if heavy. Another user mentioned weights their company has as a gouge. We have similar weights here in our gouge and they seem to work.
Click to expand...

We were pushing back in MSP one ice covered evening (probably July)... we decided due to the contaminated surface to start both. Well, the 319 has a lot of thrust at idle, and it's like turning on the afterburners hitting the engine A/I. We were almost done with the pushback when the second engine start finished and I hit the A/I. We hear this frantic "set brakes set brakes!" from the tug driver. We had begun pushing the beast of a tug back into the gate!


And Richman wins for his description! The few times I've jumpseated in a powerback, I've been exceedingly impressed with how both pilots grew lumberjack beards just in the short span of the powerback.
 
Richman said:
It goes like this....

You get a "buddy" DC-9. Can be running the APU...or just running. Connect the pneumatic hose from the pneumatic port on one DC-9 to the other. Apply bleed air. Start. Done. Laugh politely at 100th innuendo laced joke from the CA about this process.

Or, you can just roll the first DC-9 down a hill and let the clutch out.

As for powerbacks...they go like this:

1) Wait for rampers to show up to give you the spinning finger.
2) Point out that rampers have no safety goggles.
3) Wait 5 minutes while rampers go find safety goggles.
4) Ramper finally gives you the finger, the stars align and you actually have the required wing walkers.
5) Start both engines.
6) Roll forward a bit to "get off the flat spots"
7) Set 1.4 EPR ("1.4 feet on the floor"). Remind self to keep away from the brakes.
8) Much sound and fury, and a vortex of sand, crap and debris swirl around the airplane.
9) FINALLY start creeping backwards at a clam's pace. Remind self to keep away from the brakes.
10) Pray that the ramper is paying attention, and not direcrting you into a culvert, ditch or other immovable object.
11) When enough groundhogs have been deafened by the sound and fury from #7, GENTLY come out of reverse and use a touch of thrust to stop. Remind self to keep away from the brakes.
12) Observe, with some satisfaction, that the fuel you just burned could have powered a tug until the heat death of the universe.
13) Proceed onwards to a life of religious fulfillment.

Note: All of the above are done with hand signals.

The 727 version of this was similar, except:
5a) Remember to remind the FE to turn the packs off
8a) Much more sound and fury.
9a) Backwards movement is 1/10 of a clam's pace.
11a) Remember to remind the FE turn backs back on.

Richman
Click to expand...

Speaking of "hand signals", just wait until you experience the "wonder" of MIA.

"Check your microphone cord"

"Oh, my headset is going out"

"Ok, how do you plan on communicating with me if it goes out during the push?"

"Hand signals"

"Do you see the sign I'm giving you?"

"Naw man, I can't see you"

"I can't see you either, so check the cord please"

Every. FLIPPING. TIME.
 
Richman said:
It goes like this....

You get a "buddy" DC-9. Can be running the APU...or just running. Connect the pneumatic hose from the pneumatic port on one DC-9 to the other. Apply bleed air. Start. Done. Laugh politely at 100th innuendo laced joke from the CA about this process.

Or, you can just roll the first DC-9 down a hill and let the clutch out.

As for powerbacks...they go like this:

1) Wait for rampers to show up to give you the spinning finger.
2) Point out that rampers have no safety goggles.
3) Wait 5 minutes while rampers go find safety goggles.
4) Ramper finally gives you the finger, the stars align and you actually have the required wing walkers.
5) Start both engines.
6) Roll forward a bit to "get off the flat spots"
7) Set 1.4 EPR ("1.4 feet on the floor"). Remind self to keep away from the brakes.
8) Much sound and fury, and a vortex of sand, crap and debris swirl around the airplane.
9) FINALLY start creeping backwards at a clam's pace. Remind self to keep away from the brakes.
10) Pray that the ramper is paying attention, and not direcrting you into a culvert, ditch or other immovable object.
11) When enough groundhogs have been deafened by the sound and fury from #7, GENTLY come out of reverse and use a touch of thrust to stop. Remind self to keep away from the brakes.
12) Observe, with some satisfaction, that the fuel you just burned could have powered a tug until the heat death of the universe.
13) Proceed onwards to a life of religious fulfillment.

Note: All of the above are done with hand signals.

The 727 version of this was similar, except:
5a) Remember to remind the FE to turn the packs off
8a) Much more sound and fury.
9a) Backwards movement is 1/10 of a clam's pace.
11a) Remember to remind the FE turn backs back on.

Richman
Click to expand...
Ah, a time when men were men and JT8Ds ruled the earth.
 
Seggy said:
This hasn't been talked about yet...

Another nuance is that in Le'Airbus if you taxi on two engines a lot of times you have to much power even at idle thrust and have to use the brakes to slow down. The brakes are the Achilles heal of Le'Airbus and then could be waiting for a LONG time down at the end of the runway until they cool, throwing any fuel savings out the window.

On the 737-800/900s you can single engine taxi, but it is a lot harder to get those things rolling if heavy. Another user mentioned weights their company has as a gouge. We have similar weights here in our gouge and they seem to work.
Click to expand...
I would be curious if the idle thrust is different between the CFMs and IAEs. Y'all have the IAEs right?
 
PeanuckleCRJ said:
We were pushing back in MSP one ice covered evening (probably July)... we decided due to the contaminated surface to start both. Well, the 319 has a lot of thrust at idle, and it's like turning on the afterburners hitting the engine A/I. We were almost done with the pushback when the second engine start finished and I hit the A/I. We hear this frantic "set brakes set brakes!" from the tug driver. We had begun pushing the beast of a tug back into the gate!


And Richman wins for his description! The few times I've jumpseated in a powerback, I've been exceedingly impressed with how both pilots grew lumberjack beards just in the short span of the powerback.
Click to expand...

I despise MSP.
 
Derg said:
Go for it.

A situationally-aware, relaxed, participatory first officer is golden… nay… PLATINUM manna from heaven.

A broken-down, micromanaged, task-saturated first officer is the worst thing in the world and that is wholly indicative of you being a crap captain.
Click to expand...

Things that make me stabby:

Me: "you want me to start number one?"

Boss: "nah, not yet."

30 seconds later while I'm in the middle of a required task

Boss: "go ahead and spin one"

Congrats. You just saved a gallon of gas and made me really busy.
 
Derg said:
Speaking of "hand signals", just wait until you experience the "wonder" of MIA.

"Check your microphone cord"

"Oh, my headset is going out"

"Ok, how do you plan on communicating with me if it goes out during the push?"

"Hand signals"

"Do you see the sign I'm giving you?"

"Naw man, I can't see you"

"I can't see you either, so check the cord please"

Every. FLIPPING. TIME.
Click to expand...

I love it when the ramp doesn't advise me that the headset is busted, and that they're going to be using hand signals. I usually find out when they give me the release brakes hand signal, and I shake my head no. Eventually I yell down to them through my window that if we're going to use hand signals that my FOM requires them to put the gate back on and give the ramp crew a face to face briefing. Magically, a working headset normally shows up 30 seconds later.
 
jtrain609 said:
I love it when the ramp doesn't advise me that the headset is busted, and that they're going to be using hand signals. I usually find out when they give me the release brakes hand signal, and I shake my head no. Eventually I yell down to them through my window that if we're going to use hand signals that my FOM requires them to put the gate back on and give the ramp crew a face to face briefing. Magically, a working headset normally shows up 30 seconds later.
Click to expand...

I flew with this • Captain one trip (won't say any names, but he goes by @kellwolf :) ) that reopened the boarding door on the CRJ to force the pushback crew to come up for a face-to-face brief.


When I was on the Saab operating out of ATL, we did no headset pushbacks every time. And I was the only captain that would conduct a briefing with the push crew beforehand.
 
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