F/O walk arounds

av8sean

New Member
Does the F/O have to do a walk around when it's raining or snowing outside? Sounds silly, but I figure maybe the ground staff can do it.
 
The FARS clearly state the Pilot in Command is responsible for determining whether or not the aircraft is airworthy, as well as being responsible for the overall safety of everyone on the plane. If the FO is the PIC, it is legal, if he isn't then the Cap'n had better trust his FO.
 
Yup, gotta do it!

My favorite was walking around in MSP with 40kt wins, -12 below zero and snow! Woo!
 
Either the Capt or F/O can do walk arounds. I think its pretty funny when the pilots do walk arounds in the rain. They look like a bunch of wet dogs.
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sorry!

Can any of the airline pilots answer me a question? Why is it when pilots walk around there aircraft they never bring earplugs?? They always seem surprised when they get around the APU and find out how loud it really is. Just my observation though....
 
Yeah Frontier pilot's ear protection consists of one finger in one ear and a shoulder shielding the other as they shine the flashlight with their free hand.

I am waiting for one of them to get smart and come out with the coal miner's hat so they can use both hands to stick their fingers in their ears. I'm yet to see anyone use any real ear protection during their walk around though.

I think the pilot's walk around is pretty pointless though, i mean they usually do it right after the plane comes in and before anything bad can happen from stuff on the ground as we upload the aircraft. I always do a walk around myself right before we push them out. I think doing it at that point is the most crucial time.

"walk around is complete, brakes off, ready to push"
 
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Yeah Frontier pilot's ear protection consists of one finger in one ear and a shoulder shielding the other as they shine the flashlight with their free hand.

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Same for JB and SW guys too. I still find it funny as hell though.

I use to laugh when those PHX guys came up to Hartford for the first time in the winter and did their walk arounds in short sleeves,I've never seen anyone move that fast. Another good one was when one of the JB guys busted his ass on the ice a couple weeks ago...he was so embarassed. The most painful one would have to be a CoEx guys falling face forward into the stairs on the side of the jetway.....at BDL those stairs are that sharp metal so to can keep your traction when it icy. The poor guy had all kinds of cuts all over his face.

As far as walkarounds being helpful, lets just say I've had pilots do the walkround then had rampers come to me 5 mins later saying "we got a flat tire" or "we got fluid coming outta the gear wells" so I don't know about the usefulness of it.
 
Two suggestions:

Get earplugs.

Wear Doc Martens.

No "finger in the ear" or slipping on the ice for Doug!

Also, I've caught missing panels, flat tires, burned out bulbs, a leaky "dry bay" and an out of spec break wear indicator on occasion.

Stuff falls off of airplanes a lot more often than one would believe!
 
I have a 30% hearing loss in my left ear along with Tinutus (sp?), constant ringing in the ear. For years the Flight Surgeon told me to wear double ear protection, foam ear plugs along with "Mickey Mouse" ears, while doing my outside preflight/postflight. But did I listen........NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!, I don't need no stinking ear plugs! Now, during converstations I catch myself turning my right ear toward the party speaking. Most of the time it is funny, but sometimes it can be really embarrasing.
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APU's are noisy sons of B$#@!hes!
 
On those cold winter days, a favorite gathering point for FOs and rampers on the RJ is the exhaust port to the APU. It's chest level on the rear of the aircraft. Mmmmm. . .toasty warm! Kinda makes the walk around not so bad. I also would enjoy the walk around on the cold mornings when the cockpit is freezing. By the time I got around and back in the inside, it's warmed up (just a simple thing I looked forward to!).
 
The worst part about being an FO is that not only you bring home the stench of a few thousand passengers (believe me, there's a 'smell'), but you bring home the smell of de-icing fluid, fresh jet fuel and that exhaust smell. Gack!
 
skywaychris,
yep you are right-the APU area in the CRJ is such a sweet place to hang around when it is chilly outside. Just off the topic Chris-why do skywest pilots want to start two engines on the ramp whenever the APU is down and we have to do an airstart? Can't they cross-bleed the other engine while they are getting pushed? Any reason?
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I know crossbleed starts in the -88 and -90 are pains in the butt. You have to make sure there's no light aircraft behind you. Plus, you have to spool up the operating engine to produce enough N2 to start the other engine which means that the captain has to "ride the brakes" so you don't taxi along at 30 knots.
 
*** HA!! Posted at at the same time as Doug!! ***


Lazy, I guess. It's more work to do a cross-bleed on the way out to the runway than to just start the other engine right there while we're hooked up. To do a cross-bleed on taxi out, we have to stop somewhere (bad to ride the brakes) where we're not going to blow down a guard shack or send baggage carts flying, and get out of the normal lineup (the procedure takes a little more time than an ordinary start) then get resequenced (if it's busy). Cross-bleed starts on the push is a bad idea! Can't crossbleed with an idle engine. We have to run the operating one up to get enough pressure to get the other one turning. High power settings at the gate and hooked to the tug aren't good.
 
Hi all,

The best place on the 727 to warm up was actually underneath, where you could sit in the pack heat exchanger exhaust on the belly. The 727 had HUGE pack fans to keep them cool on the ground, and there was a virtual gale of very warm air comming out even when they were being used to heat the ac. Both sets of heat exchanger exhuasts were on the bottom of the AC, very close together. Best thing about it was it didn't smell like APU exhaust. In winter, it would actually melt a spot in the snow/ice underneath, and dry it out.

This assumes, of course, that you had the packs running.

One time I got the drenching of a lifetime in MDW doing the walk around. I mean I was soaked to the bone and it was cold out to boot. I sat in that spot for about 10 minutes. It was like one of those hand dryers, except for your whole body. After 10 minutes, I was totally dry.

Doug - man, I know what you mean about those MSP walkarounds...brrr. Be sure to get some Caribou to warm you up. Much better than Starbucks, IMO.

Very best,
RM
 
Do I ask for "Caribou" in MSP, or should I ask for "caribooooh"?
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It's the FO's job, but the captain's responsibility. A good captain will do his own walk around.

Neither rain nor snow nor dark of night....
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