Ok, I'll eat the crow I deserve, or how I learned to love the Bus.

Well, to get back to the bus. I have to say, for a crappy millennial 20-something-year-old pilot, the MCDU is waaaaay too slow. My AOL IM-caliber typing skills are way ahead of airbus on that box.
 
Well, to get back to the bus. I have to say, for a crappy millennial 20-something-year-old pilot, the MCDU is waaaaay too slow. My AOL IM-caliber typing skills are way ahead of airbus on that box.

And then there's the MD-88.

'I think it's frozen.'

'No, just give it a minute, it's thinking.'

'It's been like 3 minutes, I think it's busted.'

'Just wait a sec... see, there it goes. Its just slow.'
 
The problem is the 170 had a lot of cool stuff, more so than anything we have on property right now besides MAYBE the 777, even that is a stretch. You probably don't hear about the CRJ because, well, it sucks.

That's awesome, but none of it's germane when, on the same 90 minute leg, the copilot continues to dick with vertical speed in ALT* (capture) and not leveling off properly because he wants to "smooth it out".

People in the back of the jet literally have no idea you're climbing, descending, or which mode you're using.

You don't want to be having relations with your wife and saying, "Well, my last girlfriend before I met you would stick a finger in my butt right before I went and it was CRAAAAAY ZAAAY!" because you're not going to have an agreeable outcome.
 
That's awesome, but none of it's germane when, on the same 90 minute leg, the copilot continues to dick with vertical speed in ALT* (capture) and not leveling off properly because he wants to "smooth it out".

Pretty sure that even at my happy little can-do boutique Bus airline they drilled in to us to never change any vertical mode in ALT* unless you want to file an ASAP.
 
We do too but ALT* happens when it happens and it's best not to screw with your mode anywhere near capture. But dey don't hear me doh.
 
You don't want to be having relations with your wife and saying, "Well, my last girlfriend before I met you would stick a finger in my butt right before I went and it was CRAAAAAY ZAAAY!" because you're not going to have an agreeable outcome.

e31.jpg
 
That's awesome, but none of it's germane when, on the same 90 minute leg, the copilot continues to dick with vertical speed in ALT* (capture) and not leveling off properly because he wants to "smooth it out".

People in the back of the jet literally have no idea you're climbing, descending, or which mode you're using.

You don't want to be having relations with your wife and saying, "Well, my last girlfriend before I met you would stick a finger in my butt right before I went and it was CRAAAAAY ZAAAY!" because you're not going to have an agreeable outcome.
O I agree with you but it is hard sometimes when talking shop to not bring it up. Surprised by the VS thing though since that's how CRJ dudes fly. Did your last fo do the VS thing or any of the other non flow FOs you have flown with?
 
We do too but ALT* happens when it happens and it's best not to screw with your mode anywhere near capture. But dey don't hear me doh.
Are most e-jet guys doing that? No one I flew with ever tried to smooth it out on a level off, unless it was an area prone to TCAS RAs, where it was required to use VS by the manual. Must be an "elite" bunch of guys before my time doing that.
 
Are most e-jet guys doing that? No one I flew with ever tried to smooth it out on a level off, unless it was an area prone to TCAS RAs, where it was required to use VS by the manual. Must be an "elite" bunch of guys before my time doing that.

Yup. This is CRJ and ERJ-145 technique, not the JungleBus.
 
That's awesome, but none of it's germane when, on the same 90 minute leg, the copilot continues to dick with vertical speed in ALT* (capture) and not leveling off properly because he wants to "smooth it out".

People in the back of the jet literally have no idea you're climbing, descending, or which mode you're using.

You don't want to be having relations with your wife and saying, "Well, my last girlfriend before I met you would stick a finger in my butt right before I went and it was CRAAAAAY ZAAAY!" because you're not going to have an agreeable outcome.
I'm amazed at the workload some folks bring upon themselves when the airplane largely does perfectly fine if you just let it be. I can understand the need for intervention when it is going to miss an altitude/crossing restriction/etc but otherwise...

589b52dd951ee4ebec2d9d1de917fa99.jpg
 
I don't know what ALT* is (I'm guessing it's altitude capture) but I don't care if you're in a cessna or the space ship if you're doing greater than 2000 fpm the last 1000' that's just bad form.

Basically "altitude capture". If you're approaching it or in it, DFW! :)
 
In the E175 at Compass the FOM says to use VS of no more than 1000FPM for the last 1000 feet /if/ traffic is in the vicinity. And it does cut down on the RA's. And the 175 does a fine job saying "okay" and capturing altitude when you do that... But thanks to this forum I have learned if I get hired on at Derg's shop to never do that on the bus. :bounce:
 
In the E175 at Compass the FOM says to use VS of no more than 1000FPM for the last 1000 feet /if/ traffic is in the vicinity. And it does cut down on the RA's. And the 175 does a fine job saying "okay" and capturing altitude when you do that... But thanks to this forum I have learned if I get hired on at Derg's shop to never do that on the bus. :bounce:
You can do it at his shop, but there is an appropriate time to do it. Waiting until altitude capture to make it smoother is silly, especially since the Airbus is already smooth during level off.

I (and many others) actually do it all the time when leveling off in a climb below 10,000 to smooth out the autothrust, but that is initiated well before altitude capture.

Basically, know your airplane and don't do something just because that is how you did it on a previous airplane.
 
I have been flying the Bus for 10 years and that is after an equivalent time on the Boeing and about 8 years on the DC-9-30 and MD-80. The old saying is that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"; and "if you want to keep a hard-on don't fu*& with it."

Why would anyone want to touch anything in ALT*? In Europe most of the carriers are required to call out all mode changes. It works good-lasts a long time and Pierre can fly better than you. Relax and enjoy!
 
Yeah I am not thrilled when people start playing with buttons, knobs, switches or going totally heads down without telling me. Even more so when they start doing non-standard things and not briefing me on what their plan is.
".... Sooooo........ you gonna tell me what you're doing or am I just supposed to sit here and guess? Oooh, I know!"
 
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