Opinions

ZapBrannigan said:
I've started to develop some pet peeves. Just wondering if my opinion is within, or outside of the majority. Don't want to throw the flag if I'm just being a cranky old guy.

Where do you stand on:

1. Somebody writing down (or copying into the scratchpad) the taxi routing?

2. Putting some aileron into the wind during the takeoff roll (albeit not enough to float a spoiler)?

3. Pilots texting during taxi, or in flight below 10,000 feet. Yea or nay?
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1. Never saw it in the scratchpad but cool idea. No problem with writing down taxi instructions. Seem like a good idea.

2. Aren't you supposed to do that?

3. Didn't mind it before the first checklist was run on the ground. After that, didn't like it but never said anything. Below 10, pretty rare, but likely wouldn't say anything even though I didn't like it.

You gotta pick your battles. Kids these days and their phones. It's part of the culture.
 
ZapBrannigan said:
I've started to develop some pet peeves. Just wondering if my opinion is within, or outside of the majority. Don't want to throw the flag if I'm just being a cranky old guy.

Where do you stand on:

1. Somebody writing down (or copying into the scratchpad) the taxi routing?

2. Putting some aileron into the wind during the takeoff roll (albeit not enough to float a spoiler)?

3. Pilots texting during taxi, or in flight below 10,000 feet. Yea or nay?
Click to expand...


1. Many of the f/o’s I flew with would type (short hand) the taxi route into the FMC scratch pad. Probably saved us (me) more than a few times.

2. I always waited until rotation to add aileron. Kinda of a turn yoke and pull at Vr. I had a few add aileron at the beginning of the takeoff role. Meh, was that big of a deal. Plus, it allowed me to know he was at least turn the yoke into the wind. You’d be surprised how many times the f/o would turn the wheel the wrong way on rotation completely oblivious to which way the wind was blowing from…..yes, it happen a hand full of times. I started making it a habit of saying something to the effect of, “Winds are left to right….cleared for takeoff, your aircraft”.

3. Absolutely NO texting, playing with your phone in sterile environments. I won’t even talk about a jump seater who thought it was cute to have his ringtone sound like the engine fire bell.
 
A300Capt said:
2. I always waited until rotation to add aileron. Kinda of a turn yoke and pull at Vr. I had a few add aileron at the beginning of the takeoff role. Meh, was that big of a deal. Plus, it allowed me to know he was at least turn the yoke into the wind. You’d be surprised how many times the f/o would turn the wheel the wrong way on rotation completely oblivious to which way the wind was blowing from…..yes, it happen a hand full of times. I started making it a habit of saying something to the effect of, “Winds are left to right….cleared for takeoff, your aircraft”.
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this sounds kinda backward from the little jets I’ve flown. Noted.
 
ZapBrannigan said:
I’m a little surprised that 100% of you don’t care if the other pilot copies down the taxi clearance in some way. Especially if the clearance is more than a couple of turns, seems like having record of where you’re supposed to go is a good idea. “Did he say to turn on B1? or V?”
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I’m sitting here a bit baffled to be honest. People don’t write down taxi clearances? Why?

Edit: I meant on scratchpad paper. Seems like way more work typing that into the FMC, and have seen that happen zero times in my career.
 
A300Capt said:
1. Many of the f/o’s I flew with would type (short hand) the taxi route into the FMC scratch pad. Probably saved us (me) more than a few times.
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That's why I think it is important, even in my little 10 lb 6 oz drinking from a bottle baby FO perspective. It is not uncommon for a CA to confirm with me the route, and if I don't know for 100% sure because I just said it on the radio and then can't remember, that's pretty much a failure on my part. Not the end of the world (we can always ask again and sound slightly dumb), but there is no reason not to. I will say that if I have AMM zoomed out (or in) appropriately at the time, I can normally digest the clearance without writing it down, visually. But it would be pretty weird to get grumpy about a guy writing it down.
 
DE727UPS said:
3. Didn't mind it before the first checklist was run on the ground. After that, didn't like it but never said anything. Below 10, pretty rare, but likely wouldn't say anything even though I didn't like it.

You gotta pick your battles. Kids these days and their phones. It's part of the culture.
Click to expand...

I know you are trying to be understanding here, so this isn't directed at you, but I call BS on these people. If you are bored enough to be on your phone texting, there is 100% something you are missing somewhere else. I've never been in any kind of plane where when I got the sense of boredom, I was ahead of the airplane. I also think the general amount of time glued to phones in social settings that our younger generations (mine included) spend is truly disturbing, so maybe I am biased.
 
ZapBrannigan said:
I've started to develop some pet peeves. Just wondering if my opinion is within, or outside of the majority. Don't want to throw the flag if I'm just being a cranky old guy.

Where do you stand on:

1. Somebody writing down (or copying into the scratchpad) the taxi routing?

2. Putting some aileron into the wind during the takeoff roll (albeit not enough to float a spoiler)?

3. Pilots texting during taxi, or in flight below 10,000 feet. Yea or nay?
Click to expand...

1. Just don't mess it up. I don't care if you write it in lipstick on the window. Just get it right.

2. I do this. There is definitely a sweet spot. At least on the 737.

3.
 
So is it just me or am I feeling the 737 slightly rolling if I don't put the correction in. Like the upwind wing is 1 or 2 degrees higher than the downwind wing. Or am I crazy?

I can actually feel the wings level if I add the slightest amount of aileron into the wind. Not nearly high enough to raise a spoiler but it does "feel" level.

I've been called all kinds of bad things before here so give it your worst.
 
///AMG said:
I know you are trying to be understanding here, so this isn't directed at you, but I call BS on these people. If you are bored enough to be on your phone texting, there is 100% something you are missing somewhere else. I've never been in any kind of plane where when I got the sense of boredom, I was ahead of the airplane. I also think the general amount of time glued to phones in social settings that our younger generations (mine included) spend is truly disturbing, so maybe I am biased.
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Maybe I’m an idiot, but I can’t even listen to music much less text below 10k and I fly into like the same 10 airports 9 of which aren’t that busy.
 
ZapBrannigan said:
I’m a little surprised that 100% of you don’t care if the other pilot copies down the taxi clearance in some way. Especially if the clearance is more than a couple of turns, seems like having record of where you’re supposed to go is a good idea. “Did he say to turn on B1? or V?”
Click to expand...

I try to stay in the state of Alaska as much as possible. If it’s more than 2 turns, things have gone horribly awry. That said, I was in ORD a few weeks ago, given a lengthy taxi instruction from the runway in Wisconsin, then later told to follow American. Long story short, American made a wrong turn and I was able to remove my head from my ass just long enough to think “that’s not right” and they were then told to follow us. I won’t lie, it was moderately gratifying.

If it’s going to be a long and/or complicated taxi, it’s usually part of my brief that I typically get yelled at when taxiing in urban airports and should be watched at every turn, so please make sure we get the taxi instructions copied down somewhere.
 
BEEF SUPREME said:
So is it just me or am I feeling the 737 slightly rolling if I don't put the correction in. Like the upwind wing is 1 or 2 degrees higher than the downwind wing. Or am I crazy?

I can actually feel the wings level if I add the slightest amount of aileron into the wind. Not nearly high enough to raise a spoiler but it does "feel" level.

I've been called all kinds of bad things before here so give it your worst.
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I put correction in. Take that for what it’s worth.
 
ZapBrannigan said:
1. Somebody writing down (or copying into the scratchpad) the taxi routing?

2. Putting some aileron into the wind during the takeoff roll (albeit not enough to float a spoiler)?

3. Pilots texting during taxi, or in flight below 10,000 feet. Yea or nay?
Click to expand...

1. I always do this. Either on my post it notes or in the scratchpad if I can't reach a pen easily.

2. I'm on the bus. Nope.

3. SOP says no PED usage. I'm also not looking at the other pilot, I'm usually looking at the taxiways, PFD, or whatever. We are all adults and professionals and should act accordingly.

It takes a conscious effort not to be a cranky old guy. Think about all the annoying Captains that you flew with. Not the 'NFL' pilots, but the ones that were just a little special. It's easy not to be the 'no fly list' type, just be a compassionate human being. It's harder to not develop your own special habits that you mistake for SOP and get annoyed that the FO cadre haven't gotten the update notice. (And I don't mean anything specific... where all the paper goes on the flight deck, how and when you write things down, briefing expectations, announcements, seat belt signs, break order, etc... I don't know... that whole grey area of non-SOP/SOP stuff that falls under the umbrella of "technique.")

I guess it's like when I worry about being a good parent.

If you are worried if you are being a good parent, and trying to be a good parent, then you are 80% of the way to being a good parent.
 
BEEF SUPREME said:
So is it just me or am I feeling the 737 slightly rolling if I don't put the correction in. Like the upwind wing is 1 or 2 degrees higher than the downwind wing. Or am I crazy?

I can actually feel the wings level if I add the slightest amount of aileron into the wind. Not nearly high enough to raise a spoiler but it does "feel" level.

I've been called all kinds of bad things before here so give it your worst.
Click to expand...

Yes, it does come up for sure. I'll defer to you, I have a whopping 160 hrs in the old girl to date :)
 
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