Week 82: Line operations from the jumpseat

As described during my last post, this week I had my supernumerary flights planned to see line operations as viewed from the back seat of the flight deck. The point of these flights (in my opinion) is two-fold; firstly and as previously commented it's an opportunity to understand how easyJet run their operation, with standard operating procedures put to use in real scenarios. Secondly (and again this is my opinion), I believe for cadets being put on a supernumerary flight is designed to show them there is a vast amount more to being a First Officer than just pointing the aeroplane where you want it to go! 

My first flight was to Palma on the island of Mallorca, which for my first flight was an ideal length as there wasn't a mad rush to get everything done. For starters, the immediate difference between the simulator and the line is that i'd never met my crew, so would be shaking hands with them for the first time 60 minutes before departure. I have to say the two chaps I met were brilliant, immediately starting my learning process by going through the paper flight plan and helping me to understand the processes involved in deciding the fuel load and how to book an uplift with the fuel company. 

Given we had a relatively early departure, meeting the cabin crew happened on the way to the aircraft. This may seem baffling to some, but the theory of meeting them on the move is pretty sound. As we on the flight deck have to go through introductions and decide on some operational factors, the cabin crew have a similar early introduction to go through. If we were then to come together for a chat this would eat more time into the 60 minutes before departure, and on time departure first thing in the morning is of vital importance. If the first wave of flights leave on time, there is a good chance that particular aircraft will maintain its schedule all day, and just a few minutes delay on the first flight could have a knock on effect hours later. Instead with the 10 minute walk from the crew room to the aircraft, we all took the opportunity to have a brief chat, learn names (something i'm useless at), and informally form the team for the day.

The flight itself was an eye opener, as there were quite a few tasks that needed completing which we never did in the simulator, and also the use of technology especially out of Gatwick is much higher. Rather than needing to use the radio to fetch the weather and clearances, easyJet use a system which utilise's satellite's to transmit data directly to the flight deck, thus lowering some of the workload for the pilots. Also given the longer length of the flights, fuel checks take on a new level of importance. Up to now they have been something we have performed but with no reference to how long we have been airborne. Now there is a comparison made between the planned airborne time and actual time, and how much fuel the aircraft has used to avoid not noticing a fuel leak scenario. 

Turnarounds were also a fairly pressurised time, where the crew had a planned 25 minutes to shut the engines down and prep for the next departure. However up front we definitely have it easy, as the cabin crew need to clear the passengers, tidy up, prep the cabin for the next flight, and get the next set of passengers sat down before the planned off blocks time. Somehow in there they managed to find the time to come and ask us what meals we would like on the way back to Gatwick; in truth this isn't just out of niceness, but they need to plan when they can prep our lunch so it won't interfere with the cabin service.

Following our return flight I had an out and back to Amsterdam, a veritable monster in terms of size and complexity. Coupled with that the flight time from Gatwick is under an hour, so briefings need to be concise to avoid getting behind the aircraft. Normally arrivals from the west like us would be sent to runway 18R which is one of the newer runways at Amsterdam Schiphol; unfortunately this runway is also miles away from the airport, and taxiing to the gate can take upwards of 20 minutes! By complete luck we were sent to runway 18C, which when we vacated made us only a few hundred metres from our stand, so we parked early as schedules are designed to take into account the likely taxi after arrival. 

Later in the week I also sat in on a flight to Bordeaux, which initially was ideal as my first planned flight was to be to Toulouse so the flight times weren't too different. Unfortunately with my cancelled base training I have been removed from that flight, so the plan has changed. Now that the summer schedules are in force it is very difficult for the airline to find a free aeroplane and base training captain, hence me waiting around for a few weeks. Thankfully my roster has changed and I now find myself on a three day base training trip starting next Tuesday. There are 9 of us going, 6 of which i've never met, the two I have being Nik and Dan who I trained with at CTC aviation. I do wish it was a bit sooner as the longer I don't fly the rustier ill get, but we have a refresher sim booked for this week so when I disappear up to Doncaster I should be more than ready to complete my 12 circuits.

My final flight was with a crew doing the short hop to Amsterdam first thing in the morning, upon which the FO was actually a CTC cadet from a course a year ahead of me. Hoan (excuse me if I got the spelling wrong!) seemed to be settling into the line operation really well which gives me confidence that as much hard work as there may be, the hard work certainly pays off!

Given the wonderful weather we've had this week, I took the chance to pop down to the Balcombe Viaduct which is only about 15 minutes from my new home. It's a massive structure that was built in the 1840's, and has clearly stood the test of time because the main London-Brighton railway line still utilises it. I appreciate a brick railway bridge isn't everyone's cup of tea, but a wander in the sunshine was an excuse enough for me to see an engineering marvel.