Originally Posted by
newKnow
As far as walkarounds, I don't think it's a big deal if the captain does them or not. I'm hoping that if he or she doesn't do it, it's for a good reason.
Originally Posted by
newKnow
At Northwest, the captain would:
[do a bunch of stuff inside]
The FO would:
[do little inside and]
Do the walk-around.
Like you seem to be doing 80, I think everyone, from every seat, should use CRM and work things out. It shouldn't be that hard. No judgements.
I'm going to jump in the walk-around stuff, a) because 80 is doing it, and I feel a little jealous, and b) because of another great post by Knew.
If a Captain doesn't do the walk-around, we F/O's don't question it, but we hope it's for a good reason. As Knew pointed out, the Captain at NW had a lot of duties inside, and it would not have made sense for him/her to walk-around as well.
Now, with the PF loading the box, there is more time for the Captain on the F/O's leg. If there is a lot of time, the F/O can do both a walk-around, and load the box. If there isn't, it only seems smart for the Captain to walk-around, but there is room for flexibility. Which tells me that a Captain that never walks around isn't doing it for operational reasons, but because he just won't.
I also think I understand what BrakeChatter wrote. Personally, I always see a difference between people that can't, and people that won't. Some people don't make great PA',s and I respect them for knowing their limitations. Some F/O's start the trip by saying they "don't do PA's", or "don't wear their hat". Just like people that don't "do crossing restrictions", I think they deserve honorable mentions for NERD's "TOD" thread.
I fly with plenty of North guys, and almost all do some intelligent portion of walk-arounds. Whether they decide on a case-by-case basis, or have a 50-50 policy, they show a willingness to adapt, and I think that's great. They didn't get it done for them, but they know full well that I will do it when it's my turn, and they don't penalize me for the change in procedures. Some South guys are actually using the merger as an excuse for their "won'ts". They invariably feel obligated to make some perfuntory speech to justify themselves. I got no problem with it: I just nod, and mentally shift them over to NERD's TOD thread.
So it's not a NvS issue, but a "can't", or "won't " issue.
And it's not a technical issue, or a matter of other responsibilities. With their experience, there are times when the Captain would be the best person to perform the walk-around, assuming the cabin is fully squared away. It's not always the case, and it's not necessarily the case 50% of the time, but it certainly is not never the case.
So it's normal that some Captains don't do exactly 50% of walk-arounds. I have to note that when anyone, right or left seat, gets to a point where they have to explain their particular "won'ts", they know full well they deserve a place of the TOD thread. It may make them feel a little better that the other guy doesn't challenge them on it, but they shouldn't delude themselves to think it's OK. Shirley, I'm not fooled, so the only person that they're attempting to fool is themselves, which you'll have to admit is rather pathetic. Most guys know this, deep down. Which is why I've had a few guys explain to me right at sign in that nobody did walk-arounds for them, and they'll be damned if they will. I just nod and smile. We get in, we start the trip, I work as hard with them as with anyone else, and when we're a leg or two into the trip, most of them will do the right thing all by themselves anyway, and go take a lap around the aircraft. For everyone of me, there is a Captain that just nods and smiles when the F/O walks in and tells them their "rules". The difference of course is that F/O behavior can be changed by Captains' authority, but Captain's behavior is changed mostly when they realize their foolishness is blatantly hanging out in the open.
Bottom line: the Captain that always takes middle break, the F/O that "doesn't do" PA's, the Captain that "doesn't do" walk-arounds, they're all just members of the same species, and best catalogued on NERD's TOD thread.
Last edited by Sink r8; 04-18-2012 at 10:40 AM.