These "Early Pull" FCIFs are becoming quite common lately. The latest came a minute after the termination of the Operational Emergency.

First, I hope no Jumpseaters have been left behind because of early pulls. As FedEx pilots we at least have access to the FCIFs, but we carry quite a few off-line pilots who do not.

But to the meat of my question ... what part of your pre-flight activities do you omit in order to pull (I assume they mean PUSH) early? Our hotel pickup times are predicated on travel times from the hotel to the ramp, and our report times at the ramp are predicated on the Countdown parameters published in the FOM. The reason we report 1 hour before scheduled push time is because we have 1 hour of work to do. What makes them think we should safely accomplish the same work in 40 minutes?

With the new ACARS Crew Delays, I wonder if I'm going to be asked to explain a 20-minute crew delay for pushing on time instead of 20 minutes early, just because a group of office managers sitting around a conference table on Airways Blvd. decided we need to get to Memphis early.

It seems like a recipe for disaster to me. The job is made more difficult by challenging weather, so I'm supposed to rush my preflight? That's just asking for mistakes. No thanks.

Be safe out there.






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