Originally Posted by
Regularguy
First, I'm on the 787 and a runway change means one has to run an electronic checklist before going. Now I suppose we could just blast off on a runway not in the box, but good old FOQA will tattle on us.
Having done the checklist I assure all of you it adds about three minutes to the process and that assumes ACARS send the runway data for uploading. Yes we could get the data and hand enter it, but that's not the preferred method. These days every thing is uploaded.
On the 320 hours; the SSC did not have an explanation because a 1000 hours system wide drop for one month is huge. Essentially that's about 14 lines of flying or 28 less pilots. Someone check my math, you know math done in public.
A 1000 hour swing is not huge. Spread across the fleet that is a little less then 6.5 hours per aircraft for the month. Or .21 hours a day/aircraft. February 2017 had 42,965 hours for the Airbus fleet. So 1000 hours represents roughly 2.5%. If March block hours were higher then February, then its closer to a 2% drop. (March 2016 to April 2016 hours were flat for comparison sake) Not a huge swing.
If your math is correct that is an average of 2 lines per base. On a one month snapshot.
Wishing it was the other way and hours were increasing but the sky is not falling for the Airbus.