Originally Posted by Sunvox

I know this has been discussed at length before, but I think now I see real world evidence of the impact. Recently I was in Denver when a United plane put a nose wheel in the mud trying to make a high speed turnoff in icy conditions, and I worry that what I am seeing on the line in terms of pilots being in a hurry is reducing safety at our airline so I thought I'd reopen a discussion on the divisive topic of preflight planning. I am aware that most times, we as professionals can get the job done within the allotted 45 minute report time, but take a moment and ask yourself if 45 minutes is adequate time to review ALL the pertinent and important information or are you using personal time to get the job done. Here is what the FOM says:



Have you ever missed an important NOTAM or runway friction report or forecast severe icing or ozone alerts? If you're like me you most likely have recognized after the fact that you missed something on more than one occasion. It is my opinion that the 45 minute report time simply does not allow for adequate time for a thorough preflight review of ALL the pertinent information. I know some of us, in an attempt to "get the job done", are reviewing material in the hotel or on the van, but as long as we do this the company has no way to see that 45 minutes really isn't adequate. Perhaps if we did it right and filed PDR's whenever we felt rushed, it would help our negotiators show the company that a 45 minute report time really depends on pilots going the extra mile by reviewing material before work which really isn't fair to us. Far better would be a return to the 1 hour report so that we are all assured adequate time to review ALL the information required by the FOM EVERY flight and not have to use our personal time to make it work. I also realize not everyone agrees with my analysis and this issue has been discussed before, but like I said I think I am seeing this on the line in a negative fashion now, and so I bring it up again for discussion.

Anyways, just a thought . . .