Originally Posted by
Herkflyr
My point about the rigidity of things (perhaps not SOPA/SMAC but other NWA guidance) was:
1. F/O's didn't even know how to load the FMS because that was the captain's strict domain. Ditto for overhead preflight panel, and the exterior walkaround. While I like the fact that usually a certain duty is delegated for this crewmember or that, to absolutely 100% of the time state "only" this guy does this or that, results in you losing a lot of knowledge, and more importantly, degrades airmanship.
2. Apparently at NWA you would rather go around than have the pilot flying actually touch the flap handle? While 99% of the time the flying pilot doesn't touch the flaps or gear, there are the rare occasions when the captain is busy on the radio or coordinating something with the FAs. In that case if I am slowing down I will move the flaps and just sort of indicate what I did. The captain always just kind of nods and continues what he was doing. As the FOM clearly states, we all know that is the exception and not the rule.
Correct me if I am wrong on any of this. Aside from a few things like this (if true) I still think that your way of doing operational business at NWA was stellar.
Herk,
#1 Ridiculous. Who told you that? An FO not being able to load the FMS? You're kidding, right? It was the captain's overhead, and the FO's exterior preflight, but the CA could perform the walkaround. The overhead was that way because in certain fleets, you could only do the overhead from the left seat (anti-skid test in the DC-9, for example). There was VERY strong vertical guidance in all the fleets, so SOPA/SMAC was sometimes driven by the way one aircraft required things if it didn't make a difference in other fleets.
#2 You're kidding, right? Go around because the CA has to move the flap lever? SOPA/SMAC said that this is the way to do it almost all of the time. But go around because you can't do it exactly this way is absurd. Deviations were fine, but they should be the exception, and it was the nature of that you had to MAKE an exception to draw your attention to why you had to make it.
But consider what you are saying. If the other seat is so TOTALLY swamped that if he or she can't reach over and move the flaps a notch, and it's to the point in the approach where if he doesn't do it RIGHT then it creates a problem, then there are CRM issues going on, and you might want to consider the state of the crew and airplane.
I mean coordinating with the FAs when you are in the pattern? Is it something that important that it can't wait until you get on the ground? Don't you think that stuff is better handled after landing or before you decend below 10k? THIS is exactly the kinds of error that SOPA/SMAC was designed to trap.
This is what made SOPA/SMAC such an inherently strong error trap. If the PM DID have to reach over and move the the flaps, that was a big red flag that the guy in other seat is overloaded and that you'd better look around and do a quick assessment.
Sounds like you're getting your info from a guy who never flew under it. Next time you fly with a north guy, ask him what HE thought about it.
Nu