Tranquility

You said the fat ones can’t fit in the hole....

Halon1211

Sometimes I get the pen really wet first, then it gets in the hole better.

69fastback

So, reading this as a new hire coming from the corporate world, are these the type of first world issues I'll be dealing with now?

Flightcap

Yes. People just don't understand the magic of these things sometimes:

https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Retract...0515747&sr=8-1

Seriously. This pen is amazing. I haven't touched a pen in the holder for a year.

FNGFO

Looks like a fantastic way to ink up a good pilot shirt.

I commandeer a pen a day from the hotels, and go on runs where I replace three or four in a row or end up with 3 or 4 extra.

The pen situation is annoying, but who are these psychos who close all the vents when the plane hits the gate?

Skypilotsv1984

Usually a Lauderdale crew. It’s fun when they close it during the summer.

Omniscient

Vents closed, screens down and brakes hot


It’s the FLL way.....

butthert

I found that at F9 once we got a new CBA the pen missing occurrences went way down. I think guys can actually afford pens now.
Just a theory but I think it has merit...

Qotsaautopilot

Company wants the brakes hot. They’ve communicated such. Says they wear better and reduces wear and tear on the engines and reduces fuel burn.

Never understood the screens off thing. Refused to turn them down when everyone did.

I’ll admit it’s much quieter and more comfortable in cruise without the vents blowing on me. I sometimes forget to reopen when I park the plane, sorry. I will not turn the APU bleed off until external air is hooked up and will stay until that happens, and that probably does more to keep it cool anyway.

Omniscient

Show me where the company “wants brakes hot”

We received one email from Ryan saying that not using full reverse, instead using brakes more often will help warm the brakes up, causing less tear on the brakes. He said more information would be provided as to where the company wants to go for technique. Nowhere does this mean brakes should be “ECAM Worthy” at the gate. In fact, our AOM still states that brake applications should be limited to reduce brake wear, as well as using full reverse with auto brakes, to reduce time brakes are used, reducing brake wear and temperatures. That’s our current braking techniques, right from AOM2

And of course; if the company wanted brakes to warm and then easily cooled, we would have brake fans like every Airbus operator. They didn’t want to spend the money. They didn’t want to invest in their brakes.

Even with that, I’m not going to leave brakes hot for any crew. If the “ding” goes off at the gate when I finish the parking checklist, I did not manage brakes well.

The company also wants to not use the APU to cool the plane and use the gate air; 2 years in and how many gate air units actually produce comfortable air? Seems we have two camps; those who let planes get hot, brakes get hot, and pilots happy to dispatch with 5500 landing fuel because “this is what the company wants”. Others seem to take Captains authority differently and keep the brakes cool for the next crew, use the APU any time the cabin gets over 78, and has common practice to add fuel while the company wants to live in a fairy land where 5500 landing fuel won’t result to something into the 4000s.