Taxi instructions? You’re heads up now.

 

Sorry, I'm gonna own up to it...after all, I am 'That Guy!'

The 787 has a neat little area between the throttle quadrant and CCPs to slide folded ACARS print offs. The 'Bus has tray tables so you can build an ACARS house of cards if you do the origami right. I'm sure there is plenty of space in the 76 and Triple. The 73...we're at a premium for space.

I bring a small clipboard that fits over the area that is not being used to show the cockpit door indication or deny switches, depending on which door is installed on that particular jet. The ACARS messages I print off are folded and placed on it. It keeps the center pedestal from becoming an explosion of paper that can obscure a warning or caution or door light, since with our 1962 version of EICAS, it can be easy to miss a light that is on and shouldn't be.

Don't worry, I am not saving the print outs every leg to wallpaper the house...just like to bring a little bit more order to pacify my CDO.

 

Nerd............

 

It's okay, my former life makes up for my current dorkiness.

 

Oddly, it doesn’t bother me when an FO does it. Maybe because it’s not a red flag that they’re compensating for being forgetful. Rather, they’re just being fastidious.

 

How much damage will that little clipboard cause if you get into severe turbulence? There are spots on either side of the center console to place the few sheets of paper needed.

 

Probably less than the glass or tableware from a crew meal. Or bottle of water you drink out of. Or your iPhone you may be looking through when you hit said severe turbulence.

 

Or the ridiculous “airplane” clipboard that weighs five pounds.

 

No, I am "That Guy"! (standing up and channeling the ending of Spartacus). I do what you do with a teeny clipboard for the exact same reasons. I also have a small card for the yoke that I have used in some form since day one. It doesn't save much time in preflight anymore vs. simply opening the flight plan, but old habits die hard. Even so, having key info such as Ramp/Metering/Ground/Tower freq immediately handy helps keep my head up during taxi vs. swiping around Jepp. To each his own.

 

As you get passed 45 years old your vision requires more powerful cheaters each year.

Make up a a small cheat sheet now that you can take to retirement. I am on revision 6 of mine.

Fly Safe