....From the Publisher,
Well, campers, now that I have retired from safety, I will assist Andy Boquet in the publication of "Crossfeed". We will expand the base of authors and range of subjects to include aeromedical articles, as well as contributions from the Training Center folks, and your Safety Committee members. Remember, this is your publication; if you desire a particular article or subject, just drop me a note.
Larry Kline
(Publisher's note: We wish to congratulate Herb on being named "Aviation Week & Space Technology" Laureate for Commercial Air Transport for 1992. This prestigious honor was bestowed on Herb as head of the only major airline to earn a profit in an industry and year where red ink was commonplace.
EDITORIAL
An AW&ST letter-to-the-editor from a military trained-121 captain once stated "When the chips are down, I'd rather be with a military-trained pilot." Subsequently, AW&ST published my response and explanation that "I'd rather be with a good pilot, black, white, male, female, military or civilian."
Recently I flew with a civilian-background SWAer who expressed frustration at a lack of respect from more than a few military-trained captains. "Seems I get more 'directions' once they know I wasn't in the military," he said. After 5 years at SWA, 10 in a 737, and 25 in aviation, he didn't need much in the way of directions. After a month with him it seemed that I was the one getting directions...which I solicit...desire...encourage in my role as a manager of assets. My civilian counterpart needed little in the way of directions---he flew a good plane and he did it by the book---which is what we get paid to do.
Aviation, as with life, consists of a pecking order of experiences. Perhaps our space shuttle guys and gals top the list, then test pilot types who Tom Wolfe penned "Those with the righteous stuff," then fighter/attack/bomber/carrier jocks, followed by Army helicopter drivers, then U.S. aerobatic team members, then night check haulers in single-engine Cessnas who flew over mountainous terrain (shear madness!!!), then perhaps last (this is my list...write your own) would be the bottom of the barrel, the lowest of the low, those without any type of stuff, would be the folks who went from college to Mather AFB to SWA and will be forever richer, younger, and above me on the seniority list. And even they might be followed by military formation pilots who droned about the country in their tight, little blue and yellow jump suits to the screeches of adoring groupies. OK, at this point we'll put in us Marines...urrraaahhh!.
Bottom line is that most of us love aviation because of the experiences we have had...from ballooning to parachuting to ultralights to J-3's to float flying to European Gulfstream junkets to warbirds to aircraft carriers to airshows. And everyone sitting in a SWA cockpit has had some great aviation experiences. Daily I go to work and listen with a bit of envy to talk of flying F-16's over Iraq, of looping BD5J's, of dogfighting T-34's, of rebuilding Dad's old plane, of spinning Pitts Specials, of ferrying Cessnas to Australia. After 10-20+ years in aviation SWA'ers have a log-book full of experiences---happy, thrilling, bitter-sweet, tragic. We err in separating military and civilian---flying is flying, folks is folks. We have all worked hard to get to this point (yes, even Mather types). We have all done and learned things that the other gal/guy has not; and now our mutual efforts and love of flight has brought us together in our Baby Boeing cockpits.
Share the experiences---we're all going the same direction. A.B.
The
most comfortable captains
to fly with
are the ones
who are
most comfortable
with themselves.
Trivial Pursuit Questions
1. DAL-ABQ release (N685SW) lists fuel as 20.0/22.0. Quick calculations by the trusty FO indicates that with the slant fuel of 22.0 you will be at max quick turn weight at ABQ. Can you legally launch said jet? Yes/No
2. Assuming you launch (#1) with 22.0 and do not waste fuel by flying lower/faster, or with landing gear down, how long must you wait prior to departure from ABQ? ______minutes
3. SWA dispatchers will not plan on slant fuel loads that result in quick turn delays. True/False
4. Van Nuys VOR is inop but all other facilities are operative in the Burbank area. Byproducts of civilizations such as heavy smog, smoke, fumes and haze abound and the field is IMC. Can you launch your bijet knowing you will not be able to use the Van Nuys VOR for the single-engine departure procedure. Yes/No/Huh?
5. Over deepest, darkest HRL you crave an accurate on-the-hour time check since your diamond-ringed gold Rolex differs from the jet's chronometers. ARINC will give you a tone on the hour on what frequency?
"Anxiety never disappears in a human being in an airplane---it merely remains dormant when there is no cause to arouse it. Our challenge is to keep it forever dormant."
General Harold R. Harris
former VP, Pan Am
Incidents
Departing, we leveled at 10,000 feet. I switched to company for out/off times, then requested higher from ATC. Response was to climb to 15,000 feet, which we began to do. Center questioned our climb, saying they had not cleared us higher. Seems I had requested higher on company frequency, to which a jokester had replied with a higher altitude. Not good. (NASA "Callback" slightly modified for SWA)
Cruising at FL350 crew was notified by ATC of opposite direction crossing traffic at FL370. As traffic passed overhead crew noted that the target had not appeared on TCAS, though the system was selected and ASSUMED to be operating (test function indicated the system was "OK"). For the high altitude remainder of the flight the TCAS gave no information. At low altitude the system appeared to work normally. Go figure!
RIP
"Bag buster Joe Pfyster, 36, beloved son, husband, father, was sucked into a Southwest Airlines engine and did not survive. After a washdown the engine was placed back in service. Joe was with SWA for 6 years before meeting his untimely end. He will be missed." LUV LINES, June 1993
Poor Joe, fictitious Joe, can be seen today scrambling under our Boeings long before anyone gives him any shutdown signal: enthusiastic, dedicated, perhaps a bit complacent, Joe and others like him have observed that warnings about engine intakes have been unnecessary...no one's been hurt yet.
Joe and his buddies say that "The right engine is ALWAYS" shut down, so what's the big deal?" Perhaps the engine is not shut down (APU inop/wet tarmac/cooling time), and perhaps we stop a bit short and have to add power. Then fictitious Joe is a real name with a real family and a real funeral to attend. And we are going to feel real bad.
Watch the aircraft handlers, and correct such perpetrators...save everyone a lot of misery and pain.
Trivial Pursuit Answers
1. Yes: FAR's prohibit us from launching above max landing weights, but not above quick turn weights.
2. 53 minutes for 300/500's (50 for -200's)
3. True...dispatchers will not knowingly put us in such a situation...checks in the mail...Clinton is here to serve you...I like to fly at night...
4. Yes...if radar vectors/fixes are available from departure control. "Ah, what if you lose radios?" you inquire rhetorically. Good question. Response: Bad day at black rock for you!
5. 131.65; ENROUTE, ARINIC-1.
Only 3% of the population in the U.S.
has an interest in aviation, and
only half of these will decide to learn how
to fly. Of these, only 50% will
solo, while 75% of solo pilots will
earn a pilot certificate.
Pilots are a rare breed
in danger of
extinction.
NEWSBRIEFS: by Larry Kline
PRELIMINARY ALCOHOL-TESTING RULES UNVEILED - the DOT has released the proposed rules under which transportation workers will be tested. A blood alcohol level of 0.02-one and a half glasses of beer or wine for a 160 pound man-will result in removal from safety sensitive duties for eight hours or until retested at a level below 0.02, according to Air Safety Week. Anyone tested who registers 0.04 or above cannot return to work until they are retested and undergo rehabilitation, if necessary.
GAO CRITICAL OF FAA DEICING PROGRAM - the General Accounting Office has issued a report that is critical of the FAA's deicing program implemented this winter. The report is concerned with the fact that the regulations still allow pilots to check for ice from inside the aircraft, except for hard-wing jets with rear mounted engines, such as the Fokker F-100 and DC-9-10.
The report states, "...FAA believes such checks will ensure safety because, under the new regulations, pilots will be better informed and more cautious. In our view, however, the potential for misjudgment exists. Obstructed views, distance and poor lighting can make it difficult, if not impossible, to detect ice from inside an aircraft. Furthermore, FAA's own documents recognize that the only definitive method of detecting ice is to closely inspect the aircraft's exterior..."
At least one domestic airline will require an outside inspection for all deiced aircraft. American Airlines says, "The FAA does allow that choice and we have chosen to use an outside inspector;...we think you can do a much more thorough job of inspecting the aircraft from outside."
BOEING OFFERS REPLACEMENT ENGINE MOUNTS FOR B737-200 - the Boeing Co. will offer redesigned engine aft-mount secondary support systems. Boeing, working with the NTSB and the FAA, has redesigned this system after several -200 series aircraft have had an engine partially or totally separate from the aircraft.
Southwest experienced a partial engine separation in 1986 with aircraft N86SW.
...AND YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD A BAD DAY - a recent flight over the interior of Brazil turned ugly for the crew of the Embraer EMB-121 twin turboprop. The aircraft experienced pressurization problems on climbout, so the captain went back to check the cabin door. While inspecting the door, it blew open, and a steel door cable severed the captain's left hand. He was barely able to hold on to the cabin door handle with his right hand to avoid being swept outside. The first officer noticed the crisis, and sharply banked the aircraft to pull the captain back into the aircraft. The captain then went into the cockpit "to calm the co-pilot down and help him land the plane safely."
One of the passengers put the hand in a bag of ice, and doctors subsequently reattached it!
TIP FROM A SAT ATC FRIEND - to expedite arrivals into 12R at SAT, crews may request a "tight turn" at the marker, which will place the aircraft about one mile from the marker. Otherwise, the controller has to vector the aircraft to a 10 mile final (about three miles from the marker). Controllers may not initiate the short turn-on themselves; it must be pilot initiated and requested.
SECURITY HASSLES? - several members have expressed frustration in trying to clear some airport security. Passenger security screening standards apparently vary from airport to airport. A few security people are very "zealous" when it comes to clearing crewmembers. When you encounter a difficult screening individual, remember to keep your "cool" and politely attempt to comply with the requests of the security personnel. The public is watching us, and a public confrontation with security personnel is not desirable. According to the "SWA Air Carrier Standards Security Program", security personnel should honor your request for a wand check if you have difficulty clearing the magnetometer. You should be granted either a wand-check or a "pat-down" to pass security screening. You should not have to remove name tags, etc. to pass through security.
Pass on any difficulties encountered to your Chief Pilot so that he can follow-up.
[insert cartoon #1 here]
Larry Kline
Publisher
Deep Thoughts #1 - On Safety: "Condoms aren't completely safe. A friend of mine was wearing one and got hit by a bus." - Bob Rubin
FROM THE SAFETY COMMITTEE:
WINTER FLYING AROUND THUNDERSTORMS - Winter thunderstorms are a little different than those experienced in the spring or summer. Primarily it is the reflectivity of the supercooled water droplets found in the clouds. In the spring and summer, the dynamics of a thunderstorm are such that most of the precipitation in the cloud is rain. This makes for a fairly good platform for the radar to reflect from. In the winter, these water droplets are supercooled and are present as sleet, snow, or freezing rain. These do not show up on a radar as clearly. So, it is easier to paint a storm in the summer than in the winter. Combine this with the freezing precipitation sticking to your radome and decreasing your radar's signal strength and you have less than a desirous position. Thunderstorms can be just as potent in the winter, but they are harder to see. Things to do to try and balance the situation are:
* Ask ATC for assistance. What are they painting? Their radar isn't iced up like the aircraft.
* Go to max gain on your radar for a few sweeps and use the data obtained for your avoidance path. The max gain position will make things look worse than they are, but in reality, with your radome wet and the precip having a poor reflectivity you come out about even.
* Remember winter or summer, if you are in precip or there is precip between you and the cells you are painting, you should increase the intensity of the cells shown by one extra color. In other words, if you are in precip and your radar shows a cell painting green and yellow, you should increase the depiction in your mind to yellow and red. Use these new values for avoidance tactics.
* Request and receive "current" on-line radar reports from dispatch. Dispatch has a new capability and their radar picture is not subject to attenuation like your airborne radar.
Radar Tips:
If a line of thunderstorms develops, remember that turbulence can be expected ahead of and to the south of the line equal to the speed the line is moving. For example:
[insert graphic 1 here]
If the line is moving east at 30 knots, expect turbulence 30 miles ahead of the line and 30 miles south/southwest of the southern-most cell. Turbulence will be present with or without the presence of clouds. The turbulence south/southwest of the southern-most cell is caused by the entire line drawing its power from this area. It is much like a vacuum cleaner sucking from the southern most cell and channelling the line's power northward. The speed of the line movement can also predict the expected turbulence encountered. If the speed of the line is greater than 30 knots, expect moderate to severe turbulence even if you are in the clear.
Therefore, when reviewing sigmets, pay particular attention to the speed of the line's movement and the position of the southern most cells or activity.
Captain Bob Ahders
Chairman - Pilot Training Group
Phoenix Safety Chairman
FROM THE AIRWORTHINESS/PERFORMANCE GROUP CHAIRMAN:
"RESUME NORMAL SPEED" - FAA has requested that ALPA's ATC Committee advise pilots that the agency has found "some confusion among enroute controllers about the phrase 'resume normal speed' and the meaning it conveys to pilots on a STAR." The agency is concerned that "pilots may interpret this clearance as an authorization to delete the speed restrictions on the STAR." FAA headquarters has advised controllers that the phrase "resume normal speed" is the correct phraseology to use in removing any previously issued speed control, but does not affect speed restrictions imposed on an aircraft by a STAR.
INCORRECT LAND ALT. - "During climb-out to a cruse altitude of FL330, we detected the audible cabin pressure warning horn and noted a cabin pressure altitude of approximately 9,500 feet (and climbing). To preclude any further deterioration of the situation that might have resulted in the need for a full emergency descent and deployment of the passenger oxygen system, the Captain elected to descend to a lower altitude. Upon promptly receiving clearance from center we began an initial descent to FL250 during which we conducted the "Rapid Depressurization" immediate action procedures. We both initially assessed the problem as a malfunction of the automatic portion of our pressurization controller...During his corrective actions, however, the Captain found the "LAND ALT" window set with a 10,000 foot error based on my transposing the destination airport's 1,203 feet field elevation into 12,030 MSL in the "LAND ALT" window...In effect the automatic pressure controller was performing as it was instructed by climbing the cabin to 12,030 MSL. After reaching a lower altitude with the pressurization stabilized, the Captain visited the passenger cabin to explain the reason for our unplanned descent..."
MAX QUICK TURNAROUND WEIGHTS - A discussion with Dale Foster from Dispatch concerning an Irregularity Report filed a few months back has led to the following clarification: 1) Dispatchers have been instructed to not slant the fuel on the dispatch release into a quick turnaround problem and 2) it is company policy to accept late arriving cargo, mail, etc. for a flight even if it will create a landing weight above the max quick turnaround weight resulting in a waiting period of 50 minutes at destination.
"A GOTCHA" - the crew was briefing the departure from LAS (to ONT) with the Captain referring to the Ops Manual filed flight plan (Oasis SID, Hector transition) and the F/O referring to the "Moose Sheets" (Oasis SID, Goffs transition, direct Hector). The F/O, having received the clearance from Clearance Delivery that corresponded to what was on the "Moose Sheets", readily agreed with the Captain's question/statement that they were "cleared as filed". The thing that saved the crew from a possible violation, in this case, was the F/O had the radial set in to Goffs and immediately brought the deviation from that radial to the attention of the Captain (pilot flying) as he prepared to head on out the 211 deg. radial of LAS for the Hector transition.
"SHOULD WE FILL OUT AN ASRS REPORT?" - a discussion with a friend who is a controller at one of the centers confirmed a rumor heard recently. If a controller is involved in a "deal" (loss of minimum separation between aircraft) due to the actions of a flight crew not following their assigned clearance, the controller is required to advise the crew that the loss of minimum separation is believed to have been caused by the flight crew and they are requested to call his supervisor upon landing at the following number, etc.(workload permitting). Bottom line: If you believe you may have been involved in a "deal" and you hear nothing more from the controller you may or may not be out of the woods, but if your controller invites you to give him a ring for a chat you best grab your ASRS form (and the other pilot his) and start filling it in.
Captain Jim Cook
Chairman - Airworthiness/Performance Group
Deep Thoughts #2 - On Positive Thinking: :I was going to buy a copy of 'The Power of Positive Thinking', and then I thought: What the hell good would that do?" - Ronnie Shakes
FROM THE ATC GROUP CHAIRMAN:
Here's a couple of items, as Rod Sterling used to say, "Submitted for your approval..."
I. Let's say you're on a charter from Airport X. The controller says, "Southwest 6996, maintain visual with the previous departure, cleared for takeoff." Both of you are on the same departure SID, with the inevitable associated altitude restrictions. But in your vigilance to maintain visual separation, you miss an altitude restriction. The controller, being in a particularly nasty mood, decides to file a Deviation Violation. What to do? Well, don't belly-up and hand over your money yet.
This scenario has already occurred more than once in beautiful downtown San Jose. At this particular airport there happens to be a SID which requires turns and altitude restrictions. (On a North departure, a turn is required at 1.8 DME and an altitude restriction to the east of below 8,000 feet. The point of it all is: Does a succeeding aircraft have to comply with SID instructions or can the pilot follow the "Maintain Visual" command issued by the Local Controller?
Let's get the references out of the way:
A. FAR Part 1 (definitions) Air Traffic Clearance - An authorization by ATC, for the purpose of preventing collision between known aircraft, to proceed under specific traffic conditions within controlled airspace.
B. FAAH 7110.65 (Controller's Handbook, "THE BOOK") Visual Separation. A means employed by ATC to separate aircraft in terminal areas.
C. AIM Para. 4-93, Visual Separation. A pilot's acceptance to follow another aircraft or provide visual separation from it is acknowledgment that the pilot will maneuver their aircraft to avoid the other aircraft or to maintain in-trail separation.
D. FAAH 7110.65 para. 4-14b. (Route or Altitude Amendments): When a route or altitude in a previously issued clearance is amended, restate all applicable altitude restrictions. It further states that you should issue the entire route by restating the route with the Amendment.
So, what we have here (to quote a unique Southern Chain Gang Boss), is a failure to communicate. Shame on the pilot for not getting specifics on how long the "visual" clearance is to be maintained, and shame on the controller for not specifying when the "resume the SID" is to occur.
A good example of where this could easily occur is Phoenix. There you are told to maintain visual with an aircraft whose course diverges shortly after takeoff. This satisfies the FAAH 7110.65 concerning separation of aircraft in terminal areas.
What we can learn and be wary of is the ability to bust a SID with a visual clearance in our hot little CVR's. My suggestion is, if you get a maintain visual with the previous departure and you don't get specifics as, "He's turning north, or, he's on a different SID, ask. 'Tis better to ask a question than to wish you had.
II. "Southwest 1992, fly heading 050 until receiving STL, then direct, flight plan route."
"Southwest 1992, 050 until receiving STL, then direct flight plan route, thanks Center."
Being the resourceful crew that you are, (and flying one of those newer air machines with ring lasers, TCAS, and that neat little box), you just type the LAT/LONG for STL in the Nav Data page and plod onward on that 050 heading until... Well the Progress Page shows you're being pushed just a wee bit south of course. No sweat, ya just fudge a couple of degrees to the left. But then read just a mite more..no, still being pushed right. Well, the controller did say direct, right? So I'll just scoot on over kinda direct? Looks like about 20 degrees or so should do it. Now where was I? Oh yeah, war stories to the new F/O...
Test question: Is our Dynamic Duo in keep Kimchee?
Well, yes and no. If they had continued on their typed in heading, and the eyeballs and the TCAS had failed, then the NTSB would have given them the notoriety of being a "contributing factor" in the midair collision with another airliner, doing a INS-legal heading to the STL VOR. The controller would also be at fault for failing to see the deviation from assigned track, but, the controller would still be alive.
In an effort to utilize our Boeing-given goodies, we sometime fail to realize we don't have "The Big Picture". A simple ten degrees left or right may seem trivial to us, but to a controller who is counting on your heading remaining constant until within approximately 130 NM of the STL VOR, it is a BIG Deal. It could mean all the difference between an uneventful heading request, to a Deviation Report, to Aluminum showers. So, as the famous rap singer Vanilla Ice says, "Word to your mother" - if you want to correct your heading, ask the controller first. They will do one of two things; approve it, or not. If they don't, there's a good reason.
Stan Humphrey
Vice-chairman - Air Safety Committee
Chairman-ATC Group
FROM THE SAFETY CHAIRMAN:
FIRE EXITS - with the new security card reader locks on many of our jetways, using a jetway as a fire exit in the event of a terminal fire may no longer be an expeditious option. Crew members should be aware that all terminals have to meet local fire codes and that fire exits should be in each of our terminals. In the unlikely event of a terminal fire, look for the red exit sign. This should mark a fire exit for public use. These exits should have an alarmed breaker bar door that can be used by anyone in an emergency. We have asked the company to check any terminals that have such unusual local procedures or circumstances that the above would not apply. Ground Ops is to advise a chief pilot if this is or becomes a factor at any of our terminal facilities in the future.
HIGH SPEED ABORT BRAKE PEDAL MANAGEMENT - Captain Bill Roberson of Boeing Flight Crew Training says that one reason flight crews may not get maximum braking during aborts is due to improper brake pedal application technique. In order to get maximum braking and therefore minimum stopping distance, the pilot must apply maximum brake pedal force and let the antiskid do its job. To be certain that maximum force is being applied, pilots should move their feet to the top of the brake pedals and pressure the pedal to the stops. Anything less may mean an overrun. According to Captain Roberson, a pilot's feet should ride heels on the floor with the balls on the bottom of the pedal for takeoff. This is to avoid accidental brake application during crosswind takeoffs. If an abort is initiated, the pilot should move his or her feet to the top of the pedals as he or she begins applying pressure. By having his or her feet at the top of the pedals, the pilot is able to obtain maximum leverage and is more likely to ensure that maximum braking is used.
PILOT AIDS - many of you subscribe to a pilot aid summary sheet put out by one of our pilots. This is a wonderful tool and a great supplement. On very rare occasions, a filed routing is changed mid-month and the data in the aid is incorrect for a couple of weeks. It happens so rarely that many of us assume it's always correct. Recently a crew got caught on this and fortunately were able to avoid a violation. Please remember that you are responsible for correctly obtaining and following the clearance. Please cross check any aids used with the current chapter 3 in the FOM or bulletins. Chapter 3 comes 7-hole punched so you can keep it in your Jeppesen Manual and at your finger tips. On the same topic, we are an ever growing airline which means there is always a crop of"new guys" out there. Recently, a "new guy" was using one of these pilot aids and had not completely understood its legend. He inadvertently gave the Captain a partially incorrect routing. Be sure "as filed" is really as filed, lest ye put yourselves at the mercy of ATC.
BURBANK - we all know BUR is usually hazy with aluminum overcast. We continue to experience a high number of near midair collisions at this airport. The Air Safety Committee and the Company are working on some solutions. Unfortunately, the solutions are going to be long in coming due to many factors outside our LUV airline's control. TCAS with all its faults can help you. As you enter the terminal area, consider reducing the scale down to ten, then five, then three miles depending on scope clutter and your airspeed. Try to use the TCAS as a situational awareness enhancer. Use it to spot traffic before the TA. Finally, eyeballs outside as much as possible (autopilot on as much as possible?) and hope someone of higher authority than the pilot-in-command is watching out for you. Please report any problems to the Air Safety Committee because we are trying to help build a database that both we and the Company can use.
CRM EXTENDS OUTSIDE THE AIRPLANE
The Air Safety Committee received the following note from one of our members:
Upon arrival, we deplaned to brief the outgoing crew. The Captain was engrossed in a social conversation with the ops agent so I waited until he made eye contact to brief him. I told him that it was a good airplane; and since we did not know where the airplane was turning to, we did not set up the cockpit. He then told me they were going right back where we had just come in from.
I started to tell him about the weather since we had gotten a center reroute due to TRW's and about the ride and winds at the various altitudes. It had been a bumpy flight in for us and we had after much experimentation found a decent ride. My mouth opened and the words "let me tell you about our experience with the weather" came out. He cut me off and said "I know all about the weather" and as he was saying it broke eye contact and took up his conversation with the ops agent. I stood there for about 1 to 2 seconds and debated whether to try and give him the benefit of the ride reports or just say ok and walk away. My pride took the better of me and I just said "ok" and walked off. I am not even sure he heard me say ok. Since the information I had for him was not so critical that he would have experienced an unsafe flight without it. As I made my way up the jetway, I said to myself if he thinks he knows it all then let him find out the hard way.
I thought about this a bit and decided that there was a CRM lesson here. Maybe I should have swallowed my pride a bit and interrupted him and the ops agent and said "no, I want to tell you about weather reroutes and rides." I know one thing for sure, he should have shown enough interest in what the off going crew had to say to let us say it. He bypassed a valuable resource in that he had a crew just come in from were he was going who had knowledge that could of made his flight better for his passengers and crew. I guess his ego fooled him into thinking he knew all there was to know. I wonder what kind of Captain this guy really is. I guess my ego kept me from trying to give him the pilot report that I would have appreciated if our roles had been reversed. CRM is after all a two way street, but sometimes it is hard when the other guy thinks he is smarter than everybody else.
This letter tells an interesting story. We share it with you because it highlights the need for good CRM skills out of the cockpit too. Good CRM is really good people skills. The guy in this story is so disinterested in what the other pilot has to say that he probably shuts himself out of some useful information from time to time. Everybody harps about how important communication is and lately it has been stressed that we need to watch out for each other out there when the weather is bad. Certainly as much as we all need to tell a fellow crew about some adverse condition, the fellow crew has to be willing to listen.
Captain Howard Dulmage
Chairman - Air Safety Committee
Deep Thoughts #3 - On CRM and Listening: "There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell 'em." - Louis Armstrong
FROM THE TRAINING CENTER: (Charlie Marcell from the SWA Training Center will be contributing articles to "Crossfeed" on timely subjects that occur in ground school. Thank you, Charlie.)
Recently, there have been numerous pressurization malfunctions. It may be worthwhile to cover the air conditioning and pressurization system one more time. It seems to be a more predominate problem with the B737-300/500 aircraft, so the following information basically pertains to such aircraft.
Limitations: Both pack switches must be placed in "AUTO" or "OFF" position for takeoffs, approaches, and landings when the engine bleed switches are placed "ON". This limitation is for the performance analysis.
If one pack switch is placed in "AUTO" and the other pack switch is "OFF", the operating pack will be in the low flow mode, approximately 55 lbs/min.,when the flaps are extended or if the aircraft is on the ground. The operating pack will automatically go to "HIGH" flow, approximately 80 lbs/min. when the aircraft is in flight with the flaps retracted.
The later model -300's pack will automatically go to "HIGH" flow if the switch is placed to "AUTO" when doing a bleeds off takeoff, when the aircraft leaves the ground. This modification was instituted because the "LOW" mode provided insufficient air flow to pressurize the cabin with a single pack operation. The older aircraft have not been modified and it would be prudent to place the pack switch to "HIGH" on an engine bleeds off takeoff. Therefore, this same logic would apply if we had a bleed trip or a pack trip in flight. It would be prudent to place the operating pack to "HIGH" to keep the cabin pressurized. This is a step in our QRH.
We have had several problems with the engine bleed valves failing to operate on the -300/-500 aircraft. When repositioning an engine bleed switch, it would also be prudent to observe the duct pressure to verify operation of the bleed valve.
There have been instances where the engine bleed valves do not close as they should with the engines shut down and the APU supplying bleed air to the aircraft. To correct this problem, try cycling the APU bleed off, wait until the duct pressure bleeds down and then place the APU bleed switch back to "ON". A likely time to notice this particular problem would be when the engine anti-ice valve is deferred and manually locked in the open position. If this should occur and the engine bleed valve fails to close as mentioned above, there will be a loud noise of bleed air leaking into the nose cowl and the nose cowl could also be very warm.
OTHER GROUND SCHOOL ITEMS
Five crews flew an aircraft with an open item. A mechanic changed a tire, entered the part numbers and serial numbers off and on, but neglected to sign the signature block. Subsequent to the tire change and before said crews flew the jet, an airworthiness release was signed.
An airworthiness release signifies that all paper work previous to the release has been completed: the crew can assume that there are no open items. No so in this case.
With bleeds-off takeoffs on -300's (earlier aircraft) the cabin may climb with the aircraft. This problem can be prevented by placing the left pack to the "high" position...the later model -300's incorporate a modification that places the pack (electronically) into the "high" position at lift-off on a bleeds off takeoff.
The F/O should pull the normal battery charger circuit breaker on the preflight if the aircraft electrical busses are powered. This is the only way to check the condition of the battery.
Charlie Marcell
EPT STUFF - Over the last few years there have been a number of accidents which have occurred on the ground because one aircraft crew failed to see another. The LAX accident in 1991 is probably the best known, but there have been others.
In some cases the problem has been one of a misunderstanding of instructions between pilots and controllers. At the moment, the FAA is reviewing the question of proper phraseology when pilots request an intersection takeoff and when controllers issue "position and hold" instructions.
How can you try to avoid an accident of this type? One way is to be aware of what is happening around your aircraft. I do understand the problems of listening to all the radio transmissions on the frequency. I also understand the problem of something happening before or just after you get on the frequency. But try to be situationally aware whenever possible.
Another suggestion from the NTSB following the 1991 LAX accident has to do with where you stop in a "position and hold" situation. Visual approach exercises indicate that the likelihood of detecting an aircraft from the rear on an active runway by an approaching aircraft can be increased if the first aircraft in displaced from the runway centerline lighting by approximately 3 feet. This is especially true for those of you who own and operate your own small airplane.
Jim Federer
SWA Training Center
Deep Thoughts #4 - On Self-Improvement: "Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better." - John Updike
FROM THE A.M.E. ("Crossfeed" is very pleased that Dr. Joseph Battersby has agreed to contribute articles of aeromedical interest. Many of our west coast pilots receive their flight physicals from Dr. Battersby, where he has practiced for many years. This article is reprinted with permission from "Arizona Flyways".
In this first issue, I'd like to thank the editor and publisher for the opportunity to share a few of my views, opinions, and prejudices. I want to get a few things off my chest as they relate to the function of the FAA Aviation Medical Examiner (AME).
Stated bluntly, the AME is not The Enemy, and the physical exam is not an obstacle course. When I meet an airman for the first time and find a lean, mean young six-footer sweating under the arms in fear of the physical, something is definitely wrong with the system!
Perhaps it's that the airman doesn't really know about medical standards, and because his livelihood is at stake. He can be made to feel he's walking alone in a minefield, so that's why I want to clarify the standards and maybe turn this situation around a bit - hopefully, a lot.
First, the FAA's criterion for disqualification is "any condition that could lead to sudden incapacity." If that's all you learn from this article I'll be a little disappointed, but we will have at least made a beginning.
What are these conditions which preclude the AME from issuing a medical certificate?
* Diabetes requiring insulin or other medication
* Angina pectoris: chest pain due to heart disease
* Coronary disease that has required treatment or, if untreated, has been symptomatic or clinically significant.
* Myocardial infarction, i.e. "heart attack"
* Psychosis (major mental disease)
* Severe personality disorders repeatedly manifested by overt acts
* Alcoholism or drug dependency
* Epilepsy
* Disturbances of consciousness lacking satisfactory medical explanation
Basically, then, we've described an insane drunk who also abuses other drugs, has a bad ticker, is a diabetic epileptic who passes out every once in a while for no apparent reason. Sound like your captain? Very bad joke.
Having listed these problems and drawn a profile of sorts, are we saying that airmen with any of these conditions are like Clementine - "lost and gone forever?" No. Diabetics can revert to diet-only control; alcoholics can recover, and heart disease can often be successfully resolved. Time can reveal previously hidden explanations for problems.
The "sudden incapacity" issue raised by these problems places a heavier burden on the airmen to prove to the FAA that they are now OK. That's understandable. To this point I've been talking about Mandatory Denial. The AME cannot issue a certificate at the point of examination. Should these conditions subsequently be resolved to the FAA's satisfaction, the medical may then be issued. That's it for "sudden incapacitation". Now I've got another one which I call "So do you!"
A number of other conditions require medical documentation that they are under control or no longer deter the satisfactory performance of an airman's duties. These include high blood pressure and duodenal ulcers, to name just two. Here, the FAA spells out to the AME what it considers appropriate medical evidence that these problems present no realistic obstacle to an airman's operation of the equipment.
The FAA wants to know your blood pressure is OK, your ticker is OK, and that the medications your doctor has you using aren't bothering you. So do you. They want to be sure you're not likely to have another big kidney stone episode...so do you! I'm sure you get the idea.
A caring and knowledgeable AME will advise your own doctor of the formal federal data required in each case. He'll review and pass on its acceptability. The AME may then, at his discretion, issue a certificate. I think only an idiot would urge his A&P not to do a compression check on his engine during an annual because of numbers might not be good. So do you!
To wrap this up, just remember "sudden incapacity" and "so do you", along with the differences.
If you have a question concerning airman eligibility, send it to the editor. I'll do my best to respond with accurate answers. If you're not comfortable signing your name to a question, that's fine. Let me know, however, if it's OK for me to reference it in print as a hypothetical example.
Joseph M. Battersby, M.D.
Health
When you add up the annual premature deaths from AIDS, illegal drugs, alcohol, fire, cars, homicides and suicides, CIGARETTE SMOKING causes more than all of them put together.
Colds are a common problem in the airline industry and vitamin "C" helps fight colds. Unfortunately vitamin "C" diminishes rapidly and after a night's sleep is almost gone from the body. Thus there is an ongoing need to replenish vitamin "C" every morning via fruits, vitamins, or juices.
If you're over 50 and want to increase your mental capacity by as much as 20%, try exercising. Regular exercise is good for the mind as well as for the body. Scientists at Scripps College have found that of persons who are otherwise equal, those who exercise regularly reason better, have better memory, and have quicker response times than those who are sedentary.
Regarding airline pilots flying until age 65, one doctor commented that a stress test probably will be required after age 40...and such a test will probably eliminate more younger pilots from the cockpit than it will allow older pilots to continue flying.
A.Boquet
Of Coffee, EKG's and Holter Monitors
Andy Boquet
In the midst of a sequence I had to rush 100 miles home to deal with teenager misadventures; the next day, short of sleep and long on caffeine, I rushed another 100 miles back to work for a deadhead to continue my sequence the next day. Enroute to the DH I stopped to "catch" a quick physical. Sleepy and feeling unchipper, I droused through the EKG which was sent electronically to an EKG holding house enroute to the FAA. Later the doctor commented that all was well except that the EKG folks called to say that I had a few extra "PVC's"---premature ventricular contractions---heartbeats. Doc said he'd get a copy of the data and would be in touch if there was a problem. A week passed. No news, good news, I figured. Wrong.
Ten days later comes a letter from the FAA: "Your EKG has been read as indicating a slight variance from normal." Further tests were required to wit: another resting EKG; a Holter Monitor, and a stress test...all within 30 days of the letter which I got a week later.
What's a Holter monitor, you ask, as did I? For 24 hours I had to wear 5 chest electrodes wired to a tape recorder on my hip. After that time the laboratory reviews the tape for such things as extra heart beats. Cost around $300. Besides not being very comfortable, the Holter monitor interfered with my social life. At night, eyeing the suction cups and wires, my wife laughed at my leers.
The stress test that followed was basically a walking, then jogging EKG on a treadmill. Times and speeds vary with different "protocols." Mine sped into a jog and went on for 15 minutes, after which the cardiologist administering the test asked me why I was wasting his time when there were sick folks he needed to minister to. I said "FAA," and he nodded knowingly.
Total cost for "catching" a quick EKG was around $700, and the opportunity to submit an annual Holter monitor until one indicates a blank line and thus I'll no longer qualify for a physical.
Suggestions: don't take a physical unless you're rested. I've done 10 marathons, a 50 miler, a handful of triathelons, and run and play racquetball daily. Smugly, perhaps, though I felt poorly, I took that physical, never dreaming I would have a problem.
If possible, have your doctor look at your EKG before it is sent out into the world...do a test strip beforehand.
Watch the caffeine. Ten cups of coffee and little sleep are poor ingredients for an EKG. In fact, I gave up caffeine for a month and after the headaches stopped (2 days) I felt better than ever. Is nothing sacred? Next I'll have to give up swiss vanilla almond ice cream!
FROM DISPATCH: ("Crossfeed" is pleased to have Mark Monse from Dispatch contribute periodic articles of interest to the pilot group.) Greetings! 'Tis I, Mark Monse, your newly-appointed dispatch liaison to SWAPA. I've been dispatching for over 12 years now at SWA and elsewhere (Mississippi Valley and Air Florida) and it's my hope that I can help provide all of our fine crews with a view of the operation from our end of the phone/radio, and answer any questions that you may have. A couple of noteworthy topics:
ASOS, ASOS, who's got the ASOS? TUL and OKC got theirs on November 1, 1992, and AMA got theirs on December 1, 1992. ASOS is, of course, the acronym for the new Automated Surface Observation Sites, and FOM pages 08.10.12 through 08.10.15 contain a wealth of information on them. Unlike the few older AMOS and AWOS sites still around (older, less-capable technology) ASOS is here to stay and will eventually replace the primary human weather observers at nearly 500 of the nation's airports over the next four years.
In late 1992 a charter airline ran a 727 off the runway at IWD (Ironwood, Michigan). IWD is an ASOS-equipped airport, and ADF (The Airline Dispatchers Federation) began researching possible ASOS involvement in the incident. As a safety organization representing nearly 1,000 of the nation's dispatchers (including SWA's), ADF had previously expressed concerns over the inability of AO2A "augmented" ASOS sites to append RVR readings to the remarks section of SA's and SP's, along with some inaccuracies in reported ASOS ceiling and visibility. (RVR readings are still available to local tower/ATIS, but they won't show up in your weather data, or ours, and we have call (and get through) to tower by phone to get the information. A very time-consuming process!)
New Years Day, wasn't a great weather day, and freezing precip covered much of the midwest. About 1830C, dispatch was advised that "Brand-X" had an aircraft off a taxiway at OKC. Within a mere 15 minutes, we were also advised that "Brand-Y" also had one off near the end of the same runway at OKC. Two SWA flights were en route, and the dispatcher suspended operations, diverting the two flights, with another trapped on the ground at OKC until either the blocked runway was cleared (safety area encroached) or the other two runways could be made operational. Other OKC flights were held at their departure points. The next day, it was learned that "Brand-X" also had another aircraft off a taxiway the previous night, just up the road from OKC at ICT (Wichita, Kansas), also an ASOS-equipped airport.
Obviously, three air carrier runway/taxiway excursions (and two at the same airport) in a single day are highly unusual, and cannot casually be written off as being solely related to a single carrier and/or airport. Combined with the IWD incident, ADF has new concerns that the calibration/accuracy of the ASOS freezing rain sensor may somehow be involved. If so, the ZR- that had been reported at the OKC/ICT sites (along with the S-F) may have perhaps been ZR at times, which of course would have precluded operations. Since the January 1st "Ice Capade", we notice that some of these ASOS sites are now more often reporting augmented remarks, such as "PRESENT WX ZL-".
ADF has saved weather data and NOTAMS for these and other airports that day, and is researching a number of different scenarios, and is working with SWAPA Safety, ALPA, and others on corrective efforts, but until such time as these ASOS concerns are validated (beyond mere suspicion) extra situational awareness is suggested at such ASOS-equipped airports. This is NOT to suggest that SWA operations should be arbitrarily suspended -anytime- that an ASOS site reports -any- frozen precip, and this cannot be emphasized enough. What should be RE-emphasized is the timely utilization of existing resources and procedures. For example, irrespective of whether local ATC has braking action advisories in effect, volunteer braking action reports on both ATC and company frequencies, as those following will benefit. Crews should also give the information directly to their specific dispatcher via phone or radio, and not rely solely on a dedicated (but often overworked) operations agent to relay information. Dispatchers should remain prepared to "hound" local ATC or airport authorities for timely and meaningful field condition information, and crews should be listening up on company frequency to receive it en route.
Above all, information should be communicated as objectively as possible by adhering to published criteria and procedures for describing braking action, as listed on FOM 08.10.08 and .09. A subjective and/or ambiguous report such as "really, really, really poor" or "pretty slick" should immediately be challenged. The same applies to in-flight icing and turbulence reporting. To be sure, nobody wants to be perceived as the "bad guy/gal" who calls it NIL braking (or SVR turbulence/icing), but we must all endeavor to avoid setting these human factors traps and do what's safest for our customers, crews, and corporate assets, not to mention our public reputation. Most of this is just plain common sense, and it obviously applies to all winter operations, ASOS-equipped airports or not. More on the ASOS saga as it develops.
Another area of common interest is on general communications between the pilot and dispatch groups. I'll be expanding on this in a future installment, but one key item I'd like you leave everyone with is that the dispatch office is now a BIG place. In the past, the office was small enough that the 2 or 3 dispatchers on duty knew enough of one another's operation that they could answer your questions. Today, however, our expansive route system and 140+ aircraft are split among 9 different dispatchers, and believe me, busy days often preclude awareness of anything but one's own sector. When calling by phone, endeavor to call the desk/phone number on your release. If it's busy and you call another number, assure that you're speaking with dispatcher that's responsible for your flight. Shift changes occur at 0600C/0700C, 1400C/1500C, and 2200C/2300C, so it's helpful to ask for the desk first, and not necessarily the individual dispatcher.
That's about it for this episode, and I hope you've found it informative. Feel free to direct any comments or questions to me at HDQ 8DP, or stop by the office during your next simulator visit. "We never close."
