Taxi and Takeoff Techniques the Pros Use
Posted by Jeffrey on December 23rd, 2009
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OK, I’m guilty, but I’m learning. What am I talking about? I am talking about not paying attention while taxiing, rushing the takeoff and sloppy unprofessional technique.
Let’s pick it up while we are taxing to the runway.
Up until now, during the taxi, you have been watching for other aircraft, making sure you turn at the proper intersections, and get the airplane ready for takeoff. Depending on where you are at in the lineup, you may still have one engine shutdown (conserving fuel) or you are the next in line. You have your co-pilot or first officer check with the flight attendant to make sure the cabin is secure and now what.
What are you doing right now? Is there anything to do? What are you thinking about?
In the several years that I’ve been flying jets, I can only tell you what I’ve learned.
First, and this is one of the hardest ones, is to maintain “sterile cockpit” while taxing. Sterile cockpit is the lack of any conversation that is not pertinent to the flight or task at hand. I say this is the hardest one because, well, we are social types. We want to talk and share. “Hey, look at that cool airplane!” “How many days do you have after this trip?” But really these simple questions can be the beginning of a major distraction. You’ve heard of the “error chain?” Well, think of this as the first link. During the conversation, you could inadvertantly miss that important radio call telling you to do something NOW! Or you pass by that intersection you were suppose to turn onto. Enter sinking feeling.
Like I’m said, I’m guilty. It has happened to me but as time goes on I learn more and more what works and what doesn’t. I grow in my professionalism and flight deck discipline.
Next thing is being ready for departure. Tower clears you into position to hold.
What are you thinking about now? Hopefully a lot!
Are we configured? Flaps set? Where is the important traffic? What happens when/if my engine fails? Do I turn right/left? Do I need anti-ice equipment? Continuous ignition? What am I going to do if I have to abort? Where is the terrain?
With that done, what next? Well you are cleared for takeoff. What now? Set thrust! Check instruments. Correct ailerons for wind. Maintain centerline. Rotate.
It sounds pretty simple but it is a lot to take in, especially if you are moving up from a small single-engine airplane to a turboprop or turbojet like the CRJ200.
That is why learning to flying is a building block process. You learn these things individually at first and then you learn to combine them together and eventually, much like driving, it because a sub-concious habit. You learn to anticipate and be two steps ahead of the controller and the airplane. You have plan.
Here are a few more pointers. Taxi and fly like you are the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds. If you’ve ever watched these precision teams in action, they are precise. They taxi like they are “IT!” They fly precisely and don’t accept even tiny deviations. They taxi at a safe speed, knowing that everyone is watching them. They don’t hurry. Pretend you are driving a limousine and have the Queen of Sheba in the back. Your whole focus should be to make their ride as comfortable as possible.
Finally, slow down. Recently I’ve been forced by United to keep my parking brake on till we are cleared for push back. This affects my paycheck because I only get paid from “door closed/brakes off” to “chocks in/door open.” I wasn’t too happy about this…at first. It was affecting me financially. But it had an interesting side-affect on me. I decided to really slow down which resulted me being more precise and less hurried…ultimately resulting in fewer mistakes and more time to catch mistakes before they became a big problem.
So anyway, think about these and see if they can help you at all.
Let me know if you have any other ideas. I’m sure other pilots can benefit from you insight.
To your flying success…
Jeffrey
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December 24th, 2009 at 10:07 am
You are absolutely right Jeff, precision and not accepting even least bit of deviations is the key. Nice post.
January 4th, 2010 at 9:59 am
[...] had a few and they were all because I was too hurried or rushed the taxi that I didn’t control the tempo of the flight and thus failed to complete all the checklists [...]