O.K., better late than never, Here are the Captains and F/O's Flow charts for the 757. Follow your checklists and eerything should fall into place. Feel free to post any questionsRegardsPaul:-cool

Final & most imortant question now that I understand this (BTW - GREAT FLOW PATTERN CHART Paul!!!!)Here is what I don't get - if I start the 757 by the Flow Pattern method & then check my checklist later - how could the plane start?I mean - don't certain things have to happen in a particular SEQUENCE from the startup list (that does not match the flow pattern) to GET the aircrat started? In other words, the flow pattern may not get the plane started because certain things have to come before other things which are contrary to the flow chart sequence. It seems that following a flow pattern may put every switch in the proper position indeed but may not actually start the aircraft since it is contrary at times to the sequence required seqence to start the engines. Example - the startup list says to put the Engine selector to "Ground", & then put the fuel selector switch to "run" (after 25% N2)- but these two items are not in sequence on the FLOW PATTERN since the Engine selector switches are on the overhead panel & the Fuel Control switches are down below- you would have to break the flow pattern to follow this startup porcedure - & if you DON'T break the flow pattern, you would never get the engine started. Understand my question? I hope so! :-)Thanks for all the info guys!Sincerely,Chris

Chris,Actually the Flow chart is a basic "set-up the cockpit" procedure that is accomplished when the captain first sits down in the seat. I will put together a "checklist" on my days off this week of what you should be checking or setting during the flow pattern so this makes sense. I need to shorten up the text version since a good portion doesn't apply to sim flying. Stay tunedRegardsPaul:-cool

I spent several hours last week memorizing the startup procedure. Was able to condense it to 93 (short!) steps :-eek. Anyway, now I can start the aircraft from scratch! So - what I am still unclear about - with the flowchart - when you talk about the position of the switches when a pilot first sits down in the cockpit - should't they all be OFF? (Unless if someone played with them beforehand! :-)I'd be very curious to see that list you made mention of pertaining to what I should see with my visual scan of my cockpit upon sit down (ie - what a pilot should be checking or setting during the flow pattern).Thanks for all your help. Really!Sincerely,Chris

Chris,Here is the quick and dirty of how I set up the A/C on initial entry to the flight deck. Note that it follows the flow pattern and sets up the flight deck prior to starting checklists.1) Set IRS switches to "NAV"2) Yaw Damper Switches "ON"3) Set Hydraulic panel as follows a) Engine Driven pumps "ON" :( Electric Pumps "OFF"4) LT OVRD, as required. Runway T/O lights, "OFF"5) APU Switch "OFF"6) Electrical Panel as follows a) ENG GEN CTL switches "ON" :( UTILITY BUS switches "ON" c) BUS TIE switces "AUTO" d) APU GEN switch "ON" e) EXT POWER switch "ON" f) STBY POWER switch "AUTO" g) BATTERY switch "ON"7) Emergency Lights "ARMED"8) RAT Stowed and lights out9) Ignition Select "1" or "2" as desired10) Start switches "OFF"11) Fuel Pumps "OFF", Crossfeed "CLOSED"12) Fuel QTY, Distribution normal and required fuel on board13) Anti-Ice "OFF", Wipers "OFF"14) Exterior Lights, "NAV" lights "ON" 15) Equip Cooling "NORMAL", lights out16) Pressurization, Destination Airport set in window and Auto 1 or 2 selected lights out.17) Passenger Signs "AUTO"18) Window Heat "ON"19) Air Conditioning Panel as follows a) Trim Air Switch "ON" :( Recirc Fans "ON" c) Packs Selector "OFF" d) Zone "INOP" lights extinguished20) Bleed panel as follows a) ENG Bleeds "ON" B) APU Bleed "ON" c) ISOL Valve "OPEN"Overhead Panel Complete As Far as the Front Panels and pedestal go, it is pretty much the same as setting up any complex A/C. Checking the Gear Handle, Throttles to IDLE, Blah, Blah Blah.As you can see this simply sets up the A/C for the prestart Checklists and allows you to program in your flight plan and set up the A/P panels prior to pushback. It doesn't turn on the systems for flight. If you start with the Flight Deck set up this way your checklist should go quite well and you should up an running in no time. RegardsPaul:-cool

You have spent so much time teaching me an incredible amount of highly detailed knowledge. I am extremely grateful for ALL that you have taught me (and with a smile too!). You have greatly helped me & I continue to thank you from the bottom of my heart!Sincerely,Chris

I think some airlines may use term "flow" differently. With NWA, for example, I think it doesn't just apply to the visual pattern around the instruments, but also to the general procedure that you perform at different stages of flight. If you memorize the flows, your body memory starts to kick in, and you'll do it the same way everytime.Knowing that each crew member is going to perform the flows as expected allows for easy transitioning of crews as well, since everyone will do the basic procedures the same way.Here's an example of the flows they use, which they call SOPA (Standard Operating Procedures - Amplified) Jon (KSEA)