OK: Time to learn and fess up about the dumb mistakes I made while flying the 737NGX. What other mistakes you have made repeatedly?

 

1. When on Autothrottles, I sometimes tune in the ILS by adjsuting the speed knob, thus getting theplane to almost stall.

2. I have killed my passangers many times by not setting the cruising altitude on the pressurization system

3. When flying light, I will zip past 250 kts below 10,000 ft

4. When descending (even at 1500 fps) I still over speed the plane (knowing the 737 is very slippery)

5. Forget to put gear up on missed approach

6. Falling asleep many times and flying past destination airport

7. Turning engine start to "CONT" rather than start and trying to figure out why the damn engines are not starting

8. Leaving APU on entire flight.

 

I know checklists would prevent some of them. That is my 2013 resolution - find them and use them.

I've done 2,5,6,8 a few times.

3&4 I haven't done mostly due to over-use of VNAV.

 

Some others:

9. Screwing up the bleeds and wondering why I can't start the second engine

10. Forgetting hydraulics and wondering why the rudder pedals won't steer

11. Taking off online via SID but hitting the initial altitude before the next altitude clearance, then forgetting to push ALT INTVN. Talking to the wife instead of watching the screen I travel quite far at only 5000ft, I finally see and get the plane climbing again after coming off the SID.

 

I've now made my own checklist in combination with the MCE scripts. Typing it out myself helps customise it to me and my shortcomings, and helps to understand what I'm doing and why. I'm also using MCE instead of FS2Crew now as I'm more in control myself so I learn things better.

2. I have killed my passangers many times by not setting the cruising altitude on the pressurization system

 

Just a note, this would not have any impact on passengers. Only it would bring suboptimal pressurization schedule.

 

 

Otherwise, I am quite sure I make some mistakes, but I dont really remember any specific ones.

Yeah as Peter said the passengers are fine even if you forget to set the cruising alt in the pressurization panel, the main thing to notice would be the outflow valve opening and closing (along with cabin rate fluctuation) in a unstable way. If the pressurization was dangeriously low you would hear a loud warning (same warning horn as take off config warning).

 

As for mistakes,

 

I often forget to set my clock as I spool up throttles and stop it after landing.

I messed up the starts once while using FS2Crew (my mistake) and left the packs off (how I know about the pressure warning...)

Forgot about the speedbrake and almost made my final approach with it on (lucky for the approach checklist).

I put my gross weight into the ZFW field then had a big confusion moment when my calculated V speeds were stupidly high.

 

Many mistakes for me are picked up early thanks to checklists with FS2Crew.

I use FS2Crew, and almost 50% of the time I forget to actually flick the switches to transfer ground power to the APU after starting it.

When my FO gets to the before start checklist and disconnects ground power, the whole plane goes dark....oops

 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the FO speaking. Your captain didn't finish enough schooling to properly fly this plane so we're looking at a delay of a few years."

I find it very difficult remembering to put spoliers away and gears up on missed app.

 

Laterly I have been to high on the glide path and when applying the app button the noise dips down and I end up being too fast.

Entering the cruise temperature as ISA DEV. It ruins the flight completely and a fsx restart must be done.

 

 

Oh, and today I forgot the takeoff briefing (FS2CREW). Then I took of in the opposite direction in LGAV it should have been runway 21R but became 3L. I didn't even notice it until I was airborne! And then I fell asleep during climb for half a minute or so. I then forgot to change my speed at 10,000ft (was climbing on level change due to the messed up SID that didn't fit with the opposite runway). Fell asleep 2 times during cruise. Then I had a remarkably good performed descent and approach to LGIR using the Runway 27 VOR approach followed by af decent landing, forgetting to stop the chronometer and discovering, that I had also forgot to use the HUD on approach, because I thought it was not installed...

 

This is what you get from flying late nights. Luckily it is only a flightsimulator.

Oh, and today I forgot the takeoff briefing (FS2CREW). Then I took of in the opposite direction in LGAV it should have been runway 21R but became 3L. I didn't even notice it until I was airborne! And then I fell asleep during climb for half a minute or so. I then forgot to change my speed at 10,000ft (was climbing on level change due to the messed up SID that didn't fit with the opposite runway). Fell asleep 2 times during cruise. Then I had a remarkably good performed descent and approach to LGIR using the Runway 27 VOR approach followed by af decent landing, forgetting to stop the chronometer and discovering, that I had also forgot to use the HUD on approach, because I thought it was not installed...

 

 

 

Hahaha, just like real life!...

 

 

As for the HUD, I haven't used the HGS for soo long, when I first got the NGX I used it every flight and realised it was spoiling me so now I only use it it poor visibility and as good as the HGS is I kind of prefer not using it.

1. When on Autothrottles, I sometimes tune in the ILS by adjsuting the speed knob, thus getting theplane to almost stall.

 

I sometimes mix up the speed with heading select. Well I guess it does look the same. Too easy to mix up.

3. When flying light, I will zip past 250 kts below 10,000 ft

 

Unless it's major, chances are, the controller won't even notice. The only way they can see speed (currently) is GS from simple PositionA-TimeA : PositionB-TimeB calculations. The only other way is to look at traffic around it and notice that your plane is moving a lot faster.

Haha. I'm prone to bullet point no 6 as well, but I usually manage to wake up before TOD.

As for the other items, they have not happened to me so far. Strict use of checklists helps a lot.

I almost always forget to turn on the chronometer when I'm beginning the takeoff roll, and when I do remember, I end up turning it off next flight when I finally realize it.

The only way they can see speed (currently) is GS from simple PositionA-TimeA : PositionB-TimeB calculations. The only other way is to look at traffic around it and notice that your plane is moving a lot faster.

 

Apparently we will be getting ADS/mode S feed into our controlling software over at the other network. Well, sometimes in the next 10-20 years, as it seems currently I believe IAS would be a part of data available. But still, couple knots over... no tragedy.

I almost always forget to turn on the chronometer when I'm beginning the takeoff roll, and when I do remember, I end up turning it off next flight when I finally realize it.

 

Me too, what's the importance of the chrono for the 737? Is it for monitoring time in TOGA mode same as Airbus?