I'm a real world procedures junkie and I'm always trying to get every bit of real world data I can so I can assimilate it into my flying.

Recently though, I've been reading through numerous sources of data concerning cockpit preflight checklists and flows on Boeing aircraft, and I just about everything conflicts with everything.

 

For example, there was an awesome thread in here some time ago by a South African pilot (I think his name was Simon Holderness?) where he gave a complete rundown of the flows he used for his 737 NG, what state the flight deck was in when he received the aircraft, and detailed every switch he flipped from entering the cockpit to leaving it.

FS2Crew on the other hand was made with input from real world captains, the most recent being the NGX package. In that package, there are some significant differences from Simon's flows.

Further, I just bought Captain Mike Ray's new 737NG Training Syllabus book (a fantastic read for $20, and I'm not even halfway through it yet), and he details some completely different flows that he says comes from various real world pilot's handbooks and his own experience flying for United.

 

So...I've come to a crossroads. From what I've gathered from all this, every airline has a different way of doing it whether it's slight changes from Boeing's recommended flows or drastically different changes.

What I really wanted to find out was the initial cockpit flows, i.e. setting up the IRS for Nav and going from there, and at what point you setup the CDU.

 

 

So far I've read you set the IRS, check the upper overhead and the overspeed/stall warnings, gear lights, then go straight to the CDU and program the route in.

At the same time I've read that you do the entire cockpit setup including the whole overhead, glareshield, main panels, and radio stack before even touching the CDU.

Then, I read that you do everything except touch the glareshield, which is done right before pushback (or in some cases after pushback was completed).

 

I'm having information overload.

I guess what I'm really, really after, is complete details and procedures on United based flows and cockpit setup. I checked through Youtube and Hulu but couldn't find anything that showed a complete cockpit setup up to pushback.

 

I guess in the end it really doesn't matter since you can do whatever you want in whatever order you want and the plane still flies, but like I said I like to stick to real world procedures especially for my preferred airline, United.

 

Anyone have anything that can help?</p>

Guess I'm stuck with finding more YouTube videos...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone...typing errors imminent

Hi AJ,

 

Firstly, I am not a pilot of anything that Boeing (or Airbus for that matter) makes. But I do fly a C172, incredibly simpler than something like the 73NG, but which still has flows of it's own and associated checklists (the venerable C172 is usually one of the first aircraft that a new pilot becomes acquainted with flows and checklists).

 

So, if you were asking about the C172, I would tell you that there is a procedure in the POH for everything, which could be interpreted as the way "Cessna does it". But in reality, with some exceptions for items that need to be done in a certain order, I would say you could take 5 pilots and ask them what order they do things in and what switches they press, and you would get 5 different answers (5 is the max since there are only a dozen or less switches/buttons in the C172! ). This is because as pilots become familiar with the aircraft, they develop their own flows and procedures- all of which are correct, and following which all (hopefully) pilots would read and challenge the same check-list and ensure that (regardless of the order things are done in) that the aircraft is safe to fly, or ready to land,etc.

 

Now, move up to the NG, and no wonder you are confused . But since you are "airline specific" (UA), and since I have had the experience of going through the UA Denver (Stapleton) flight training center many times, I can say that UA have the philosophy that if there are 8,000 pilots across the fleet, and if you (as a UA captain) are paired with a FO that you have never met before, the level of training is such that you will think you have known this FO all of your life- almost like he/she can read our mind and responds by pushing a switch just as you think that it needs to be pushed. That is the level of training that major airlines use- so I think you need to find someone who knows UA procedures- not what Boeing publish. Just MHO.

 

Thanks, Bruce.

Thanks for the response! Makes total sense.

Now to find someone from united...

Yes- or more likely someone from Continental (pre-merger), since that is where UA got all of it's NGs from...

 

I fly the Delta 737's, if that's of help. If you would like more information please PM me and I'll tell you anything you want that I know

you should try to find a FCOM from UA and read the "Amplified Procedures" part.

PM sent!

 

you should try to find a FCOM from UA and read the "Amplified Procedures" part.

 

I have no idea where I would get my hands on that. Don't know any United pilots unfortunately.

PM sent!

 

 

 

I have no idea where I would get my hands on that. Don't know any United pilots unfortunately.

 

The iPhone/iPad app "FSkneeborad2" has flow lists for the NGX and iFly.

I used to be pretty extreme and perfectional when it came to doing things in the right order but over time it became clear there is no one real perfect order in doing things. Not even when it comes to one company. And if there is, it will probably only be on paper because each pilot will do things a bit different anyway... And probably even one pilot will do things different everytime depending on the situation. So I've given up on that and simply pick or create a flow that suits me. I notice that even with my own 'checklists' and flows (and while using FS2Crew buttons version) I do things slightly different everyday. And that's perfectly okay too, I have to say, because doing everything EXACTLY by the book everytime can become slightly boring... ^_^

 

As it is now I simply let FS2Crew dictate the main flow and I do my own things in between as I see fit. ^_^

http://www.flightdeck737.be/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/FCOM-Vol1-Rev18.pdf

 

Ryanair 737-800 FCOM Vol 1 : you will find here amplified procedures with all the detailed normal procedures and supplementary procedures

Volume 2 is a system description

 

if you want to find the one from United, you should try to post your request on different forums (for example pprune) with luck you will maybe find someone able to provide it to you.

Thanks kenz, that helps.