I would like to know how long pilots should spend on pre flight before scheduled push back. I read pilots usually step in the plane an hour before push back time. If there are any real pilots who can give a rough estimate of the hour before pushback. I would like to know because after I finished my side a the prefligth procedure (using fs2crew as well) I usually have around 15-20 mins of doing nothing but contacting ATC. 

 

40 mins until pushback - pre flight start

 

20 mins start boarding - etc. 

Regional Stuff:

1 hr before ETD:

Preflight Checklists, etc -- 40 mins until ETD/Pushback

External Walkaround -- 30 mins until ETD/Pushback (FO)

Sign off on DIspatch Paperwork -- 25 mins until ETD/Pushback

Start Boarding -- 20 mins until ETD/Pushback

End Boarding -- 4-5 mins until ETD/Pushback (If there are late pax, then...)

 

Start Pushback -- 1 min until ETD/Pushback (I personally like to be a little early, especially at congested airports where I know we can get delayed on the ground)

 

P.S. I don't know what other airlines do, just our general procedures.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Andrew

 

Regional Stuff:

 

1 hr before ETD:

Preflight Checklists, etc -- 40 mins until ETD/Pushback

 

External Walkaround -- 30 mins until ETD/Pushback (FO)

 

Sign off on DIspatch Paperwork -- 25 mins until ETD/Pushback

 

Start Boarding -- 20 mins until ETD/Pushback

 

End Boarding -- 4-5 mins until ETD/Pushback (If there are late pax, then...)

 

Start Pushback -- 1 min until ETD/Pushback (I personally like to be a little early, especially at congested airports where I know we can get delayed on the ground)

 

P.S. I don't know what other airlines do, just our general procedures.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Andrew

 

 

 

Which airline would these procedures be for, if you don't mind me asking.

Which airline would these procedures be for, if you don't mind me asking.

 

Not at all! The regional division of UAL (United Airlines).

Not at all! The regional division of UAL (United Airlines).

 

Oh, awesome. So all regional divisions in UAL use the same procedures? Like Trans States, Expressjet, Skywest, etc. are all the same?

Oh, awesome. So all regional divisions in UAL use the same procedures? Like Trans States, Expressjet, Skywest, etc. are all the same?

 

For the most part (I think)

Here is a general breakdown for our airline.

 

-70: Dispatcher arrives at aircraft. Check the area for FOD (Foreign objects debris) and check the holds are clear.

 

Catering around this time.

 

-60 cabin crew arrive for their checks

 

-50(depending if flight crew have passed their figures) fuel truck arrival.

 

-45/40 Flight deck arrival.

-40 captain walk around.

-35 passengers start boarding (737/757).

-30 system checks complete. FMC programming.

-25 loadsheet delivered.

-15 departure brief.

-10/05 Loadsheet signed with any adjustments (LMC).

-05 clearance request and doors closed.

Oh, awesome. So all regional divisions in UAL use the same procedures? Like Trans States, Expressjet, Skywest, etc. are all the same?

 

 

For the most part (I think)

 

Yes-ish...

 

Regional affiliates generally all sign into some type of group SOP.  For UAX (United Express carriers), the ground ops manual, or RGOM (I think it meant Regional Ground Operations Manual) provided the ground ops SOPs.  Individual carriers had their own additions and supplements.

 

As an example, the RGOM stated that ground power and AC should be placed on all aircraft during the turn, where available, from arrival to departure.  BTA (now ASQ) altered this slightly to include the fact that this ground power should be provided by their own (ExpressJet-branded) GPU carts.

 

So, the RGOM provided a base SOP for all UAX carriers.  As such, there was standardization across the affiliates.  Of course, the individual sub-carriers might have their own internal schedules and ways of doing things as long as it doesn't conflict with the RGOM.  Related to the OP's question, an example would be that Colgan used to be all paper, whereas some of the other carriers sent UAL-required data via ACARS.

Usually for international flights, 

 2 hours ETD arrive at the airport then briefing room, get all set for the flight 

after that board the airplane 40 to 60 min ETD, walk around then FMC programming, actually the programming after doing some calculations shouldn't take more than 15 to 20 at most because u get used to it with time! then do all the required paper work like signing the load sheet and P/L or passenger list... then you get a 5-10 minutes window for some delayed baggage or delayed departure time,,, 

Domestic these times are +/- 5 minutes:

 

-1:00 pilots show up to check the log book and start preparing the cockpit and if its a hot or cold day they get the APU running.

-0:50 to 45 Cabin crew arrives to do their safety and galley checks

-0:40 to 34 briefing with the entire crew is held

-0:30 boarding starts and one of the pilots does a walk around (usually the pilot not flying)

-0:20 to 15 fueling should be completed

-0:07 ramp crew chief should closeout his flight and that sends the final loads to the cockpit via dispatch if there are no expected gate checks

-0:05 cabin doors closed, and last minute gate checks handed to ramp

-0:01 cargo doors closed and chocks removed, CC sends revised closeout for last second bags

-0:00 pilots call for PB clearance

 

International (memory is a bit fuzzy on this one)

 

-1:30 Pilots arrive and some of the cabin crew start trickling in little by little

-1:00 Cabin prep and safety checks completed by cabin crew, initial cockpit prep should be completed be pilots.

-0:55 Crew briefing (items like weather, special passengers, aircraft shape, hotel information, and company policy changes are discussed), one pilot starts walk around after briefing is completed

-0:40 Boarding starts, APU should be running to provide best cabin comfort if airport regs permit

-0:30-20 mins, cockpit crew busy with FMC and systems, cabin crew busy directing passengers and galley prep

-0:15 fuel sheet delivered and signed off

-0:10 main cargo loading should be complete and doors closed

-0:05 log book arrives from mx, cabin doors closed and all gate checks should be loaded in bulk cargo, CC closes out the flight on his scanner, belt loader removed from bulk cargo door.

-0:02 chocks removed and pilots should finish before engine start checklist

-0:00 request pushback

Regional Stuff:

 

1 hr before ETD:

Preflight Checklists, etc -- 40 mins until ETD/Pushback

 

External Walkaround -- 30 mins until ETD/Pushback (FO)

 

Sign off on DIspatch Paperwork -- 25 mins until ETD/Pushback

 

Start Boarding -- 20 mins until ETD/Pushback

 

End Boarding -- 4-5 mins until ETD/Pushback (If there are late pax, then...)

 

Start Pushback -- 1 min until ETD/Pushback (I personally like to be a little early, especially at congested airports where I know we can get delayed on the ground)

 

P.S. I don't know what other airlines do, just our general procedures.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Andrew

 

 

 

RR do you ever remember showing up to an ACA flight 1:00 hour prior to departure? I remember running through Dulles airport for the last leg of a 5 leg day with about 10 mins to get the plane out ...

 

Sorry had to have some fun here... Most regional air crews don't show up to the gate 1:00 prior... It's usually about :30 mins required per the FOM, that's how it was at my years at United Express and then at Delta Connection also.

It depends on the aircraft, at the two regional airlines I've worked for sign in for a trip is 45mins prior to departure, so I'm not showing up 1 hour prior to departure if my sign in is 45 minutes prior. I usually arrived about at the aircraft about 35-30 minutes prior to departure and usually if all goes well we're closed out and pushing 5 minutes prior to scheduled departure.

 

I'm not watching the clock or anything, but once I'm at the aircraft, I'm checking aircraft registration certificates, maintenance log, cockpit scan, nesting, pull the atis/current weather, PDC (if the airport does PDCs). 5-10 minutes, then I'm out the door for the exterior walk around, 5 minutes, then back in the flight deck to call clearance if there was no PDC, program the box, preflight briefings and checklists, 5-8 minutes. So after that, there's probably around 5 minutes of waiting around waiting for the performance numbers, pax count from the flight attendant, paperwork out the door close up, call for push and pushing back 5 minutes prior to departure.

 

At the first regional airline I worked at, time on the ground for turns at the outstation was 10 minutes, you blocked in, shutdown checklist, FO opens the door and deplanes the passengers, agent hands you the paperwork, you give the fuel order to the fueler, FO does the walkaround - about 3-4 minutes have elapsed since blocking in. FO commences boarding pax, fueler hands you the fuel slip, ground agent hands you the bag sheet, FO does the safety briefing, briefs pax in the emergency exit row, gives you the pax count, you do the weight and balance and hand the paperwork out the door, FO closes the pax door, gets back in the cockpit, 1-2 minutes prior to departure/ 8-9 minutes have elapsed since blocking in, before start checklist, start engines, block out, get the IFR clearance on the taxi out or depart VFR and pick up your IFR clearance in the air.

 

At the hub the aircraft was scheduled for 20 minutes on the ground usually with a crew change, so you usually had about 10-15 minutes to do everything.

 

At one outstation we were routinely able to block in, turn and block back out in 1 minute. We didn't deplane anyone, we didn't board anyone and we didn't fuel, so weight and balance was done prior to landing, and it was a single engine turn, and all the other dispatch paperwork was done while the FO was doing his walkaround. As long as the FO doesn't walk into the spinning prop on his walkaround, we could block out within the minute after blocking in.

 

Steve W.

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At one outstation we were routinely able to block in, turn and block back out in 1 minute. We didn't deplane anyone, we didn't board anyone and we didn't fuel, so weight and balance was done prior to landing, and it was a single engine turn, and all the other dispatch paperwork was done while the FO was doing his walkaround. As long as the FO doesn't walk into the spinning prop on his walkaround, we could block out within the minute after blocking in.

I'm obviously missing something unless cargo was loaded or unloaded.