ASA.....almost paperless!

[Beergut]

Trust me when I say that after 6 months of ACARS, you will wonder how you ever lived without it.

Fuel is the easiest number to manipulate in order to get someone on the jumpseat.

Beware of some outlaying airports (OAJ) where sometimes the "No Comm" message appears...

When you relaese the break the ACARS sends the time and FOB via VHF. Wouldn't that show a conflict between what you input and what the ACARS reads as FOB?

 

[buxflyr]

When you relaese the break the ACARS sends the time and FOB via VHF. Wouldn't that show a conflict between what you input and what the ACARS reads as FOB?

Not always when you just release the brake. Sometimes it takes 4 or 5 ft of a push back to trip ACARS.

Usually a figure of about 200 lbs fuel burn between gate and takeoff. You can enter that into the ACARS, and more times than not that 200 lbs makes a world of difference when you are trying to get someone on.

Also.. there are tricks with ACARS you will figure out if your company is now going to use those times as your flight block times to figure pay. ACARS can be zeroed out...this way you can call in a time if you "had a problem with ACARS starting at push back."

 

[buxflyr]

When you relaese the break the ACARS sends the time and FOB via VHF. Wouldn't that show a conflict between what you input and what the ACARS reads as FOB?

The fuel is manually entered in ACARS on our aircraft. Not automatically read by the system. No dispatch person has any idea what fuel we received from the truck at the gate, and more times than not it is +/- 200 lbs from the release anyway.

 

[WalterSobchak]

The fuel is manually entered in ACARS on our aircraft. Not automatically read by the system. No dispatch person has any idea what fuel we received from the truck at the gate, and more times than not it is +/- 200 lbs from the release anyway.

I don't think we do automatic ACARS trip for FOB...but you might wanna ask your dispatcher if they can "ping" you before saying "No dispatch person has any idea..."

In case you are interested...a quick ping to my ORD-DAY flight sitting at the gate in ORD shows they have 6722 lbs. FOB...322 lbs over planned RLSF...and about 10lbs less than what it was a few min ago...so I can also tell you the APU is running.

I don't know about your company, but I would call that "having a pretty good idea" how much FOB they have. You would be amazed the things we can do/see with ACARS without you knowing we are doing it.

 

[McNugent]

And you do this only after you politely reminded them to release the brake, right?

YES! Believe it or not people just don't read how the ACARS works. And some guys are so stuck in their "flow" that they are afraid to just reach down and drop the brake for a second. All I ask when I fly with a new captain is that they let the brake go when the door closes so this poor FO can get paid!

 

[B.T.Justice]

Now if the captains would just release the freaking break when the door closes. 2 guys in one week wouldn't release the break ASAP, so now I have to get sneaky and do it when they aren't looking. It's gonna take some time for this new fangled ACARS crap to seep into the thick skulls out there.

No kidding!!! Were not here for a charity benefit. When the door closes....RELEASE THE BRAKE.

My favorite is when your overblock, and they pull into the gate and set the brake with 5 or 10 seconds or so before the next minute. Jeez....you just threw a minute of pay out the window. Hold the brakes until another minutes clicks buy and then set the brake. This isn't rocket science.

 

[shamrock]

My favorite is when your overblock, and they pull into the gate and set the brake with 5 or 10 seconds or so before the next minute. Jeez....you just threw a minute of pay out the window. Hold the brakes until another minutes clicks buy and then set the brake. This isn't rocket science.

I was wondering if anyone else ever checked the ACARS time before setting the brake. Glad I'm not the only one, us Captains need to get paid too!

 

[10nCLR]

Attention all ASA pilots, please do not call your dispatcher when you're having troubles with your ACARS. Most of us have no idea when it comes to questions about initialization, configurations, mismatches, etc, etc. We only know how to send messages, "ping" your fuel, recieve position reports, update you on football scores and send releases. We can direct you to your MOD or to your official ACARS trainer. Gotto to love that ACARS. I love to ping fuel when a/c are holding and when they land after they divert. "You landed with that much fuel"...Ah, Nevermind...At least you're safely on the ground.
Oh, YEAAH!!

 

[~~~^~~~]

I thought this thread was going to be about Leonard's 09:00 run with a USA today in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. ...

Hint, use the bathrooms near the smoking lounge.

 

[wms]

At ASA our times are transmitted via ACARS but we're still supposed to call in our fuel burns, can anyone explain why? Our out, off, on, and in fuel is in the ACARS along with the times so why is this necessary?

Directly from Flight Standards, You are not required to call in fuel burns. ACARS sends it where it needs to go. If a station asks for it give it to them but they can enter zero to close out there computer and it wouldn't make any difference. But if you want to continue to call in fuel and be a target for scheduling, feel free.

 

[buxflyr]

I don't think we do automatic ACARS trip for FOB...but you might wanna ask your dispatcher if they can "ping" you before saying "No dispatch person has any idea..."

In case you are interested...a quick ping to my ORD-DAY flight sitting at the gate in ORD shows they have 6722 lbs. FOB...322 lbs over planned RLSF...and about 10lbs less than what it was a few min ago...so I can also tell you the APU is running.

I don't know about your company, but I would call that "having a pretty good idea" how much FOB they have. You would be amazed the things we can do/see with ACARS without you knowing we are doing it.

Whoa... Now you have gotten me a little nervous! I was a little bit in the moment when writing all of that. I have never heard a dispatcher question us on fuel, although we have never made a 500 lb discrepancy, either.

I dare not ask what else you can see...! Thanks!

 

[shamrock]

Directly from Flight Standards, You are not required to call in fuel burns. ACARS sends it where it needs to go. If a station asks for it give it to them but they can enter zero to close out there computer and it wouldn't make any difference. But if you want to continue to call in fuel and be a target for scheduling, feel free.

Good to know. I don't care about calling in fuel, my FO's do that anyway. I was just curious and I'm not all that good about keeping up on the latest at ASA. Speaking of, what's the story with that fancy tissue dispenser below the FO's audio panel that I see on all the planes these days? I tried it out last time I was flying sick but that stuff just tore my nose up. Not a very good design if you ask me, and I hear from Scott Hall that it costs a bundle to restock the thing.

 

[Noise]

No kidding!!! Were not here for a charity benefit. When the door closes....RELEASE THE BRAKE.

My favorite is when your overblock, and they pull into the gate and set the brake with 5 or 10 seconds or so before the next minute. Jeez....you just threw a minute of pay out the window. Hold the brakes until another minutes clicks buy and then set the brake. This isn't rocket science.

When you hold the brakes for that extra minute of pay, make sure that the seatbelt sign stays on so that the FA doesn't open the door. If the door opens, the IN time that ACARS will record at this point will be the last time that the brake was set before the door was opened.

This was one of the ways to "massage" the times when going for premium, back when we still got it, by setting the brake right after landing, then holding the toe brakes until after the door was opened.

 

[WalterSobchak]

Whoa... Now you have gotten me a little nervous! I was a little bit in the moment when writing all of that. I have never heard a dispatcher question us on fuel, although we have never made a 500 lb discrepancy, either.

I dare not ask what else you can see...! Thanks!

If that makes you nervous...you really don't wanna know what an ACARS savvy dispatcher can see. A scroll through the ACARS log will teach alot about an individual pilot's thought process at any given time...amongst all kinds of other little things.

As far as fueling goes...though I can see what you have if I want to look, I personally will almost never argue about fuel unless you're going under what would call for a required "dispatch/pilot discussion" for reducing contingency fuel. I don't go looking for this because I trust our pilots to give me a call and have no doubt they will when this situation this comes up. I never, ever have a problem or "take offense" with a captain adding to what I planned. While, in most cases you will burn pretty close to what I planned...if you want the comfort fuel, you're the one flying the airplane, not me. Besides, I joke with our pilots that I unofficially account for the "Pilot 500" on top of planned RLSF.

When I feel the extra fuel NEEDS to be there for whatever reason, I tend to build my extra fuel in as holding fuel so it is included in the MINTO so that there's no real argument to be had.

Now, when you go diverting without telling anyone, an ACARS ping shows 6100 in the tanks, and your 10/CLR alt. is 750 lbs. away...I might bust your chops a little for not holding for at least a few minutes to see if there is any improvement, work out a plan within fuel range that works better for crew placement/pax handling, or at least trying one more approach.

 

[goahead]

When you hold the brakes for that extra minute of pay, make sure that the seatbelt sign stays on so that the FA doesn't open the door. If the door opens, the IN time that ACARS will record at this point will be the last time that the brake was set before the door was opened.

This was one of the ways to "massage" the times when going for premium, back when we still got it, by setting the brake right after landing, then holding the toe brakes until after the door was opened.

TRUE DAT