737 & "Marrying the Bugs"

[SuperFLUF]

I also put the bug one or two off, just to see if the anal captain can't stand it and has to make an adjustment. You are not going to "save the day" by having your bugs married up vs. being one or two degrees off. Like someone mentioned earlier, before you change your mode, you should know where your heading bug is and if it's not exactly where you want it, then in about half a second it can be. Also, when ATC says "right 10 degrees for traffic" I enjoy flying 11 or 12 degrees right if I feel like it.

I also enjoy calling for flaps 2.

Who's really more anal?

The guy who constantly fiddles with the heading bug?
Or the guy who screws with someone buy intentionally being imprecise cuz he's anal about pilots who are anal?

Yeah, you taught them a lesson allright.......

 

[ImbracableCrunk]

Any of you homos touch my stuff, I'll kill ya!

ICrunk, I think you are a newby so..Do what your f##kin told or you will fly the radios for the rest of the trip and Rhino, you have been a copilot too long...Just marry the bugs....who cares....just so that it is in front of the airplane....It is what we do here....F##kin children

And Wilbur flew on his belly the first time. How do you think I can get the seat set to fly like that?

tico, I think I'll fly the book, and the book doesn't say anything about marrying the bugs.

If you can come up with something other than because that's how we did it on the -200 or the Coronado or the PBY, I'll listen. Otherwise, it's technique, and I'll choose my safe technique, you choose yours.

I'm not out to annoy the guy I'm flying with with some passive aggressive switchery, I just don't feel there's a need to guard the heading bug from getting off 2 freakin' degrees.

 

[jimcav]

And Wilbur flew on his belly the first time. How do you think I can get the seat set to fly like that?

tico, I think I'll fly the book, and the book doesn't say anything about marrying the bugs.

If you can come up with something other than because that's how we did it on the -200 or the Coronado or the PBY, I'll listen. Otherwise, it's technique, and I'll choose my safe technique, you choose yours.

I'm not out to annoy the guy I'm flying with with some passive aggressive switchery, I just don't feel there's a need to guard the heading bug from getting off 2 freakin' degrees.

Some captains just have wierd idiosyncracies. Part of being a good copilot is to just deal with it. Some day you will be the boss and get to set the tone.

 

[pipe]

you say tomAto, I say tomaahhto.

you say idiosyncrasy, I say obsessive compulsive overcontrolling pain in the a$$.

PIPE

 

[ImbracableCrunk]

Some captains just have wierd idiosyncracies. Part of being a good copilot is to just deal with it. Some day you will be the boss and get to set the tone.

I fear this is becoming an FO vs CA thread. Not good. The point of the thread started as a technical question.

Remember, most FOs here where Captains elsewhere. And I suspect you were an FO at some point, as well.

That said, defending any pilot's idiosyncrasies as okay is not okay. Fly the book, so I don't have to guess what the heck it is you're doing.

However, if it's a style thing that the book doesn't discourage or outright prohibit, go for it. Have fun and fly an airplane.

 

[jimcav]

I fear this is becoming an FO vs CA thread. Not good. The point of the thread started as a technical question.

Remember, most FOs here where Captains elsewhere. And I suspect you were an FO at some point, as well.

That said, defending any pilot's idiosyncrasies as okay is not okay. Fly the book, so I don't have to guess what the heck it is you're doing.

However, if it's a style thing that the book doesn't discourage or outright prohibit, go for it. Have fun and fly an airplane.

I too was a capt at my prior company. However I did not show up and declare myself co captain because of it.Your generation is not the first to consist of prior captains. I too, along with many others had to endure some pompus f**ks while sitting in the right seat. I know it sucks, but learn from the good, and the bad. Your company has been around for a LONG time and there are probably some characters,along with a few culture issues. So what if they compare everything too the-200? Listen to the stories and learn about the jet from the old timers.

 

[tico]

I fear this is becoming an FO vs CA thread. Not good. The point of the thread started as a technical question.

Remember, most FOs here where Captains elsewhere. And I suspect you were an FO at some point, as well.

That said, defending any pilot's idiosyncrasies as okay is not okay. Fly the book, so I don't have to guess what the heck it is you're doing.

However, if it's a style thing that the book doesn't discourage or outright prohibit, go for it. Have fun and fly an airplane.

All true, however no one and I do mean no one will wonder what you are doing if you align the heading bug with the heading indicator

 

[ImbracableCrunk]

Okay, here's how it boils down so far:

2 do it because it's a safety thing
3 it's not a safety thing
1 don't be annoyed
5 screw with your captain
6 be a jerk to your FO/FOs are babies
2 live and let live
3 leave it alone, I'm flying
3 talked about other planes
4 it's an old habit

Some posts had more than one point.

Seems to me that only one person has said where the technique came from, and it doesn't apply anymore. To most people it's a habit. Some think that if the PNF wants to sync it, fine. Other think the PNF shouldn't be touching the controls.

Fubi answered my question, thanks.

Oh, and we also learned that all captains are a55holes and all FOs are babies.

 

[thunderworm]

Yeah, I do. Its an old ingrained habit and I'll tell you exactly where it comes from.

When we first got the 737-400, there was no GPS installed. The FMCs worked the navigation from either the INS or by radio updating. The problem came from if the INS lost track or got too much error, the navigation system defaulted to HDG SEL with no warning to the pilots. Company policy to combat this was to keep the heading but married to whatever heading the FMS was using to navigate the selected track.

This happened to me one night on the way to PSP. The Capt was flying and had left the heading bug 90 degrees off course. He had also selected 10 degrees angle of bank for passenger comfort.

When the FMCs lost track, the airplane defaulted to HDG SEL and began a gentle turn to the left. Unfortunately, at the time, we were skirting a hot MOA. Before we realized what was going on, we got the ATC call "Alaska XXX. Where are you going?"

Oops.

That's where that "marry the bugs" stuff comes from. I've been doing it for so long, now its a habit.

i too fly the 400 and if the ins fails it does not fail to heading select. it fails to fly the heading you are on. so many people misread this and they are way wrong. it is good to merry the heading bug but who cares if it is off by a couple of degrees. you should turn your heading bug to the correct heading then push heading select so you are sure that is the correct heading before turning. too many push heading select the turn the heading bug.

 

[Fubijaakr]

Maybe it doesn't now, but it sure did then. As I said, I was a victim of it. They've only changed the FMS software about 50 times, so it may not do it now.

I was just letting Crunk in on how our senior Capts. acquired the habit.