Heads up whenever AA MD80s are landing

[aa73]

OK folks, I have tried and tried and tried to get this changed within the AA Flt Dept with no luck. So this is a general warning...

We have no standard procedure regarding exterior lighting on our MD80 fleet. On T/O we are only required to use our Nose Lights on Bright - wing landing lights are optional, but hardly ever used , and flood lights/wing illumination are not used during the day - and on landing there is no requirement to use any exterior lights whatsoever... Luckily most of our captains use "Cleared to land" as a reminder to turn on the Nose Lights to Bright, but a lot of them forget, and the result is a completely dark MD80 on final. Even at night. (We are discouraged from using our Wing Landing lights due to drag, fuel savings and vibrations.... I know, that is absurd.) Case in point, yesterday at LGA an AA MD80 landed on 22 completely dark, with about 4 aircraft holding short, waiting to cross.

So be vigilant out there, and don't be hesitant to call out "Lights!" on the frequency. (I always do.) I hope it doesn't take a collision to fix this problem, but Lord knows I have sent in tons of reports to our Flight dept regarding this issue. They just won't listen to me.

73

 

[Vastly Underemp]

Standard procedure at TWA was all lights for landing, day or night. But if we knew anything about flying safely we wouldn't have gone bankrupt......

 

[aa73]

Standard procedure at TWA was all lights for landing, day or night. But if we knew anything about flying safely we wouldn't have gone bankrupt......

This seems to be the norm for all airlines - all lights on - and I've pointed that out in my reports. Unfortunately, I'm up against a barrage of "ancestral worshippers" in the Flight Dept that won't adopt a good idea if it isn't their own.

Again folks, please be vigilant.

73

 

[humveedriver]

AA73 since we are talking about it, do you guys have strict configuration rules, and braking rules? Seems like most AA aircraft slow early and roll to the end of the runway too often to be just a coincidence.

 

[ivauir]

thanks for the heads up - have you tried your union safty rep?

 

[aa73]

AA73 since we are talking about it, do you guys have strict configuration rules, and braking rules? Seems like most AA aircraft slow early and roll to the end of the runway too often to be just a coincidence.

No, no different from any other airline. We are limited to 1.3 on reverse due to blanketing on the rudder, especially on slippery runways. Otherwise, I see aircraft from every airline take their time on the runway every so often.

 

[aa73]

thanks for the heads up - have you tried your union safty rep?

Yup, those are the senior captains who resist change the most!

 

[Patriot328]

Yup, those are the senior captains who resist change the most!

That's funny!


How ya doin my friend? Any word on getting some people active below you again anytime soon?

 

[RJones]

aa73,

What are your (AA's) requirement when crossing a runway while taxiing ... lights on or off?

I always thought ALL lights on for T/O and Landing. Aren't the "wing landing lights" landing lights? Must be missing something here.

RJ

 

[aa73]

That's funny!


How ya doin my friend? Any word on getting some people active below you again anytime soon?

Nothing yet bro, as long as we keep shrinking there will be no recalls. As soon as the airline stops shrinking they will start recalls immediately. (This from the crew planning guru.)

Have fun riding that wave at CAL, I remember how fast advancement was here in the late 90s!