LUV Flight Operations Questions

[shon7]

On Southwest with the short flight segments how do the following functions operate:

1) Flight planning. Does dispatch give routing information prior to the flight (and the pilots then input the information) or do they have a direct upling where the flight plans are directly loaded.

2) What is a typical 30 minute turn like in terms of the cockpit?

3). Does paperwork have to be filled out at each stop, or only at the end of the day?

 

[Tripower455]

1) Flight planning. Does dispatch give routing information prior to the flight (and the pilots then input the information) or do they have a direct upling where the flight plans are directly loaded.

Dispatch prints the FP info on the paper release. On all but the -200 aircraft, all of the city pair/route segments are preloaded into the FMC. So after recieving the release, we call up the city pairs in the FMC, and execute it......

2) What is a typical 30 minute turn like in terms of the cockpit?

Busier for the FO than the Captain, but 30 minutes is about 20 more than needed to get everything done.

3). Does paperwork have to be filled out at each stop, or only at the end of the day?

What paperwork? We get a release and weather at each stop.

 

[SWA GUY]

Here goes:

1. The Ops agent brings into the cockpit our release and wx packet, no direct uplink. I, being the FO, enter all the stuff into the FMC.

2. 30 minutes is plenty of time to get the clearance and jet set up for the next leg. In fact, if we are running behind schedule and we have a light load of pax, we can turn the jet in 15 minutes...been doing it all month in ELP. 15 minutes is plenty of time for the CA to go do CA things.

3. Paper work, ie logbook and release, are filled out on every leg.

It usually takes a newhire about 1 day to get all the stuff down and be ready to go when its time to shove the jet.

 

[SWA GUY]

Tripower!!!!!

You beat me to it, you musta been a faster FO than I am.

Nice work!

 

[shon7]

By paperwork I meant --

sign off for fuel; passenger manifest; loadsheet; jumpseaters; tech log. Is all of this covered within the release?

 

[chase]

Shon7,

sign off for fuel; passenger manifest; loadsheet; jumpseaters; tech log. Is all of this covered within the release?

The ops agent receives the fuel receipt from the loader, annotates the gallons on the "load sheet" (ZFW, ATOG, TOW, bags, pax #, etc) & the pilot then does the mental math comparing gallons loaded to fuel added to the a/c from landing fuel & makes sure it is correct.

Pilot compares pax load on load sheet to the FA count that is handed to the Capt just prior to the door being closed before the "before push checklist" is completed

Jumpseaters are entered on the load sheet & the CA/FO take the individual passes prior to push & keep a copy in the cockpit.

Logbook is filled out shortly after landing during the turn by the FO. The release (3 copies) are given to the CA/FA immediately after landing when the Ops agent enters the cockpit & hands the wx package & releases to the CA. He can review the wx then & sign the release so the Ops agent has that nearly immediately after landing or if there are issues/concerns can go call dispatch or do whatever to sort out the problem. MELs/CDLs are listed on the release.

Plenty of time to do all of this, it is a well choreographed process with each party, FAs, Ops agents, fuelers, rampers, CA/FO & others filling their roles well. Hope that helps,

 

[apdsm]

Or....

Just go get something to eat and ask the Captain if he will take care of it!!!!