Southwest 300 / 500 question

[johnsonrod]

Maybe if there were more of the old, 1970's 737's flying around, you could get out of your RJ.

Those switches and knobs and buttons are really tricky. It's very scary piloty stuff.

I'll pass on 30-minute turns, 5-6 legs per day, Lubbock and Islip layovers and 20 year upgrades. But thanks... Enjoy your knobs.

 

[slaquer5]

I'll pass on 30-minute turns, 5-6 legs per day, Lubbock and Islip layovers and 20 year upgrades. But thanks... Enjoy your knobs.

Actually its 10 min turns and 13 - 27 legs a day. Not sure why everyone thinks we only fly 5. I have done 3 MDW LAX turns in one day then still have to repaint the A/C during my layover.

PS Do not believe the rumors about the pay either. I would love to see what you think someone at SWA makes and how many days off they have if you exaggerate everything by X2.5

 

[Zdriver]

Ohhh yea.. and the temp control for the cockpit sucks.. never cools off in the summer, and in the winter it gets COLD up front and there is not much you can do about it.. (auto all the way up to no avail , and MAN will trip a pack)

hint.. turn off elect hydraulic pumps to help the changeover, helps keep the ACARS from dumping.

 

[waveflyer]

hint.. turn off elect hydraulic pumps to help the changeover, helps keep the ACARS from dumping.

Write down your times before you get on ground pwr- sometimes you'll have a kernel who thinks it's against the rules to turn them off first- and now and then it'll dump the times no matter what you do.

 

[Quimby]

I'll pass on 30-minute turns, 5-6 legs per day, Lubbock and Islip layovers and 20 year upgrades. But thanks... Enjoy your knobs.

Sounds like you've got it all figured out. Best of luck to you.

 

[say again]

Are auto-throttles that important/pertinent? I've never used them, so it's an honest question.

 

[say again]

I'll pass on 30-minute turns, 5-6 legs per day, Lubbock and Islip layovers and 20 year upgrades. But thanks... Enjoy your knobs.

Like the regional you're at is better!! Get real.

 

[waveflyer]

Are auto-throttles that important/pertinent? I've never used them, so it's an honest question.

They're nice, in an addictive way, and important bc in smooth air they're better at maintaining for fuel- which is why mgmt turned them on- but not important for safety

 

[Whataburger]

Are auto-throttles that important/pertinent? I've never used them, so it's an honest question.

No.

They're just one less thing to do while sleeping.

 

[Tripower455]

you mean VNAV SPD, right?

DOH! Yeah, brain fart......

The bottom line is that there's little warning when it gives up and it's not on VNAV path anymore. Most of the 300s will stay on path/speed like they're on rails. All you have to do is remember to pull the throttles to idle at TOD! The 700, not so much......

 

[wood pecker]

How does training go as far as sims? A few in each or mostly the 700 s. I forget how to drive my car after vacation, can't imagine switiching flight decks every day

 

[Whataburger]

As I recall, during initial I did one sim in the -300 and my LOFT in the -300. The other sims were in the -700.

On some trips, I've flown the -300,-500, and -700. You get used to it. Exactly like riding a bike, but a little different.

 

[jball2]

I luv the way they shake!

 

[canyonblue]

I'll pass on 30-minute turns, 5-6 legs per day, Lubbock and Islip layovers and 20 year upgrades. But thanks... Enjoy your knobs.

Here we go again.....

This is just like when you are out with friends in a group, and some uninvited moron interjects his "thoughts" and you all look at each other thinking "who the fvck is this?" Please refrain from posting on a SWA/AAI thread unless we ask for your input.

 

[Lear70]

DOH! Yeah, brain fart......

The bottom line is that there's little warning when it gives up and it's not on VNAV path anymore. Most of the 300s will stay on path/speed like they're on rails. All you have to do is remember to pull the throttles to idle at TOD! The 700, not so much......

Dicko does what many of us do in the -700 (the only one we have of course).

When it goes into VNAV SPD for a profile descent then suddenly the banana is way past your crossing restriction and the speed is 10 kts high and climbing or it just gets confused and starts adding/subtracting power back and forth chasing the profile, we just go to LVL CHG and wait a minute or two. It usually figures itself out, reaches your crossing restriction a couple miles early, and is a lot smoother of a descent.

Tailwinds seem to screw it up pretty royally, no matter whether you've put your forecast winds into the box for your descent or not (I think we paid for the cheap version as well). I use LVL CHG and V/S a lot. They don't teach it, it's not in the standard profile, and I don't really care. It works, it's there, it's legal, so when the box gets confused, I use it.

For the other poster, autothrottles are nice most of the time, but guys forget how to fly smoothly without them and get really pissy when they're deferred (I usually end up offering to fly the leg). The big problem is that they can get you in trouble if you goof something up. There's been a couple accidents/incidents attributable to the autothrottles doing something and the crew just sitting there watching it like "What's it doing now?" Disconnect the damn things and fly the plane! (but I digress)

 

[Capn Butthead]

I agree with you Lear...im not a big fan of the autothrottles on descent. Also I wish more guys would use v/s to get back on the path. I love it when guys hit speed intervention or lvl change and spin the knob up 20 knots...then they say this thing is so rough as your coffee goes floating to the roof! Thats why I just hand fly a lot....gets the kernels antsy by the way I think the 300/500 hand flies better...when you find one that's not too bent!

 

[vv100]

CI 36

It will stay on path all day long

 

[waveflyer]

CI 36

It will stay on path all day long

This^^

 

[Tripower455]

Dicko does what many of us do in the -700 (the only one we have of course).

When it goes into VNAV SPD for a profile descent then suddenly the banana is way past your crossing restriction and the speed is 10 kts high and climbing or it just gets confused and starts adding/subtracting power back and forth chasing the profile, we just go to LVL CHG and wait a minute or two. It usually figures itself out, reaches your crossing restriction a couple miles early, and is a lot smoother of a descent.

Oh, I am quite familiar with how to fix the VNAV speed situation, since I get lots of practice. My hand is spring loaded to LVL CHG anytime the LNAV path is engaged, when that's not enough, it get's kicked off and CWS/speed brakes work even better.

My point was that the -300s, with their much less sophisticated systems and no AT, do a much better job staying on path than the '700s.

 

[DX Jake]

Did anyone mention the engines? Significant reduction in performance w/ respect to the -300/500 than the -700. The 22k vs. the 24k will severely limit your take-off atogs.