Flight Times

[brett]

Hi,

Could someone explain to me how you time your flights. Do you start your time from pushback to gate or do you just go by the time using Ftime timer that starts and ends at 35knts of airspeed? This is in regards to what you post in your PIREP's.

Thanks in advance,
Brett

[Andrew Godden]

Brett,

The short answer is, and as far as I am concerned as the Director of the Australian Division, whichever you prefer.

As you point out, there are two main schools of thought on the timing of flights:
1 - from wheels rolling on the take-off roll to wheels stopped on the landing roll out; and
2 - from the time of pushback / engine start at the gate or ramp to arrival at the gate or ramp and engine shut-down.

The logic for the latter is you are performing the duties of a pilot, including having to monitor engine instruments, during that time.

In reality, the extra 5-10 minutes that is added by the latter does not provide any real significant gain in flight hours, which then goes back to my original short answer - whichever you prefer.

Again, flying with Bluegrass Airlines is relaxed and enjoyable, and about the flying, not about the operational running of an airline (been there, done that, in the real world). This is why we don't have an oversized Operations Manual to complicate things and impose outrageous demands on our pilots. It's just about the fun of flying.

Cheers
Andrew

[brett]

Ok, get the drift of how to proceed.

Thanks,
Brett