Airliners-India.com

[iflytb20]

DATE OF TRAVEL : Classified
SECTOR: VOCI-OMSJ
ACFT : VT-AXP B737-8HG
FLT NO : IX 411
SEAT NO : 0A
STD : 0915 HRS ATD: 0910 HRS
STA : 1125 HRS ATA: 1130 HRS DELAY of 5 min
LOAD : 144 PAX [77% Loadfactor]

I was pulled out to operate this flight a day earlier. For a 0915 LT departure, I reported to dispatch an hour early at 0815 LT. After finishing the mandatory BA and Pre-Flight Medical [called PFME or Pre Flight Medical Examination by the company], I proceeded to the AI Dispatch located at the Intl terminal. After signing in on the Crew Reporting Form [Also called the CRT form], I proceeded to fill the Customs and Immigration Forms [2 separate forms]. The Immigration form is quite simple - you list you Passport details and the ID card [BCAS] details. The Customs form is not so easy. We need to fill in:
1. Type/Brand of watch [better fill in a known brand else loose you TRP rating]
2. Number of Cigars / Cigarettes being carried
3. Name / Make of Camera(s) [again, the fancier the better ]
4. Gold Jewelery [In mallu land this is more impt for the guys]
5. Number of Wine and spirits being carried [Impt for people who like to remain in "high" spirits]
6. Electronic Items [like Mobiles, Laptops etc]
7. Currency [INR/USD/OMR/etc]

Once this was finished, I proceeded to the Actual Pre-Flight Paperwork

Pre Flight Paperwork

The standard paper work for a flight includes:
1. Computerised Flight Plan [CFP]
2. NOTAMs [or NOTices to AirMen] for the Origin, Destination and enroute alternates.
3. Weather brief [Includes actual and forecast weather]
4. Performance calculation.

1. CFP : Since this document would be our best friend inflight, it has to be checked religiously. On getting our copy of we, first we check that ALL the pages are present and are for the correct flight. To help us do this, each CFP has a unique RC number, which is given at the bottom of each page along with a page number in "PAGE X OF Y" format. Once that is done, we check the routing, the fuel calculations, the weight calculation etc. If done properly, any major errors can be caught easily [they have happened in the past]


The CFP for the flight

The fuel calculation includes:
TAXI fuel [200 Kgs for IX]
FLT PLAN Fuel [changes from flight to flight depending on your weight / planned level etc]
ALT Fuel [Fuel to alternate]
HOLD Fuel [for 30 min hold at ALT]
CONTingency Fuel [5% of FLT PLAN, subject to minimum of 500 Kgs]
ETOPS ADDL [Additional fuel to fly ETOPS routes]
MIN REQ Fuel [All the above, added together, give us this. Also called MRF]

MRF is the Min Fuel that we have to take for the flight. We usually carry addition fuel depending on nature / condition of operations [Weather / Tankering / expected delays etc]

Next on the agenda is the weight calculation. Before I go there, a little bit of gyaan [after all I HAVE to show-off once in a while ]. The following are some of the weights whic are used for every flight:

1. Zero Fuel Weight [ZFW] : This is the weight of aircraft plus the payload MINUS the weight of the fuel.
2.Maximum Allowable Takeoff Weight [MTOW] : The maximum certified TOW.
3. Max Landing Weight [MLW] : For all our aircrafts, this is 66300 Kgs
4. Regulated TOW [RTOW] : This is the most limiting take off weight. It could be limited by Structural / Obstacle / Field Length etc. The ATOW [Actual TOW] cannot exceed RTOW. To calculate this, we add the BURNOFF to the MLW. If this value is LESS than the MTOW, then this value becomes the RTOW. Otherwise the MTOW becomes the RTOW.
For eg: For this flight BURNOFF was 9100 Kgs. Therefore :
66300+9100 = 75400 < 77100. So our RTOW is 75400 Kgs

2. NOTAMS : We go through all the relevant NOTAMs for our flight whic include our Origin, Destination and all alternates on the way. So that meant that other that VOCI and OMSJ, we also have to check the NOTAMs for VOTV, VABB, OOMS and OMDB as they are all our Alternates.

3. Weather Brief : With the monsoons in full flow here, this is a very important process. The Dispatcher usually provides us with the Actual weather for the Origin and takeoff alternate while mostly only forecasts for the Destination. Also provided is the forecast for any Significant Weather [called SIGMET] along our planned route along with the Satellite images. The brief also showed a significant amount of weather on our planned route.

4. Performance Calculations: Basically calculate the weights and the Take off speeds.


So for this flight we got one of the AI acft. This has MTOW of 77100 Kgs with a Max ZFW limit of 62700 Kgs. For this flight, with its load of 144 pax, the ZFW was given as 58700 Kgs. The burn-off was 8900 kgs. RTOW was calculated to be 75200 Kgs. A quick mental calculation [done with the help of a Casio Scientific Calculator] showed that we could take a maximum of 16500 Kgs of fuel. But in real life we very rarely take the maximum fuel. So keeping in mind the enroute weather, and the fact that I wanted Muscat as my alternate rather than Dubai and considering the weather on our route, we decide that we would need 13500 Kgs for this flight. This gave us an RAMP weight of 72200 Kgs and a Takeoff weight of 71900 Kgs.

In the meanwhile, the Cabin Crew reported to us in Dispatch. Once introductions were complete, we proceeded for the briefing [figure of speech only - we did'nt move an inch. Lazy guys you see]. The main points which are covered before every flight include the Entry procedure into the cockpit and the subtle code to be used in case of an Hijack. Also briefed are the policy for seat belts, Sterile cockpit, Security measures, Enroute Weather and how to communicate with the Flight Deck incase of any trouble in the cabin. Once that was done, they proceeded to the aircraft. AS per our company, they have to be there 45 min before departure.

And once the Office copy of the documents were signed we were ready to proceed to the Aircraft.

Pre Flight Cockpit Preparation and Walkaround

As per our company policy, we have to reach the aircraft atleast 30 min before departure. As the aircraft was docked at an aerobridge, we managed to reach the aircraft much earlier - 40 min early to be exact. Once we reached the aircraft, the FO [who was the Designated PM or Pilot Monitoring - I am not yet authorised by the company to give flying. Will have to wait till I have atleast 1000 hrs PIC experience] proceeded to pre-flight the cockpit and program the FMCs while I went for the walkaround. Before stepping out, I did manage to Dry Lease an Umbrella from the AME as it was raining the entire zoo outside. Also, I did'nt want a repeat of an incident from last monsoon where I got stuck under the Tail due to the rain and me lacking an umbrella.[PS: It was raining on this day also]

Our walkround starts from the nose and goes around the aircraft in a clockwise direction and then ending in the nose again. The main thing we check are for the condition of the wheels, the struts, various control surfaces etc. For a more detailed walkaround for an NG, you can download this file.

By the time I returned to the cockpit, the cockpit was fully setup and the FO was waiting for me to crosscheck the entries. As the FMCs follow a "crap-in-crap-out" logic, it becomes very important to crosscheck the entries before executing the route. I crosschecked the legs in the FMC to the legs in the CFP and the total distance as per CFP to the one calculated by the FMC. Once all this was finished, we were ready for the PRE FLIGHT Checklist.

Boarding, Takeoff Briefing, Pushback and Start

The boarding started at 0850 LT and was finished by 0905 LT. The Cargo doors were closed by 0907 LT and all papers were signed and the doors closed at 0910 LT. We were ready a full 5 min early.

While we were waiting for the pax, we managed to finish our Takeoff briefing. This is done before each flight and works both as an refresher and task allocation method. It helps us refresh our Emergency procedures and also clearly outline our various duties in the cockpit in such an situation. Major points which are covered are the Reject Takeoff procedures, Engine failure procedure, Lost Communication Procedure, Weather avoidance procedures amongst other things. Since there were lot of CBs around, the Weather avoidance part was really stressed upon.

Once we managed to get the Wight & Balance Sheet [aka TRIM sheet], we were able to calculate our takeoff speeds. With our ATOW of 71787 Kgs and an OAT of +24 C, we were able to use an "Assumed Temp" of +48 C and this gave us an Reduced Takeoff N1 of 93.9%. The "V Speeds" were calculated for an WET runway and this gave us an V1 138, VR 146 and V2 of 151 Knots. Once these were entered into the FMC, we were all set to go.

Before pressurizing the Hydraulics, we have to get confirmation from the Ground Crew whether the Lock pin for Nose Wheel is installed or not. This prevents unwanted movement of the nosewheel and [if it is attached to it] the Tow bar. Once we got the clearance, we finished our procedures and carried out the BEFORE START Checklist.

Cochin Tower was contacted on 118.80 and our clearance for Pushback and start obtained. We were cleared to Push and Start facing East and once this info was passed on to the Ground Staff, our flight was finally under way.

Our normal start sequence in Engine #2 first and then #1. And that is we did for this flight. With an average time of 40 seconds each, we had both engines up and running within 2 minutes. Once the procedures were completed and the Ground Crew Tata-ed off, we were ready for the BEFORE TAXI Checklist.

Taxi and Takeoff

Once the checklist was complete, we asked for our taxi clearance. We were cleared to taxi to holding point R27 via B and C. Once on Taxiway C, we switched on our Weather Radar to take a look at the weather around the airport. And soon enough, we could see the Reds and the Yellows on the ND.


The route taken by us to get to the runway

And enroute to the runway we got our clearance -

Express India 419 is cleared to Sharjah, FL 340. After departure from R27, proceed direct to IGAMA via Radial 312 CIA. Initially maintain 6500 feet till 15 DME, squawk 0657"

Our normal routing involves flying via R340 CIA to overhead CLC [Calicut VOR] and then via R307 CLC to IGAMA, which is the FIR boundary between Chennai and Mumbai. The Direct IGAMA cuts almost 60 NM off our normal route, and saves us about 5-8 minutes of flying time. And this Direct routing is something we get 95% of the time while departing from Cochin. And as we were approaching the holding point, we were cleared to lineup.

Once we were cleared to line up, we asked for one minute on the runway before rolling to take a look at the Wx on our take off path. And for a change, our departure path was clear of weather. We informed ATC that we were ready to depart. And soon we got that in the form of "Express India 411 is cleared for take off R27, and re-cleared initially 8000 FT". And once that was read back, we could do the BEFORE TAKEOFF Checklist.

Once the checklist was done, we were ready to go. The throttles were advanced to 40% N1 to let the engines stabilise, and then the TOGA button was pushed. This signaled the Auto Throttle [AT] to advance the thrust levers to our Takeoff N1 of 93.9% N1. The takeoff thrust was set by 60 Knots, and soon we were at 80 Knots. Now lot of things happen at 80 Knots. Firstly, it indicates that we are in the High Speed Regime of takeoff. Upto 80, we basically Reject for ANY Malfunction. But above 80, we Reject ONLY for an Engine Failure, Fire Warning, Windshear Warning or if the airplane is unable or unsafe to fly. Second thing is that at 80 Knots we crosscheck the ASIs to make sure that they are working properly.

So our takeoff was proceeding normally. Soon the call "Vee One" was made. This indicated that no matter what happened next, we were committed to continue the takeoff. A few seconds later, at "Vee R", the aircraft was rotated to an initial pitch attitude of 15 degrees and at 0937 LT, we were Airborne.Once a positive rate of climb was indicated on the Altimeter, the Landing Gear was retracted. We were on our way to Sharjah.

Climb

The moment we crossed 400 feet, the Autopilot was engaged and passing 1000 feet, the right turn initiated. As per our company policy, the thrust reduction and the acceleration altitude are now 1000 Ft AGL.

Thrust Reduction Altitude [TRA - my creation of initials], or the height at which the engine power is reduced, is mostly linked to Noise Abatement procedures. The Takeoff is done with Takeoff Thrust [Full or Reduced]. At the TRA, the engine thrust is reduced to the Climb Thrust, which is ALWAYS lower that the Takeoff thrust. Our FMCs calculates the Takeoff thrust, and accordingly, calculated the Climb Thrust to make sure that there IS a thrust reduction. The minimum height for Thrust Reduction is 800 feet. Normally it is done at 1500 feet.

Acceleration Altitude is the height at which the aircraft is accelerated [duh] or in other words, cleaned up. This process includes a reduction in pitch. This causes the speed to increases and thereby, allowing us to retract the Flaps [cleaning up]. The minimum acceleration altitude is 400 feet.

So at 1000 ft, the nose was lowered and the speed allowed to increase. And as it increased, the Flaps were initially raised to 1 and then to UP. Once the Flaps were fully retracted, the speed was allowed to increase to 250 knots. Now as per the Regulation, the maximum permissible speed below 10,000 feet is 250 knots. This is for the "see and avoid" method to work. In the earlier days, this was to see and avoid other metal birds. But in today's TCAS equipped world, this is almost seems an un-necessary step. But till ALL planes become TCAS equipped, this is a MUST Do in my humble opinion. That is why all aircraft keep their Landing lights ON till 10000 feet - to make them more visible. Besides the metals birds, this also helps us to avoid bumping into the living birds [provided we see them in time]

So once the speed reached 250 knots, our nose was raised to appx 10 degrees, and out climb continued.This was also the perfect time for us to complete our AFTER TAKEOFF Checklist. By now if felt as if we were flying inside an washing machine due to the turbulence. The crew and pax had been pre-warned on the ground about the expected turbulence, and thankfully, they followed the instructions to the letter. Passing 9000 feet, a further climb was requested and we were re-cleared to FL160 and instructed to contact Trivandrum Control on 125.95. Passing 10000 feet, we did our "10000 feet procedures". This involves turning off all exterior lights, and switching off the Seat Belt signs. Since we were still being tossed around, we opted to keep the signs ON.

Passing 10000 ft, the aircraft is again accelerated to the final climb speed, which for this flight, was 280 Knots. This speed is calculated by the FMC and varies with the Aircraft weight and the selected Cost Index. In the meantime contact was established with Trivandrum and we were cleared to climb to FL300 and to report abeam the CLC VOR. Approaching Abeam CLC, we were handed over to Mangalore Control on 127.55. On contacting them we were cleared to climb to FL360 .

Passing 20000 feet, the PM contacted AI dispatch and gave them our departure message. This message includes our Cleared Level, Airborne Time, ETA Destination and our Operational Status. And 26 minutes after departing from R27, we were leveling off at FL 360.

Cruise

Shortly after leveling off at FL360, we got busy with the paperwork aka CFP. The estimates have to worked out separately by the PF and PM and then compared to the FMC estimated to check for any gross errors. So far so good - we had a perfect match on our estimates. Also cross checked is the fuel remaining at our Destination with respect to the CFP burn off and the FMC estimates. Since everything was routine so far, we thought it would be a relaxing flight. But we thought [or was it spoke] too soon. Soon we were able to see Wx on our Wx Radar. And since this guy was right on our path, we had to decide on the deviation - how much and in what direction.


The Wx as seen on our NDs



And as seen in real life

Keeping in mind the prevailing winds at that level and our company policy [which wants us to avoid all strong returns above FL250 by atleast 25NM], we decided on a Right Deviation of 15NM to avoid the cells. This request was relayed to Mangalore control and our deviation was approved with an "Right deviation approved. When clear, proceed direct to OSIRI" So the Seatbelt signs were switched ON and the turn to the right was initiated. After about 40NM, we were clear of most of the weather and we proceeded to fly directly to the OSIRI waypoint. Soon even the turbulence stopped and the seatbelt signs were switched OFF. By now both me and my FO realised we were famished. The IFS was called to the cockpit to enquire about what were the choices. In our flights the choices are very simple for the pax - "Sir you want to eat or not". But thankfully the choices are a little better up front. So after both of us decided on what to eat, the next thing on the agenda was - who eats first. I decided to pull rank a wee bit and decide to eat first. With the kind of dirty looks given to me by my FO, I was surprised I did'nt get a upset tummy the next day . After finishing my Breakfast, it was time for some coffee [ I AM a southie after all....coffee runs in my blood]


Relaxing post-meal

My coffee under construction

Soon we passed Abeam IGAMA - the FIR boundary between Chennai and Mumbai. Mangalore instructed us to contact Mumbai on HF 8879/10018/10084. This was done and after a 5 min worth of shouting and screaming, we finally managed to get the attention of the HF controller. Our position was passed on to him and we were requested him to check our SELCAL code. Now this is a pretty useful aid when it comes to HF communications. Earlier we hat to monitor the frequency continuously - and the associated static almost used to drive us mad. With SELCAL, each aircraft has an unique 4 letter code. The controller dials in this code at his station and we get a "callin-bell" type chime in the cockpit. As a result of this, the aircrew dont have to monitor the frequency continuously. If the controller has a message for the crew, he "rings" them up using SELCAL.

PS: SELCAL stands for Selective Caling . More info on SELCAL can be found here. And you can hunt for aircraft SELCALs here

So after getting a SELCAL confirmation of our code BH-CE, we were told to report next at position MESAN. Soon we were approaching our ETOPS entry point which signaled the start of the ETOPS portion of our flight. I'll try and provide some info on this at a later stage, but you can get the same thing if you just google it.


Our route across the Arabian Sea. The ETOPS segment is between LEMAX & KADOL


Approaching LEMAX


The ETOPS segment


The CFP page which covers that segment of the flight


The Legroom in seat 0A

For our planing purposes we use a 430 NM circles to depict the "one hour flying time" distance. Any part of the flight beyong 430 NM therefore becomes an ETOPS segment. 95% of the time, the reference airports used are Mumbai and Muscat. Soon we were out of ETOPS segment [it is only 14 min long] and were approaching LOTAV. This if the FIR boundary between Mumbai and Muscat. At LOTAV, Muscat Ctr was contated on 123.950 and they issued us a new squawk code of 6642. Once we were identified on radar, a direct routing was approve to position ITURA. Soon were approaching our Top of Descent and in accordance with our company SoPs, the descent preparation was initiated 150 NM before the ToD point.

The latest ATIS was obtained which indicated the runway in use was R30 and we were to expect an ILS approach. Soon the charts were taken out and we began our approach preparations. We were expecting an BUBIN 3K arrival at Sharjah. With a landing weight of 62900 KGs, a Flaps 30 landing was planned and this gave us a Reference Speed [Vref] of 144 Knots. And after a wind correction of 6 knots was added to it, we got our Vapp or the Approach speed of 150 Knots. With strong and gusty surface winds reported, this was our "buffer margin" to ensure we maintain a safe speed at all times.

As this was happening, we were handed over to 128.150, the Muscat [Sector West] Ctr frequency. On establishing contact, were told to "Call when ready for descent".


The BUBIN 3K STAR


ILS R30

Soon, we finished our Approach briefing and it was time to complete the DESCENT Checklist. With an reported temp of +46 C, Sharjah was sure hot as hell. After this info and the expected time to land was passed on to the IFS, we were ready to commence our Descent into Sharjah.

Descent

Muscat soon cleared us as "When ready descent FL200, cross TAPRA FL270 or Below". As we were ready, we commenced our descent. Approaching TAPRA, we were told to contact UAE Ctr on 124.850. UAE then cleared us to 13000 FT and told us to contact Dubai Arrivals on 124.900. Since Dubai and Sharjah airports are so close to each other, they have a common Approach Radar Controller. Dubai Arrival told us to proceed direct to ULERA and pick up the ILS R30 from there. He also cleared us to descend to 3000 FT. Once we were establised on the ILS, it was time to call Sharjah Twr on 118.600. We were cleared to land with a reported surface wind of 330/19. We touched down at 1124 LT and were instructed to taxi to stand 4 via Taxiway C and A. We finally parked at 1130 LT with a delay of 5 minitues.





The way to our parking


Landing on R30 a few minutes behind us

---------------------------------

Comments / Suggestion Welcome

[HamiltonAir]

Excellent and well written trip report coming from a Capt Very well written sir! Any pics available?
_________________
HamiltonAir

[iflytb20]

[Nimish]

Wow - great read! Gave me a good sense of what a pilot's job actually entails.

Aren't pilots just supposed to let the auto-pilot do everything - while the flirt with the sexy FAs ? I guess those days are long gone now ?
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We miss you Nalini!

[Spiderguy252]

Very interesting and detailed Trip Report there! Keep it up.

And here was me thinking that you set the autopilot and watch a DVD.
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Yeah.

[deaphen]

Simply Orgasmic!

Please do write more in the future, it was a great great read.

Thanks
Nitin

[justbala]

This was excellent.. it was almost like being in the cockpit myself!!

BTW whr all do u hv those hidden surveillance cams?!!

[sumantra]

Raj, thanks for an amazingly detailed trip report - from the commander's
position. Very vivid descriptions, nice pictures, and yes, as Balagopal
says, it was almost like being there in your place.
Wonderful!
-Sumantra.

[JETFLY787]

WOW Fantastic.. A pilots TR....awesome...respect

Cool stuff to know as in what happens inside the flight deck.

~JETFLY787
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Lets Soar High....Feel the ultimate Joy

[rutvij]

[iflytb20]

[HamiltonAir]

[yash777]

Superb! Would love to jumpseat and see it for real someday!
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Jetphotos Flickr gallery

[d3vski]

Nice report! love the detail!

I can only dream of what you do thanks to medical problem i was born with!

[rhumbline]

Lovely... probably the best TR I have ever read there are a few Cockpit TRs on A.net but this one takes the cake

Great to have a perspective from the left seat

BTW great legroom in seat 0A


Do you have more wx shots please ...
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Learning is not compulsory. Neither is survival

[rutvij]

I keep reading this TR every now and then, and every time, it just gets into me. Feels like you are sitting right behind TB20, and peeping over his left shoulder!

How silly of me to not appreciate its beauty, and ask a rather silly Question instead, back when it was posted. The Best Pilot TR I have read. B-E-A-Utiful! I hope Capt. Raj follows it up someday with something similar.

[aeroblogger]

This is a beautiful report. Thank you for pointing it out rutvij
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Editor of AeroBlogger

[iflytb20]

Sorry to dig up an old thread I plan to write another one in the near future. So please stay tuned
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Always do everything into wind...... except piss

[sumantra]

[me111993]

[stealthpilot]

What the heck I missed this one
I thought you got nostalgic and typed out an AIX report didnt realise the date...

You guys had a 'crew reporting form' hahahahah

Questions -
1) The PF doing the walkaround .... is that Boeing or AIX?
2) Shame about the 1000hrs PIC requirement to 'give flying' .... more DGCA rubbish. Is that now changed?
3) Is CPDLC an option on 737, do (did) you have it?
4) The EFB, did you have electronic charts/performance calc etc?
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eP007

[iflytb20]

[Max737]

Sorry to dig up I am new to this forum

Just saw some very nice trip reports and saw this one

I have flown just once in real life on this sector and flown many a times in my FlightSimulator with PMDG NGX

What Cost Index generally IX use for these sectors?
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Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?
https://www.vatsim.net/

[iflytb20]

[Max737]

Thanks for the info Capt
_________________
Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?
https://www.vatsim.net/