Inside the Cockpit

• Title: Inside the Cockpit 1.8 Preflight Procedures and Cockpit Interior

  2012-07-01 | Inside the Cockpit

  After completing various checks to confirm the aircraft meets airworthiness standards, the pilot can finally sit in the flight deck and begin manipulation. First, the pre-flight procedures must be completed, but before that, let’s take a look at the interior of the flight deck.

  The Boeing 747-400 overhead panel, Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS), and control devices:

  

  Generally speaking, there are 2 seats in the flight deck; the left one is the Captain’s seat, and the right one is the First Officer’s seat. Additionally, there are 2 folding seats for deadheading (non-revenue passengers), known as Jump Seats, used for training, audits, or other internal purposes such as hitching a ride.

• Title: Uncovering the mysteries of airliner piloting 1.7 FMS CDU setup detailed explanation

  2012-06-28 | Inside the Cockpit

  Considering that flight simulation enthusiasts are likely interested in the detailed settings of the Flight Management System Control Display Unit (FMS/CDU), I have dedicated a specific section to introduce the initial setup of the CDU.

  The CDU is the device used by pilots to input flight data. It looks like a large calculator, consisting of a square display and an alphanumeric keyboard. Modern airliner cockpits are generally equipped with 3 CDUs, located between the Captain and the First Officer seats, as shown in the 747-400 cockpit below:

• Title: Exploring the Cockpit 1.6 Cockpit Preparation

  2012-06-26 | Inside the Cockpit

  While the Captain performs the exterior inspection on the ground, the First Officer is certainly not idle; they must complete the pre-flight preparation procedures and the CDU pre-flight procedures. Let me briefly introduce these tasks.

  First, the First Officer must check various documents in the cockpit. Just like a car needs an annual inspection certificate, an aircraft needs an airworthiness certificate; an aircraft without an airworthiness certificate cannot fly. The flight log and maintenance documents record all flight and maintenance history of the aircraft, and these documents must not be missing.

• Title: Airliner Cockpit Secrets 1.5 Pre-flight Ground Check

  2012-06-25 | Inside the Cockpit

  Before the pilot arrives at the aircraft, the ground maintenance crew has already completed the pre-flight inspection.

  Generally speaking, aircraft maintenance management is divided into scheduled maintenance and line maintenance. Line maintenance includes pre-flight, post-flight, and transit maintenance work. Pre-flight maintenance requires two ground mechanics to spend approximately 1 hour performing checks such as tire pressure, landing gear, and electronic system power-on tests, confirming that the aircraft is sound and meets airworthiness requirements.

• Title: Airliner Cockpit Exploration 1.4 Crew Briefing

  2012-06-24 | Inside the Cockpit

  After the pilot and dispatcher complete the flight briefing, they must also hold a crew briefing with other crew members, mainly the flight attendants. This meeting can be held at the company office, or possibly in the cabin; it seems to depend on the specific situation. The flight attendants report for duty 1.5 hours before the flight departure and hold a work preparation meeting covering passenger counts, division of duties during emergencies, and other topics.

• Airliner Cockpit Secrets 1.3 Pre-flight Briefing

  2012-06-23 | Inside the Cockpit

  In 1.1 Pilot’s Work Schedule, it was introduced that pilots must report for duty 1.5 hours before departure time. After reporting to the company, they must hold a Dispatcher Briefing for the flight, which takes place in the flight dispatch office of the company’s flight management department. Because the pairing of the captain and first officer varies for each flight, they only meet and begin preparations together at this briefing.

• Inside the Cockpit 1.2 What's Inside a Pilot's Flight Bag?

  2012-06-23 | Inside the Cockpit
  

  First, the heaviest and bulkiest items in the flight bag are undoubtedly the various regulations and manuals.

  These include: OM: Operation Manual, including systems for pilot training reviews and duties, regulations on takeoff and landing weather conditions, and emergency procedures. AOM: Airplane/Aircraft Operation Manual, essentially the user manual for the aircraft, including aircraft operation and performance limits, normal and emergency operating procedures, descriptions and operations of various system units, performance data, weight and balance matters, etc. RM: Route Manual, which is the navigation charts, including summaries of various airports such as Runway length, Taxiway and Apron layouts, Standard Instrument Departure (SID) and Standard Instrument Arrival (STAR) flight routes, communication facilities status, etc.

• Title: Unveiling the Cockpit 1.1 Pilot's Work Schedule

  2012-06-23 | Inside the Cockpit

  According to the book “How to Fly the Jumbo Jet (Boeing 747)”, the daily flight schedule and working hours of a pilot living in Tokyo are arranged as follows:

  Day 1 06:00 - 14:00 Tokyo Haneda - Hokkaido - Tokyo Haneda - Fukuoka. Flying 3 flights in one day. Stay overnight in Fukuoka. Day 2 08:00 - 16:00 Fukuoka - Tokyo Haneda - Kumamoto - Tokyo Haneda. Flying 3 flights. Day 3 07:00 - 12:00 Standby at home (e.g., rush to the company in case of temporary shortage due to other pilots falling ill). Day 4 14:30 - 20:30 Tokyo Haneda - Kagoshima - Tokyo Haneda. Flying 2 flights. Day 5 Day off. Day 6 Day off. Day 7 14:30 - 10:00 (Local Time) Tokyo Haneda - Los Angeles International flight. Day 8 Day off. Day 9 12:30 (Local Time) - Depart Los Angeles International flight. Day 10 - 17:00 Arrive at Tokyo Narita. Day 11 Day off. …

• Exploring Airliner Cockpits 0: Trying a Long Series on Flying Airliners

  2012-06-23 | Inside the Cockpit

  I have recently read some books on airliner operations and gained a preliminary understanding of a pilot’s duties, so I plan to write this down bit by bit as a summary. Of course, it would be even better if this material could be of some help to enthusiasts who are passionate about flight simulation.

  As a personal learning summary from an amateur hobbyist, I primarily used the following books as reference material to write this. However, the method is not a simple translation of these books, but rather more like a book review.

• Inside the Cockpit - Table of Contents

  2012-06-23 | Inside the Cockpit

  Inside the Cockpit — How Pilots Fly Civil Airliners

  This series introduces the workflow and operational procedures of civil airliner pilots, using the Boeing 737-500 as an example.

  Chapter 0: Introduction

  • Inside the Cockpit 0 - Starting a Long Series on Airline Piloting

  Chapter 1: Pre-Flight Preparation

  • Inside the Cockpit 1.1 - Pilot Work Schedule
  • Inside the Cockpit 1.2 - What’s in a Pilot’s Bag?
  • Inside the Cockpit 1.3 - Flight Briefing
  • Inside the Cockpit 1.4 - Crew Briefing
  • Inside the Cockpit 1.5 - Pre-Flight External Inspection
  • Inside the Cockpit 1.6 - Cockpit Preparation
  • Inside the Cockpit 1.7 - FMS CDU Setup Details
  • Inside the Cockpit 1.8 - Pre-Flight Procedures and Cockpit Interior

  Chapter 2: Pushback and Taxi

  • Inside the Cockpit 2.1 - 5 Minutes Before Departure
  • Inside the Cockpit 2.2 - Standard Instrument Departure (SID)
  • Inside the Cockpit 2.3 - Push Back and Engine Start
  • Inside the Cockpit 2.4 - Taxi Routes
  • Inside the Cockpit 2.5 - Taxi Operations
  • Inside the Cockpit 2.6 - About Flaps
  • Inside the Cockpit 2.7 - Takeoff Clearance

  Chapter 3: Takeoff and Climb

  • Inside the Cockpit 3.1 - Three Types of Takeoff
  • Inside the Cockpit 3.2 - Takeoff Roll
  • Inside the Cockpit 3.3 - Rotate and Lift Off
  • Inside the Cockpit 3.4 - Gear Up
  • Inside the Cockpit 3.5 - Engaging Autopilot
  • Inside the Cockpit 3.6 - ATC Handoff to Departure, Entering VNAV Mode
  • Inside the Cockpit 3.7 - ATC Handoff to Center, Continuing Climb
  • Inside the Cockpit 3.8 - Entering Cruise

  Chapter 4: Cruise Flight

  • Inside the Cockpit 4.1 - Basics of Navigation
  • Inside the Cockpit 4.2 - Flight Speed Indicators and Maximum Speed
  • Inside the Cockpit 4.3 - Flight Altitude, Pressure, and Maximum Altitude
  • Inside the Cockpit 4.5 - About Cruise Speed
  • Inside the Cockpit 4.6 - Fuel Consumption and Center of Gravity
  • Inside the Cockpit 4.7 - Weather and Turbulence
  • Inside the Cockpit 4.8 - Weather and Turbulence (continued)
  • Inside the Cockpit 4.9 - Inside the Cockpit

  Chapter 5: Descent Preparation

  • Inside the Cockpit 5.1 - Descent Preparation
  • Inside the Cockpit 5.2 - Approach Briefing
  • Inside the Cockpit 5.3 - Standard Instrument Arrival
  • Inside the Cockpit 5.4 - Instrument Approach Charts
  • Inside the Cockpit 5.5 - Starting Descent
  • Inside the Cockpit 5.6 - ATC Communication During Descent
  • Inside the Cockpit 5.7 - Summary of Descent Operations

  Chapter 6: Approach and Landing

  • Inside the Cockpit 6.1 - Control During Radar-Guided Approach
  • Inside the Cockpit 6.2 - Landing Aid Systems
  • Inside the Cockpit 6.3 - Final Approach Fix and ILS Setup
  • Inside the Cockpit 6.4 - Traffic Pattern
  • Inside the Cockpit 6.5 - Landing Procedure
  • Inside the Cockpit 6.6 - Go Around
  • Inside the Cockpit 6.7 - Landing Operations
  • Inside the Cockpit 6.8 - Post-Landing Procedures
  • Inside the Cockpit 6.9 - Docking at the Gate
  • Inside the Cockpit 6.10 - Shutdown Procedures