HOW TO STUDY AN AIRPLANE

To be able to study an airplane well, you have to understand how to manage the different data that we have in it.

What information we have, where to find it and how it is presented to us.

In the Qrewmentor team we divide them into:

Need to know (must know)
It is important to know (Good to know)
It’s good to know. (Would be good to know).

Let’s see the differences between them.

Those that we consider necessary to know are:

LIMITATIONS of the plane. There are two types of limitations according to most manufacturers.

Those that ARE mandatory knowledge (Sometimes they come in the manuals with the associated figure #).
An example would be the ability of the APU to pressurize in flight.

Those that are good to know but are NOT required to know.
An example would be how many minutes the APU needs to cool down after how many start attempts. (This data can be searched more calmly than the previous one).

• MEMORY ITEMS. Procedures that due to the urgency of the problem we must know by heart, since the fact of looking for the procedure in question would imply losing too much time.

An example would be an aircraft depressurization where the useful time to consciousness is short and we need to at least put on the oxygen mask and try to stop or minimize the effects of pressure loss on the aircraft.

• MANEUVERS THAT REQUIRE IMMEDIATENESS.
  Such as the escape maneuver of a GPWS (terrain impact warning) or WINDSHEAR (Sudden change of wind near terrain).

With these 3 premises, let’s say that the absolutely mandatory points would be covered.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW

Here we have a much larger volume of data, which affects the plane and the regulations to be applied.

Aircraft fire category related to airports.
It is important to know the number (have it in mind) although it can be searched relatively quickly.

If we do not have the exact data in mind, it is convenient to know where to find it with some speed.
When we have a fire on board and divert to an alternate airport in route, the airport’s fire code and the aircraft’s fire code are pieces of information that can make the difference between a well managed emergency and a poorly managed one.

There is a multitude of data to handle that is provided by the aircraft manuals and that often does not appear in the control systems.

GOOD TO KNOW.

This part corresponds to a much greater knowledge of the aircraft systems and the way they have of:

1.- Action
2.- Interact with each other
3.- Inform the pilots of their characteristics.

For example, it is good to know that when maintenance puts a new brake pack on the plane, it tends to get hotter than one that is already used and therefore the brake temperature of the new pack will be higher than that of the used one.
Our study must take that order because what is required to know by heart is due to the fact that the immediacy of the action and the urgency of it, does not allow wasting time.

In fact, the pyramid,necessary to know, important to know and good to know depends on the urgency with which we must act.

This is why the order of study and control of the different systems, maneuvers and problems must be disciplined.

Happy studying.

Until then, find peaceful skies.

Enrique. QrewMentor Team