11 20 Knot Tailwind Operations

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1 INTRODUCTION It s the last leg of the day, and Newark approach says CommutAir 8642, winds 250 at 15, runway 11 available if you want it. Almost everyone else is using the 22s, and you d love to avoid that lineup, so you take a look at the wind component chart towards the back of the Performance section of the AOM. Bad news the tailwind component is 11 knots, so you regrettably tell approach that you ll need 22L because of the tailwind, and then off you go on a scenic tour of northern New Jersey. Happily, with the introduction of 11 to 20 knot tailwind operations, CommutAir crews will soon be able to take advantage of the capabilities of the Dash 8 and start utilizing 11 and 29 more often. The result: fewer delays, less time in the air, lower fuel burn, and a whole host of other tangible and intangible benefits due to our increased capabilities. Before we start these operations, however, a range of requirements must be met, which are spelled out in detail in this bulletin. AIRCRAFT REQUIREMENTS Currently, we re limited to a maximum of 10 knots of tailwind for takeoff and landing. To increase this to 20 knots, a number of limitations have been introduced, which are found in Section of the AOM (excerpted below right.) Generally, the limitations can be grouped into three basic categories: The first group includes the operational requirements, which include the flap, power, bleed, and propeller settings. The second group describes required status of aircraft systems, including anti-skid, nosewheel steering, autofeather and ECU. The third group includes environmental condition including uncontaminated runways and approach angle limits. If the aircraft does not meet all of these limitations, 11 to 20 knot tailwind operations are not authorized! These limits do not apply to operations with up to 10 knots of tailwind, however. Notice that no mention is made in these limitations of any weight limits. As always, the landing section of the TLR has the final say in whether or not you can land. We ll discuss that in a later section of this Training Bulletin. April 15, 2009 page 1

2 FLIGHT CREW REQUIREMENTS Just because the aircraft is authorized doesn t mean the flight crew is! Your training before conducting these operations consists of two parts. The first consists of what you are doing right now reading and understanding the information contained in this Training Bulletin, then completing the 10 question quiz. The second part includes flight training and checking. Starting in late April, proficiency checks will include a brief training segment prior to the actual checking portion. This training will consist of a departure and arrival with a 20 knot tailwind, and familiarization with the new TLR format. When complete, the actual checking will begin; included somewhere in the checking scenarios will be an tailwind takeoff and landing. Only after both parts have been completed are you authorized to conduct these operations. One caveat is that in order for the flight crew to conduct these operations, at least the PIC must have completed the training and checking process. Crew pairings of PIC with training and SIC without are allowed to conduct 11 to 20 knot tailwind operations, but the PIC must be the flying pilot. AOM DIFFERENCES As noted previously, there are changes made to the LIMITATIONS section of the AOM. One significant limitation not found in this section is for low RVR takeoffs. Tailwinds from 11 to 20 knots are not authorized with 1200 RVR or less. The majority of the changes to the NORMAL section do not directly reference 11 to 20 knot tailwind operations. Rather, they address approaches with flaps set at 35 (takeoffs already are approved with flaps 15 for all operations.) Most significant of these changes is the requirement for the Final Checks to be completed at the selection of the final flap setting. This means that the checks won t happen immediately after setting flaps 15. Although this may seem like a substantial change, it aligns with CommutAir s historical operating philosophy. A summation of the changes, broken down into flight regime follows, with AOM excerpts. Remember, this is a Training Bulletin only, and the final authority, as always, is the Blue Book! TAKEOFF Flaps 15 must be used, reduced power prohibited, and bleeds must be OFF. The rotation will be less rapid, and the sight picture as the airplane unsticks from the runway will be that of slightly more nose-down attitude. Control column forces, however, are not significantly different. Flaps should be selected from 15 straight to 0 upon reaching acceleration height; don t stop at 5. There are no changes to the V1-cut procedures. April 15, 2009 page 2

3 APPROACH It is in the approach phase that the most consideration must be given to these operations, and hence, the greatest change to the AOM. Of course, all limitations listed in the LIMITATIONS section must be met for conducting these operations. Note also the AFCS limitations in AOM 02.32, which states that APP mode is prohibited using flaps 35. By extension, this means no coupled approaches tailwinds between knots. Configuring on approach The profile depicted at right comes from AOM Note some of the differences between flaps 15 and flaps 35 approaches. The condition levers to must initially be set to1200 instead of 1050 if expected to land using flaps 35, but the flight crew does have some latitude in when to select flaps 35. Note that deviations from this profile are authorized, but only to comply with ATC instructions or air traffic flows. However, the flight crew must adhere to the stabilized approach criteria as outlined in section 03.53: At 1000 ft agl: Speed 140 KIAS or less (+/- 5 kts) At 500 ft agl: Configured for landing. On glide path. At landing REF speed (+/- 5 kts.) Descent rate no more than 1200 ft/min. What this means is that although the approach may be made with flaps set at 15, but by 500 feet above the ground, the flaps should be indicating 35. By 500 AGL the aircraft must be stabilized at this point no exceptions! If either of the speed gates at 1000 or 500 are not met, then a missed approach is required. A Q200 with flaps 35 is s-l-o-w, and it is understandable that flight crews may be hesitant to select flaps 35 due to traffic considerations. However, the airport where the majority of these operations will occur (Newark) spaces aircraft 10 miles in trail when conducting tailwind landings greater than 10 knots, so following traffic is not a factor. Bottom line get configured and stabilized, and meet those target airspeeds. April 15, 2009 page 3

4 Final Checks As mentioned earlier, CommutAir s operating philosophy has been to perform a final memory check when the final landing flaps are set. And, that is exactly what was done previously, except we only used flaps 15. Now, the final checks will be initiated when setting flaps 35, and although this may be performed inside of 1000 AGL, keep in mind that the flaps transition from 15 to 35 in roughly 5 to 6 seconds. Flaps can always be set immediately to 35 on the approach it is not mandatory to first go to 15. LANDING Once stabilized at REF with the flaps extended to 35, the approach continues as normal, with a very slight dutch roll. Flare is minimal, with a sight picture slightly more nosedown than a flaps 15 landing. The landing section (03.63) has been changed to include the flaps 35 procedures. Always remember that passenger comfort should be taken seriously, which is why the normal approach and landing profile is to use flaps 15. The cabin is much quieter with condition levers set to 1050 rather than April 15, 2009 page 4

5 PERFORMANCE Takeoff The TLR will incorporate tailwind data sections for takeoff for every possible permutation. Note that this data can also be used with tailwinds from 0-10 knots, reducing the need to contact dispatch if the airport is conducting tailwind operations for all aircraft. The rules for reading the data block are the same as they would be for any other takeoff. Note that the configuration will always be NTOP with bleeds off, and it will require flaps 15. You will never see certain combinations, however, due to the limitations listed in AOM For instance, you ll never see a combination of 20 knot tailwinds with a wet runway. Also consider the increased possibility that performance numbers will not be available for certain intersections and runways. For instance, the example shown here is for Bradley International, and the short north-south runway, 01-19, would not be a viable runway given the PTOW and environmental conditions that existed at the time of the TLR planning. Landing Landing data will include flaps 15 and flaps 35 data for every airport. The NORMAL section, where the maximum landing weight is available for each runway end, will normally be factored using flaps 15 data. Therefore, there is no difference to the crew for this section. All data using flaps 15 are valid for use with flaps 35. The DISTANCE section will include FACTORED and DEMONSTRATED data for both flap settings as demonstrated at right. The rules for this section are slightly different. There are different penalties to be applied depending on the strength of the wind. Tailwind components of 0 to 10 knots would use the TW10/KT line, while 11 to 20 would use the TW20/KT line. So, for example, if the tailwind component is ---- DRY RWY - PTOW - NO FLUIDS - NO ICING - 20 KT TW RWY MTOW MT CONFIG TRQ FL V1 VR V2 VF VC NTOP-BLDS OFF NTOP-BLDS OFF NTOP-BLDS OFF NTOP-BLDS OFF FLAP 35 - FACTORED LDG DIST - NO ICING - NO ICE ACCUM -- VREF VREF-ICE LDW VR VG VF VC DRY WET VR VG VF VC DRY WET / HW/KT TW10/KT TW20/KT ICE ACC FLAP 35 - DEMONSTRATED LDG DIST - NO ICING - NO ICE ACCUM VREF VREF-ICE LDW VR VG VF VC DRY WET VR VG VF VC DRY WET / HW/KT TW10/KT TW20/KT ICE ACC END TAKEOFF AND LANDING REPORT UCA 3 BDL-EWR 10FEB09 16 knots, and VREF-ICE is planned, the distance to be added to the calculated length would be 16*33 = 528 feet. One of the limitations of the TLR that is created by Aerodata is that the wet data cannot be eliminated. Even though this information is listed, remember that we cannot operate with 11 to 20 knot tailwinds on wet or contaminated runways. CONCLUSION So there you have it. Once you complete the training and checking in the simulator, you are qualified to conduct these operations. No more scenic tours of North Jersey for you! April 15, 2009 page 5