Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Human-Machine Interface; Workload
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure; Airspace Structure; Chart Or Publication; Company Policy; Human Factors
The MOTIF 4 Arrival into MDW has a number of expected altitude restrictions; like crossing MINOK at 6;000 FT. The problem is that ATC never gives you a clearance that corresponds with the arrival. They may want you at 6;000 FT somewhere; but it's not where you expect it to be at MINOK. Same goes with the other ATC restrictions. As we are getting more and more into the VNAV use and using 'descend via' clearances; we are spending much more time briefing and setting up the FMC to make sure things are all set for us to monitor. When those instructions are modified; it's now a game to re-program the FMC and make sure you stay on top of the aircraft; whereas years ago before VNAV/autothrottles/RNP etc. we just did it all in our head. Look; I don't mind if things change and we have to modify our plan; but this happens every single time I fly into MDW. It's like what's the point of having a STAR and briefing it if we're never going to fly it like it was briefed. All we're doing is adding complexity to the cockpit as we approach a high task loading environment; and for what appears to be no apparent reason. If the STAR is not designed well; then let's change the STAR. If the altitudes work; then let's use them. If not; let's get rid of them or change them to something that does. It's a great example of 'normalization of deviance' in operations that nobody's going to know about until it bites someone in the tail and everyone accuses the pilot of being unprofessional. In actuality; ATC is forcing pilots to come up with their own workarounds to a system that doesn't work as designed.
Pilot reports ATC altitude assignments on MOTIF 4 Arrival into MDW are consistantly at odds with the published restrictrictions.