B777 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 241; Flight Crew Total 18468; Flight Crew Type 10122
Workload; Time Pressure; Situational Awareness; Distraction; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Company Policy; Procedure
I've read [the new procedure guide] several times; and have used it during preflight discussions and during taxi. It's well-written and useful. However; the need for a 37 page guide to introduce a new checklist runs up more than a few warning flags. I've never considered myself alarmist; and will work hard to adapt to this procedure. But since I've been on the 777 since 2002; in fact nothing in my 35 year airline career; has caused as much confusion as the introduction of this Taxi checklist; and its companion Before Takeoff checklist. Hasn't the FAA and most of the U.S. airline agency focused on reducing pilot taxi distractions in the interest of reducing ground incidents? This procedure has increased distractions and confusion several times over. Admittedly my comments are based so far on only four separate flights. But in all cases taxiing was done during quiet airport ops with little distractions from ATC and other traffic. Yet each time it has taken 5-10 minutes to accomplish the new checklist; in all cases with 4 experienced 777 pilots participating. And yet I've seen an improperly loaded departure in the FMC after takeoff; a captain turn toward the wrong runway while taxiing; and even after a wise IRO spoke up and suggested we set the brakes to finish the checklist; we still had to vacate the runway after receiving takeoff clearance because we were 300# over gross! Which brings us back to the confusion over gross weight terminology. The FOM glossary refers to TOG (Takeoff Gross); TOGW (Takeoff Gross Weight); TOW (Takeoff Weight); and MTOG (Maximum Takeoff Gross Weight) without really delineating differences. A bulletin discussing them would be helpful; as the new procedure guide doesn't address all concerns. I appreciate that a lot of planning went into this procedure; but I remain extremely wary of its motivation; and its potential for distraction during real world conditions.
A 777 first officer reports that a new taxi procedure has increased distractions and confusion 'several times over.'