BEFORE START: CLOSE THE PREPARATION LOOP
Before start, bring the preparation back together. The route, final loading, takeoff calculation and departure setup have been prepared in separate places; now they need to agree. This is also the point to finish prolonged keyboard work. Pushback brings movement, communication and a changing view outside, so the stand is the more comfortable place to resolve an unexplained mass or runway difference. [14, PDF pp. 1034-1038] [28, PDF p. 7]
The ground coordination matters as much as the cockpit entries. Establish the required clearance, communication with the tug or ground crew, and the appropriate door/service state. The people controlling the aircraft's movement need to be working to the same sequence. Follow their coordinated brake instructions during pushback, rather than treating one parking-brake position as correct for the whole event. [14, PDF pp. 1034-1038] [28, PDF p. 7]
For our normal APU-assisted start, wait for APU AVAIL and confirm the required bleed-air supply. The APU is the small auxiliary power unit; it can provide electrical generation and pneumatic air, but those outputs have separate paths to check. A powered screen proves that electricity has reached some equipment. It does not, by itself, prove that air is available to turn an engine starter. [24, PDF pp. 2-4] [22, PDF p. 6]
External-power handover makes the distinction between available and supplying especially useful. With engines off, a selected external source can still have priority while the APU is running. Prepare the APU generator, select external power off at the appropriate stage, and verify the new bus supply before physical disconnection. The electrical page tells us who is actually carrying the load; the APU sound outside tells only part of that story. [24, PDF pp. 2-4] [22, PDF p. 6]
Keep the thrust levers at IDLE for start, including the actual command from any connected throttle hardware. A start is intended to establish an engine at idle, ready for later use. Check the selected starting state before making the engine command and keep the relevant indications in view. The practical sequence gives each action a receiving display to watch. [14, PDF pp. 1039-1047] [28, PDF pp. 4-5]
The supplied normal procedure commonly starts engine 2 first; the actual order follows the selected procedure and ground arrangement. Monitor a complete start before beginning the other, and continue checking the first engine while attention moves across. There is no need to rush the quieter moments. The completion indication and the developing engine picture are more useful than a guessed number of seconds. [14, PDF pp. 1039-1047] [28, PDF pp. 4-5]
ENG MASTER switches and the CRANK / NORM / IGN START selector. [12, PDF p. 37]
IN PRACTICE: At Frankfurt: make the start possible
Before you begin: The A320/CFM exercise is loaded, the route and final loading have been checked, and the aircraft is secured at the stand. This is a normal two-engine start using the APU as the pneumatic source. A pushback clearance, if required, is separate from permission to start.
1. Close the loading loop
Action. Compare the final loadsheet with INIT B and the current EFB loading. Recalculate takeoff performance after any change, then read the accepted mass, centre of gravity and takeoff entries back on the MCDU.
Check. The aircraft, the final loadsheet and the takeoff calculation describe the same departure. A revised load has not left an older set of speeds behind. [14, PDF pp. 1034-1038] [26, PDF p. 123]
2. Finish the ground conversation
Action. Complete boarding and the Before Start cabin/ground coordination. Confirm that doors needed for departure are closed, servicing is clear and the tug or pushback service is in the intended state. Keep the aircraft secured until the ground sequence calls for brake release.
Check. The DOOR indications and actual ground-service state agree. There is a clear plan for whether the aircraft will remain at the stand or be pushed back. [14, PDF pp. 1034-1038]
3. Give the APU a defined job
Action. Start the APU if it is not running, wait for AVAIL, and select APU BLEED for this APU-assisted start. Check the BLEED page for the available air supply rather than treating the APU sound as proof.
Check. The APU is available and the pneumatic supply needed for the starter is established. Electrical availability and bleed-air availability have each been checked. [14, PDF pp. 1034-1038] [13, PDF pp. 103-106]
4. Release the external connection deliberately
Action. With APU AVAIL and its generator ready, select external power off. Confirm the resulting APU supply, then have the cable/service removed before pushback.
Check. The cockpit remains powered from its intended source and the external cable no longer restrains the aircraft. A ready APU has been distinguished from one actually supplying the buses. [14, PDF pp. 1034-1038] [14, PDF p. 1161]
5. Set the start workspace
Action. Confirm both thrust levers physically at IDLE and both ENG MASTER switches OFF. Bring the engine indications into view, set the beacon for the engine-start phase, and complete the Before Start checklist.
Check. The controls agree with a start from idle, the engine display is ready for monitoring, and the aircraft has reached the checklist gate for starting. [13, PDF pp. 103-106] [14, PDF pp. 1034-1038]
6. Coordinate the brake release
Action. If the planned pushback requires movement, release the parking brake only at the coordinated point. Keep attention on the pushback path and do not begin unrelated flight-control or flap checks while the ground crew is moving the aircraft.
Check. The tug, brakes and aircraft movement agree. The start can be monitored without losing the ground-position picture. [14, PDF pp. 1034-1038] [13, PDF pp. 107-116]
Complete when: Proceed when the aircraft is clear for the planned start, the air and electrical sources are confirmed, and engine indications are in view.