CRUISE: KEEP THE PREDICTIONS CONNECTED TO THE FLIGHT
Level flight changes the workload, but there are still useful things to notice. Confirm the cleared level and the active guidance, then compare actual fuel with the plan at the same point along the route. Comparing unlike points can create a discrepancy that exists only on paper. If the difference is meaningful, consider the winds, flown route, level and planning inputs before deciding what it means for the remaining flight. Fuel monitoring is a developing picture rather than a single reassuring number. Keep the destination and alternate options practical while there is still time and fuel to change the plan. [13, PDF p. 135]
Review the aircraft's normal system picture, including pressurisation, and look ahead on the Navigation Display, ND. Check that the active waypoint and route agree with where we expect to go. Review weather and the next part of the clearance as well. These checks connect the predictions to the flight we are actually flying: a route amendment or different level can change what the aircraft expects at destination. Over time, familiar indications make an unfamiliar one easier to notice. For now, a deliberate scan of the flight path, fuel, weather and systems gives the quiet part of the sector a useful rhythm. [59, PDF pp. 3,7,9] [13, PDF pp. 129-140]
Frankfurt-Heathrow leaves a fairly short interval between climb and descent. Use that interval to obtain London's arrival information, inspect the approach and prepare the landing data. Reading the chart for the first time while also slowing, descending and turning creates several jobs at once. In cruise, we can work through the same material at a comfortable pace and ask what the next mode changes should look like. The view is allowed a share of our attention; it need not get all of it. Having the arrival ready leaves more attention available for the journey down as well. [13, PDF pp. 141-146]
IN PRACTICE: Use the quiet part of Frankfurt–Heathrow
Before you begin: The aircraft is level at the cleared cruise level. On this short sector, arrival preparation will begin soon.
1. Confirm the cruise state
Action. Check the selected cruise level, level-flight indication and target speed/Mach. Where the FMS cruise level is reached, confirm the expected cruise-mode indication.
Check. The aircraft is actually in the intended cruise state; an intermediate cleared level has not been treated as the final planned level by assumption. [13, PDF pp. 129-140] [14, PDF pp. 1078-1081]
2. Compare fuel at a real waypoint
Action. At a recognisable route fix, compare actual fuel on board and time with the operational flight plan and FMS predictions. Note the comparison before continuing.
Check. The fuel/time trend has a concrete reference point, making a later change in the prediction easier to understand. [13, PDF p. 135] [14, PDF pp. 1078-1081]
3. Keep the predictions connected to the weather
Action. Check the entered cruise and descent wind/temperature information against the current plan. Correct material changes through the appropriate wind pages.
Check. The descent and destination-fuel predictions use a realistic wind profile rather than an unchanged preflight assumption. [13, PDF pp. 129-140] [14, PDF pp. 1078-1081]
4. Make a brief systems scan
Action. Review the engine, electrical, fuel and cabin/pressurisation picture, then return attention to the flight path and communication.
Check. The aircraft remains in a normal cruise configuration and no new message or trend has been missed during the quieter workload. [14, PDF pp. 1078-1081]
5. Use the available time for London
Action. Obtain the expected Heathrow arrival and weather, open the approach and airport charts, and begin the descent preparation before the top-of-descent workload arrives.
Check. The destination runway, arrival options and missed-approach plan are being considered while there is time to revise them. [14, PDF pp. 1082-1084] [13, PDF pp. 141-146]
Complete when: Fuel/time predictions remain credible and the arrival preparation has begun before descent becomes time-critical.