CRUISE: KEEP THE PREDICTIONS CONNECTED TO THE FLIGHT
At level, confirm altitude and active modes and compare actual fuel with the plan at the same point. Investigate a material difference in the context of winds, route changes, levels and planning inputs. Retain destination and alternate options while there is still room to change the plan. [13, PDF p. 135]
Review weather, aircraft status, pressurisation and the next route segment. Check that the active waypoint and ND picture agree with the intended route. A single favourable prediction is less useful than a consistent monitoring trend across the flight. [59, PDF pp. 3,7,9] [13, PDF pp. 129-140]
On Frankfurt-Heathrow, arrival preparation follows the climb quite soon. Obtain the information, make the entries and understand the approach while workload permits. Cruise provides time for that work; spending all of it enjoying the view can make the descent unnecessarily interesting. [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.