Preflight Duties

Hey everyone, i brought my laptop with me again on this trip so i figured id post a quick blog. Im currently at our overnight hotel in Shreveport LA. Today's my first day out of  4 on. Commuted down to DFW on the 1:35PM flight then did a turn to Wichita Falls TX then came to the overnight here in Shreveport.

A while ago i said i would post about my routine leading up to a flight so here it goes. I normally show up at our departure gate about 40 minutes before scheduled departure time. This is a fair amount earlier then a lot of other First Officers at my company, but most of the time im just sitting around somewhere in the airport and i would rather sit around in the plane and get things done without having to rush through stuff. Once i get down to the plane i get my bags put away then head outside to do the pre flight inspection. The exterior pre flight really isn't much different then doing a pre flight on a Cessna or Piper (small trainers) its just on  a larger scale. The main object is to detect any obvious damage or missing parts. This normally doesn't take anymore than 3-5minutes. Once back inside i'll head back up to the cockpit and get my stuff situated, including pulling out my chart books hooking up my headset etc. Next i'll go about performing the tests that are required inside, most flights this is only a couple test buttons, however if its the "first flight of the day" for that aircraft the list is far more extensive and takes several minutes to work through, these are commonly called the "origination checks". Next its my job to set up the ACARS on the aircraft, this is an onboard computer that keeps track of the flight and allows us to communicate by text with our dispatch and operations. At most of the larger airports we can also pick up our IFR clearance and print out the weather through this system. I normally get all this finished by about 20 minutes before departure. This is normally about the time our Captains show up with the release/flight plan. I'll then thumb through the paperwork making sure everything matches up and looks normal. After that my duties are done until departure time, i'll usually kill the time by browsing the internet on my phone or shooting the bull with the Captain. Things get much busier right at departure time, multiple things start happening all at once and it takes some time getting used to. After, or sometimes during, our  before start checklists the flight attendant will call us and give us the headcount for our weight and balance, then the ramp agents will hand us the load sheet with the number and types of bags in each department. Its my job to calculate the actual weights in each compartment. Then i have to check the weights i calculated and the headcount i received against the "closeout" sheet we received through ACARS from operations. All of those things happen and have to be accomplished in about a 2 minute window. Its not bad once you get used to it but for new FO's its certainly a bit overwhelming. Once all of that is checked were ready to go. Doing this a few times a day isn't bad but on the days where we have to do 6 legs in one day it can really wear ya out by the end of the day.

Thanks for reading and i still hope to update this blog more often, but i haven't been carrying my laptop with me much anymore since it adds an extra 12 pounds to my bag and also adds an extra hassle while going through airport security, regardless i'll try my best.