B757 Standard Operating Procedures Vocabulary Review

Vocabulary and key technical terms derived from the Morningstar Air Express Inc. B757 SOP manual for pilot review.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Manual issued by Morningstar Air Express Inc. to provide guidance and assistance to personnel for operating B757 aircraft within the limitations of the Aircraft Flight Manual.

Crew Resource Management (CRM)

The application of team management concepts and the effective use of all available resources, including aircrew and support groups, to operate a flight safely.

VREF 30

The reference speed for a flaps 30 landing, upon which the flap maneuvering speed schedule is based.

Minimum Maneuver Speed

Indicated by the top of the lower amber band on the airspeed display, it alerts the crew that less than full maneuver capability exists at airspeeds within that band.

Command Speed

The speed set by the pilot through the MCP or FMC, displayed as a magenta bug on the PFD Airspeed/Mach Tape.

Acceleration Height

The altitude selected for acceleration and flap retraction, usually specified for each airport, with a minimum of $1000\,ft$ AFE.

Normal Checklist (NC)

Checklists organized by phase of flight used to verify that critical items essential to safety have been accomplished.

Standard Flows

Definitive panel scan patterns used by crewmembers to initiate actions in accordance with Normal and Supplementary Procedures.

Sterile Flight Deck

Periods during which no conversation is permitted other than that required for operation of the aircraft, such as from engine start to $10,000\,ASL$.

Traffic Advisory (TA)

An aural and video advisory that assists a pilot in visual acquisition of nearby traffic and increases situational awareness without commanding a maneuver.

Resolution Advisory (RA)

An aural and video alert that commands the pilot to change vertical speed via cues on the VSI to avoid a collision.

Automation Philosophy

Guidelines suggesting that the level of automation used should be appropriate to reduce pilot workload, increase situational awareness, and enhance safety.

Head-Up Display (HUD)

A supplementary display device that projects primary flight and navigation information into the pilot’s forward field-of-view.

Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS)

An infrared sensor system that displays images with overlaid symbols on the HUD to improve situational awareness during low-visibility operations.

Optimum Altitude

The cruise altitude that results in minimum trip cost when in ECON mode, or minimum fuel burn in LRC or selected speed modes.

Maximum Altitude

The highest altitude at which the airplane can be operated, determined by structural, thrust, or buffet limits.

Required Navigation Performance (RNP)

A measure of navigation performance accuracy, shown in nautical miles, necessary for operations within a defined airspace $95\%$ of the time.

Actual Navigation Performance (ANP)

The FMC-calculated certainty of the airplane’s position, representing a system estimate of the radius in which the airplane lies with $95\%$ probability.

V1 (Takeoff Decision Speed)

The maximum speed during takeoff at which the pilot must take the first action to stop the airplane or the minimum speed for continuing the takeoff after engine failure.

VR (Rotate Speed)

The speed at which the pilot initiates a smooth continuous rotation toward the target pitch attitude.

V2 (Takeoff Safety Speed)

The minimum takeoff safety speed that provides at least $30\text{ degrees}$ of bank capability for all takeoff flap settings.

Stabilized Approach Criteria

A set of parameters (configuration, checklists, power, flight path, sink rate, and airspeed) that must be met by $1000\,ft$ AFE in IMC or $500\,ft$ AFE in VMC.

Fail Operational

An AFDS status (LAND 3) indicating the system can complete an ILS approach, autoland, and rollout following a single failure after the alert height.

Fail Passive

An AFDS status (LAND 2) indicating that a system failure will not cause significant flight path deviation but requires visual reference to complete the landing.

Alert Height (AH)

A height ($100\,feet$ RA for Cat III) above which an approach must be discontinued if a specified system failure occurs.

Derived Decision Altitude (DDA)

Calculated by adding $50\,feet$ to the Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) for non-precision approaches using the SCDA philosophy.

Visual Descent Point (VDP)

The position on final approach from which a normal descent from the MDA to the runway touchdown point may be initiated with visual reference.

Overweight Landing

A landing conducted above the maximum certified landing weight, which constitutes an exercise of emergency authority and requires the Captain to be the PF.

Memory Items

Critical non-normal checklist steps that must be performed by the crew from memory before reading the remainder of the checklist.

Upset

Unintentionally exceeding pitch attitudes of $25\text{ degrees}$ nose up or $10\text{ degrees}$ nose down, or a bank angle greater than $45\text{ degrees}$.

Stick Shaker

An artificial stall warning system designed to activate before an actual stall occurs to provide margin for recovery.

Non-Uniformity Correction (NUC)

An automatic EFVS calibration process that occurs descending through $10,000\,feet$ above the runway elevation.

Boresight

Also known as the Aircraft Reference symbol on the HUD, it represents the projected centerline of the aircraft and is fixed slightly above the display center.

Flight Path Vector (FPV)

A HUD symbol consisting of a circle with wings and a tail showing the actual velocity vector of the aircraft’s center of gravity.

Flare Cue

A HUD symbol (a "+" sign) that appears below the FPV and rises toward it one second before the flare maneuver should be initiated.