Ok,

Is it a) It eliminated the need for a tug and operator to be stationed at the gate, meaning that the airline could save time by starting engines on the gate?
Or b) Because they felt like blowing out a few windows in the terminal and blaming it on Delta

Also, while I don't know exactly why they did it, I do know that Northwest and I think United did it as well, among others.

Cheers,
Joe.

probably it was/is due to cost saving.

Would it be to minimize the time during which the aircraft must remain parked at the gate (turnaround time)?

If so, I think this procedure was limited to aircrafts having aft fuselage mounted engines, like MD-80 and B-727, to reduce Foreign Object Damage (FOD) risk.

Uhu, just a ground crew strike.

pj747, don't you sleep? What time is it there? 6 AM?

I'm not sure where you got your information Peter, but several airlines used the power back procedure as a time saving step. You still needed a ground crew to marshal the plane and keep an eye on the clearances around the plane. TWA used the power back for a while with the MD-80 and the 727. It worked OK if the ramp was level and the area clear of goodies to suck up into the engine. The only thing the power back procedure eliminated was the tug and the tow bar. You still needed at least 3 ground people for the power back.

The restrictions were many, including all engines running, all EPR gauges working, no snow or ice on the ramp, etc. It did save a little time, but the fuel burn won out over time and it was stopped. At TWA and a few other airlines, single engine taxi was the norm to save fuel. When TWA was absorbed into American in 2001, we were told to start all engines for taxi. After a while we were able to show the management at American that using TWA fuel saving procedures could save them over a billion dollars a year in fuel costs.

Lou

CoolP wrote on May 16^th, 2011 at 4:11pm:


Like that?



OUCH.

I watched a DC10 suck in a big tarp off the baggage cart one day in FLL. Man did that engine stop fast!

As for single engine taxi in FSX, there is not enough nose wheel weight to steer correctly. Just try doing a tight turn and you will see the nose wheel scrub. Going slower helps. I sometimes use just a touch of single brake to help in the turn. The 727 turned just fine, in real life, either direction using just the pod engine & nose wheel steering.

Lou