Capt.Fantastic From United States of America, joined Aug 1999, 659 posts, RR: 0 Posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 3264 times:
Recently I was flying on a United 737-500 from O'Hare to Detroit. Throughtout almost the entire flight, the air spoilers were deployed. We were cruising at FL 260 - Why would the spoilers be deployed for this long of a period even at cruise altitude? Could this have been due to cross-winds?
CosmicCruiser From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 2222 posts, RR: 16 Reply 1, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 3240 times:
No relation. The only times I've ever had to fly with the spoilers extended was when we were going to be above max ldg. wgt at touchdown and we were trying to burn extra fuel by adding this drag.
N8076U From United States of America, joined exactly 7 years ago today! , 425 posts, RR: 10 Reply 2, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 3213 times:
Were both sides deployed? If they were, then they were the flight spoilers, and what CosmicCruiser stated could very well have been the case.
If only one side was deployed, then that could be part of the roll control system. The spoilers will proportionately deploy on the one side to assist the aileron that is moving upwards (which is the wing that needs to go downwards). If the aileron trim is set to the left, this may cause what I am seeing in the photo, but I am skeptical of this explanation in this particular case because in the photo, the aileron appears to be completely neutral. But I thought I'd throw it out there anyways.
Capt.Fantastic From United States of America, joined Aug 1999, 659 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 3210 times:
Thanks for your comments - The plane was completely full - Is there any case in which they would they carry more fuel than required (plus reserves) for the 240 mile trip?
Ilikeyyc From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 1373 posts, RR: 22 Reply 4, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 3195 times:
There are some good pictures of how the speedbrakes work on the B737 technical site:
FlyMatt2Bermud From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 563 posts, RR: 7 Reply 5, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 3185 times:
Quoting Capt.Fantastic (Reply 3): The plane was completely full - Is there any case in which they would they carry more fuel than required
240 nm is a pretty short trip for a 737. Sometimes airlines will tanker less expensive fuel when conditions warrant. It could have been another airline cancelled a similar flight at the last minute and transferred their pax to your flight, creating an unexpected full capacity situation and thus the potential for an overweight landing. I'm only guessing but I think they probably didn't expect a full flight. They may have decided to try to burn it off enroute rather than defuel and take a delay.
One factor against my theory is your cruising altitude of FL260, if they were intending on burning off fuel I would think they would have opted for a much lower altitude unless there were storms or moderate turbulence at the lower levels.
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward" Leonardo Da Vinci
CosmicCruiser From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 2222 posts, RR: 16 Reply 6, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 3182 times:
Quoting N8076U (Reply 2): If only one side was deployed, then that could be part of the roll control system.
By the amount of deflection if it were a flight control input for the whole flight that would be one out of trim jet.
Quoting Capt.Fantastic (Reply 3): Is there any case in which they would they carry more fuel than required (plus reserves) for the 240 mile trip?
Carrying more than required is not the problem but short trips are usually max ldg wgt limited so a few hundred extra pounds more than flight planned fuel may have them heavy at ldg as well as the fact that flt. planning is usually on the conservative side meaning they have the predicted burn higher than actual burn.
FlyMatt2Bermud From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 563 posts, RR: 7 Reply 8, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 2924 times:
The flight spoiler position shown is normal on a 737 with the speedbrake lever pulled back to the 'half' deploy position. The 737 design also uses the flight spoilers as part of the aileron augmentation system. With the speedbrake stowed, the spoiler simply rises on the down-going wing with aileron. With the speedbrake applied, not only do the spoilers on the lowering wing rise but simultaneously the spoilers on the up-going wing return to neutral until the ailerons are returned to the neutral position.
What was happening could have been intentional or a malfunction as there are several Airworthiness Directives effecting the Boeing 737's flight spoilers. I am not criticizing, after all this is part of being mechanical and we all know Boeing builds some great aircraft.
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward" Leonardo Da Vinci
Pilotaydin From Turkey, joined Sep 2004, 2498 posts, RR: 50 Reply 9, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 2850 times:
I doubt you would tanker fuel, then burn it to land under the max landing weight. You can perform an overweight landing in the 737 series without any problem at all, flaps come to 30 and you're all set....
it could have been training, or the captain showing a new F/O something, with the flight spoilers up, it takes 50% less ground distance in the 737 to slow down to most speeds from cruise speed.
A captain once showed me the flight spoilers like this : he put them up, and made me manually trim to see how much the pitch changed, incase they would ever be stuck in the flight detent position...good training to see how the plane reacts...
The only time there is too much fuel onboard, is when you're on fire!
HAWK21M From India, joined Jan 2001, 31228 posts, RR: 58 Reply 10, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 12 hours ago) and read 2731 times:
Quoting Pilotaydin (Reply 9): A captain once showed me the flight spoilers like this : he put them up, and made me manually trim to see how much the pitch changed, incase they would ever be stuck in the flight detent position...good training to see how the plane reacts...
The posters statement of it being Raised throughout the Flight is raising a doubt to as Why.
regds
MEL
Sponsor Message: 
From United States of America, joined Aug 1999, 659 posts, 
, 425 posts, 
From India, joined Jan 2001, 31228 posts, 
From Turkey, joined Sep 2004, 2498 posts, 
Sponsor Message: 
Printer friendly format
