Narrative:

Flew [this aircraft] for the first time. This airplane has PW4060 engines. During preflight; I discovered this airplane's max weights and egts were added to the [flight operations manual]; but not engine thrust rating; rpm limits or oil temps; pressures or min oil for dispatch. I asked for someone from flight ops about the missing info. [The flight operations manual] lists the engine thrust rating as 60;200 lbs; same as the basic ges; and we agreed the airplane gauges would provide the limits for RPM and oil temps and pressures. We confirmed min oil for dispatch was 17; same as the others. Also asked if the engine start parameters listed simply as pw in the [flight operations manual] applied equally to JT9Ds and the PW4060; and we confirmed they did. [Was told] to expect a [flight operations manual] revision in about a month. Most captains who've flown the airplane are oblivious to the missing data; and [this aircraft] has become a 'tribal knowledge' airplane; with critical details being passed amount crews by word of mouth; if at all. These engines are excessively slow to start; with most fos (first officers) thinking they have a hung start on the first try. And yet; we have a threat analysis in the [flight operations manual] about a tropical ge-powered 767; listing all the salient differences in a few pages. [That aircraft] isn't on line yet; [but this aircraft] has been flying for weeks. I'm sure the manual revision process can be hung up in bureaucracy; but why not a simple email to the pilots highlighting the key differences; missing info; and a heads up about slow-starting engines?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Air carrier Captain reported that differences in aircraft were poorly documented in the company flight manuals.

Narrative: Flew [this aircraft] for the first time. This airplane has PW4060 engines. During preflight; I discovered this airplane's max weights and EGTs were added to the [Flight Operations Manual]; but not engine thrust rating; rpm limits or oil temps; pressures or min oil for dispatch. I asked for someone from Flight Ops about the missing info. [The Flight Operations Manual] lists the engine thrust rating as 60;200 lbs; same as the basic GEs; and we agreed the airplane gauges would provide the limits for RPM and oil temps and pressures. We confirmed min oil for dispatch was 17; same as the others. Also asked if the engine start parameters listed simply as PW in the [Flight Operations Manual] applied equally to JT9Ds and the PW4060; and we confirmed they did. [Was told] to expect a [Flight Operations Manual] revision in about a month. Most captains who've flown the airplane are oblivious to the missing data; and [this aircraft] has become a 'tribal knowledge' airplane; with critical details being passed amount crews by word of mouth; if at all. These engines are excessively slow to start; with most FOs (First Officers) thinking they have a hung start on the first try. And yet; we have a threat analysis in the [Flight Operations Manual] about a tropical GE-powered 767; listing all the salient differences in a few pages. [That aircraft] isn't on line yet; [but this aircraft] has been flying for weeks. I'm sure the manual revision process can be hung up in bureaucracy; but why not a simple email to the pilots highlighting the key differences; missing info; and a heads up about slow-starting engines?

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.