Wednesday, January 11, 2017

It's different from the left

The new year has come. I've passed 100 hours in the left seat so I'm no longer a baby Captain. 

Right now I'm flying the "hot" RJ. New hire pilots, and most will deny it, have SJS....Shiny Jet Syndrome. They want to fly the latest, most high tech, regional jet at the airline. Nevermind that the pay is the same regardless of what they fly. I fly the 175 not because it's sexy....or shiny....but because it's all I could hold seniority wise when I bid for my current base. 

Anyway I am flying with a lot of new pilots. When I was a senior First Officer I'd been around a while. Every Captain had been around longer than me. We knew "the game" and "the system".

"The Game" is how various airports work. Each time one flies to ORD and are level at 10,000 feet you are expected to go 300 knots until told otherwise. It's not written anywhere...ya just know it. Also every time one flies to LIT you WILL cross 35 miles (as opposed to the normal 30 miles) outside of LIT at 10,0000 feet. It's not written down...ya just know it...or will be told it. Finally it's useless to carry on a conversation flying east or west above Ohio....the center frequencies changes happen about every 2 minutes (exaggeration but it's way to frequent). It takes time to learn the game a the rules are changing...but having a working knowledge makes things easier.

I forget the new hires often don't know the game. I've had plenty slow to 210 knots 20 miles from the airport in class B airspace. I have to remind them that ATC expects 250 knots and all his planning is based on that unless otherwise told. A few have failed to descend properly when heading towards a class C airport without a formal STAR. Again...it's not a bad thing...I just forget as I'm used to flying with more seasoned pilots. I have to stay on my game more often.

"The System" is how my airline operates. I don't expect new hires to know everything. Things like which frequency to call for catering, which to call for a mechanics, which to call for ramp. Additionally how to deal with gate agents, rampers, fuelers and crew scheduling. The system is pretty rigid and rules rarely change It's very rare I have to look up a frequency for any airport I visit. I've been going to the same airports for 9 years. They are like second homes. 

So flying with new hires is like giving IOE. Which I think I might apply to teach.