tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60936446044297789372024-03-08T03:32:50.534-08:00GeekinthecockpitAirline Pilot BlogGeekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.comBlogger871125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-86230518402818209062022-01-10T08:21:00.001-08:002022-01-10T08:21:52.139-08:00So....Year 5 pay coming up<p> I'm still here. Tiktok has been my primary blogging platform of sorts. It takes WAY more time than this site....but it's a visual experience vs words and a few photos. </p><p>I start year 5 pay in a few weeks. If I had bid LGA CA 737 I would soon be making $263 an hour....but I didn't...so I will be making $169 an hour. Those that have been following this from the beginning will remember when I made $24 an hour. </p><p>Those not in the industry assume everyone wants to be Captain and make money. I am and have always put quality of life over money. Being at mainline I make plenty as a First Officer. No need to rush to Captain. I will likely head over to the 787 as a First Officer before bidding Airbus Captain anyway.</p><p>Beyond that...I'm happy. I am doing what I love. My goal was to one day be an airline pilot for a major airline. I have met my goal. </p><p>The road here wasn't easy...but I am glad I took the jump. </p><p>Questions? Fire away...but again...way more interaction on Tiktok. </p>Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-26917967656144548482021-10-19T11:30:00.002-07:002021-10-19T11:30:19.591-07:00Fourteen Years<p> At the end of the month I will mark 14 years as an Airline Pilot. This career has been interesting. I've lost count of how many hotel rooms I've stayed in....how many cups of airplane coffee I've slugged down....how "well crap" statements after a not so great landing. </p><p>I still love what I do. </p><p>Each time I pre-flight a plane I look up in amazement....."I get to fly this thing". </p><p>That said it hasn't all been roses. </p><p>Long time readers know I spent 10 years flying regional jets...8 1/2 of those years in the right seat...unable to upgrade. </p><p>This blog used to be my main focus. As time has gone on I updated less and less....over the last year I've been making more updates...but just via video on TikTok. I'd like to say that will change...but I don't see it. </p><p>I will be starting a YouTube channel. It will be updated more than this site but less than Tiktok. Just a different avenue. </p><p>Beyond that...life is good. I haven't regretted changing careers for a moment...all the unknowns....all the stress...all worth it. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLMNZXaqOSwbIiuEO19M11_Srz1coKm0I53kiUq-uozAIpPFWOIcPNTURmtkF1ILKtNL3LqYn7vNUk5fRf8nh0Cz2UQPBpvWvJpJZcPZOi3gqUVUQ9YqGa8-yuymkfzY4SD2HoWyLLXM9/s1329/IMG_0245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1329" data-original-width="997" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLMNZXaqOSwbIiuEO19M11_Srz1coKm0I53kiUq-uozAIpPFWOIcPNTURmtkF1ILKtNL3LqYn7vNUk5fRf8nh0Cz2UQPBpvWvJpJZcPZOi3gqUVUQ9YqGa8-yuymkfzY4SD2HoWyLLXM9/s320/IMG_0245.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-26379204763747805582021-06-27T06:11:00.003-07:002021-06-27T06:11:53.334-07:00I’m still here<p> I’m still here. </p><p>The last year has been interesting. Flights went from nearly empty to every seat being full. </p><p>I was fortunate to survive furlough and have steady flying the entire time. During the fall I was the second most junior pilot in my status. This summer…I’m 50% in base meaning half the pilots in my status are below me. </p><p>With the increase in flying I’ve scored a few 150% pay trips. These are the trips my wife and I would talk about while I was making $40 an hour as a RJ First Officer. One 150% pay overnight pays more than. I took home in a month my first year flying back in 2007. Even a regular pay 4 day pays more than I made in a month as a 8 year RJ First Officer. I am lucky to be where I am.</p><p>While planes are full, I am not doing to same flying I used to do. I miss Colombia and Ecuador. My Bogota flights from DFW are now flown by a 777. No flights to Ecuador have returned yet. </p><p>This Thursday I fly to Honduras for the first time since 2019. <span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(60, 64, 67); color: #3c4043; font-family: Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Toncontín airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras is one of the most difficult airports to land at in the world. There’s a lot of prepartation prior to landing. I’m looking forward to a change of scenery.</span></p><p>Beyond that…life is good. Kids are healthy. Wife and I are vaccinated. Waiting for the world to recover. </p><p>Almost daily updates ok <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@geekinthecockpit?lang=en">TikTok</a></p>Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-44280808920308391522021-02-19T08:23:00.000-08:002021-02-19T08:23:03.662-08:00Back to the Line<p> After surviving furlough by 27 numbers I'm back to being a line holder next month. I didn't want a line....I wanted reserve. Why ? Numbers.</p><p>I was awarded a week of vacation next month over my kids Spring Break. Normally great...but the whole pandemic thing going on. </p><p>At my airline a week of vacation is worth slightly more than 25 hours. Due to the way reserve is calculated I can bid short call reserve and get almost 85 hours of pay while working 15 days. It's some convoluted math. </p><p>I tried to bid reserve but I put in to many restrictions and not enough options thus I got a line. I will be paid 82 hours with 20 days off though...not bad. I have 2 4 day trips and 1 2 day trip. I'm still ahead. </p><p>Of note my 2 day trip goes through Tegucigalpa Honduras....AKA one of the most difficult commercial airports to land at in the world. I haven't been there since...hmm....maybe last March. It's been a while. </p><p>Beyond that life is good enough. I could complain because all pilots complain...but I won't. I'm happy to have job...be based where I live and have enough to support my family. </p><p>Sorry for the inactivity here....I'm much more active over on the Tik that Toks. Link <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@geekinthecockpit?lang=en">is here</a></p><p><br /></p>Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-12206979502986612202021-01-06T10:13:00.002-08:002021-01-06T10:13:33.042-08:00From 52% to 98%<p> With the furloughs and reduced flying I've gone from middle line holder to second from the bottom. Long time readers might recall when I was THE bottom back in 2008. I've been here before. Thankfully there's no more airport standby. I've been short call reserve for 3 months in a row. </p><p>December I was in the right spot all month...I only worked 5 days...and just 2 overnights. </p><p>I'm thankful to still have a job. I'm not complaining. </p><p>January I have a week of vacation. January vacations go very junior as it's not a very desirable vacation month. I have no plans. </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm currently on a 4 day trip. This was a surprise trip as when I saw it go into open time the math showed I was barely legal for it. Turns out I was the ONLY pilot available. Thus I got it. I was legal by 13 minutes.</p><p>The trip isn't bad. It's a 1-2-2-1 trip. One leg to PHL on day one...then back to DFW then ATL on day two. Day three is ATL to DFW to LAX while day four is a deadhead home. </p><p>There were a few pre-boarding delays and it wasn't looking good for me getting out before I timed out. While finishing the pre-flight stuff and ACARS message printed out. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqBi57SGqMNO-1-k_OHiuNKKxY-5s7a5nGeOzLiETIqLQxf9uScntJFyA-CvKT81O3B2UVfHdN1Vz7dNMtFrwz4WILMEOxt0UoApzXvlkXCp9-iUtygep8xtiOhQdrMdhEuDq6wNgIB85/s750/acars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqBi57SGqMNO-1-k_OHiuNKKxY-5s7a5nGeOzLiETIqLQxf9uScntJFyA-CvKT81O3B2UVfHdN1Vz7dNMtFrwz4WILMEOxt0UoApzXvlkXCp9-iUtygep8xtiOhQdrMdhEuDq6wNgIB85/s320/acars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I was about to erupt before I saw it was from a friend of mine. He happened to be </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>the Dispatcher for my flight.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I pushed up the thrust levers with 8 minutes to spare.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Long flight to Pittsburgh. Airport hotel. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With this trip and my vacation I should be done for the month. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">February has the return of many pilots below me. I might be able to bid a line. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hoping 2021 is going to be legen......wait for it....dary. <i> </i></div><br /><p><br /></p>Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-58331851169505805542020-12-04T19:25:00.001-08:002020-12-04T19:25:09.888-08:00I worked 3 days in November<p> November began with a week vacation with my family at Disney World. This was our second trip there this year. We went in March the week before it shut down. Going back so soon was very interesting. Crowds were less but it was just different. My kids were happy. </p><p>With the furloughs and reductions in flying I am very junior in base. I'm on short call reserve. Since I live 10 miles from the airport...it's no big deal.</p><p>Scheduling didn't call me until the last half of the month. I was called initially for a super easy 2 day trip. I was to dead head to Grand Rapids...fly to Phoenix...stay the night...and dead head home. Well once we landed in Grand Rapids they changed my schedule for me to fly right back home...as crew. Fine with me. </p><p>The day before Thanksgiving I was given a very interesting trip. The morning flight from Lima, Peru to Miami had a mechanical. The plane was out of service. I was assigned to ferry a plane from DFW to Lima. There's no direct service between DFW and Lima. This would be a first. That flight was just over 2950 miles. That was my longest flight ever...just me and the Captain.</p><p>Being so long we divided up the flight. I took off and over Honduras he took over and landed. I had just 16 hours in Lima before dead heading to Miami...sitting 4 hours...and dead heading home on Thanksgiving day. It was a crazy long day but I technically made it home on Thanksgiving as I pulled in the drive way at 11:50 PM. </p><p>I did make a<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@geekinthecockpit/video/6899606875604634886?lang=en"> Tiktok about the experience</a>.... </p><p>For December I'm short call again......there's rumor of a new bill from Congress that would allow furloughs to be recalled. </p>Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-70127787537688895672020-10-22T11:42:00.003-07:002020-10-22T11:42:39.582-07:00Return to Bogota<p> Since March this only "international" overnight I have had has been Cancun...and that's not really international. </p><p>I have mostly been flying turn to Cancun and overnight in Anchorage as far as non-continental US has gone. September did allow for one turn to St. Maarten (which was a bucket list airport for me!) but that's it.</p><p>September was supposed to have been my return to Bogota. COVID-19 killed those plans as the country was still struggling. This month I finally returned.</p><p>Normally the flight is a 5PM departure from DFW arriving just after 11 PM. I stay 23 hours then depart at 11PM and arrive at 5:00 AM. For reasons I don't know...things are different...but just for ME.</p><p>This week I was supposed to have a 48 hour overnight and the normal red eye home. Scheduling changed it to a 33 hour overnight and a day time flight home. In the 15 + Bogota trips I have done....only one has been daytime and it was a flight to Miami. Seeing the airport awake and me being 100% awake just isn't normal. I was happy to do it though.</p><p>The Captain I had flown with a few times. Things in Bogota are not normal of course. Their citizens do a much better job wearing mask, cleaning and distancing than Americans by a long shot. The hotel was just a nice but only one of the four restaurants was open. The normal expansive breakfast buffet was very small. I appreciated being able to escape the country for a bit....and the exchange rate is majorly in our favor right now. </p><p>Returning home was so easy. The Captain and kept remarking how much easier it is to fly the nearly 6 hour trip during bankers hours. We had an 11 AM departure. There was a snag. </p><p>One of the Flight Attendants called in sick while in Bogota. With reduced frequency it would be more than a day for the next scheduled in bound. The plane we were flying arrived the night before. My airline went above and beyond fixing things. They scheduled an Airbus 319 to leave Miami with just one Flight Attendant on board...with the 2 pilots of course. The non-scheduled flight arrived 1 hour before departure and right next to my gate. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD07i0S8zhbvhA0oUX_N12vcFSdkCQyPVToZI_em3M1r6NKDcrn_s23nnh72CR53oPb0Vm4SbIg3CAPnrLR2vS17dkaXPP6ZVMw3-hgy47Dx_snZoci1yJ7vES9b5jUshO_7WocBdgW3gS/s4032/IMG_0229.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD07i0S8zhbvhA0oUX_N12vcFSdkCQyPVToZI_em3M1r6NKDcrn_s23nnh72CR53oPb0Vm4SbIg3CAPnrLR2vS17dkaXPP6ZVMw3-hgy47Dx_snZoci1yJ7vES9b5jUshO_7WocBdgW3gS/s320/IMG_0229.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Flight Attendant walked off that plane and onto mine. We left on time. The Airbus 319 from Miami then returned to Miami. No cargo...no passengers. That was a huge expense by the airline to keep things moving.</p><p>I'm off for a few days before doing a similar trip but only a 10 hour 45 minute overnight in Bogota next week...still a daytime return. There are only 2 day time flights between Bogota and DFW this month...and I do them both. Every other day it's a red-eye. Lucky me! </p>Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-61234708574095090092020-09-14T18:54:00.001-07:002020-09-14T18:54:22.053-07:00Another trip in the box<p> At my last airline I had a check ride every year. </p><p>For the first 7 years or so it was a "bet your job" single pilot check ride events. There was another pilot in the simulator, but they could never help you. </p><p>My last 3 years they finally were approved for AQP (Advanced Qualification Program). I was in the small group trials for AQP and was actually the first pilot to ever pass that training. Even with AQP at my previous airline there was a lot to do, written exams and an oral exam.</p><p>When I came to my current airline, things changed. I am training in the same building as my last airline....but now I am at the majors. </p><p>My first week here they told me , "you're not at Eagle anymore, relax.....we are here to help you." While it was nice to here....I couldn't just relax.</p><p>I was then training for the MD-80 down the same hall where I used to get 3 hour orals over almost every button on the flight deck. I used to have to recite over 15 different memory items. Now they were telling me to relax?</p><p>While I did have about 7000 hours of flight time before I started at AA, I still felt inadequate. I studied harder than I did for my previous regional jet. For the MD-80 I had my initial check ride in January 2018 and a probationary check ride in October of 2018. Training at AA is every 9 months instead of every year. </p><p>Both events were stressful, especially the probationary ride as that was a job in jeopardy event. Of course I passed....I over prepared. There were written exams and a kind of oral (computer based) for the MD-80.</p><p>When I went to the Airbus I again studied hard. The Airbus 320 program was a huge step from the MD-80 but similar to the ERJ-175 I flew. I missed one question on the written exam. My initial check ride I felt just adequate....but did well. That was March 2019. </p><p>In December 2019 I had my R-9 check ride. I started studying 3 months in advance. I read EVERY manual cover to cover.......twice. I did very well.</p><p>This morning, September 2020 I had my R-18 check. With all the craziness going on I have been stressed. I didn't start studying until a month out. During the break today my instructor pulled me aside and asked if I was former Eagle. I said I was...he said he can spot us....all of us come more than prepared and don't accept mediocre. </p><p>The ride went very well. I stressed myself out preparing for it.....but was relaxed during the event. I'm an average pilot. The 13 years, 5 fleet types and 8200 hours in the air help, but I think it's my over preparing and conscious effort to know everything I need daily that helps. </p><p>Good till June 2021. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSg7KNe4WfI9mEBMa6qd_3cn5zFMte0Om6LrR3A1d20PcIr9pin05yprDCWlsdJj_wA9-m20C4b-zjvBYrSKKdUJo7ynUKQHsz3URY0-Uv5tverfSp_UfHIGS9OLq4J7ZKBTTB0MyGSZL/s4032/IMG_9204.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSg7KNe4WfI9mEBMa6qd_3cn5zFMte0Om6LrR3A1d20PcIr9pin05yprDCWlsdJj_wA9-m20C4b-zjvBYrSKKdUJo7ynUKQHsz3URY0-Uv5tverfSp_UfHIGS9OLq4J7ZKBTTB0MyGSZL/s320/IMG_9204.HEIC" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-85005268397269563172020-09-09T12:11:00.000-07:002020-09-09T12:11:07.509-07:00Hoarding<p> Though I may be safe for now...I can feel the flames.</p><p>As a pilot I am a planner...I plan for multiple scenarios while flying...and in daily life. Always have a backup plan.</p><p>Even since June I have been trying to fortify my savings. I have been socking away a rainy day fund for years. I currently have over a years pay at RJ FO level or about 4 months at my current pay level. At the same time I've been shedding bills and conserving more than I normally do.</p><p>Each month I have two 3 limits on how much I can earn. There's the FAA flying limit, the company credit limit and the union credit limit. The last two are credits. </p><p>It could get complicated quickly and I hate math so I will use round numbers. Each calendar day I get the greater of 5 hours OR whatever is flown whatever is greater. This is averaged over the trip. The real number is 5 hours 15 minutes...but I will stick with 5.</p><p>Now that 5 is a credit amount. If I fly a single 1 hour flight, overnight and 1 hour flight home...I get 10 hours pay even though I only flew 2 hours. The name of the game is to get paid more than I fly. I can't fly 130 hours a month..but I can credit that much.</p><p>Normal line trips don't typically have a lot of credit. My Anchorage trips last month were on paper a 4 day trip. Day 1 was a 2 PM flight to Anchorage arriving same day. Day 2 was a red-eye at 8 PM local (Midnight my base time) arriving at 7 AM in Chicago. Each flight is about 7 hours. I was then supposed to head to a hotel (which it was now day 3) and dead head home early in the morning on Day 4.</p><p>Each flight was 7 hours (round numbers). So a total of 14 hours. The trip was 4 calendar days. I get 20 hours pay (really 21 but again...round numbers). I am not required to go to the hotel since the last leg is a dead head. Each trip I would head to the next flight to Dallas, sleep, and drive home and relax....all while getting an extra 6 hours of pay. </p><p>When weather hits, planes run late or stuff just happens, the airline will substitute crews and aircraft if they are able. Normally this is for reserves. At my airline line holders can list themselves to be called for open flights as they are created. It's called a "make up" list. Depending on how long before the flight leaves scheduling will call the most senior pilot on the list and offer them the flight. They keep going until they get a yes OR it gets too close to departure and they call a reserve. </p><p>These make up flights can be a turn, overnight or full multi-day trip. My favorite are the 1 hour to the hotel and dead head home the next day. Nothing like 1 hour of work for 10 hours of pay. My next favorite are a turn with the last leg being a dead head. I get full pay for fly as a passenger. </p><p>Through June, July and August I played the game of maximizing credit and minimizing flight time. I credited right at 100 hours for June and July and 94 hours in August. I had a week off with family in August...otherwise I could have exceeded 100 easily.</p><p>This month something interesting happened. I was supposed to return to Bogota, Colombia for the first time since February. I had two 3 day trips. One leg down and one leg back. Twelve hours of flight for 15 hours pay. </p><p>Covid-19 is still a big issue down there and the aviation authorities cancelled inbound flights. Once they were cancelled the credit was removed from my tally. I still get paid for those flights as long as I don't touch the days they were supposed to operate AND I accept any reassignment they give me. </p><p>This is where the monthly max credit from the company comes in. This month it's 88 hours. I was at 84 hours before the flights cancelled. Take the 30 hours (2 trips) from 88 and it drops to 58. I can now pick up makeup flying or any trips I want and get more than 88 hours. So far I added a LAX turn (one leg there and dead head back same day) and two MIA turns (dead head there and fly back). That's a total of 18 hours. So I'm sitting at least 102 hours of pay and will fly at most 50 hours. </p><p>This is also my training month. Lot's of moving parts. </p><p>I am thankful for my job and my ability to be working right now. I realize I have a rare career which allows me to earn a lot of money quickly. My current pay rate is right above $161 an hour. Even my basic math at play shows me making over $16,000 this month alone. Most of it will be thrown onto the rainy day pile. Hoping I never need it....but this is one case where it's okay to be a hoarder. </p><p><br /></p><p>A few photos from recent trips....had a nice 22 hour layover in Cancun and of course my Anchorage flights. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFNhLSjk8bFXVXKauW15PxKOxQpwAKZwCy3WAGqeECtdDwnAzwTKn0kcCqdGUiF6kF75GmLAgToDQ92PDO8JhaAo7h7buCQniIb6R_sOhJs0JiVgAmptRYwLGoSQc4BkMnAqrClFo5cIb/s1570/watermark1599678523.3760390.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="1242" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFNhLSjk8bFXVXKauW15PxKOxQpwAKZwCy3WAGqeECtdDwnAzwTKn0kcCqdGUiF6kF75GmLAgToDQ92PDO8JhaAo7h7buCQniIb6R_sOhJs0JiVgAmptRYwLGoSQc4BkMnAqrClFo5cIb/s320/watermark1599678523.3760390.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBOYvG1Ihyphenhyphenevn49EJkvPX8au4KSQ693Jx5gH_8kGkSDLIGVmM9YNqilAHRW1QkuO6gT10adFKPrqSD4cDNWgHx-9rVk3yTVQtrr_E5koMGXIk6_SeELdua1IWg-G7MzO_lG-FZyuqWWv_/s1570/watermark1599678523.4866821.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="1242" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBOYvG1Ihyphenhyphenevn49EJkvPX8au4KSQ693Jx5gH_8kGkSDLIGVmM9YNqilAHRW1QkuO6gT10adFKPrqSD4cDNWgHx-9rVk3yTVQtrr_E5koMGXIk6_SeELdua1IWg-G7MzO_lG-FZyuqWWv_/s320/watermark1599678523.4866821.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSVEczLbstY72DqSDYgQiYlXrTt9XE8tDYbfG9T2euPWSoS7rInFO5ArH7sAEtzIRE-C0Yo-9FZfOUdZl20tt2Zs70c7E2sHTW7twNVIxlp_va75-3CxBqBs8F_tNDw_GJKjYiU7tlLdw/s1570/watermark1599678523.6341972.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="1242" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSVEczLbstY72DqSDYgQiYlXrTt9XE8tDYbfG9T2euPWSoS7rInFO5ArH7sAEtzIRE-C0Yo-9FZfOUdZl20tt2Zs70c7E2sHTW7twNVIxlp_va75-3CxBqBs8F_tNDw_GJKjYiU7tlLdw/s320/watermark1599678523.6341972.png" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-35801351507814505412020-08-27T20:46:00.002-07:002020-08-27T20:46:31.369-07:00Twenty-Five<p> If you follow aviation...or just watch the news then you know it has been a bad week for United States legacy airlines this week.</p><p>Delta announced 1,941 furloughs...then American announced 1605 furlough....and United came in with 2850 furloughs. </p><p>Each number is a pilot...and person...with a family. Massive numbers. </p><p>I am safe at American by 25. That's it. Those that have been reading my blogs for a while might remember I was hired by AA outside of flow. If I had not been fortunate to earn an interview (through heavy networking, volunteering and determination) I would have flowed a year later....and be subject to being furloughed. Twenty-Five.</p><p>Currently on my last Anchorage, Alaska trip. Tired. Long 7 hour flight up. Time to rest. Quite the emotional roller coaster lately with all the news. </p>Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-3589916444591781152020-08-17T07:15:00.002-07:002020-08-17T07:15:55.970-07:00Doing it because I love it...and I might need the money<p> Back in October 2007 I was hired by American Eagle. About a year later they started furloughing. I survived. Barely.</p><p>In November 2017 I was hired by American Airlines. Last month I was the recipient of a WARN letter. I have 2251 pilots below me. They bottom 2500 were given a WARN letter. Yep.</p><p>Since I knew this was coming I started fortifying my furlough fund. </p><p>Every airline pilot SHOULD have a furlough fund. Airline employees live with feast of famine. I have feast when I was hired....since March 2020......it's been famine. </p><p>In May I started cutting back unnecessary expenses. In June I began picking up at much extra CREDIT as possible. </p><p>At my airline there's pay hours...and credit hours. Each day I go to work I am guranteed at least 5 hours and 15 minutes pay regardless of how little I fly. For example I can fly a 1 hour flight from Dallas to Tulsa stay the night and fly back to Dallas the next day. I would work 2 hours but be paid 10 1/2 hours. The extra 8 1/2 hours is credit. Work smart not hard. The idea is for the airline to build efficient schedules. </p><p>At American Eagle there was no daily guarantee. The same Tulsa flight would have paid 2 hours. At my current pay rate a simple overnight nearly covers my mortgage. It's a good deal.</p><p>My union and airline together decide the max credit I can get per month. The FARs limit how much flying I can do per month. In July I was limited to 100 hours credit. I was able to work the system to get 99 hours and 46 minutes of credit. I actually flew less than 60 hours. </p><p>I'm going all this to help fortify my furlough fund. Right now I have about 5 months of pay in cash saved up. That's normal spending. I can easily stretch that to 8 months as I will have lower expenses sitting at home....plus there's unemployment.</p><p>Do I think I will get furloughed? I doubt it. I assume there will be another bailout sent to the airlines to cover them thru March 2021. Hopefully by then the vaccine will be out to high risk people and the virus will be on the mend. If not....then a furlough is very likely.</p><p>Domestic US flying is still pretty busy. International is light because most of the world doesn't want Americans.</p><p>I am an "international" pilot. Mexico is currently accepting Americans. I have been to Cancun more times in the last month than the last year. </p><p>My trips to Cancun were from Phoenix and Dallas. All were full in and out. Americans want to travel. </p><p>Still love flying...still looooooooove the Airbus. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXxHX7VRs9YkWnbKINtkbJeHQJzOaBt08ED4gk3pwYrVu6h9MPjHuTBErRUwnPdgV8jypJCq16adO9wXeXEBp-xyUsxXPj2ezAxTMm6UlnqNhGZNejALKF-VydQDTkYnN5CCdGU1FC9WE/s2048/IMG_8079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXxHX7VRs9YkWnbKINtkbJeHQJzOaBt08ED4gk3pwYrVu6h9MPjHuTBErRUwnPdgV8jypJCq16adO9wXeXEBp-xyUsxXPj2ezAxTMm6UlnqNhGZNejALKF-VydQDTkYnN5CCdGU1FC9WE/s640/IMG_8079.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Photo of the baby bus in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. All that open land and a really short runway!</i></div><p><br /></p><p>I'm a little tired....last night I picked up a 1-1 that was supposed to go to Saint Louis and deadhead home later this morning.</p><p>Before I left home scheduling reassigned me to fly to Kansas City then deadhead home today. A very strong storm came through last night. It could have been worse as they could have given me much longer flights.</p><p>I pulled out of my garage at 7:05 PM.</p><p>Delayed a bit but it was a short flight up. My cabin crew were doing a "On Duty All Night" or Continuous Duty Overnight meaning they worked the first flight out in the morning and required NO rest. </p><p>We were supposed to be full. With all the weather only 37 people on board the baby 319. The plane holds 128 passengers. Nice 28 knot crosswind takeoff. Limit on dry is 35 knots. Light plane plus winds meant for a very short takeoff roll. </p><p>I made a decent landing and I was in my hotel room at 12:20 AM. I was scheduled to leave at 11:35 AM to deadhead back to Dallas.</p><p>At 4:45 AM my wrist was vibrating. Time to get up. I was on the 5 AM van with the cabin crew. There was no need for me to waste half a day in Kansas City.</p><p>Short flight and I pulled into my garage at 7:55 AM just in time to take my daughter to daycare. It was like I was never even gone.</p><p>I am at 86 hours credit this month. Actual flying it closer 62 hours. I hope to pick up at last one more overnight. </p><p>I have two Anchorage, Alaska trips left for the month each with 8 hours of extra credit. </p><p>Doing it because I love flying....and might need the money.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPz04j7SLVAHBmIT5LphySdIqyLMQRIwvSTYJv2RNB3DRL3gEmOog6K1SbHQrabnMknmmQDedwpG0NW4NNPcEkOr4L0JbGcpF7eMml_M0M8OCzAr3WhKLyFHvnIgwrHRICHqs6E8pb9eF1/s2316/B77584FD-D059-473D-9F37-E14756DDE496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPz04j7SLVAHBmIT5LphySdIqyLMQRIwvSTYJv2RNB3DRL3gEmOog6K1SbHQrabnMknmmQDedwpG0NW4NNPcEkOr4L0JbGcpF7eMml_M0M8OCzAr3WhKLyFHvnIgwrHRICHqs6E8pb9eF1/s640/B77584FD-D059-473D-9F37-E14756DDE496.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>For those on social media I am on Instagram and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@geekinthecockpit?lang=en">TikTok </a>as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/geekinthecockpit/?hl=en">Geekinthecockpit</a>. Feel free to request a follow. </p>Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-216799926970420312020-07-01T07:30:00.001-07:002020-07-01T07:30:14.884-07:00A whole lot of AnchorageSo I got to fly again.....crazy long legs.<br />
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For June I bid a line and was given 3 Anchorage, Alaska trips and 5 other "hybrid" days.<br />
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A hybrid day is a day where they will find flying for me. If they can't find flying for me then I get paid anyway. It's a pretty good deal as I pick the days to be available.<br />
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I thought I was ready for a long flight. For a year I have been flying to South America regularly. I was wrong...Alaska is the OTHER direction.<br />
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Flying up to Anchorage is easy. The flight leaves at 2:50 PM and arrives around 7PM Alaska time. The flight is almost 7 hours but it's daytime. The aircraft is the new Airbus 321 NEO.<br />
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The NEO has new engines and a slightly different flight deck. There's new technology and a few new buttons. The thing that took time to learn was CPDLC. In short it allows pilots and ATC to communicate via text message. It's neat...but takes time to learn.<br />
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The overnight is about 27 hours long. Do the math and yeah...red-eye back. The return flight leaves at 11:50 PM Alaska time...or 2:50 AM Dallas time. Big difference. When I left South America I would leave between 11 PM and 12:30 AM Dallas time depending on the overnight.<br />
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For South America Overnights I would take a nap around 5 PM...get a good 5 hour rest...waking up around 10 PM well before deep sleep.<br />
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For Alaska when I got to bed at 5 PM it's really 8 PM.....I get 5 hours sleep and I am in deep sleep when I wake up at 10 PM which is really 1 AM. I am groggy and irritable.<br />
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But enough complaining. Alaska is a beautiful. Sad I can take/post photos of the approach into the Ted Stephens Airport. The view is breathtaking. Arriving flights land on 15 or 25 L/R. I flew the first trip up there and landed on 25 R. On final there's a long mountain chain to the east of the airport....or right in front of you on landing. Quite the sight.<br />
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Almost every airline stays at the same hotel. Nice but vacant with the current stuff going on.<br />
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On my first trip I just stayed in the area on foot. Enough to see.<br />
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On my second trip.....well on the way we lost a lot of oil in the number 2 engine and had to divert to Seattle for the night. We arrived in Anchorage at 11 AM the next day and still left at 11:50 PM that night...I didn't do much.<br />
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On my third trip I decided to explore.<br />
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I rented a car for the day from Enterprise. The agent said normally the cheapest car is over $110 a day. I paid $32 all in...because of the current conditions<br />
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They opened at 7:30 AM. I was in the car by 7:33 AM.<br />
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I drove south to Seward. Amazing drive. I've never seen so many signs alerting of photo opportunities.<br />
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After lunch in Seward I headed back. The drive was 250 miles total and filled up most of my day.<br />
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Back in my hotel room by 4 PM. I tried to sleep and got maybe 4 hours sleep. Rough.<br />
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The sun is still up at departure time. If we take the northern track back the sun sets for about 30 minutes then continually rises on the Captains side for hours.<br />
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Each time I get back I am a zombie most of the day. As beautiful as Alaska is....I don't want those trips in the future. The trip back is horrible on the body.<br />
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Next month I have my first trip back to South America....headed to Ecuador thru Miami.<br />
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As far as my position goes...I am safe for now. I think I am safe thru July 2021. Beyond that...no idea...but no one really knows.<br />
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As far as my hybrid days I was used for 4 out of 5. I did 2 LAX turns where I flew there and deadheaded back. I also had one STL overnight. Not bad. I get a total of 84 hours pay this month.<br />
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<br />Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-3996735925292121222020-05-01T07:25:00.000-07:002020-05-02T06:08:28.128-07:00Remember when we used to fly airplanes? Yeah...me tooIt's May! The last time I flew an airplane was April 9th. One leg from Pittsburgh.<br />
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Over the last 3 weeks I did have vacation, but I was also on call for 9 days....and never was called. I've never been home this long outside of training in over 12 years. I've grown my quarantine beard.<br />
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Being home as helped my family. My wife has worked from home for 3 years. With 2 kids, one being school aged, also at home due to the Corona it's been hard. If I had been working my wife would have a heck of a time doing her job and keeping track of a 3 year old and 9 year old. The 9 year old is pretty self sufficient, but the 3 year old is not.<br />
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That being said....I want to fly. I was hoping to be called at least once during my recent 5 day on call stint. Nothing. Due to contractual rules I couldn't even volunteer to fly.<br />
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So the elephant in the room....will I keep my job? No one really knows. Well I guess some CEO has an idea. As I'm number 13495 out of about 16200. I am lucky that I got hired out of flow as I would be about 14161....about 600 numbers. Maybe it will help...maybe not. If things get worse and furlough starts....it will help.<br />
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Traditional furlough is like a game of musical chairs. The airline announces how many chairs are available. Pilots start picking chairs in seniority. When the music stops if you don't have a chair....well...you are furloughed. This will take time as if the senior pilots need training they will keep the junior pilot around until THEIR replacement has been trained.<br />
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For me....if they furlough 2500 pilots and things are optimal...and they train 100 pilots a month (very optimistic) then it would take 2 years to get to me. That's traditional furlough.<br />
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As things improve international travel will take the longest to return. Airlines could pull a rabbit out of their hat and use Force Majeure and furlough out of seniority to save money. Lawsuits would occur and eventually airlines would have to pay....but it would save them money. Will they do it? No idea...I didn't go to Harvard.<br />
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For the time being I'll keep growing my beard and being Mr. Mom.Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-2100958936617632692020-03-30T07:02:00.004-07:002020-03-30T07:02:50.764-07:00Last Flight out of QuitoMy how the world has changed since my last post.<br />
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March has been bizarre. I bid reserve by accident. Most of the time on reserve at my airline reserve pilots get between 0 to 50 hours or so of credit. I will end March with over 82 hours of credit.<br />
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I say credit and not hours flown...because it's complicated. Long story short I get a minimum of 5 hours 15 minutes of credit for each calendar day I work. If I fly a 30 minute flight today to an overnight and then a 30 minute flight back tomorrow...I get 10 and a half hours of credit. Additionally if I fly 8 hours today and 1 tomorrow I still get a minimum 10 hours 30 minutes. Deadheads pay the same as flying. When I'm not on reserve it's easy to make money by flying super short flights and getting more credit than flying.<br />
<br />
For reserve this month I bid short call. Short call gives me 76 hours pay no matter how little I fly. If I get more than 76 hours credit then I get the extra. So this month I will get an extra 6 hours pay...about $966 before deductions.<br />
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The month started off with full airplanes and long flights. The first trip had an overnight in Madison, Wisconsin (where it was freezing!!!!) and then an overnight in Guayaquil, Ecuador...where it was 85 degrees and humid. All South America return flights are red-eyes. Guayaquil earned the rank as my least favorite red-eye as it left at 1:40 AM which at the time was 12:40 AM my home base time. The other red-eyes I do leave at least two hours earlier. When I rest before a flight I don't feel as tired as I don't get into deep sleep. I was in deep sleep before the Guayaquil flight. It was rough.<br />
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Before my next trip started the Covid-19 issues began to be taken seriously in the United States. Flight reservations began to quickly cancel. No longer were my planes full...they were half full at best for the next trip where I had overnights in Boston, Charlotte and Quito.<br />
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This trip was interesting as it included a trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica. I flew the leg from Boston and the Captain flew the leg to Charlotte. It was odd leaving a bunch of folks on an island in the middle of a pandemic. Their vacation though.<br />
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We were scheduled to fly the last flight out of Quito as that country was closing their borders. The crew bringing the plane down to us had a long day ahead. They were to leave Boston, fly to Miami, sit 4 hours, fly 4 1/2 hours to Quito, sit 2 hours then immediately deadhead on my flight 6 hour flight to Dallas. Normally they would overnight in Quito. I texted the Captain of the inbound to see if they were up to all of that. They could totally refuse in Miami as it would be a crazy long day. He said he was fine with it.<br />
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The flight down was full plus a company pilot in the jump seat....that checked two bags. I thought this was odd. Why would a company pilot fly down on the last flight to the country? It turned out he lived there with his family. He moved them all down there 4 years ago. With everything shutting down he knew he wouldn't be able to go back to work until May 6th. Crazy times.<br />
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Quito is a very high elevation city. Even though I spend hours at 8000 foot cabin pressure altitude, the elevation at Quito drains me. The hotel is at over 9200 feet!! I stayed in my room except when I needed food. I ate the hotel buffet (cleaning my hands after touching any public handle or lid) alone as there were few hotel guest. I went to nearby American fast food places for lunch and dinner.<br />
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The flight out was booked full. Boarding started on time, but the fueler arrived late. We needed almost 41000 pounds of fuel due to weather in Dallas requiring an alternate. With Quito being so high it also meant we had to be extra cautious on takeoff as we were at max takeoff weight.<br />
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Departure was set for 11:50 PM. We wanted to leave early. Well the fueler was only 1/2 done at 11:35 PM. Nine open seats in the back. Again we were to be full. Through my window I saw a lady sprinting through the terminal. She boarded at 11:40 PM. Still 8 open seats. The agent said two families just made it to the ticket counter. There was no way they would make it in time. The fueler finished and we reluctantly closed the door at 11:50 PM to be off the ground by midnight.<br />
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I was hoping for a boring flight. About 150 miles south of Panama the Flight Attendants called us stating a passenger passed out and was being attended to by two Doctors.<br />
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About ten minutes later one Doctor said land now while the other said wait. We began the process of calling our company medical personnel while also planning for a medical diversion. We knew wherever we landed we would be stuck....for a while...due to Covid-19.<br />
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Thankfully they called back stating the passenger was awake and responding to the IV of fluids. The passenger was in their 70s traveling with his adult children. He was dehydrated and didn't take some medication. Ugh.<br />
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The rest of the flight was really bumpy due to turbulence all over. About 2 hours from landing we got a message that the CDC would meet our flight for a full Coronavirus inspection. Sigh.<br />
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I made an amazingly smooth landing and we pulled into the gate surrounded by flashing emergency vehicles. Thankfully the inspection was quick and we were released.<br />
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After that trip the rest of the month was flying around planes less than 25% full...or deadheading. I did fly to Pittsburgh empty to be put into storage.<br />
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The enormity of all this is too much for me to process. I'm just going to keep flying until they tell me I can't.<br />
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Stay safe. Stay healthy.<br />
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Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-50404618617646824912020-02-19T06:31:00.001-08:002020-02-19T06:31:32.304-08:00I love Jury DutyFebruary is almost over. I have worked just 5 days...really 4 and 1/4.<br />
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I originally had 3 trips this month. Two 4 day trips and a 5 day trip. At the beginning of the month I had a few days of vacation that carried over from January.<br />
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Being junior I get mostly crappy vacation days. Thankfully with flexible scheduling it's not a big deal.<br />
<br />
In January I had 16 days off. I didn't do much beyond annoy my wife. I did take a quick trip to Madrid, Spain. By quick I mean I was on the ground for just 25 hours. It was fun traveling with just a backpack. I got a whole row of coach there and a nice business class suite on the way back.<br />
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While on vacation I was given a jury duty summons. It was for 7:30 AM on a Thursday. My first trip of the month was a 4 day finishing at 7 AM that same Thursday. The trip was a red-eye trip from Ecuador. <br />
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I sent an email with the summons to my Chief Pilots office and the entire trip was removed.....with pay. At second year pay that was $3381 to attend jury duty. The day of jury duty I was home by 8:15 AM. Nice!<br />
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With the vacation in January, being a little more senior and jury duty.....I haven't worked much this month.<br />
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In January I did take my first trip south of the equator. I had a 5 day trip that ended with a red-eye back from Quito.<br />
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Quito airport is 7700 feel MSL. The hotel and city of Quito is almost 1500 feet higher. I have never been so high. The headache never stopped. I have no desire to go back. I made the best of it with a trip to stand on the equator though.<br />
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By this summer I will go from the bottom 20% seniority to the top 40% as they expand the status. I will really enjoy the seniority by then.<br />
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If only there were a way to get more jury duty summons. Ha.<br />
<br />Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-34840977402959357232020-01-08T07:02:00.000-08:002020-01-08T07:02:00.659-08:00Well that was not fun at allThe Airbus is a fabulous aircraft. I truly enjoy flying it more than any other plane I have flown. True I've only flown 5 different transport category jet aircraft...but the Airbus is my favorite.<br />
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For new readers I started with the CRJ-700 as a First Officer then the ERJ-145 as a First Officer, CRJ-700 as a Captain, ERJ-175 as a Captain, MD-80 as a First Officer and now the Airbus 320 series as a First Officer.<br />
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The Airbus is automated, quiet and spacious. When things go wrong the ECAM walks you through fixing many things.<br />
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On Christmas day I had three flights to complete before heading home.<br />
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I started in SFO with a flight to DFW in a 321. This 321 was legacy US Airways and only had about 5000 cycles on it. There was a MEL on the left generator. The generator was having issues and was taken offline. We ran the APU for the entire flight to take the place of the left generator.<br />
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We were full plus two jump seaters. One was a Airbus 330 dispatcher and the other was an Airbus pilot from Alaska.<br />
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Things were fine until we started our descent to DFW from 33,000 feet. Once the engines idled down things got "exciting". The RIGHT engine had a compressor stall. The ECAM stated the engine failed...but it was still making power. We followed the ECAM checklist. One action was to take the number right generator offline. The left was already offline. We were left with just the APU. If that failed we would be on the RAT.<br />
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Once the ECAM actions were done we were on one engine as the right engine was idled per the checklist. I made a radio call I never thought I would make...."Pan, Pan, Pan, Pan American 1198".<br />
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I advised ATC that we were on one generator with one engine idled. We were given priority to the airport.<br />
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I continued running checklist and preparing the aircraft. The Captain advised the Flight Attendants and Passengers. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.<br />
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Once on final the right engine somehow appeared normal. All the errors went away. We decided to land normally.<br />
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There were emergency vehicles on each end of the runway. Normal landing. The Captain went to full reverse on both engines. Both reacted normally. Once he came out of reverse....the right engine fully failed. Gone.<br />
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No exterior issues were noted. We taxied to the gate with the emergency vehicle escort. The plane was placed out of service.<br />
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The Captain and I ate the company sponsored Christmas Dinner then went to an Airbus 319 for the last PNS turn.<br />
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Thankfully those flights were normal. I like normal.<br />
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For January I bid reserve (versus a line) for the First Time since 2018. There's a strategic reason due to my contract. Basically I will get paid for 85 hours and only "work" 13 days. Of those 13 I only expect to actually work maybe 8. So far I've worked 4. We will see.<br />
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<br />Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-45783868374391112442019-12-16T06:24:00.001-08:002019-12-16T06:24:55.713-08:00Cleared to fly for 9 more monthsBack at my regional airline I had training events every year. For most of them it was a "bet you job event".<br />
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My regional airline used to be known for having above average pilots. Training wasn't easy...but it weeded out the weaker and average pilots. The check ride event was a single pilot event. The other pilot in the sim could not help, assist, recommend or comment. They could only respond to commands. Even if they saw you were about to fail....they could do nothing. Not a positive experience, but you were on your game.<br />
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My last few years at the regional, things changed to a crew checking event. They made training just how we fly. It allowed the crew to work together. Much better experience, but it did allow weaker pilots to be helped by stronger pilots.<br />
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At my mainline airline they have been using the crew training and checking for a while. It is train to proficiency instead of train to check. As long as you show a positive attitude and improve, the training department can retrain events within reason. They train and check every 9 months. This was no one gets stuck training in December every year.<br />
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Since most of my career is the "bet your job" style training, I still study and prep as though my job is on the line.<br />
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I started studying 6 months prior to the checking event. My studying involved reading the systems manual cover to cover twice (even though I would only be tested on just a few systems). I read the aircraft operations manual...twice. I reviewed every training scenario multiple times. I read study guides multiple times. I still felt I was behind.<br />
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I wasn't.<br />
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On my first day here 2 years ago (TWO YEARS MAN! TWO FREAKING YEARS ALREADY!) I was told that I could relax and I don't need to be stressed in the training environment as I wasn't at a regional anymore. They repeated that....several times. I just can't relax. This is my dream career and I came from an environment where one mistake could cause the sim to stop and the pilot to be sent home and given just one more chance to be nearly perfect or be out of a job.<br />
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Yesterday I had a 5:30 AM show time. I am glad I live just 4 miles from the training center.<br />
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The briefing and sim went very well. I was paired with a "seat filler" which is a person trained on the aircraft but it NOT a current line pilot. This can be a good thing as they do these training events over and over again. I only had one debrief item. We descended into icing conditions and I forgot to turn on the engine anti-ice until we had been in it for over 2 minutes. Not a huge deal, but it was an item.<br />
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Cleared to go back on the line for 9 more months.Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-21106676276708754112019-12-04T17:19:00.000-08:002019-12-04T17:19:01.360-08:00Bus Driver LifeI am truly enjoying the Airbus. This is the first aircraft that I truly enjoy being on the flight deck. The Airbus flight deck is spacious and almost perfectly thought out. I appreciate how quiet it is and the room to stretch and spread out.<br />
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My trips have been all over the place. I have enjoyed a double overnight in Portland (I have family near by), 24 hours in St. Lucia (at an all inclusive resort!) and of course many...many...many trips to Bogota, Colombia.<br />
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My first recurrent training is coming up next week. I began studying 2 months ago....because that's who I am.<br />
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I haven't flown the NEO yet. I was assigned a LAX turn...but it cancelled 2 hours before departure. The NEO has fancy CPDLC (Controller Pilot data Link Communications)boxes and of course new engines. The CPDLC makes flying out of RADAR coverage more pleasant among other things. Right now when traveling over the Atlantic between the Caribeaan and parts of the Eastern US we use High Frequency radios for communication. The HF radios aren't clear and we are talking to radio operators and not controllers. CPDLC is like text messaging between controllers and pilots. I look forward to using it one day.<br />
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Beyond that life is great. My 2 year old is still giving me grey hairs. My 9 year old is itching to take another International Business class flight. My wife is finally enjoying the extra income I'm bring home. Long time followers know she supported me for years when I was a regional First Officer making under $40 an hour.<br />
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I plan on riding out the Airbus until I can hold the 787 right seat. At least 2 more years. Which is fine with me.Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-56956511285695439132019-10-20T17:14:00.000-07:002019-10-20T17:14:02.613-07:00Just a few hours agoThis month has been interesting scheduling wise.<br />
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I started the month off with the first vacation without kids...since we had our first kid. We flew my mother in law to watch our kids while my wife and I escaped to Vegas.<br />
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In true pilot family style, she flew on a paid ticket on Spirit while I jump seated on my airline. We arrived and left Vegas within 30 minutes of each other.<br />
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When I arrived back home I found two cash out vouchers worth $90 that I failed to cash in. Lucky for me I had a 24 hour Vegas overnight two weeks later. It was like I won again.<br />
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My line for the month was originally a comfy 78 hours. Then my wife got an unexpected work assignment requiring travel. I had to trade a 26 hour 5 day trip for a 10 hour 2 day trip. I was down to just 63 hours. Not good for the budget.<br />
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I put my name in the proverbial hat for extra flying. I'm fairly junior so I don't often get the best assignments.<br />
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Saturday my family went to the Alliance Airshow. It was our first time in years. My pilot union sent out an email offering VIP tickets free. I signed up and was able to get enough for my family of 4. We had a fabulous time. While watching the show I was offered a very lucrative 15 hour 2 day trip.<br />
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The trip was a deadhead to Miami then deadhead Guyana to overnight then ferry a plane to Tulsa and a quick dead head home. Super easy! But I was enjoying the show so I declined it.<br />
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On the way home I was then offered a 1 leg to STL, overnight then 1 leg to MIA and dead head home. I was pretty tired from the air show...so I declined it..<br />
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Sunday mid-day I was getting ready to take the family to Six Flags (we live 4 miles from Six Flags Over Texas...we go...a lot) when the phone rang. They offered a deadhead to San Diego, overnight and 1 leg home...worth 10.5 hours. Done.<br />
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I'm now up to 73 hours for the month. I think I can pick up at least another overnight this week to be back in the 83 hour range.<br />
<br />
It's funny to think this morning I had no plans...then a few hours later I was walking thru the Gas Lamp district of San Diego.<br />
<br />Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-57685873926267560752019-09-10T06:39:00.002-07:002019-09-10T06:39:40.121-07:00The Perks of Living in BaseI have been fortunate enough to live in base for most of my 12 years in this industry. Living in base means more time at home and, most of the time, a higher quality of life.<br />
<br />
At my current airline being close allows me to pick up extra flying that commuters can't easily do. When flight crews run late the airline tries to cover that crews later flights with other pilots. They will try to get pilots from home, reassign another crew or at worst delay a flight.<br />
<br />
Sometimes they have just 3 to 4 hours notice of a flight crew running late. That might sound like plenty of time....but it's not.<br />
<br />
Report time is 1 hour prior. That brings it down from 4 hours to 3 hours to find someone. They have specific procedures in place to fill this type of flight. They normally start calling pilots on the "make up" list in seniority order. Pilots have to add themselves to this list. I list myself on everyday off.<br />
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I am still very junior. Over 80% of the pilots in my status are SENIOR to me. I get the crumbs most of the time for my line and makeup flights. Every now and then though....I get the good stuff.<br />
<br />
My favorite type of makeup flight is a flight out and deadhead back the same night. I've done a few where they call me at 6PM for a 10PM departure to Vegas. Once I arrive in Vegas I am assigned to dead head right back. I fly there and sleep back....home with donuts for the kids by 6:30 AM.<br />
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The flight to Vegas is just over 2 hours. Due to the pilot contract I am paid 10 1/2 hours to fly there and deadhead back. Easy money..<br />
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This past weekend I picked up two make up trips worth 21 hours, but I was on the flight deck for just 6 hours.<br />
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The first sequence was a deadhead to ATL, fly the same plane to LAX...stay the night...then deadhead home on Sunday worth 10 1/2 hours. Once I arrived in LAX I simply deadheaded right to DFW instead of staying the night. I was still fully paid 10 1/2 hours even though I didn't stay the night.<br />
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Sunday afternoon I was offered a 8:44PM departure to Austin then deadhead back the next day...again worth 10 1/2 hours. Austin is only an hour long flight. I was in the Austin hotel by 11 PM.<br />
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I debated taking the same aircraft back at 5 AM being home by 6:45 AM.....but I didn't want to be a zombie Instead I took the 6 AM flight and pulled into my garage at 7:35 AM. In 3 days I was paid 21 hours for just 2 legs where I was at the controls...only one of which I decided to fly. Good living.<br />
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Beyond that life at my airline is good. My "bet" years ago to start hitting job fairs, volunteering and networking paid off by beating my flow date by a year. That year allowed me to get based at home. If I had lost the bet...or just waited to flow I would be commuting for over a year. That would be less money, less time at home and more money spent (on commuting hotels, crash pads etc).<br />
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There are lots of perks to living in base.<br />
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<br />Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-6303931398213345972019-08-16T06:54:00.001-07:002019-08-16T06:54:16.268-07:00Everything finally alignedNon-rev travel is a fun way to see the world.<br />
<br />
When I was pretty new my wife and I took an awesome trip to Tokyo. We enjoyed First Class suites for the 14 hour flight to Tokyo. Those seats together cost more than I made that year as a First Officer flying a CRJ. Because I worked for a wholly owned subsidiary it was less than $200 each.<br />
<br />
Since then we have traveled on hundreds of flights Domestically with each other and our children. My nine year old has been on over 350 flights including 5 flights "across the pond".<br />
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Of those 350 odd flights less than 15 have been in a premium cabin. A few of those were mileage award seats and a handful were non-rev. The reason being my airline requires non-rev passengers to be at least six years old to sit in a premium cabin.<br />
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My oldest is a very experienced traveller. She knows how to clear security, find the gate and, most importantly, find the nearest emergency exit.<br />
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She's been asking forever to travel in International Business Class.<br />
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We finished a huge (17 people total) extended family vacation last Saturday. Monday we headed to London. We had just a backpack and a very small (fits under the seat) carry on. That's it.<br />
<br />
To increase the odds of sitting next to each other we first flew DFW-PHX then PHX-LHR. He had seats next to each other on the 777-200. She was beyond excited.<br />
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After 9 hours we walked off the plane just before 10 AM Tuesday morning. We took a few hours nap in a hotel then went to explore the city on a very sunny day.<br />
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Wednesday was rainy so we made the best of it.<br />
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Thursday morning we headed back to LHR and got lucky again with Business Class Seats next to each other on a 777-300 to DFW.<br />
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<br />
Ten hours later we were home. Being frequent travelers we are both Global Entry. The new biometric Global Entry scanners are amazing. They just took our photos and knew who we were. From plane to curb was under 8 minutes...with most of it being walking.<br />
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<br />Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-59597611507955578222019-07-26T07:44:00.001-07:002019-07-26T07:44:49.452-07:00Oh The Places I Will FlyEver since I started flying, it has been mostly domestic...and easy. There were a few cities in Colorado and Mexico that had terrain, but none were really difficult.<br />
<br />
With my new status as an "international" Airbus pilot at my current airline, I am trained to fly into very difficult airports with high terrain, multiple escape procedures and very special qualifications. Pilots in the "domestic" status only fly to the contiguous United States, Mexico and Canada. Booooring.<br />
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My first trip into a high terrain in an Airbus was into Bogota, Colombia. The airport elevation is over 8000 feet. High altitude means less power made by the engines and thus worse performance. If the terrain around the airport was flat....that would be no big deal. Bogota is surrounded by rising terrain in all directions.<br />
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The high terrain and altitude make for spectacular thunderstorms...even late at night.<br />
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I'm from Texas. I'm used to thunderstorms, but generally when the sun goes down and heating is lost...the storms die down. Around Bogota that is not the case. Gigantic storms are very common this time of year. The model of Airbus 319 my airline flies into Bogota is very new (most are under 4 years old) with multi-scan RADAR. The multi-scan gives a fantastic view of the weather compared to conventional single scan and tilt. <br />
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The Bogota airport has multiple RNAV arrival routes that keep aircraft safely away from terrain. When there's weather over the arrival then it's all up to the pilot to navigate safely. For whatever reason controllers outside the United States don't intervene as much for weather. They assume the pilot knows best. Take that how you will.<br />
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Of the 4 times I've been to Bogota, only one has been smooth and deviation free. The other three have involved navigating storms and terrain. The airport has always been clear but the arrival and departure routes were not. I am very comfortable with Bogota now.<br />
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Until this week the rest of my "international" status included flights to the Caribbean, Bermuda and Mexico. Beautiful but nothing exciting. I wanted something different.<br />
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I volunteered to be trained to fly into Toncontín International Airport....one of the most challenging commercial airports in the world.<br />
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The airport is in the middle of city 0f Tegucigalpa. The city is surrounded by close in terrain. Prevailing winds require landing with a tailwind or making a very tight turn to avoid terrain. The runway is 6000 feet long.<br />
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In order to get qualified I had to ride in the jump seat on a flight in and out of the airport while a check airman sat in my seat. I get paid the same as if I was flying...easy money. I would love to have taken a video, but it's not allowed. There are plenty on youtube. Many are "exciting". There's been more than one accident recreation by the National Geographic channel.<br />
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The day before the trip I read all my airline and aircraft documentation on the airport. There is a lot.<br />
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My airport restricts only Captains for arrivals into the airport due to the tight left turn required. Not much of the airport can be seen by First Officers in the right seat. Captains have fly in twice with a Check Airman. First Officers can only takeoff.<br />
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On the flight down the three of us spent over 2 hours briefing the approach, landing and contingencies. My airline made its' own RNAV visual approach to runway 2. Normally aircraft make a localizer approach to runway 20, then circle to land runway 2. This is what the 757 used to do at my airline. Due to terrain descending away from the aircraft while turning final it made for an optical illusion that the aircraft was high...causing very unstable approaches. The RNAV visual approach built into the FMS fixes this.<br />
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The Airbus can be coupled to the autopilot and fly the descending final approach until very short final. This helps avoid the tendency to raise the nose...especially when the GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System) is screaming "sink rate, sink rate" and "whoop, whoop pull up" as it thinks we are going to hit the ground.<br />
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All the reading and discussion still didn't prepare me for what I saw. It was intense.<br />
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We were assigned the localizer 20 circle to land runway 2 as expected and briefed. The Captain flew the approach to a fix just north east of the airport then turned right to go downwind for the runway 2 approach. The Check Airman quickly reloaded the FMS for the RNAV visual to runway 2. Everything was great until turning base when winds and possibly a FMS issue caused the plane to be far inside of the desired turning radius.<br />
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Flying 180 MPH the Check Airman told the Captain to turn right and fly to be outside the home improvement center (a local Home Depot if you will that was part of the briefing and very easy to spot). I had a great view of the runway but more impressively the close and rapidly rising terrain.<br />
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The Captain flew right then banked hard left while descending to line up with the runway. Landing on runway 2 only allows for 5100 feet of pavement due to a displaced threshold.<br />
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My airline has a policy that if the main gear isn't on the ground by the first 90 degree taxiway...a go around must be commenced.<br />
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This was the second trip to the airport for the Captain. Even with the issue of being close in and needing to turn out he made an awesome landing.<br />
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Here's a shot of the Airbus at the gate. You can see the runway in the background. Not too long ago local automobile traffic was allowed to cross the runway when not in use. After a horrible accident...the road was closed.<br />
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There's been several accidents and incidents here including an Airbus going off the end of runway 2 and down into the city.<br />
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Fairly quick turn and we were headed for Miami. Only 40 passengers so takeoff performance wasn't a factor. It's common to need extra flaps and full takeoff power to be able to take a full load of people, cargo and fuel. The Check Airman stated Dallas bound flights often have to stop for fuel as they can't carry enough with the cargo and passenger load to safely takeoff.<br />
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The departure was uneventful.<br />
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Nice overnight and the next day was just the Captain and I flying from Miami to San Pedro Sula then to Dallas.<br />
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I took the first leg. I've never been to San Pedro Sula but wanted something new. We were delayed 2 1/2 hours due to maintenance...which was annoying as the flight didn't get delayed until AFTER we arrived to the gate even though the plane had been on the gate for three hours.<br />
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Normal flight over Cuba then down to Honduras. This airport has rising terrain but only on 3 sides. I flew the RNAV visual to runway 4. I left the autopilot on for most of the approach and enjoyed the view. The approach goes right over a mountain ridge and kept the aircraft 1000 feet above it while descending. Easy landing.<br />
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Quick turn and we were Dallas bound. Long flight and home late.<br />
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Being signed off for Tegucigalpa means I will likely fly there often. I plan on bidding so I will get paid extra for flying there. It's complicated...but it should work out. At worst I will get a line with just Tegucigalpa flights...which won't be horrible as they are just 2 day trips or turns.<br />
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<br />Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-38044018115555401842019-06-19T19:17:00.001-07:002019-06-19T19:17:30.416-07:00My schedule is just a proposalI am 3 for 3 having my schedule majorly disrupted.<br />
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Last week I was supposed to fly to Bogota from Miami. After arriving and being delayed scheduling wanted me to fly to Manaus, Brazil instead getting in 3 hours later...at 3:30 AM central. I was supposed to arrive in Bogota at 12:20 AM central. I had to do a self assessment and call in fatigued. From my years of experience I predicted being fatigued a few hours into the Brazil flight. It wasn't safe for me to accept the flight.<br />
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Then earlier this week I picked up a Nashville overnight on overtime. It paid 10 1/2 hours for a simple 1-1 flight with just 2 hours and change flight time. Delayed for weather. By the time the plane came in I was reassigned without my knowledge (I left my phone at home). Ended up going home as they put a new crew on Nashville. The union is working with the company to get me paid since I wasn't aware of the reassignment and followed all the rules in the contract.<br />
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Last night I picked up a Las Vegas turn. It was a dead head there and fly back arriving at midnight. Due to a lack of pilots they were paying 150% to do that flight. I would be paid 7 hours or just over $1066...to fly as a passenger and then one leg back. Easy right?<br />
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On the way back from Vegas the flight deck printer began printing a message I didn't request. It stated the Captain and I were to fly to Austin upon arrival in DFW. I wasn't expecting this. Austin is a short hour flight. I had a bunch of coffee on the way to Vegas to make sure I'd be fully alert for the flight to DFW. I decided I would do a self assessment on arrival in DFW.<br />
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Once on the ground I felt okay to continue as did the Captain. The passengers had been waiting for 3 hours and we were their last hope. I don't let outside influences affect my decision making concerning if I will complete a flight or not. That's an easy way to make a mistake. Last night I felt okay before knowing that we were their last hope.<br />
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Quick flight down. I rotated the nose into the air at 1:17 AM and smoothly touched the runway at 1:50 AM. If it weren't for Southwest and United ahead of us I would have landed at 1:40 AM.<br />
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Scheduling gave me 11 hours of rest in Austin before deadheading back that afternoon. I decided I didn't want to rest in Austin as I was still hopped up on coffee.<br />
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I arranged with scheduling to take the first flight out at 5 AM....which was the same aircraft I flew in.<br />
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I checked into the hotel at 2:40 AM. I cleaned up and rested in the bed until 3:40 AM. I then took the 4 AM shuttle back to the airport.<br />
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Since I live close to DFW I was at my kitchen table with donuts for the kids at 6:35 AM.<br />
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Due to extra Austin turn my pay jumped to Just over $2170...for one night of work. That used to take me almost a month to earn back when I first started at American Eagle back in 2007.<br />
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Off for a while now. I've flown A LOT recently.Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-68423839899868418042019-06-04T09:11:00.000-07:002019-06-04T09:11:11.845-07:00Every year the flights get longerFirst...I really enjoy my career.<br />
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I've been flying commercially for 12 years. Every year it seems my flights get longer and longer. Last night I flew the longest flight of my career....2228 Nautical Miles. I flew DFW to Bogota, Columbia.<br />
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This flight is on day 2 of a 3ish day trip. The first day was an afternoon start. I had been in Sacramento, California visiting family. I took at 7 AM flight to DFW...on the jump seat.<br />
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Landed in DFW just before 1 PM. I had a 1:47 PM report time. My inbound aircraft was running late so my first flight was already delayed.<br />
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Day one was DFW-DEN-DFW-MCO. I was scheduled to arrive at MCO at 12:28 AM. Due to weather and delays we didn't arrive until 1:18 AM. Walked into the hotel at 2:10 AM.<br />
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I met the Captain in the lobby for a 12:30 PM van. Day 2 was MCO-DFW-BOG. Weather in MCO caused a delay. Weather in DFW caused another delay leaving to BOG. It all began to pile on.<br />
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Bogota is a special qualification airport. The airport sits at 8360 feet MSL. The airport is surrounded by very high terrain. This time of year the area is known for tremendous thunderstorms. I decided to take the leg down.<br />
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I spent a good amount of time last week reviewing the charts and documentation for arriving and departing BOG. Scheduled block time was 5 1/2 hours. Plenty of time to review the charts further.<br />
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Sure enough there were gigantic storms all around the area. Unlike the United States, the controllers down south make no mention of the storms. It was up to us.<br />
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It took a lot of coordination and situational awareness to navigate the storms while descending into high terrain. We were off the RNAV arrival for large portions of the final segment.<br />
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On an extended base we were finally in the clear. I haven't flown the 319 since early May. It's much shorter than the 321...handles a little differently. Slight crosswind landing. Average landing. Due to higher altitude our true airspeed was much higher than indicated. Even with my normal braking and thrust reverse the rollout was longer and the brakes got much warmer than normal. I turned the brake fans on the taxi in.<br />
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Exhausted. I mostly remember the walk thru the airport and into the van for the hotel.<br />
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Twenty -two hour overnight. I head back to DFW tonight arriving tomorrow morning at 5:20 AM.Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093644604429778937.post-28278497033106894312019-05-09T16:28:00.000-07:002019-05-09T16:28:49.438-07:00I was looking forward to a new country! Currently sitting in a hotel near LAX. I am supposed to be in a hotel in ORD.<br />
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This morning I signed in at 5 o'clock for an easy 4 day trip worth 21 hours. I was a 2-2-0-1 trip. Day one was DFW-LAX-ORD. Day two was ORD-MIA and a deadhead to Nicaragua. I had a 33 hour overnight and did a red-eye home arriving in DFW at 5 AM. Easy trip!<br />
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The early morning sign in hurt a bit. I prepare for these by having my suitcase and kit bag fully packed except for my Ipads.<br />
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I arrived to the plane before the Captain. After reading the logbook I did the exterior preflight, flight deck preflight and first flight of the day test. It was low visibility and raining so I would not be able to perform the first leg (there's restrictions on me for the first 100 hours...I'm at 64).<br />
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Captain arrived with a United jump seater. Both nice guys. We left on time and arrived on time. Two hour sit....scheduled.<br />
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Headed to the crew room for coffee and to relax. My next departure was 9:35 AM. The aircraft had arrived the day before. At 8:45 AM there was no plane at the gate. By 9:20 AM...still no plane. The Captain stated it was still in the hangar. Departure pushed to 10:50 AM....then 10:20 AM. Well by 10:00 AM..still no plane. I began to worry about my duty day.<br />
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With a 5:00 AM sign in I had to be done by 5 PM or agree to an extension. Extending a duty day is dangerous. The FAA published all kinds of data about how accidents and incidents increase with long duty days...especially with early starts.<br />
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Finally had a plane at 10:10 AM. Departure set for 10:50 AM. Arriving in Chicago at 4:58 PM. Two minutes shy of my 5 PM max. I didn't see this ending well.<br />
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Boarding started promptly. During my pre-flight I noticed the fueler connected but not pumping fuel. Didn't think much of it.<br />
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The Captain and I began getting the aircraft ready. FMS programmed and all checks done...we just needed fuel.<br />
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10:40 AM fueling started. We needed 39,000 pounds. That takes a while.<br />
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I sent a message to scheduling advising them that I would likely not be off the gate before 11 AM.<br />
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At 10:53 AM we got a print out from the on board printer stating we would exceed our duty day unless we agreed to extend. Not an option.<br />
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If anything goes wrong the FAA will ask why we agreed to extended and why we didn't go into rest. We were taken off the flight.<br />
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Scheduling initially had us doing a red-eye deadhead to MIA, 3 hour sit and deadhead to Nicaragua. Not desirable....but fine.<br />
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They then pulled us off and had us laying over in LAX and deadheading back to DFW tomorrow. We will then be subject to being reassigned Saturday and Sunday. Not ideal as I could work late into the day Sunday when I planned on having the majority of the day off. Also....I really wanted to go to a new country!<br />
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Beyond that I'm adapting to the Airbus quickly. More later. Now rest. Geekinthecockpithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15853969211193512474noreply@blogger.com0