Being a Senior First Officer is like having a REALLY nice Yugo. Yeah it's nice....but it's a Yugo.
Part of my seniority is getting just about everything I want schedule and vacation wise.
For December I got my 2nd choice of line. Out of more than 280 lines....I got my second choice. Not too shabby.
I combined the lazy December schedule with a lazy November schedule. I'm able to take more than 13 days off in a row without using vacation.
This will all change next year. I will be 10 from the bottom Captain wise....and commuting. Hopefully I can bid back to base as a Captain before Fall.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Monday, November 2, 2015
Eight Years Later
I passed my 8 year anniversary last week. Eight years! I thought I'd be close to 7000 hours total time as I figured all pilots fly as much as possible. Nah. I'm right around 5200 hours total time. I was hired with just 560....so in 8 years I've flown about 575 hours a year. Not a lot. Of course I've taken a good 16 weeks of vacation....almost 4 months. Plus I took a few months off when my daughter was born. Blah.
It's good I was awarded an upgrade as I'm topped out on the First Officer pay scale. Yep no more money for me until I upgrade.
I have been crafty in getting paid for more than I fly. So far this year I've flown 507 hours but have been paid more than $46,000 in non-taxable income (thus I'm excluding my per diem). That equates to almost $92 an hour. This is more than double my actual pay. The discrepancy is due to bonuses, overtime pay and "blood money".
The "blood money" was paid out due to my pilot group signing a new contract with the company. we agreed to concessions in exchange for new planes and a bonus check. It was a bad idea, but what's done is done. I get another payout when I upgrade to Captain.
I'm guessing I will hit training in February.....could be earlier. Posting should begin to pick up again. The last few months have been quite boring really.
It's good I was awarded an upgrade as I'm topped out on the First Officer pay scale. Yep no more money for me until I upgrade.
I have been crafty in getting paid for more than I fly. So far this year I've flown 507 hours but have been paid more than $46,000 in non-taxable income (thus I'm excluding my per diem). That equates to almost $92 an hour. This is more than double my actual pay. The discrepancy is due to bonuses, overtime pay and "blood money".
The "blood money" was paid out due to my pilot group signing a new contract with the company. we agreed to concessions in exchange for new planes and a bonus check. It was a bad idea, but what's done is done. I get another payout when I upgrade to Captain.
I'm guessing I will hit training in February.....could be earlier. Posting should begin to pick up again. The last few months have been quite boring really.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Back to where I started
After almost 8 years I will finally be moving to the left seat....I got the upgrade.
I was awarded Captain in the aircraft I was originally hired on. It's not the aircraft I currently fly. There's more....I will be commuting.
Bidding on a new status is complicated. I played the cards just right to get my upgrade in a way that I can bid out whenever I can hold Captain in my current base. Normally at my airline if you CHOOSE to upgrade to a current Captain seat you are locked in for 2 years. This is to help the airline recoup the training cost.
When I bid for my upgrade I picked all Captain seats in my current base. I then stated if I was displaced I would like to hold Captain in an another base. That's what happened. I was first awarded Captain in my current base, but due to more senior pilots being displaced out of my current base, I was displaced to another base.
Training should start in January and I should be on the line in March. It's been a long time coming.
I was awarded Captain in the aircraft I was originally hired on. It's not the aircraft I currently fly. There's more....I will be commuting.
Bidding on a new status is complicated. I played the cards just right to get my upgrade in a way that I can bid out whenever I can hold Captain in my current base. Normally at my airline if you CHOOSE to upgrade to a current Captain seat you are locked in for 2 years. This is to help the airline recoup the training cost.
When I bid for my upgrade I picked all Captain seats in my current base. I then stated if I was displaced I would like to hold Captain in an another base. That's what happened. I was first awarded Captain in my current base, but due to more senior pilots being displaced out of my current base, I was displaced to another base.
Training should start in January and I should be on the line in March. It's been a long time coming.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Bypass
Yes I know as the year has gone on I've blogged less and less. No real reason.
In the most recent Captain bid I could have held Captain.....in another base. I bypassed.
I would have been the most junior Captain meaning absolute horrible quality of life. My airline gives reserves 11 days off a month. In reality having to commute to another base I'd be at home 8-9 days a month. Not worth it to me.
Every airline has rumors. The latest is there will be another Captain bid soon with vacancies in my base. I hope it comes out soon as I get no further pay increases as I'm at the top of the First Officer pay scale.
I currently bid number 50 in base. I'm number 70ish overall in the company.
Beyond that I am no longer the union Communications Chairman. Due to some politics I was not re-elected. It annoyed me at first, but I've come to grips with it, back to a regular line pilot.
More to come..........
In the most recent Captain bid I could have held Captain.....in another base. I bypassed.
I would have been the most junior Captain meaning absolute horrible quality of life. My airline gives reserves 11 days off a month. In reality having to commute to another base I'd be at home 8-9 days a month. Not worth it to me.
Every airline has rumors. The latest is there will be another Captain bid soon with vacancies in my base. I hope it comes out soon as I get no further pay increases as I'm at the top of the First Officer pay scale.
I currently bid number 50 in base. I'm number 70ish overall in the company.
Beyond that I am no longer the union Communications Chairman. Due to some politics I was not re-elected. It annoyed me at first, but I've come to grips with it, back to a regular line pilot.
More to come..........
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Another Career Fair
I've been busy this month.
We finished an amazing vacation in Hawaii on the 9th. My family had real seats on a direct flight home. Being a pilot I was going to jumpseat.
Glad we had real seats as the direct flight was booked full with 20+ non-revs. Thankfully I was the only pilot.
Being a long flight there were 3 pilots, 1 Captain, 1 First Officer and 1 relief pilot.
For takeoff and landing I sat in a First Class seat designated for rest for the pilots. After takeoff the bell rang and they were ready for me to occupy a Flight Deck Jumpseat.
Being a wide-body there was a lot of room, but still a stiff jumpseat. I settled in and closed my eyes. About a minute later all the lights in the flight deck came on. They turned them on to help them stay awake. So much for me sleeping.
They were a nice crew. Every two hours or so they swapped turns in the crew rest seat. I did snag a meal.
Once home we all slept a bit. The next day I headed to DC for the OBAP yearly Convention and Job Fair.
My eyes were set on Virgin America, JetBlue, Delta, and United.
I made good inroads with Virgin America in April. I spoke with them again and reaffirmed my enthusiasm. When I spoke with JetBlue I was a little nervous and botched the answer to the question , "What are our core values?" I brushed it off and came back the following day to the same JetBlue rep and apologized for not remembering them and then recited them verbatim.
My talks with Delta were nice. They have slowed down hiring due to construction on their simulator building. They said I had great qualifications, but it may take time for them to call me.
United was by far the worst experience for me. The Captain interviewing me said I had good experience and "maybe in a few years when you've been Captain for a while," that I'd be ready for United. It was quite a crushing experience.
I left there feeling a bit down but I'm not going to let one persons opinion deter me.
For now I'm keeping my applications up to date and working on my interview skills.
We finished an amazing vacation in Hawaii on the 9th. My family had real seats on a direct flight home. Being a pilot I was going to jumpseat.
Glad we had real seats as the direct flight was booked full with 20+ non-revs. Thankfully I was the only pilot.
Being a long flight there were 3 pilots, 1 Captain, 1 First Officer and 1 relief pilot.
For takeoff and landing I sat in a First Class seat designated for rest for the pilots. After takeoff the bell rang and they were ready for me to occupy a Flight Deck Jumpseat.
Being a wide-body there was a lot of room, but still a stiff jumpseat. I settled in and closed my eyes. About a minute later all the lights in the flight deck came on. They turned them on to help them stay awake. So much for me sleeping.
They were a nice crew. Every two hours or so they swapped turns in the crew rest seat. I did snag a meal.
Once home we all slept a bit. The next day I headed to DC for the OBAP yearly Convention and Job Fair.
My eyes were set on Virgin America, JetBlue, Delta, and United.
I made good inroads with Virgin America in April. I spoke with them again and reaffirmed my enthusiasm. When I spoke with JetBlue I was a little nervous and botched the answer to the question , "What are our core values?" I brushed it off and came back the following day to the same JetBlue rep and apologized for not remembering them and then recited them verbatim.
My talks with Delta were nice. They have slowed down hiring due to construction on their simulator building. They said I had great qualifications, but it may take time for them to call me.
United was by far the worst experience for me. The Captain interviewing me said I had good experience and "maybe in a few years when you've been Captain for a while," that I'd be ready for United. It was quite a crushing experience.
I left there feeling a bit down but I'm not going to let one persons opinion deter me.
For now I'm keeping my applications up to date and working on my interview skills.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Flew a Cirrus!
I'm on vacation with my family in Maui. Hawaii for a week or so. This is my 3rd time to Maui. Each of the first two times I planned on renting a plane for a tour. Each time "something" happened.
This time I wanted a sure thing and contacted Maui Flight Academy for a Molokai tour. It was pricey....but everything in aviation is expensive...add in Hawaii and it's even more expensive.
They use a Cirrus G3 for tours. I told the instructor I was an airline pilot and he took 10% off. I haven't flown a General Aviation aircraft in 8 years. I've never flown a Cirrus period. This was also the first time to have my family onboard with me at the controls.
The flight went well. After taxiing a few few for a run-up, the instructor gave me the controls. For the first time in 8 year I taxied around an airport....I forgot what that was like!
Rotating at 70 knots was odd as the first speed I normally call out is 80 knots with rotation occurring around 130 knots.
The flight went well. The airspace is fairly busy with airliners and helicopter tours milling about.
Our first stop was Molokai. Very short and scenic airport. After a brief tour we headed over the other side of the island and back to Maui. I put my daughter on my lap to let her fly, but she wasn't into it. I was surprised as she's eager to fly at home on flight simulator.
We flew right by our beach house so the rest of the family could see.
Below is my approach into OGG. It was gusty (as is common in Hawaii). I give the landing a 7 out of 10. I flared a bit high. After 5000 hours in jets it's hard to go back to a different sight picture.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
It's been a while
I haven't been posting as much as I used to. I've been pretty disgruntled with my employer and thus don't like to think about it more than I have to.
This week I bid a trip that transited the east coast for a change. The trip included a JFK turn.
I haven't been to JFK in 4+ years. It's a busy airport with a lot of International carriers. I was pilot monitoring for the leg inbound. It was VFR at the airport, but we were assigned the VOR/GPS 13L approach for traffic flow purposes.
Most know that LGA and JFK airports are very close together. It's impossible to have a straight in approach to runways 13L/R as it would cut right through LGA airspace.
We were vectored over the top of LGA at 13,000 feet. We were 9 miles in trail of an Emirates Airbus A380. ATC vectored us in a descending right spiral. They snuck in an AeroMexico Connect Embraer 190. Fine with us as it gave more space between us and the Airbus A380.
The approach is fairly simple. We were told to maintain 3000 until established and cleared for the approach.
Soon after the clearance we were told to slow to 170.....then 160....finally 150. The AeroMexico Connect plane was not following the speed clearance it was given so it backed things up. Beautiful clear day.
There are "lead in" lights installed for pilots to see the turning path to the runway in low visibility. Still it was a severe clear day.
After passing ASALT we descended to 1500 which is required per the procedure. I could see the E190 ahead and lower. Passing the Canarsie (CRI) VOR we descended to 800 feet. I still saw the E190 ahead and the airport to my right. I mentioned to the Captain that "AeroMexico seems to have lost the airport." They were very low and had passed the 13L centerline.
Tower came on frequency and told AeroMexico to turn right heading 130 and asked if they saw the airport. They said they did....the turn to final was well below 500 feet. They didn't get wings level until passing the threshold. We were close behind and thought for sure we or they were going around. In reality it should have been them as they appeared to be very unstable.
We were on short final while they were still on the runway. Tower told them to exit the high speed and continue on Bravo. No answer. Tower gave the command two more times before getting an answer. They were clear just in time for us to land safely.
It was a tricky landing as winds were 200@15 which is a pretty decent crosswind for a turning approach.
Even though English is the official language of aviation around the world, it is not the first language for most pilots around the world. This is very apparent at any International airport. I'll be nice and say that ATC is staffed with very patient people. They often have to slowly state request multiple times and hope to get an intelligble answer.
We were 30 minutes early thanks to an overblocked flight. I found some lunch and took my time eating.
The leg back was mine. We were only number 8 for takeoff from 13R. Easy takeoff and departure.
About 40 minutes into the flight the Flight Attendant called and stated an overhead panel fell down on to a row of passengers. Thankfully no one was injured. Lucky for us we were headed to a maintenance base.
I landed 40 minutes early. Gate occupied by what I thought was an aircraft from my company. When I heard them call for push I realized it was indeed an aircraft I had personally flown many times.....but has since been given to another airline to fly. That really burned me inside even though I have no control over it.
The panel was fixed and we had one more leg to the overnight.
Today is 5 legs including a turn to an airport with just a 4800 foot runway....it will be my shortest runway at my airline yet.
This week I bid a trip that transited the east coast for a change. The trip included a JFK turn.
I haven't been to JFK in 4+ years. It's a busy airport with a lot of International carriers. I was pilot monitoring for the leg inbound. It was VFR at the airport, but we were assigned the VOR/GPS 13L approach for traffic flow purposes.
Most know that LGA and JFK airports are very close together. It's impossible to have a straight in approach to runways 13L/R as it would cut right through LGA airspace.
We were vectored over the top of LGA at 13,000 feet. We were 9 miles in trail of an Emirates Airbus A380. ATC vectored us in a descending right spiral. They snuck in an AeroMexico Connect Embraer 190. Fine with us as it gave more space between us and the Airbus A380.
The approach is fairly simple. We were told to maintain 3000 until established and cleared for the approach.
Soon after the clearance we were told to slow to 170.....then 160....finally 150. The AeroMexico Connect plane was not following the speed clearance it was given so it backed things up. Beautiful clear day.
There are "lead in" lights installed for pilots to see the turning path to the runway in low visibility. Still it was a severe clear day.
After passing ASALT we descended to 1500 which is required per the procedure. I could see the E190 ahead and lower. Passing the Canarsie (CRI) VOR we descended to 800 feet. I still saw the E190 ahead and the airport to my right. I mentioned to the Captain that "AeroMexico seems to have lost the airport." They were very low and had passed the 13L centerline.
Tower came on frequency and told AeroMexico to turn right heading 130 and asked if they saw the airport. They said they did....the turn to final was well below 500 feet. They didn't get wings level until passing the threshold. We were close behind and thought for sure we or they were going around. In reality it should have been them as they appeared to be very unstable.
We were on short final while they were still on the runway. Tower told them to exit the high speed and continue on Bravo. No answer. Tower gave the command two more times before getting an answer. They were clear just in time for us to land safely.
It was a tricky landing as winds were 200@15 which is a pretty decent crosswind for a turning approach.
Even though English is the official language of aviation around the world, it is not the first language for most pilots around the world. This is very apparent at any International airport. I'll be nice and say that ATC is staffed with very patient people. They often have to slowly state request multiple times and hope to get an intelligble answer.
We were 30 minutes early thanks to an overblocked flight. I found some lunch and took my time eating.
The leg back was mine. We were only number 8 for takeoff from 13R. Easy takeoff and departure.
About 40 minutes into the flight the Flight Attendant called and stated an overhead panel fell down on to a row of passengers. Thankfully no one was injured. Lucky for us we were headed to a maintenance base.
I landed 40 minutes early. Gate occupied by what I thought was an aircraft from my company. When I heard them call for push I realized it was indeed an aircraft I had personally flown many times.....but has since been given to another airline to fly. That really burned me inside even though I have no control over it.
The panel was fixed and we had one more leg to the overnight.
Today is 5 legs including a turn to an airport with just a 4800 foot runway....it will be my shortest runway at my airline yet.
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