FDX Flight Plans
05-26-2007, 05:04 AM
#21
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2005
Position: Retired 121 pilot
Posts: 1,033
05-26-2007, 06:13 AM
#22
Line Holder
Joined APC: Nov 2005
Posts: 62
The UPS MD-11 fleet has this also. As soon as you initialize the ACARS, the flight planning system automatically sends the entire filed route to the FMC, and also sends the forecast winds for 4 flight levels. Very slick!
05-26-2007, 06:33 AM
#23
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2006
Position: Retired
Posts: 3,717
Tha'd be the one. What a gem he was to fly with. A really nice guy off the jet, but on it, he gave everyone he flew with fits. After my first leg with him, from Bos to Mem, I walked into flight safety and asked the Airbus guy "could you please explain Optimum Altitude to me." He thought for a second and then said "so how is Bill McKelvy." I almost sh!t. I asked how he knew I was flying with McKelvy, to which he said "once or twice a month, someone like you comes in and asks the very same question." You gotta love a guy who knew how to do it by the book, but always took the road less traveled. Drove everyone nuts. And to boot, he never saved a dimes worth of fuel, which was his driving force.
05-26-2007, 06:43 AM
#24
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2006
Position: leaning to the left
Posts: 4,184
Its all coming together now.
McKelvy is most likely not really retired. He's been assigned a "special projects" position. Kind of like JL and BC. Most likely, a fuel conservation project. And, now with the price of fuel skyrocketing...They need to bring him back to the line. In a command position, of course. To test his new theories.
Thus, the push for retroactivity.
Now, it all makes sense.
McKelvy is most likely not really retired. He's been assigned a "special projects" position. Kind of like JL and BC. Most likely, a fuel conservation project. And, now with the price of fuel skyrocketing...They need to bring him back to the line. In a command position, of course. To test his new theories.
Thus, the push for retroactivity.
Now, it all makes sense.
05-26-2007, 08:23 AM
#26
Banned
Joined APC: Aug 2006
Posts: 258
Bump,
Had a flight plan the other day. The normal MEM STAR places to be @ 10,000' had FL 330. No descent. It had us on downwind at FL330. There are safer ways to save gas. Check your FPR. If you get a bogus one like I did send it back.
Remember who your dispatcher is: young, x-ramper, took a 3 day dispacth course, knows nothing, no experience, part 121 supplemental non required "dispatcher". They're good at pushing a button that spits out a FPR.
MEM is maxed out. Any more on a VFR night to the south expect 25+ mi final. Could easily save gas with other hubs: AFW, IND, etc. Just because the system is flawed dont let that steal your gas with NQA and bogus flight plans. Who knows maybe you might need the fuel one day.
Had a flight plan the other day. The normal MEM STAR places to be @ 10,000' had FL 330. No descent. It had us on downwind at FL330. There are safer ways to save gas. Check your FPR. If you get a bogus one like I did send it back.
Remember who your dispatcher is: young, x-ramper, took a 3 day dispacth course, knows nothing, no experience, part 121 supplemental non required "dispatcher". They're good at pushing a button that spits out a FPR.
MEM is maxed out. Any more on a VFR night to the south expect 25+ mi final. Could easily save gas with other hubs: AFW, IND, etc. Just because the system is flawed dont let that steal your gas with NQA and bogus flight plans. Who knows maybe you might need the fuel one day.
05-26-2007, 08:40 AM
#28
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2007
Position: headbanging
Posts: 954
I think one benefit of being a 121 Flag carrier would be the dispatcher's license would now be just as much on the line as the PIC's. Do our GOC specialists have dispatcher licenses now, or is it just in-house training? If it's in house, they would be required to get dispatcher's licenses, which is basically an ATP ground school. I wonder how this could happen overnight?
05-26-2007, 09:34 AM
#29
time and initals
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Position: dispatcher
Posts: 254
from what i understand . . . these guys all have dispatcher licenses, and apparently these jobs are extremely competitive. I've heard that way back in the day, it was perhaps an on the job training, now to get in, one must, most likely, like most other things, is have formal experience. I knew a guy who was a ramper, left, went to a dispatch job at a regional, came back to the ramp. served a year or more, and then, finally landed his FX job dispatchin A/C. I was under the impression that they were indeed just as much on the line as the crew. They get to do famflights, which i thought was mandatory . . .
05-26-2007, 09:38 AM
#30
time and initals
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Position: dispatcher
Posts: 254
in addition, FX will pay for one to get his/her dispatch license, there is a course that comes to MEM about twice a year, you meet on several weekends, the end of the course is takin the F.A.A. test to become licensed, that is good and all, yet it likely won't get you right into FX as a dispatcher as you won't have any relative experience.
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