Mesa
#8332
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2015
Posts: 448
I yelled at a gate agent for doing that once. The plane was down for MX the rest of the crew was already on the aircraft. I arrived late from another flight I was working. I stood at the gate for 20 minuets waiting to go down along with 20 passengers waiting for the gate agent as well. She finally came up after I called dispatch. I was not very nice.
As far as the company acknolgment goes, of course it's not enough, but it's a step in the right direction.
As far as the company acknolgment goes, of course it's not enough, but it's a step in the right direction.
Sorry but that's just unprofessional.
Unless by "yelled" you mean admonished and you did it in a low voice away from the public. (?)
#8333
Both of you seem to have missed my point entirely. I'm not talking about qualifications and minimum hiring experience...I didn't even mention it. I'm talking about how much experience is needed as a first officer before becoming a captain.
24/48...the way you responded to my statement it seems you are saying that it only takes 6-12 months of being a copilot before being qualified to be a captain regardless of previous experience!!? That's a bit insane.
I understand that modern jet airliners are designed to be idiot proof and don't require nearly as much skill to fly as the job used to require but 6-12 months?
My point is that a large jet is a large jet is a large jet when it comes to the level of skill and experience needed to fly it. Yes it's possible to take a low time pilot and make them a captain in a few years and it doesn't matter if it's a EMB-175 or a B-787...you can teach a reasonably capable pilot to fly just about any modern airliner...the size doesn't have much to do with it.
24/48...the way you responded to my statement it seems you are saying that it only takes 6-12 months of being a copilot before being qualified to be a captain regardless of previous experience!!? That's a bit insane.
I understand that modern jet airliners are designed to be idiot proof and don't require nearly as much skill to fly as the job used to require but 6-12 months?
My point is that a large jet is a large jet is a large jet when it comes to the level of skill and experience needed to fly it. Yes it's possible to take a low time pilot and make them a captain in a few years and it doesn't matter if it's a EMB-175 or a B-787...you can teach a reasonably capable pilot to fly just about any modern airliner...the size doesn't have much to do with it.
Which point? Huh?........sorry couldn't resist
In all seriousness, the screening process at the regional level leaves a lot to be desired. At mainline, the screening is a lot more stringent, and not as many "bad apples" get through, but we still have our douche bags, most are scabs that stole their jobs or former Skywest pilots.
Either way, everyone learns and absorbs the necessary skill set to do the job at different rates. I remember a designated examiner I used all the time as a CFI that got hired at CAL around the same time as me and he struggled in training. In fact, I don't think he made it. Meanwhile, some of the 2500TT/0TPIC XJT kids were smoking through training without issue.
Theoretically, an airline needs almost as many co pilots as captains to fill a schedule...not accounting for modest industry growth and fluctuations in the hiring and retirement ages of pilots, a typical airline will hire a first officer and that average first officer will spend almost the first half of their entire career as a co pilot, gaining valuable experience before the position of captain is available.
This is what seniority was designed for...this was how it was supposed to work and this is the way it used to work. The problem is that it doesn't work this way any more and we have a system of "regionals" which are in fact full scale large national airlines that cover schedules coast to coast flying large jets that used to be flown by the mainline. Commuter airlines don't really even exist anymore (there are a very few left and they're slowly dying).
The so called "regionals" are putting low time captains in the left seat with very little career experience....They are earning wages that aren't even as good in many cases as the first officers on mainline fleets.
Seniority is a tool perpetuated by the unions and used by big airline management to disrupt the natural flow of experience and put low paid and (mostly) low time pilots in the left seats of half the flights in the US while much higher time pilots (again generally speaking) often with many years experience as large jet captains will wallow in the right seat of Boeing and Airbus jets at higher (but still artificially low) pay.
It's a total waste of experience and an inefficient distribution of the available talent in the US. But...it saves millions of dollars in labor costs at the expense of pilots.
The so called "regionals" are putting low time captains in the left seat with very little career experience....They are earning wages that aren't even as good in many cases as the first officers on mainline fleets.
Seniority is a tool perpetuated by the unions and used by big airline management to disrupt the natural flow of experience and put low paid and (mostly) low time pilots in the left seats of half the flights in the US while much higher time pilots (again generally speaking) often with many years experience as large jet captains will wallow in the right seat of Boeing and Airbus jets at higher (but still artificially low) pay.
It's a total waste of experience and an inefficient distribution of the available talent in the US. But...it saves millions of dollars in labor costs at the expense of pilots.
Not sure what your background is, but you come across as a senior RJ Captain that wouldn't/couldn't make the leap to first year FO pay at a major. Meanwhile, many of the folks who pulled gear for you are flying made the sacrifice to go to mainline and it just chaps you a bit.
#8334
Not necessarily yelled but it was in the jet bridge away from pax. I am a little smarter than that.
#8339
Can we discuss problems that our plaguing our company now? One wants to correct spelling and another who is just off IOE wants to bash captains. This is regional forum for sure.
#8340
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2013
Posts: 10,606
What's wrong with bashing Captains. Just because they've lived long enough to make it to the left seat doesn't mean they are immune to reproach.
Last edited by CBreezy; 06-09-2015 at 07:30 PM.
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