Will the Halfwinger tradition remain?
12-29-2012, 07:25 AM
#11
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Position: A320 Cap
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The halfwing is an ALPA concept.... not too sure of its origins, but it worked when there was no regional industry and a young FNG showed up with no RJ or military time.....and Fate is the Hunter was read... they needed to be taken under a wing.....
free beers in exchange for a mistaken identity...?? No thanks.....
free beers in exchange for a mistaken identity...?? No thanks.....
It was never meant to be degrading, or thought of that way.
12-29-2012, 07:27 AM
#12
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12-29-2012, 07:45 AM
#13
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12-29-2012, 07:48 AM
#14
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12-29-2012, 08:03 AM
#15
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Same here. I think there was a pizza reception one night too.
12-29-2012, 08:05 AM
#16
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Somebody gave our class ours, although I don't remember his name. Said he was filling in for someone else whose name I also didn't recognize. Walked around the room, put them in our hand, looked at the name plate on the desk, shook hands. Seemed a little anti-climatic for the childhood dream of becoming a captain at a major airline.
12-29-2012, 08:34 AM
#18
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It wasn't really about that. It was a way of looking out for our brothers and sisters who didn't have the full protection of the union yet. Whenever I flew with a half-winger, I always took extra care in making sure that they were insulated from the pitfalls of company life as much as possible, and would go out of my way to make sure they were taken care of both on the clock and on the layover. Always tried to make sure that they got as much intel as possible on how to bid, know the potential traps when dealing with the crewdesk (like answering the phone on your layover etc.) and other things they hadn't had a chance to experience yet. It had NOTHING to do with their flight experience. Had a trip where my half-winger was a Blue Angel.
The Blue Angel guy probably did need to learn that duty, honor, country has no place in a for profit multi-national corporation that views pilot labor as a cost to be controlled...
It was never meant to be degrading, or thought of that way.
12-29-2012, 08:35 AM
#19
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ALPA wings are meaningless. You got something to say about me not having one on my tie and we're going to have words at the very least. They give them out or leave them in baskets on tables in the crew room. Worse, they gave them to strike breaking scabs along with a pronouncement of absolution. Most of the scabs never even asked to "be forgiven".
Why would some sorry schlep even bother wearing half a set? ALPA is not a trade guild held in high regard that one "seeks" membership in, rather a career long financial obligation. Call it a pricey subscription to a scaled down, cost saving, biased monthly magazine.
Why would some sorry schlep even bother wearing half a set? ALPA is not a trade guild held in high regard that one "seeks" membership in, rather a career long financial obligation. Call it a pricey subscription to a scaled down, cost saving, biased monthly magazine.
12-29-2012, 08:41 AM
#20
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I thought there was a stark contrast between the two. At United our wives were invited to attend the first day, a nice dinner and join us at the Jeppesen statue at the airport where they gave us our wings in a velvet jewelry case and took a photo. At CAL they were literally tossed on the desk in front of us, no hand shake no nothing. United also had a tradition of captains mentoring new hire pilots and protecting them while on probation when the company could terminate them without cause. Just look at the wings, United reflects the history of the airline and the 4 original airlines that formed to make the company, at CAL they slapped a set of wings on the logo. It is a totally different culture, I hope the United traditions continue.
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