I don't want to be "that guy" but...

Cal Goat said:
Why did you even waste the 5 seconds it took to type that pointless reply?
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Well, because it's true.
Cal Goat said:
I'll get around to a more detailed reply later, but the trip has gone quite well actually. I must admit that it seems like I approached this with too much pessimistic anticipation.

There are a couple of issues to be sure, but this guy is MUCH more tolerable than when we last flew.
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See?
 
Toobdrvr said:
You will fly with people you don't like.
You will fly with people with whom you disagree.
You will fly with people you've heard terrible things about.
You will fly with people you have a tough time communicating with.
You will fly with people who are nonstandard, unprofessional, maybe even unsafe.
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Tell me about it.:p
 
Trip7 said:
Answering snap a picture and run to the CPO will also likely draw a no vote too. There is a systematic way to approach this situation as diplomatically as possible. Pro standards should have been contacted the FIRST time the OP had issues with this Captain. Since that wasn't done, Pro Standards is the next step if the issue isn't rectified after the trip begins.
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That's not exactly what I said if you re-read my post. The OP indicated that this captain had been known to nod off during flight and had come across as a little challenging (insane) to fly with (paraphrasing). What do I do was the question? The mature and adult talk at the beginning of the trip was, and still is recommended. The photo of a sleeping crew-member is simple verification that the problem exists. Do you have to use it or post it? Obviously not, but it's evidence should your claim or concern be disputed. Run to the CP? My recollection was that there was already a discussion with the CP before the flight? Since a discussion had already taken place with his CP, a follow up call saying "I now have a first hand account of why this captain's reputation is what it is is not unwarranted in my opinion. The option of professional standards is certainly there, and don't get me wrong, they do good work. In many cases PS can fix things before they get out of control; but, there are crewmembers that have talked to professional standards so many times it just gets ridiculous. It's a delicate and case-by-case basis and none of my advice should ever be construed as throwing someone or someone's career under a bus. Not once in 25 years have I ever talked to my CP or even PS for that matter about another pilot. I have always been able to fix cockpit issues in the cockpit, jetway or in the crewroom.

The real point of my response to the OP is that's it's up to us as individual pilots to maintain the safety and integrity of our craft. If you encounter a pilot (either seat) that is not operating safely or is acting in a way that compromises the integrity of the flight, it's up to us to address it. Ignoring it or "not being that guy" is a model of behavior that has outlived it's usefulness. We all have our days, some better than others - and we all make mistakes. We typically take care of each other during days or moments where we just can't get our gears to align or sync up, but fundamentally, we all should strive to do better and not accept flying and behavior that is substandard as acceptable in any form or fashion. There are pilots out there that shouldn't be flying and we have all been exposed to the same questions and dilemmas the OP was asking about. My position was, and still is, that it's up to us to police what we're charged with, and that's the safe operation of our aircraft, even if it means "being that guy".
 
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Ajax said:
Can someone give me the TL;DR of this thread

6 pages and I fell asleep on page 2
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Tl;dr:
(*deep narrator voice*) Numerous pilots, luminous in the glow of computer screens, highlighted by a regular pitter-patter of keystrokes in the night, provided a fellow airman with experiential anecdotes, analyses, and recommendations for dealing with severe, potentially-safety-compromising personality conflicts in the flight deck. There was drama. There was dispute. But was there resolution? (*lens flare*) Only you can decide.
 
Alanna said:
Tl;dr:
(*deep narrator voice*) Numerous pilots, luminous in the glow of computer screens, highlighted by a regular pitter-patter of keystrokes in the night, provided a fellow airman with experiential anecdotes, analyses, and recommendations for dealing with severe, potentially-safety-compromising personality conflicts in the flight deck. There was drama. There was dispute. But was there resolution? (*lens flare*) Only you can decide.
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I read this in Morgan Freeman's voice, just FYI
 
I think I'm flying with the same guy.

Not unsafe, just strange stuff like complaining about not getting any overlock when he goes barber pole everywhere. Plus when he wanted me to ask Boston Departure for higher on our initial check on after takeoff. "I'm pretty sure they know we don't want to go all the way to RIC at 5,000ft."
 
ATN_Pilot said:
I was always happy to talk politics if it was with somebody somewhat rational. But when the common topics were "the tyranny of the fiat currency system," "the new world order," or "the coming race wars," which was all too often with the hicks down this way, I'd rather stare out the window.
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I was thinking about it earlier, if anything that seems like a conspiracy theorist's wet dream ever happens, I'm screwed. The only thing that makes me tune out and discredit anything that person has to say about anything MORE than conspiracy theories is caring about celebrities and reality TV.
 
Screaming_Emu said:
Plus when he wanted me to ask Boston Departure for higher on our initial check on after takeoff. "I'm pretty sure they know we don't want to go all the way to RIC at 5,000ft."
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I flew with that guy a while back. Any time we'd level-off for a moment, he'd say "Ask 'em for higher/lower." It got very old, very fast. I also got a "lesson" from him (a guy brand new to the jet) about how "you FOs on the 767" use the speedbrakes too much. Can't make this stuff up.
 
I have an Atlas story from a guy I flew with here at my current company. We had a 2-day SFO/MCO just out/back simple. First time I flew with him and he let me take the leg out to MCO. So we settle up at cruise and get to the usual talks for a new CA/FO paired up, where were you before here. He mentioned he was Atlas for 6 years. He then goes on about how he misses the plane, he misses the kind of of flying they did, he misses the schedule, he pretty much missed everything about it and said it was his best flying job. So I asked him politely of course, why not just stay there, why come here? His response is basically 'oh I was FO for too long, wasn't becoming a CA anytime soon, and the CAs there were just meh.'

So we're flying along my leg and of course at some point going to Florida you're gonna hit weather. Right past Texas/Louisiana area, then some over the water, and of course over Florida. But in every case, he just chimes up to ATC and asks for [whatever degrees] left / right. My leg, no conferring, no asking, no input. Just does it. This happens numerous times and all I'm left to do is spin a knob. Approaching MCO he freaks out some more about the weather and starts asking for crazy vectors. But it's one of those days where no matter what, you have to descend through the clouds and are gonna get bumped. So we go down and then when we're asked to slow to speed 210 (still above green dot) I see his hand resting on the flap handle. Ugh. Flaps 1. And ditto for flaps 2, 3, and full. Surprisingly, he didn't do it for the gear. A couple other nuisances as well, but by the time this flight was done, I smiled inside.... I understood now what he was saying about Atlas. Except, it was more like he was the right seat CA who probably drove his CAs insane.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
I have an Atlas story from a guy I flew with here at my current company. We had a 2-day SFO/MCO just out/back simple. First time I flew with him and he let me take the leg out to MCO. So we settle up at cruise and get to the usual talks for a new CA/FO paired up, where were you before here. He mentioned he was Atlas for 6 years. He then goes on about how he misses the plane, he misses the kind of of flying they did, he misses the schedule, he pretty much missed everything about it and said it was his best flying job. So I asked him politely of course, why not just stay there, why come here? His response is basically 'oh I was FO for too long, wasn't becoming a CA anytime soon, and the CAs there were just meh.'

So we're flying along my leg and of course at some point going to Florida you're gonna hit weather. Right past Texas/Louisiana area, then some over the water, and of course over Florida. But in every case, he just chimes up to ATC and asks for [whatever degrees] left / right. My leg, no conferring, no asking, no input. Just does it. This happens numerous times and all I'm left to do is spin a knob. Approaching MCO he freaks out some more about the weather and starts asking for crazy vectors. But it's one of those days where no matter what, you have to descend through the clouds and are gonna get bumped. So we go down and then when we're asked to slow to speed 210 (still above green dot) I see his hand resting on the flap handle. Ugh. Flaps 1. And ditto for flaps 2, 3, and full. Surprisingly, he didn't do it for the gear. A couple other nuisances as well, but by the time this flight was done, I smiled inside.... I understood now what he was saying about Atlas. Except, it was more like he was the right seat CA who probably drove his CAs insane.
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Yup. That story is very familiar. However, that's a culture that's actively being erased with the older guys retiring, better CRM training, and a lot of good Polar-side folks in the left seat.
 
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