Frontier guys

JordanD said:
I've noticed on the actual built RNAV arrivals with the constraints in there it seems to do ok. When you get a "cross this at this" or put in an "expect" I'll frequently notice the VDEV indicator has zero idea what's happening, freaks out and tells me I'm way high when in fact I'm fine. Supposedly we're getting true VNAV more akin to the A330 soon, but I don't know what that box is like. Maybe @BobDDuck can chime in.
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Often times it seems to be garbage in/garbage out. If you don't have accurate winds loaded in, it will have issues maintaining a profile. The biggest issue I have with VNAV is that you can't force it to maintain a specific speed in managed descent, and the "window" (wrong term) most often times will violate published speeds, which forces you to go into selected speed, which makes it difficult for the box to plan a descent path.

The biggest difference from the 321 (besides the fact that you really can't descend and slow), is the plane's prevalence for screaming EXTEND SPOILERS! when you are only 200 feet off profile (and correcting), and not saying anything at all when you are 1000 feet off.
 
JordanD said:
Also not sure if you guys have a different set up or something, but the managed descent function is awful compared to true VNAV and either I'm doing something wrong or find myself having to intervene a lot to get it to make constraints.
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The update to the Honeywell box is amazing. It prioritizes path over speed, and you can type in a new descent speed while in descent phase.
 
BobDDuck said:
The examples you gave are good ones. Speed and energy management are very different in a bigger an heavier airplane. Full boards on an RJ give you full boards. Full boards on a bus give you a VLS that can be above your current speed. I'm having to relearn pretty much everything I figured out on the 321 now that I'm on the 330, and I'd guess the 747 guys are laughing at me in my light twin right now.

Also things like taxiway usage and wingtip clearance. Things like International Ops (the Caribbean and Canada don't count) where your divert scenarios change pretty drastically. Also things like proficiency. At a regional (during normal times) you are getting lots of landing reps in. I'm lucky now if i get 4 landings a month.
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Lucky if you get four landings a month. How many takeoffs? Id widebody/long haul flying boring compared to narrowbody flying?
 
Maximilian_Jenius said:
Lucky if you get four landings a month. How many takeoffs? Id widebody/long haul flying boring compared to narrowbody flying?
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Generally your takeoffs should match your landings.

Pre COVID, I was flying one leg, 6 hour days pretty consistently on the narrowbody. A combination of union work and lots of training (so I got pulled and replaced) meant I was getting about 3 landings a month.

I flew three trips this month and got 1 landing. The nature of being slightly junior on longhaul means you get the second FO or RO slot and just watch the world go by. Did a 13:46 flight today and "worked" about 6 hours of it.
 
ChasenSFO said:
Yeah I understand all that, and of course ATP grads are way more likely to fail if that's their first job. It's a risk I'd be willing to take for a shot at it. Worst case scenario would be to interview at regionals, with less money and better networked. But since that's totally possible, I'm not 100% sure I want that debt.

Some people do climb Everest, maybe on their first try. Still possible. People DO manage to do it all over, but I don't think to our standards in many cases. Things change fast, but I'd need more direct info from ATP to do it, and they don't have it.
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If you actually have the opportunity to go to Frontier as your first airline, I think you'd be mad not to take it honestly. It could be your only chance at the majors. After all there are tons of Regional Lifers and I doubt any of them planned on being lifers when they went to the regionals.

However I don't know anything about the ATP/Frontier program so I'm not sure how well it actually works or what your chances of actually being hired at F9 through it are.
 
Yakob said:
If you actually have the opportunity to go to Frontier as your first airline, I think you'd be mad not to take it honestly. It could be your only chance at the majors. After all there are tons of Regional Lifers and I doubt any of them planned on being lifers when they went to the regionals.

However I don't know anything about the ATP/Frontier program so I'm not sure how well it actually works or what your chances of actually being hired at F9 through it are.
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I agree, but since ATP can't even confidently tell me the program will still be in place when I would be a CFI, it seems too illogical. If I hear something solid from them before my IFR written, then maybe, but I doubt that so it's probably not going to happen, and isn't worth delaying my written which I did twice last year already. Very interesting opportunity though, for sure, and one I'd never have dreamt up lol.
 
ChasenSFO said:
I agree, but since ATP can't even confidently tell me the program will still be in place when I would be a CFI, it seems too illogical. If I hear something solid from them before my IFR written, then maybe, but I doubt that so it's probably not going to happen, and isn't worth delaying my written which I did twice last year already. Very interesting opportunity though, for sure, and one I'd never have dreamt up lol.
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That's different. ATP has always wanted you to have all your writtens out of the way before training starts.
 
ASpilot2be said:
The update to the Honeywell box is amazing. It prioritizes path over speed, and you can type in a new descent speed while in descent phase.
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When I did MD-80 to Airbus transition this was one thing that disappointed me about the Bus. Cant change speed while in descent phase? Really?? Even an ancient MD80 with the Honeywell box can do that!
 
charlie1017 said:
When I did MD-80 to Airbus transition this was one thing that disappointed me about the Bus. Cant change speed while in descent phase? Really?? Even an ancient MD80 with the Honeywell box can do that!
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Yep. I always enjoyed the Thales boxes so we could make that change. Glad to see Honeywell finally get with the program.
 
JordanD said:
I know I've been the kind of cynic about the thing in this whole thread, but I'd take absolutely anything they "guarantee" with a grain of salt.
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Well yeah, but it was more about just details of the program since they themselves seem to still be figuring out exactly what the program will be. I wouldn't be surprised if it does not last.

Maximilian_Jenius said:
That's different. ATP has always wanted you to have all your writtens out of the way before training starts.
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Hmm? They tell you to put money aside for the tests, and on the phone I was told that I shouldn't do them prior to being accepted into the program if I wanted to do the Fast Track with PPL credit, so now I'm confused lol. But unlikely I'll do it anyway given the limited info.
 
roundout said:
I mean, it can..... You just have to do some of that pilot •.
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I'm talking about what ASpilot referred to... Typing a new descent speed without having to go to selected speed on the Bus. Curiously the MD80 also had something similar to selected speed while on VNAV path, it was called FMS Override. The 80 could do both the FMS OVRD and typing in the box while on the descent phase. No need to re-cruise or any tricks.
On the Bus (at that time) it was just "pull speed".
 
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