I had a real good trip this month.

I just got back from the most enjoyable 2 week trip. My Captain was a guy I flew with on my first trip after LOE, and the FO was a guy who came over from another 727 Freight outfit who was a Second Officer who upgraded quickly to FO over there, before coming here last year. The Captain flew C-130's through most of his Air Force career but his last years in were in Eval-something or other, flying all of the latest and greatest. His Dad, who sadly passed away last month, was career SAC, like my Grandfather, they worked in a lot of the same places, and my Dad and the Captains sister went to high school together, but I don't know if they knew each other. The Captain got out of the Air Force and flew Herc's for Southern Air, then they made him a 747 Captain.

The Navy enlisted guys will know what I'm talking about when I say the term "Sea Daddy", well if I ever had a Sea Daddy as a civilian, it's this guy. I get to fly with him again next month, and I'm looking forward to it. The FO on this upcoming trip is a friend of mine who was in my class, and in my not so humble opinion, could use 2 weeks with this Captain. A few weeks ago, I wrote about an old dinosaur of a Captain that I flew with that was..........how to put it...........The most difficult Captain I've ever flown with. My friend was the FO on that trip, and really needs a good, optimistic, gung-ho, shot in the arm. One of the things I didn't write about with that difficult Captain was what a complainer he was. I don't care if you drink the Kool-aid or not, if you are not going to be happy, I don't care, just don't make everyone else miserable, too. I don't want to hear about how much my company is "run by amatures" and "at Eastern, we had our stuff together". I want to say, "There is the door!, I think you know how it works"
I don't like "downers", people that try to bring everyone down. I don't want to even eat at the hub while someone like that is jabbering away, let alone, spend 2 weeks on the road with. That may be another reason why I like this Captain I'm flying with next month, he's never complained to me.

What are some of the best trips you have had?
 
Not a trip, per se, but my best time at Skywest was when I had to go to Montreal for my RJ sim training.

Like most airlines, we get paired up in class for sim training. Your sim partner is your closest friend for the duration- eat, sleep, flow, fly together (okay, maybe not sleep. . .) Anyway, my sim partner and I were amoung the lucky ones to go to Montreal for our sim training.

We shared a little apartment downtown for three weeks while in training. The reason it was so great is the fact that Kevin (my sim partner) and I were alike in our values and beliefs. Most crews enjoy Montreal because of the party atmosphere and strip clubs so close by. Kevin and I had a great time there because we didn't have that pressure to go out with the others. We just did our own thing and enjoyed the city apart from the partying.

Because we got along so great, our sim training went without a hitch. We knew exactly what the other needed to get the job done!

That was one of those great times to look back on. Kevin and I will be great friends from here on out, I think. Never did get to fly with him on line, though, and now we're both captains so there's no hope of it.
 
This last 3-day, ahem, 4-day was pretty interesting. First day, 7 legs. First was fine, out early, in early, etc. Then after sitting on the ground in MDW for an hour waiting for a ground stop to lift, we got to start our next turn. For some reason after this turn, coming out of Toledo, my captain and I just started laughing like crazy. She made a funny face during a checklist response, and I started laughing, then she did, then I started laughing harder... it just snowballed. I finally gained composure to make the pre-departure PA, but ended up laughing out loud at about 100 knots going down the runway. So here we go climbing out making callouts in between laughs. Fun stuff.

Had to dodge T-storms the rest of the trip, and even ended up getting a bunch of ice. Winter is beginning at 17,000 feet.

Got a new captain for the last out for our overnight, and ended up hanging out in Bennigans and walked around town the next day. The second day was 6-legs with a really cool captain. Had a horrid airplane that kept refusing to start with a GPU hooked up, so we were doing battery starts. During our last turn through IND, the plane just wouldn't start. So waiting for MX we got dinner since we were eating into our sit time at MDW. Finally MX comes, and the passengers start going nuts because we went to get food. TOO BAD! We finally got started up (without MX even doing anything... I guess it was PFM), and did our last turn. Hung out in IND for the overnight.

Last day was... wait, second to last day, was easy. Three legs between MDW and IND with a really cool captain. He and I get along really well. Had an intern jumpseating on the last turn, and I was getting awesome landings at MDW all day doing the circle. On the last leg ended up getting an RA because a Mooney decided to turn directly into us. It required a 2500 FPM climb on the VSI, then gave me the "INCREASE CLIMB" RA after it to go even faster! I had to pull back pretty hard to get above the plane, so I'm sure everyone in back wondered what was going on. We were just too busy for a PA though.

On my way from the airport, I mistakenly picked up my cell and had scheduling asking if I could do an overnight for a sick FO. I told them I would if I could get my reserve day on Saturday dropped, and they were cool with it! So I ended up getting something like $250 to fly out to Michigan, overnight with a cool crew (went out for beers at this townie joint on karaoke night!), and have a late show for a return. Not bad! Make some $$ and get a reserve day dropped so I can go out Friday night. Coming into MDW it was super bumpy, and we ended up getting ROCKED by an AirTran 717 and some low-level shear. When we opened the door the F/A immediately came up and asked what happened... it was pretty rough.

All in all an awesome trip! About 24 hours of flight time, but 100 times more experience.
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Hey flychicaga
I had a good friend who flew the 340 for American Eagle, after one particularly bad landing and after the pax off loaded the FA came up to the flight deck with her panty hose down around her ankles and asked who made the landing.
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Hey flychicaga
I had a good friend who flew the 340 for American Eagle, after one particularly bad landing and after the pax off loaded the FA came up to the flight deck with her panty hose down around her ankles and asked who made the landing.
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NICE!!!
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Coming into MDW it was super bumpy, and we ended up getting ROCKED by an AirTran 717 and some low-level shear. When we opened the door the F/A immediately came up and asked what happened... it was pretty rough.

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Care to explain more about that 717?
 
We were doing the ILS 31C circle to 22L, winds 170@12G21 140V200. We followed the AirTran 717 on a wide pattern to 22L, and probably ended up in some of his wake turbulence. That combined with gusty, variable winds and low level turbulence from the tar rooftops made for a rough ride.
 
FlyChicago-
You sound like you're flying alot. If you don't mind me asking, what are your overtime perks?

We get a 2 week line, with about 8 days flying, 4 reserve(rare overtime}, and the other 2 weeks off. I like to fly during my off time, or more accurately said, Non-Bid time, because of the Fat City Overtime. We get 6.5 for being called out based on "Z" date, plus block, plus travel, all with Per Diem.
 
It was the last turn of a 4-day, and before we boarded my pilots came running down the jetbridge all happy as sh&t about something. They said they were being management bumped so the chief pilot could do some IOE. Well, it turns out the chief pilot was giving IOE to the assistant chief pilot. So ACP was in the left seat and the CP was in the right seat. I thought, great, two desk fliers out for a romp. This was when the EMBs were brand spanking new, and the guys hadn't quite figured out all the 'tricks' yet. We land in LAN, and when I say land, it was really more of a controlled collision between the planet Earth and our airplane. Once we got to the gate, I opened the cockpit door and asked "okay, that really sucked, who's was that!?". It was the ACP's leg. I thought, okay, it was his first landing in the actual airplane, I'll cut you some slack. Then we went back to ORD, and the CP slammed it on so hard overhead bins popped open. We got to the gate and I opened the door and said "Okay, his landing sucked , but yours opened two overheads, you win!". You'd think that my comments wouldn't go over very well, but I ended up taking my first flying lessons in the CP's Cherokee with his son as my instructor.
 
For us, extra flying is paid above guarantee at the same rate. When you say "overtime," does that mean that you guys are getting paid time-and-a-half or is it at the same rate for you as well?
 
From what I understand, if we are over guarantee but it is scheduled: whether that is normally scheduled or reserve, we get normal pay. However, if you fly on your day off (non trip-traded), you get day off pay. For instance I picked up an overnight trip at the end of my 3-day, and for that trip received 1.5 times normal pay (well, should have! We'll see when the paycheck comes!).
 
I'm so jealous of you guys...

It's like when I first started flying, I didn't understand any of the acronymns (TAF, METAR,...). Now that I'm a CFI, things like "chip light" make me feel like a studet pilot again.

That's the cool thing about aviation, always something to learn, or re-learn.

Surf
 
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For some reason after this turn, coming out of Toledo, my captain and I just started laughing like crazy. She made a funny face during a checklist response, and I started laughing, then she did, then I started laughing harder... it just snowballed. I finally gained composure to make the pre-departure PA, but ended up laughing out loud at about 100 knots going down the runway. So here we go climbing out making callouts in between laughs. Fun stuff.


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This is the antithesis of a professional flight crew. For those of you aspiring for a career in the cockpit, let it be known that this is NOT the typical behavior of professional pilots. There is nothing wrong with a casual cockpit...as long as it is diciplined and businesslike.

Some of the most time critical decisions must potentially be made around 100 knots...I can only imagine how mentally prepared this crew was to make such decisions. The aformentioned scenario reminds of something straight out of 7th grade study hall on the Friday before spring break.
 
MD88Pilot- How can you say that just becuase they were laughing that they were not doing their job in a safe and professional manner? I think FlyChicaga deserves the benefit of the doubt.
 
MD88Pilot- How can you say that just becuase they were laughing that they were nopt doing their job in a safe and professional manner? I think FlyChicaga deserves the benefit of the doubt.
 
Do you want your surgeon to laugh uncontrollably while he's making an incision, how about your attorney while addressing the jury on your behalf? These scenarios are analogous in their criticality to a flight crew accelerating thru 100 kts on the ground. It's simply, not how professionals act.
 
If nothing else I would think this would increase the time on an "Ole Shiznit" moment. Ive never had this situation happen to me, but I never was that funny.
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