Saw one fini flight that was a no-notice line checkride.
I'd be #29 at UPS
- Thread starter DE727UPS
- Start date
Saw one fini flight that was a no-notice line checkride.
Autothrust Blue
Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries
That is a complete waste of all manner of resources.
A300Capt
Freight Dawg
That would’ve been so nauseating I’d have to call in sick right then and there!
Cherokee_Cruiser
Bronteroc
Why not go all the way? Isn’t one only working 8-10 days/month plus 40+ days vacation by that seniority mark? It’s barely part time at that point anyway. Plus you can drop down.
Good on you though, letting others move up
Cherokee_Cruiser
Bronteroc
Exclusing a medical LTD who I know and isn’t coming back, at VX I’d retire #2 at 65. After the AS merger, I still retire #2.
I’m sure I’ll get screwed in the HAL integration, but probably still end up retiring in a fairly decent top spot.
On our side the #1 guy will be the LA CP. He’s 2 yrs younger and hired 1 month before I was.
I’m sure I’ll get screwed in the HAL integration, but probably still end up retiring in a fairly decent top spot.
On our side the #1 guy will be the LA CP. He’s 2 yrs younger and hired 1 month before I was.
That would’ve been so nauseating I’d have to call in sick right then and there!
I believe as the story went, it wasn’t known to be a fini. But when revealed at the same time the line check was revealed, everyone involved was completely cool and just made it just another flight. At least that’s how I heard it.
A300Capt
Freight Dawg
One really cool thing that happened on my last sim recurrent prior to retirement. Get assigned my last sim session with one of my favorite F/O’s. F/O calls me the night prior and says he’s spoken to the instructor and wants to know if I want to come in earlier the next day since they had an open earlier sim time available. My first thought was ah….NO! To be honest I hadn’t cracked a book or looked at anything. It was my last sim ride….how bad could it get, right? If it got really bad I guess I could’ve retired right then and there and called it a day (career). I finally agreed to the earlier sim time. F/O said it’ll be fine, I got you…..relax, nothing to worry about. As a prior sim instructor myself I didn’t normally get too worked up over recurrent but I knew I hadn’t prepared like I use to.
Anyway, I didn’t want to embarrass the f/o so I did what I use to do in college….panicked and crammed the night before! The scenarios looked daunting. Most of it was out of Shanghai with engine failures to approaches using meters and ft/per sec wind interpolations all combined to make you a smoking hole somewhere….ugh, Im soooo screwed! I never spend much time in China. I did domestic afternoon turns, got displaced a lot and then got paid to stay home and play golf like a senior dude is suppose to do, right?
Well, I show up for the 2 hr prebrief. The Instructor, who I didn’t know except he was a fellow union brother and line Capt who spend most of the initial briefing BS’ing with me about non aviation stuff. 45 mins into the non-aviation briefing somebody sticks their head in the classroom door and says, “Everything is running super early. Sims available now if y’all want to jump in?” We hadn’t talked about anything we were gonna do in the sim yet. F/o says he’s ready anytime. Instructor says, “Bill, you wanna jump in early and get going?” I thought well..why prolong the inevitable pain and torture, right….sure, let’s jump in I guess. I’ve never felt so unprepared for a sim event in my life. We get in and build our nest. I’m trying to figure out where we are parked on the ramp, which way is north and how to taxi to the active without getting violated. F/o was answering and sending a last minute text to his wife. Seemed waaaay too relaxed for what was about to happen I thought.
All of a sudden the instructor says, “Bill…is this really your last sim check before retirement?” I blurted out something like…”Well I guess it all depends on how I do today…gulp”. He then says….”You know what, put all that • (iPad) away, we’re gonna do whatever you want today”. I’ll put you anywhere in the world in CAVU conditions. We’re just gonna have some fun and celebrate a long career…you deserve it after 34 yrs here. Just tell me where you want to be. We ended up in HNL. Did a few high speed passes down Waikiki beach and pulled up into a victory barrel roll (almost pancaked it in…MD’s not very aerobatic) In fact, we did so many barrel rolls we were all a little green after about 45 mins. We laughed, joked and swapped seats so all could have a little “fun”. After the 45 mins the instructor asked if there’s anything else I wanted to do and I just told him I wanted to take my f/o out to lunch and then go home. Should’ve seen the looks on the next crew when we walked by the briefing room and told them the sim was all theirs 3 hrs early. My instructor looked at their instructor and said…it was Bill’s retirement sim (wink, wink!). Got to shake a few more hands and well wishes and then left for the last time. That was definitely a class act thing to do by my instructor! Of course my f/o was in on the whole thing the whole time!
Anyway, I didn’t want to embarrass the f/o so I did what I use to do in college….panicked and crammed the night before! The scenarios looked daunting. Most of it was out of Shanghai with engine failures to approaches using meters and ft/per sec wind interpolations all combined to make you a smoking hole somewhere….ugh, Im soooo screwed! I never spend much time in China. I did domestic afternoon turns, got displaced a lot and then got paid to stay home and play golf like a senior dude is suppose to do, right?
Well, I show up for the 2 hr prebrief. The Instructor, who I didn’t know except he was a fellow union brother and line Capt who spend most of the initial briefing BS’ing with me about non aviation stuff. 45 mins into the non-aviation briefing somebody sticks their head in the classroom door and says, “Everything is running super early. Sims available now if y’all want to jump in?” We hadn’t talked about anything we were gonna do in the sim yet. F/o says he’s ready anytime. Instructor says, “Bill, you wanna jump in early and get going?” I thought well..why prolong the inevitable pain and torture, right….sure, let’s jump in I guess. I’ve never felt so unprepared for a sim event in my life. We get in and build our nest. I’m trying to figure out where we are parked on the ramp, which way is north and how to taxi to the active without getting violated. F/o was answering and sending a last minute text to his wife. Seemed waaaay too relaxed for what was about to happen I thought.
All of a sudden the instructor says, “Bill…is this really your last sim check before retirement?” I blurted out something like…”Well I guess it all depends on how I do today…gulp”. He then says….”You know what, put all that • (iPad) away, we’re gonna do whatever you want today”. I’ll put you anywhere in the world in CAVU conditions. We’re just gonna have some fun and celebrate a long career…you deserve it after 34 yrs here. Just tell me where you want to be. We ended up in HNL. Did a few high speed passes down Waikiki beach and pulled up into a victory barrel roll (almost pancaked it in…MD’s not very aerobatic) In fact, we did so many barrel rolls we were all a little green after about 45 mins. We laughed, joked and swapped seats so all could have a little “fun”. After the 45 mins the instructor asked if there’s anything else I wanted to do and I just told him I wanted to take my f/o out to lunch and then go home. Should’ve seen the looks on the next crew when we walked by the briefing room and told them the sim was all theirs 3 hrs early. My instructor looked at their instructor and said…it was Bill’s retirement sim (wink, wink!). Got to shake a few more hands and well wishes and then left for the last time. That was definitely a class act thing to do by my instructor! Of course my f/o was in on the whole thing the whole time!
Autothrust Blue
Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries
My partner on my last trip through the simulator was on his last cycle due to his upcoming retirement. We had a blast. Turns out he'd flown with my Dad a lot (less and less common nowadays), so sort of a passing of the torch. Or something, I dunno. But I had fun.
Springer
Well-Known Member
Time passes fast in retirement. Hired at 35 retired at 59 and never looked back. Did it by staying single in a target rich environment, 1100 sq ft house, driving a used Toyota pickup and commuting 1200 miles to work....not to mention multiple pay cuts, mergers and BK.
Awesome is correct, married the right lady, upgraded cars & houses after retirement.
Attachments
Kingairer
'Tiger Team' Member
My words right now dont count for much since I have a ways to go (dim light at the end of the tunnel), but this is exactly how I plan on leaving. No cake, no fanfare, just irish goodbye the whole thing.
Kingairer
'Tiger Team' Member
Here, you can drop your schedule down to 0 if you want. I could see a scenario (and people probably already do this), where you just fly your last couple of years by doing 1 or 2 trips a month and thats it. Negative is youd have to still stay plugged into work a bit, medical exams etc, but it would allow for a sample of retirement before jumping all in. Right now I see people doing the opposite though and trying to flying 150 hour credit months up to the finish line. bleh.Why not go all the way? Isn’t one only working 8-10 days/month plus 40+ days vacation by that seniority mark? It’s barely part time at that point anyway. Plus you can drop down.
Good on you though, letting others move up
CFIT99
I'm probably commenting ironically...
I fly with a lot of AA pilots that are within weeks of retirement. Some want the cake, salute and the whole thing...others to fade into oblivion as if one day they were here, the next not.
Funny note, the CA and the JS were both retiring in about 3 months...they are talking retirement plans, CA said he was going to fly corporate a few years...JS said...nope, goin to my lake house in Montana ...gonna fish and smoke a bunch of weed. <----thats how you retire!
Funny note, the CA and the JS were both retiring in about 3 months...they are talking retirement plans, CA said he was going to fly corporate a few years...JS said...nope, goin to my lake house in Montana ...gonna fish and smoke a bunch of weed. <----thats how you retire!
They gotta stack that cheddah before exiting.
bike21
9-5 Ruins Lives
Entertainment Committee. Love it. It's g'damn exhausting flying with guys who want to follow you around like a lost puppy.
Me: "Welp, looks like we're super early I'm going to take a stroll, get a coffee and maybe a snack. See you at the gate."
Puppy: "Cool, I'll tag along!"
Me: "Fuuuuuudge"
Puppy: "Mc'Irish pub at 5?"
Me: "Sorry, I'll be on walkabout working on photos all day"
Puppy: [much sad]
Now, don't get me wrong I like to enjoy a pint and hang sometimes but I simply don't understand the types that can't do their own thing.
bike21
9-5 Ruins Lives
One of the fini flights I did, really nice CA, greatly enjoyed his company the few times we flew together. He didn't want anything special but the CPO surprised him with cake and such so I stuck around and commiserated with his misery with some cheap cake. I could tell he couldn't wait to finish up and bail outta there lol.
Drives the point home that when I'm ready (hopefully 60 or a bit before) after that one really good landing...I'm out!
CFIT99
I'm probably commenting ironically...
yup had both of those experiences....
1. CA landed after a pretty awesome trip, said that was a good trip to go out on (had about 5 months left)...
2. Another CA landed and saw he got extended for a turn (FTR, allegorically I've seen extensions on line holders are very rare) he called up the chief and quit right there...I thought he was joking but did it (he had about a year left)
DE727UPS
Well-Known Member
That would have been a great phone call to hear. Capt: "I quit, I'm really quitting, this turn is BS". CP: "Wait, hold on, let me talk to scheduling and get you off the turn". Capt: Click....
A300Capt
Freight Dawg
I get some folks want the full Monty including the cake and celebratory festivities. I’ve never been a spotlight or celebratory type person. I feel like Scottie Scheffler at his press conference when he said golf didn’t define him..it was just what he did. Winning and awards lasted about 5 mins and then he was concentrating on the next thing.
I enjoyed flying and considered it a boyhood passion that took me on a journey even I didn’t think was possible. Somewhere along the way though it quit being a passion and became just a job. A great job…but a job nonetheless. By 60 I had completed what I had set out to do as a youngster but couldn’t wait to get out and find another passion. I was tired of the grind, the constant and forever changing and restrictive oversight by the company and FAA, and most importantly, missing family events or taking rain checks with friends.
I didn’t need another hour of jet time, landings or hotel/rental car points. Didn’t need another type rating either. None of that was personally fulfilling to me anymore. I really don’t miss the flying and yet realize how incredibly lucky I was to leave on my terms and not dictated by a medical issue, death or fired. The *Only* thing I truly miss are the people I met and worked/flew with along the way.
For the youngsters who are just starting out…
Be professional, dependable and reliable.
The hard times make the good times that much sweeter….so enjoy the entire ride! I learned infinitely more from my mistakes than from my successes. Except golf…it’s a stupid game and I’ve learned nothing!
For those who mostly live via social media…learn to put the put the camera down or at least turn the camera and focus on others, events and interesting destinations. Constantly filming yourself and talking about *you* is an empty endeavor that leads to nowhere except narcissism that, ironically, is not an attractive quality.
Be nice to folks in your work environment regardless of their position as you have no idea what they may be going through in their personal life. Besides, they may become your boss one day.
For those lucky enough to get to their dream job….slow down, take time to smell the flowers and enjoy the ride. As they say..the days go by slow but the years go by fast is so true. I still remember my first day of Indoc and my retirement flight. Everything else is a blur and looking back seem to go by at warp speed.
I enjoyed flying and considered it a boyhood passion that took me on a journey even I didn’t think was possible. Somewhere along the way though it quit being a passion and became just a job. A great job…but a job nonetheless. By 60 I had completed what I had set out to do as a youngster but couldn’t wait to get out and find another passion. I was tired of the grind, the constant and forever changing and restrictive oversight by the company and FAA, and most importantly, missing family events or taking rain checks with friends.
I didn’t need another hour of jet time, landings or hotel/rental car points. Didn’t need another type rating either. None of that was personally fulfilling to me anymore. I really don’t miss the flying and yet realize how incredibly lucky I was to leave on my terms and not dictated by a medical issue, death or fired. The *Only* thing I truly miss are the people I met and worked/flew with along the way.
For the youngsters who are just starting out…
Be professional, dependable and reliable.
The hard times make the good times that much sweeter….so enjoy the entire ride! I learned infinitely more from my mistakes than from my successes. Except golf…it’s a stupid game and I’ve learned nothing!
For those who mostly live via social media…learn to put the put the camera down or at least turn the camera and focus on others, events and interesting destinations. Constantly filming yourself and talking about *you* is an empty endeavor that leads to nowhere except narcissism that, ironically, is not an attractive quality.
Be nice to folks in your work environment regardless of their position as you have no idea what they may be going through in their personal life. Besides, they may become your boss one day.
For those lucky enough to get to their dream job….slow down, take time to smell the flowers and enjoy the ride. As they say..the days go by slow but the years go by fast is so true. I still remember my first day of Indoc and my retirement flight. Everything else is a blur and looking back seem to go by at warp speed.
Cherokee_Cruiser
Bronteroc
I get some folks want the full Monty including the cake and celebratory festivities. I’ve never been a spotlight or celebratory type person. I feel like Scottie Scheffler at his press conference when he said golf didn’t define him..it was just what he did. Winning and awards lasted about 5 mins and then he was concentrating on the next thing.
I enjoyed flying and considered it a boyhood passion that took me on a journey even I didn’t think was possible. Somewhere along the way though it quit being a passion and became just a job. A great job…but a job nonetheless. By 60 I had completed what I had set out to do as a youngster but couldn’t wait to get out and find another passion. I was tired of the grind, the constant and forever changing and restrictive oversight by the company and FAA, and most importantly, missing family events or taking rain checks with friends.
I didn’t need another hour of jet time, landings or hotel/rental car points. Didn’t need another type rating either. None of that was personally fulfilling to me anymore. I really don’t miss the flying and yet realize how incredibly lucky I was to leave on my terms and not dictated by a medical issue, death or fired. The *Only* thing I truly miss are the people I met and worked/flew with along the way.
For the youngsters who are just starting out…
Be professional, dependable and reliable.
The hard times make the good times that much sweeter….so enjoy the entire ride! I learned infinitely more from my mistakes than from my successes. Except golf…it’s a stupid game and I’ve learned nothing!
For those who mostly live via social media…learn to put the put the camera down or at least turn the camera and focus on others, events and interesting destinations. Constantly filming yourself and talking about *you* is an empty endeavor that leads to nowhere except narcissism that, ironically, is not an attractive quality.
Be nice to folks in your work environment regardless of their position as you have no idea what they may be going through in their personal life. Besides, they may become your boss one day.
For those lucky enough to get to their dream job….slow down, take time to smell the flowers and enjoy the ride. As they say..the days go by slow but the years go by fast is so true. I still remember my first day of Indoc and my retirement flight. Everything else is a blur and looking back seem to go by at warp speed.
Eloquent post!
+1000
I always tell people this when they ask me about the career and tell me they're working on their ratings. I wish I took that advice a little more to heart along the way, not to say some of it wasn't kind of a slog that wasn't necessarily fun all the time. I've still (hopefully) got a long road ahead, but I can't really say I have any honest to god regrets and have a lot of good memories getting to where I'm at now.