Paying your dues???

Screaming_Emu said:
Are you rotting away in ANC yet?
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Not even close. The training pipeline seems to be clogged, liquid plumber isn't working, and everyone at RotoRooter quit because they can make more money sitting on the couch collecting gummint checks.

And I am not complaining, I'll happily just sit here getting extra "re-acquaintance" sims until I'm on 2nd year pay. I'm in danger of halfway knowing wtf I'm doing by the time I hit the line, at this rate. Imagine.
 
Screaming_Emu said:
I respectfully disagree with your respectful disagreement.

Just because you don’t LOVE instructing doesn’t mean you have to do a disservice to your students. You’re probably not thrilled to be back in the right seat (hopefully very temporary), but I’m sure you show up and fly like a professional.
Instructing exercises and strengthens the exact same skill set you need to work well in a multi crew environment. Not saying that’s the only way to do that, but it is likely the best, quickest, and easiest.

I was absolutely terrified of instructing at first. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a 250 hour pilot. But once I got into the groove of it and had enough experience to be comfortable I really enjoyed it. It might not be for everyone, but sometimes on the chart of “things I don’t want to do vs things I have to do to get where I want” the data points towards instructing.
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"Love" or even "Like" of a job can wear off pretty quickly. At the end of the day, it's a job . We are lucky if we even "like" our jobs. I have friends at legacies who are living for their days off like any other 9-5'er. Instead of waiting for the perfect gig to get you where you want to go, take the gig that will get you the experience you need, keep food on the table, a roof over your head , and clothes on your back. Plus he'd be home every night for just a little while longer. The S/O would dig it.
 
Boris Badenov said:
There's a name I haven't heard for eons. They had a Lance that would fill in for our 210s when they broke. Not FIKI approved, but somehow it always got there. In December. In the Midwest. It seriously looked like someone lived in it, complete with chintzy, filthy 70s window-curtains. Basically a VW van with wings. I was always surprised when the dude opened the door and A) He was neither Cheech nor Chong, B) There was no cloud of pot smoke boiling out.
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So a very close friend of mine flew for them for a while when we were also working the ramp at EB. One night I decide to go with him to OKC in the Lance, well it was fall and and like 1300OVC and 4SM all the way down there. My friend said “they will cancel me and get an IFR guy probably”. He calls the boss and asks what they are going to do and he was irate “ITS VFR, go!” So away we went in one of those flying jalopys all they way down there and back MVFR at night right above I-35.

Another quick story about Safewing and Flight Express for that matter. One morning one of Executive Beechcraft‘s F-150s hit a taxiing 210 of FLXs so hard the pilot was ejected out of it. Totaled both the airplane and the truck. I had my Dad at the airport and took him to see what was left of the 210. FLX and safewing shared a hangar back then and while we were waking back to the wreck he stopped and looked at one of the Lances. Turns out it was one of the ones he delivered when it was brand new when he worked for a Piper dealer in DSM. Same paint, interior, and radios, just the ever living crap beat out of it.
 
KLB said:
"Love" or even "Like" of a job can wear off pretty quickly. At the end of the day, it's a job . We are lucky if we even "like" our jobs. I have friends at legacies who are living for their days off like any other 9-5'er. Instead of waiting for the perfect gig to get you where you want to go, take the gig that will get you the experience you need, keep food on the table, a roof over your head , and clothes on your back. Plus he'd be home every night for just a little while longer. The S/O would dig it.
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Yup. I still absolutely love my job. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do for a living since I was 2 or 3. But I’d still rather be at home.
 
Boris Badenov said:
Not even close. The training pipeline seems to be clogged, liquid plumber isn't working, and everyone at RotoRooter quit because they can make more money sitting on the couch collecting gummint checks.

And I am not complaining, I'll happily just sit here getting extra "re-acquaintance" sims until I'm on 2nd year pay. I'm in danger of halfway knowing wtf I'm doing by the time I hit the line, at this rate. Imagine.
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Surprised they didn’t just tell you to come work at Air Beachball for 3 months and then give you a short course!
 
Screaming_Emu said:
Surprised they didn’t just tell you to come work at Air Beachball for 3 months and then give you a short course!
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We had like 5 or 6 of Youz Guyz in my indoc, of which one had literally never operated a Beachball flight. He got his type and I'm guessing with great trepidation notified them that, you know, "thanks for all the fish". Hopefully your new contract will change all of this. Should happen any moment now, right!?
 
Boris Badenov said:
We had like 5 or 6 of Youz Guyz in my indoc, of which one had literally never operated a Beachball flight. He got his type and I'm guessing with great trepidation notified them that, you know, "thanks for all the fish". Hopefully your new contract will change all of this. Should happen any moment now, right!?
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We are basically a training center for you guys and purple. Good on that guy for doing nothing but costing the company money. They deserve it.
 
Boris Badenov said:
There's a name I haven't heard for eons. They had a Lance that would fill in for our 210s when they broke. Not FIKI approved, but somehow it always got there. In December. In the Midwest. It seriously looked like someone lived in it, complete with chintzy, filthy 70s window-curtains. Basically a VW van with wings. I was always surprised when the dude opened the door and A) He was neither Cheech nor Chong, B) There was no cloud of pot smoke boiling out.
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I think I know a couple of chaps that survived that place.
 
Boris Badenov said:
There's a name I haven't heard for eons. They had a Lance that would fill in for our 210s when they broke. Not FIKI approved, but somehow it always got there. In December. In the Midwest. It seriously looked like someone lived in it, complete with chintzy, filthy 70s window-curtains. Basically a VW van with wings. I was always surprised when the dude opened the door and A) He was neither Cheech nor Chong, B) There was no cloud of pot smoke boiling out.
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To be fair, a Lance is just Cherokee 6 that can hide the wheels and based on, uh, stories I’ve heard a Cherokee 6 will pretty much take any neglect and abuse you can possible throw at it and shrug and say “meh”. Don’t do any appreciable amount of maintenance for 4000 hours? Meh. Load it hilariously out of the weight and balance envelope? Meh. Fly in the yellow arc to 2 mile final, yank the power to idle and slam full flaps the second the needle touches the white arc? Meh. Land it on a glacier, tear the gear out, helicopter it off, throw on wings from a different vintage 6, and return it to service? Meh. Except I guess if you do a few too many steep spirals and power-off 180 crash n goes.
 
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Roger Roger said:
stories I’ve heard a Cherokee 6 will pretty much take any neglect and abuse you can possible throw at it and shrug and say “meh”.
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I never heard of them crashing, so you raise a fair point. You know what they couldn't cowboy their way through? A ramp check. We all came in around the same time at CPS, and while a few of the FLX guys got a little bit of finger-waving and some tut-tuts, we all drove home under our own power. The Lance was still there the next day. I'd be surprised if there was a cargo net in the airplane, let alone over the cargo. Ah, the good ole days!
 
Boris Badenov said:
I never heard of them crashing, so you raise a fair point. You know what they couldn't cowboy their way through? A ramp check. We all came in around the same time at CPS, and while a few of the FLX guys got a little bit of finger-waving and some tut-tuts, we all drove home under our own power. The Lance was still there the next day. I'd be surprised if there was a cargo net in the airplane, let alone over the cargo. Ah, the good ole days!
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Even those of us who have finely-tuned the art of ensuring the appearance of compliance can only bend reality so far.
 
deadstick said:
I remember when RamEx took out a tv tower in NC, but I guess that was more of an outside influence as opposed to a mechanical failure.

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Probably just dumb luck, really. There were a bunch of antennas on the way in to CPS from SGF, and we got "check your altitude immediately" as a matter of course. Obviously, we knew where they were since we knew the area, but I can easily see biffing it that way if we hadn't.
 
Screaming_Emu said:
I respectfully disagree with your respectful disagreement.

Just because you don’t LOVE instructing doesn’t mean you have to do a disservice to your students. You’re probably not thrilled to be back in the right seat (hopefully very temporary), but I’m sure you show up and fly like a professional.
Instructing exercises and strengthens the exact same skill set you need to work well in a multi crew environment. Not saying that’s the only way to do that, but it is likely the best, quickest, and easiest.

I was absolutely terrified of instructing at first. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a 250 hour pilot. But once I got into the groove of it and had enough experience to be comfortable I really enjoyed it. It might not be for everyone, but sometimes on the chart of “things I don’t want to do vs things I have to do to get where I want” the data points towards instructing.
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Eh, I maintain if someone doesn't "want" to instruct or feels they wouldn't be a good CFI, and can find a way to get the hours another way, more power to them. There seems to be this mentality that if you didn't instruct, you're somehow "less than" as a pilot, which is bull poo. Different strokes at the end of the day though, takes all kinds of ingredients to bake a cake.
 
ozziecat35 said:
Eh, I maintain if someone doesn't "want" to instruct or feels they wouldn't be a good CFI, and can find a way to get the hours another way, more power to them. There seems to be this mentality that if you didn't instruct, you're somehow "less than" as a pilot, which is bull poo. Different strokes at the end of the day though, takes all kinds of ingredients to bake a cake.
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I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me about not CFI’ing and that includes two trips to the purported Holiest of Holies. It might make your existence as an RJ Captain marginally easier, especially given the...raw material involved, but the assertion of “less than” is to be categorically rejected.

(If you’re teaching primary in an RJ you’re screwed anyway.)

I actually still think about getting that certificate, incidentally. Mostly because I miss GA pretty ferociously.
 
ozziecat35 said:
Eh, I maintain if someone doesn't "want" to instruct or feels they wouldn't be a good CFI, and can find a way to get the hours another way, more power to them. There seems to be this mentality that if you didn't instruct, you're somehow "less than" as a pilot, which is bull poo. Different strokes at the end of the day though, takes all kinds of ingredients to bake a cake.
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Some people just don’t possess the ability to teach and monitor, even if they are motivated to.

Some people can teach, but just don’t want to.

Some people don’t want the liability and responsibility for having to catch and correct mistakes students make, often when they come quickly and unforeseen.

Some people don’t have the situational awareness or overall experience (they’re new themselves), to notice when the previous point is even beginning to occur until it’s too late.

All matter of reasons why people don’t instruct or wouldn’t be good for instructing.
 
MikeD said:
Some people just don’t possess the ability to teach and monitor, even if they are motivated to.
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These people make crappy captains.

Some people can teach, but just don’t want to.
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These people often times make ok captains but come tend to be difficult to fly with until they get some time in the left seat.

Some people don’t want the liability and responsibility for having to catch and correct mistakes students make, often when they come quickly and unforeseen.
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Hope these guys never upgrade at a regional.


Some people don’t have the situational awareness or overall experience (they’re new themselves), to notice when the previous point is even beginning to occur until it’s too late.
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That's a fair point. I was nor a very good instructor from hours 300 when I started until maybe hour 600. I do feel for my early students a little bit.
 
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