Techniques of the Professional Airline Pilot

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PCL_128 said:
[/list]I like most of your post, but this is just horrendous advice. Do your damned job and stay out of other people's jobs. You're a professional air line pilot. You shouldn't be serving the passengers drinks, cleaning up the cabin, tossing bags, pushing wheelchairs, etc.... You should do your job to the absolute best of your ability, but you shouldn't be doing anyone else's job. It undermines your profession, and it intrudes on the work of your fellow employees.
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My point all along. I couldn't agree with that more. We our pilots that is our title do your job. Thats why other people are paid money to do the other functions. Thats why we are only paid when the door is shut and the brake is dropped.

You're not a member of my profession. I'm an air line pilot. Completely different world from corporate/charter/fractional.
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Exactly! if I wanted to hand out drinks, clean planes, or throw bags I would be a corporate pilot.
 
PCL_128 said:
My big disagreement with him is the "above and beyond" crap that isn't in his job description. Do your damned job and stop worrying about everyone else's. I don't care how much you love your company, air line pilots shouldn't be tossing bags or doing drink services.
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That's fine. You are entitled to your opinion of what "professionalism" is, as am I. Mine happens to include going above and beyond to ensure that our customers and my fellow employees are taken care of. When you have a short-staffed ramp crew due to sick calls, or have four customers in wheelchairs and only two gate agents, it is in my nature to help out. It's not about neglecting my duties as a pilot... It's about standing up and helping out when I'd otherwise be sitting in the cockpit sipping on my coffee. I have plenty of time for that in cruise flight.

If you feel my leather jacket or wheelchair pushing is demeaning the profession, then so be it. We'll just agree to disagree on this issue. Do not, however, accuse me of being "part of the problem" because I suggest we go the extra mile in regards to our customers. That is ludicrous.

Like I said... agree to disagree.
 
It must be similar things I have heard about you from a few Captains here at XJT. Are you still upset I outed you on our company forums after you were running your mouth about this and that?

Give it a rest Chris. You da man. We got it.
 
FlyChicaga said:
It must be similar things I have heard about you from a few Captains here at XJT.
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Care to drop some initials? I'm not so sure you have heard much about me...

Are you still upset I outed you on our company forums after you were running your mouth about this and that?
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You outed a classmate of mine. You're not as smart as you think you are.
 
WalterSobchak said:
You aren't doing this 2400 times a day. You rarely go the wrong way used in the example. Especially the wrong way leveled off down low.You might go the wrong way up to an altitiude then as planned. In that case you put the coals to it and get up there faster thus you are getting on course faster. You aren't saving 876,000lbs a year on some thing that happens once in a blue moon.
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Wrong way? What are you talking about? The only "wrong way" I know is requesting a wrong way altitude.
 
No thanks Chris. I gave up silly games like this from back in high school. I just come to work, do my job, try to have fun, and try to help others along the way. Nothing more, nothing less.

In fact, when I started in this career I probably sounded a lot like you. I thought I knew it all. Now I realize I didn't know it all, and I don't know even close to it all today. From meeting you in person you seem like a good guy... Maybe you should realize that some of us can see through your internet bravado and know you'll probably be very successful in this career if you chill out. It took me some time (and a few bumps and bruises) to realize that I need to listen more than speak...

The whole purpose of this thread was to encourage each other to look at ways to improve ourselves... Yet again, something with good intentions turns into a freaking joke. Seems like par for the course these days with anything "airline" related on JC.

Good luck bro.
 
FlyChicaga said:
No thanks Chris. I gave up silly games like this from back in high school. I just come to work, do my job, try to have fun, and try to help others along the way. Nothing more, nothing less.
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That's funny because you're spending all this time trying to smear me. You're a joke.

In fact, when I started in this career I probably sounded a lot like you. I thought I knew it all.
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I don't know it all. Especially about the airplane flying stuff. I know more than most about general knowledge, but that doesn't help with the airplane flying stuff. A for effort though.

Now I realize I didn't know it all, and I don't know even close to it all today.
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As this thread demonstrates.

From meeting you in person you seem like a good guy...
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Having met me, I figured that you would have the courtesy to not try and smear me, since I don't take this whole internet thing nearly as serious as some people.

Maybe you should realize that some of us can see through your internet bravado and know you'll probably be very successful in this career if you chill out.
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I'm perfectly chill, actually, which proves that you haven't talked to any captains I've flown with. I'm incredibly laid back (and not the type that briefs that he's laid back)

It took me some time (and a few bumps and bruises) to realize that I need to listen more than speak...
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I actually do listen plenty. My outspokenness is traditionally in the lav in non-aviation threads. I probably respond to only about 20% of the threads I read, because I'm well aware of my knowledge and where it is relevant.

The whole purpose of this thread was to encourage each other to look at ways to improve ourselves... Yet again, something with good intentions turns into a freaking joke. Seems like par for the course these days with anything "airline" related on JC.
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Don't let the door hit you on the way out then? Why don't you pick up a trip with me sometime. I promise it'll be fun. Honest injun.
 
Hacker15e said:
Does your company track how much each crew burned versus how much was planned?

In other words, when you save gas does anyone notice?
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You can bet your turkey feathers they track it. And, no, no one notices when you SAVE gas. But, if you overburn all the time, then they REALLY notice.

They notice to the point that one crew (Capt AND F/O) recently got a month off for consistently overburning on a month of turns as compared to everyone else who was flying the same legs the same days.
 
GaTechKid said:
Wrong way? What are you talking about? The only "wrong way" I know is requesting a wrong way altitude.
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GaTechKid <----"You're like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know... "

It's in response to slow down when flying the wrong way on the first page.
 
Velocipede said:
They notice to the point that one crew (Capt AND F/O) recently got a month off for consistently overburning on a month of turns as compared to everyone else who was flying the same legs the same days.
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Holy cow! Is that the other side of some kind of fuel use incentive program they both volunteered for?

The range of responses I get when I ask if a company tracks fuel usage is wide. Some people say "No way!," other say "no, but that's a good idea," and some say "heck yeah, my bonus was a down payment!"
 
FlyChicaga said:
When you have a short-staffed ramp crew due to sick calls, or have four customers in wheelchairs and only two gate agents, it is in my nature to help out.
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Then your "nature" is counterproductive and needs to be changed. If the ramp crew is short staffed because of sick calls, then that means management hasn't staffed your ramp crews properly and needs to increase staffing to cover sick calls or offer higher overtime pay to encourage the current workers to voluntarily work more. If your airline doesn't want your wheelchair passengers waiting for the two gate agents, then they need to contract with Prime Flight or whichever servicing company services your airports so they can handle the wheelchair passengers. Having an air line Captain doing these jobs is completely unacceptable. As long as you do them, the problems will never be properly handled.

Do not, however, accuse me of being "part of the problem"
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If your attitude continues, then you are part of the problem.
 
Sometimes I'll toss bags into the back.
I pick up trash in my airplane and I'm not ashamed to do it.
I also frequently go out of my way to help people out.

I guess that makes me unprofessional. :)
 
Hey Flychicaga,

I'd like to thank you for taking the time to write some of the techniques used by you. I learned quite a bit from your experience and techniques. Unfortunately I'm not an airline pilot yet so I can't add much to the thread. I did add this thread to my favorites for future reference. Thanks again man!!



I got more, but that's all for now. Just things I've been taught over the years. I'd love to hear what you have!
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I really wish that you Airline Pilots would help newbies like me by giving your personal opinion on what you think Techniques of the Professional Airline Pilots are.

Any help will be greatly appreciate it!
 
PCL_128 said:
Then your "nature" is counterproductive and needs to be changed. If the ramp crew is short staffed because of sick calls, then that means management hasn't staffed your ramp crews properly and needs to increase staffing to cover sick calls or offer higher overtime pay to encourage the current workers to voluntarily work more. If your airline doesn't want your wheelchair passengers waiting for the two gate agents, then they need to contract with Prime Flight or whichever servicing company services your airports so they can handle the wheelchair passengers. Having an air line Captain doing these jobs is completely unacceptable. As long as you do them, the problems will never be properly handled.



If your attitude continues, then you are part of the problem.
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:yeahthat:
Management is a little kid. They want candy at dinner you need to say no. If you give them their candy they will always want it with dinner.
 
WalterSobchak said:
:yeahthat:
Management is a little kid. They want candy at dinner you need to say no. If you give them their candy they will always want it with dinner.
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Exactly. A perfect example of this happened at AirTran a few years ago. The company always had cleaners in the hubs that took care of picking up trash, crossing seat belts, etc... between flights. On tight turns when flights were delayed, some of the FAs started helping out the cleaners to get things done quicker. The company noticed this, and an idea popped into their heads: why pay cleaners when FAs can do it off the clock since they only get paid block time? The company slowly started scaling back the cleaners, and eventually had none. The FAs were stuck doing all of it. Of course, the FAs got pissed off after a while, and decided that they would have to put a stop to it. Problem was, it was now an issue of past practice. Since they'd been doing it, they couldn't stop or the company would claim that they were changing the status quo as based on past practice. So, the FAs had to negotiate a clause into their next contract that specifically states that they don't clean airplanes at hub airports. The company had no choice but to hire the cleaners again. The problem was that the FAs had to waste negotiating capital to fix a problem that they created for themselves by "helping out" and "going above and beyond" just as Chicaga does.

For every action, there are unintended consequences. Don't fall into the trap.
 
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