I disagree. What you've described here is developing and maintaining professional proficiency and expertise. Being professional means you maintain high standards at all times -- it's a continual process.

What it does NOT require is that your FO be prepared to brief you on the departure, enroute, and destination weather, taxiway closures, temporary cranes requiring amended decision altitudes, and MELs on the airplane and give you a recommendation on how much fuel to add -- AT SHOW TIME. Show time is the time we begin studying the PARTICULARS of our flight to include all of the above. I repeat -- it's the time we BEGIN ... not the "last minute" as you contend.


If a pilot cannot accomplish those tasks between show time and the scheduled push time, one of two things might be true. One, the time scheduled may be insufficient. If that's the case, more time should be scheduled, and more time should be paid. At one point, The Company realized that insufficient time was scheduled between show time and push time for a deadhead flight, so they increased the paid time by modifying show times.

The second possibility is the pilot is not sufficiently knowledgeable, competent, or skilled to accomplish the required tasks in the scheduled time. If that's the case, he can strive to become more knowledgeable, competent, and skilled, or he can always start early, and hope he never gets a reserve assignment with late call parking.

Or maybe it's some of both. I'll let you decide which applies to you.






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