Originally Posted by
Timbo
I had to call in sick in my first 6mo. with a nasty head cold/blocked sinuses. I didn't want to of course, but I was worried about bursting an eardrum, again.
Here's my recommendation; before you call crew sheds, call the Chief Pilot. Explain your situation, ask for his advice. It has been my experience that 99% of the guys in the CPO are going to support you, even on probation. The crew schedulers, not so much.
So call the CPO and let them know first, then ask them if they will call crew sheds for you, or if you should call.
I'm recently off probation and I had to call in sick at about the 6 month point. I just called crew scheduling and they said, "I have you down as sick, let us know when you're well." It wasn't a big deal at all, nor did I expect it to be, but I also didn't buy into all the probation boogie man talk. Show up, don't suck, be a normal human being (I know, tough for some) and you'll be fine.
I did receive a call from the duty pilot, but it was very much a auto generated call for the first time you call in sick. Basically, he wanted to make sure that I knew I had to call in well.
Why call the CPO? That thought never even crossed my mind. I'm calling in sick, not asking to get out of a bid because I forgot to update my AE preferences!