viktorbravo

No, I think saving the company a few bucks by the way we operate the aircraft is a good thing. However, lets be realistic about this. So I do a SE taxi here and there, shut down a motor after exiting the runway, take it easy on the brakes at all times, restrict APU usage to only when its required, I save em a few bucks every flight. This is good for all of us in some way, no argument there, but...........

What about the numerous times that the CG is loaded so far forward that you burn 10% more fuel getting to your destination? (where they completely unload the airplane BTW)

Then when I go to sit hot I get launched to ABQ because the Diesel 8 is "hard down and not going anywhere." So we launch out of ONT and when we get to cruising altitude, I see a UPS 8 pass over us opposite direction. Hummm....... wassup with that? Since my input is neither requested nor required by UPS, I continue on to ABQ, land, do my SE taxi to the ramp and dont start the APU because I want to save the company money. Guess what. No Diesel 8 there, and the gtw manager comes up and says "what are you guys doing here?"

This is not an uncommon occurrance.

Now for another. So I'm on the 727 on rsv in SDF one fine saturday, get a call to get to the airport ASAP because a Lear Jet is coming in to take us to PDX so that we can get the jet thats parked there and bring it into SDF as its abosolutely positively needed for a revenue flgiht that night, or else there will be *gasp* "service failures."

No problem, but knowing what goes on over the weekends in PDX, the Capt goes back to contigency and says "hey boys, you know they do some pretty substantial maintenence over the weekend in PDX, is the airplane we are going to take actually ready to go fly?"

Then one of Jerry's Kids in contigency quipps, "Captain, we know what we are doing and your input is neither requested, nor required, you do your job and I'l do mine." The Captain leaves, we all go to PDX on a chartered corporate jet.

What do you think happend next? We pull up to the ramp in PDX, see our 727 with flaps laying on the ground, engine cowls opened up and the mechanic says this airplane isnt going anywhere until monday night. Big surprise there.

Again, I could write a 1000 page book about just these types of events that happend to me over the last 13 years.

I'm all for saving the company a few bucks when I can. However when you see stuff like I mentioned on a regular basis, you cant help but think that the company needs to take a good look at the way they make decisions and handle communications if they want to save some real money. All the single engine taxis and not firing up the APU will not even make a dent in the cost of the decision making antics of UPS.

Stepping over a $20 dollar bill to pick up a penny is bad business......UPS makes money in spite of themselves. In fact they make so much, that they dont see the need to run a more efficient operation by questioning the way they operate. Talk to some of the management pilots and they can tell you horror stories. Its too bad because over the years there have been some very talented and intelligent management pilots in high positions in the airline. But, just like you and me, their input is neither requested, nor required. This is what you get when truck drivers call the shots at an airline.

And another thing. How 'bout a little somethin' for the effort, you know? The Lama, The Dalai Lama himself, twelfth son of the Lama told me that on my death bed I will receive total consciousness, so I got that going for me, which is nice, but a little incentive in the paycheck geared to fuel and mtc savings will bring everyone on board when it comes to saving the company money.

Then again, this is UPS, aint gonna happen......

soapbox concluded.