Incident: Atlas B744 over Atlantic on Sep 21st 2014, cargo main deck fire indication

By Simon Hradecky, created Sunday, Sep 21st 2014 18:44Z, last updated Sunday, Sep 21st 2014 18:44Z
An Atlas Air Boeing 747-400 freighter, registration N499MC performing freight flight 5Y-5421 from Miami,FL (USA) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 5 crew and 110 tons of flowers, was enroute at FL350 over the Atlantic Ocean when the crew received a fire indication for the aft main deck, donned their oxygen masks and declared emergency. The aircraft descended to FL250 and diverted to Shannon (Ireland), the crew indicated they would stop on the runway and needed emergency services to check whether an evacuation was necessary. The aircraft landed safely on Shannon's runway 06. Attending emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke. The aircraft subsequently vacated the runway and taxied to the apron.

The occurrence aircraft is currently still on the ground in Shannon about 5.5 hours after landing.

 

No, I don't have all the answers, but I came from the regionals three years ago and I still shake my head at the things I took for granted there that don't exist here:

Trip pay protection; schedulers who actually followed the CBA (I rarely had to quote the contract to a scheduler and when I did, it was basically fixed immediately); training events/vacation/sick days that paid as much (essentially) as a normal trip; a trip trade system; a robust safety culture with quarterly reports that dug deep into what we were doing wrong and why, instead of hearing about every incident through word of mouth; a functional reserve pilot system; new hires who were put into the lowest paying airplane in the most junior base; and chief pilots who you could call when something funny was going on and they would actually fix it.

Oh well, at least Atlas gives me the same retirement contribution I got flying a CRJ.

So, let's say I'm king for a day and the company asks what they can do. How about follow the CBA! Scheduling, Travel, hotels, catering, PAYROLL! How much of your contact with the company is spent fighting to insist they comply with the CBA? For me, a large majority. If they're playing by the rules, I don't need to talk to anybody. Rarely happens.

As for "breaking the bank" - why do Flynn & Co. get paid on par or better than the majors while we lag so far behind? Do you really think paying us industry standard (that is, average pay instead of below average) would make the company lose money?

Things are starting to change, at least. Trip trade module is in progress, and word is RD is a pilot's chief pilot. Can't wait to press to test on that.

Bigger picture: DHL is a classic race to the bottom, just like the regionals. We'll be in their crosshairs someday, probably sooner than later. Enjoy it while it lasts, and take all you can. Concessions, shrinking to profitability - none of that crap works.

 

Yep, I pressed-to-test with RD about an issue and felt that his handling of the issue (a Grievance) was reasonable and was settled in a way that works.

 

This is all conjecture. With 15 767s and 40+ 747s, I guarantee that 747 new-hire vacancies will exist going forward, even with all of us flowing to the 747. This is going to continue to be a problem for the new-hires, and if we say we want an industry-standard CBA, the 3 year seat lock must be moved down to 1 (at the very minimum).

Of course, we need an EXCO that will push for the junior guys. I can tell by your posts that you're a topped-out 747 CA. Your seniority works as it should at your position on the list, and your pay is significantly more than $82/hr. So, since you're pushing Target 2016 pretty heavily on APC: Sell it to me. Sell Target 2016 to a bunch of junior guys whose seniority isn't being honored. Why should we vote for a slate whose supporters feel it'd be a waste of time to help the junior pilots?

Keep in mind, my dealings with KM personally have been good, but if this is the type of support his slate is getting, I don't want much to do with it.

What did the 767 and 777 LOAs do for the average line pilot, exactly?

 

What did the 767 and 777 LOAs do for the average line pilot, exactly?

I'll answer that as it was my same question from 6 months ago.....We should all be proud that our 777 LOA got us 2 more 777 Check airman positions Basically for the avg line guy we didn't give up anything to get anything.

 

If we continue to do this, in a few short years we'll have a lot of nothing and we won't have given up anything to get it. Winning!

 

Also.... don't forget the DHL hub in Leipzig that usually has a flight or two going to CVG most nights where you could jumpseat into CVG for the 767 stuff.

 

As the 767 becomes the entry plane and folks flow over to the 747 then they would move over to the 747 between 3-4 yr pay since they would have to wait for an opening. Also, they would then move over to the junior 747 base, which is currently ANC today.

 

Worth asking a guy who lives abroad, but Gateway doesn't include international destinations. It's on you to get to the states on your own, via DHL jumpseat or OAL jumpseat, either direct to CVG or somewhere else. if for any reason you don't make it to CVG in time (divert, maintenance, weather), including proper rest before operating, that's on you. On probation and you miss a flight, they could fire you. it's not like the pax airlines where if you don't make it, you just don't get paid and they call out a reserve.

 

Yes please.