Shaggy1970

Age limit??? You must not have been in the Kong or Clark! LMAO He's the mayor and no one checks his ID. He is actully pretty young then most guys that I see girls leaving the bars with. Grey hair = Lots of cash in the wallet!

SaltyDog

UPS is smart. They wait for an opportunity. Meanwhile, they press to see what the breaking point is for a Capt to move the boxes when maintenance, etc gets in the way.

Why know FAA/Media? Media has no love for pilots <g>, and the FAA doesn't want any part of the labor/management game.
OR, they can be part of the cause. Example: FAA doesn't want part: Jumpseats.
Example FAA is part of cause: Logbooks. What a debacle that was for awhile. Many Capts earned the target list after that chapter.
Do you want to know why the new CBA has a section on union sanctioned company punishment? Because if you were on the target list, UPS would fire you for your a no show. Others, they only pulled pay and a letter stating next was termination, etc. Negotiators wanted a uniform punishment for all, just don't have 3 no shows in a year.
Still thrilled to be at UPS, but I watch my back. Remember the DC-8 crew that did an RTO for pitot covers on? UPS disclosed the info to the FAA, Capt received letter of warning. What did the Capt do wrong? Trusted the company procedure of the mechanic confirming removed since we don't write these timewasters in the logbook.

⌐ AV8OR WANNABE

I am still chocked about that whole ordeal - company procedure followed yet the pilots and not the company get violated - amazing...

dudewannabe

Salty,

I can certainly understand why some guys are so bitter with this place.

FliFast

Hey Salty,

How goes it ? Salty ?

I have never seen this at UPS yet. Not to say it doesn't happen. And Yes, at others airlines managment has pressured me to take an airplane I wasn't 100 % ok with. Some valuable lessons can be pot-roasted by looking through the logbook's recent history, the MEL and talking to MX.

Saavy Captains can immediately tell if a mechanic, MOC, Dispatch, ABC, XYZ, Chief Pilot, or aliens from Mars are trying to sell ice to an eskimo. Do they want the boxes moved or do they want the boxes moved safely.

Arguably UPS is one of the top jobs in this wreaked industry. A handful of bent, but preventable, airframes incidents could quite easily knock UPS to a second-run spot.

Salty, I commend your astuteness on this issue. I editorialize it by adding that, on every flight, stack the deck in your favor, not to the side of chance and error.

Some common examples, names withheld to protect harming any animals:

If on approach, you take a birdstrike and your window is completely covered with bird snot, give the airplane to the other pilot. Break the chain of uncertainty...break the chain of events. Landings are fun, safe landings get you to the bar sooner.

If you weigh max gross takeoff weight and the runway is barely wet, consider max thrust. On the MD11, it's not a matter of "saving the engines", it's a matter of maximizing your takeoff profile using the OPS computer. Using a flex at MTOW on the MD11, will give you a nice low flap setting, great for 2nd segment, but will have you break ground in the last 1000' of the runway and probably just barely make 50-60' over the opposing threshold. Imagine losing a motor between v1 and vr...you might be starting the UPS landscaping Service.

It's cool to have 443' of stopping margin because you can really give those brakes and thermal plugs a good workout, it's better to have 2898' using max blow and fixed flaps 20...stacking the deck in your favor.

Ok, back to work for me. Flying down to SDF, might need my passport and a zoloft.

FF

767pilot

Not sure that anyone got "violated". Sounds like a letter and hopefully the dude took advantage of ASAP. Does anyone know if the captain asked the mechanic over the headset if the gear pins and pitot cover were removed as we are required to do?

SaltyDog

Yes he did and they were confirmed clear. Now I check myself if on when I get to a/c. Just one of them 'learned by others "mistakes"' UPS stated they "must" report us to the FAA. Reason ASAP is so vital.

FliFast, Doing well, Hope same for you, Domestic folks see it routinely, reason everyone tells me to bid ANC <g>
I agree on the biz, standard industry stuff. Captains better be professional, know your stuff. Always ask rest of crew to wave the flag if I should be an am not.
That alone has saved my bacon too!
Again, thankful to be at UPS. Always said UPS does 90% correct, 5% is unintentional, and 5% is because that is the corporate desire to control <g> That 5% if converted like SWA management attitude would give UPS one heck of a boost in productivity without contract language.

767pilot

If it happened like that and he got violated, we need a better lawyer!

⌐ AV8OR WANNABE

Well, they both got a letter of warning on their FAA file which will expire in two years... I know that some people do not consider LoWs a ‘violation – however a letter that becomes a part of someone’s FAA airman file sounds like a violation to me...

SaltyDog

Poor word choice, meant he had gotten the clear call from the mechanic. Followed UPS stated "FAA Company Approved procedure" Essentially, FAA stated Capt still must abide by all FAR's,etc. Reason for Letter of Warning. FAA was pretty clear, one reason logbooks became so much a difficulty. You have two conflicting 'rules'