Yea, PQI. What else.

Couple weeks back I was in the hotel van with one of our senior captains and he was talking to a former C5 guy and friend who was now at mainline. PQI came up and our captain said he refuses to go in there anymore because PQI management outright lies about the state of the runway to save money.

He said they always report 5/5/5 when the runway clearly hasn't been plowed recently and it's more like 3/3/3. One day he said he almost went off the end because of this. He went to the airport manager's office to complain and overheard some guy there saying that it costs them $7000 every time they plow the runway and they don't have the money for it.

Uhhhh, to that I say, if you want airline service to your podunk town, you plow the f'ing runway every 5 minutes as far as I'm concerned. I don't care if your town goes bankrupt. Otherwise, you can drive your a$$ to EWR. I will avoid that place like an ebola outbreak until I leave C5. If you go in there as CA or FO, you put your entire future at risk.

Funny how the MEC scheduling committee email that just came out today mentions PQI as the top bid avoid.

 

Did the Capt. ASAP it?

 

No idea. What I did hear is that the FAA is aware of the issues up there and are investigating. Whether that ultimately results in some well-deserved b!tch-slapping of PQI personnel or translates into increased safety is anyone's guess.

Between the lack of ACARS and this runway plowing horsesh!t I maintain I want nothing to do with PQI. I'd rather go to Chicago, and that's really saying something because I think Chicago is hell on earth, particularly in winter. But at least they have ACARS and know how to plow a f'ing runway.

 

I hope you are not suggesting the crash you had in PQI was because of airport management?

 

What I'm suggesting is what I said. The airport management doesn't want to keep the airport prepared for winter operations and so anyone who goes there is putting their career at risk. You are the only one talking about the crash here.

 

How did you deduce that from what he said? I think he wrote in pretty plain English there the reasons he avoids it.

 

I’m sure they know how to properly plow the runway. Maybe they don’t do it often enough for someone’s happiness. I would doubt but do not know if it is “treated” for snow removal as efficiently as ORD would be.

Landing Runway 1 with 3/3/3 if on speed and on glide slope with the use of T/Rs on what is an upsloping runway should not result in an overrun. Not having ACARS is a laughable reason. Do you think pilots across the world avoid airports because they don’t have ACARS? Manage the risk properly. That’s essentially what we’re paid to do.

 

nj,
I hope you, and anyone else reading it for that matter, take this in the spirit intended.

Upgrade comes fast. Regardless of ones background, use the time as an F.O. to bid and fly some of that which you consider more challenging. Be it operational, runways, approaches, terrain...whatever.
Hand fly most, in fact nearly all, approaches, whether IMC or VMC.
Don't avoid aspects that seem more challenging..seek them out.
Then reflect on what was done and what you can do better. (in short, do an occasional self debrief)

If you are flying with a Captain you think receptive to such things, use some of the legs to go into, or clarify, systems, AOM/GOM, working with ATC, dispatch, and the stations. Traps to watch out for. Maybe even their general philosophies on how it is we do what we do.

Get as confident as you can during this period so it doesn't seem as daunting later when you are the Captain with a brand new F.O. next to you. It is more likely you will then find the upgrade process and being a new Captain satisfying and even somewhat fun, as opposed to stressful. Most of us got into this business because we wished to be excellent pilots and airmen. Everything else flows from that.


I know this sounds all somewhat pompous. Take what, if anything, that rings true for you. Ignore what doesn't.
Cheers!

 

Note to self pardner : every time you strap on the jet, you put your career at risk.