Not yet because he can't hold what he wants for QOL. Top half or bust. Bidding strategic reserve and working the OE and GSs pay about the same but the flying (or lack of) is waaaaay better. Comfortably "wasting" my time at home. Our kind of money goes a long way where I live so I'm not in a hurry. 7 years left seat 121 in a jet before Delta has given me perspective.

Again, 95% of what I put out there is with my tongue firmly lodged in the side of my mouth. ;)

100% of the guys I've flown with (3ish year sample size) have done the walk around on my leg. I think it's a west coast thing maybe.

I think it's fleet/base specific for sure. In a Midwestern base in a French airplane I NEVER once had a CA offer to do a walk around. Not even in Bermuda, where the weather was WAY above Captain walk around mins. Yet NY 7ER I saw captains do a lot of them. 717 I think most of the A's take walk arounds as a PM. Heck I even did it in the rain recently! Voluntarily!

I was a DTW73NB for about 2.5 years and only ever had 1, maybe 2 Captain not do the walkaround.

I’ve only missed one walkaround when the FO was PF, and that was first flight of the day walking on a plane with some pretty atrocious MEL errors.

FO looked at me, said “boy that looks like a lot of fun... I’m gonna go for a walk while you enjoy being a captain.” ;)

I usually have to beat the captain out the door if I want to do my FL walk arounds. I enjoy the leisurely leg stretch on my turns.

Keep in mind that at NWA the CA never did the walk around(when I got hired the only person qualified to on the 727 was the FE and the first flight of the day the FE pre-flighted both the CA's and FO's sides of the cockpit. They drank coffee, read the USA Today and Bs'd with the FA's). Wasn't their job. Speaking for myself only, when the merger happened, I was told by FO's that at Delta the CA did, my replay was "yea right". I've since learned to embrace the walk around as the longer I stay gone, the more gets done, like everything:) Just remember it's still the FO's job. We have had lots of complaints of the assumption that walk arounds will be shared.

I don't need these Captains getting any more exercise than absolutely necessary.

Unless it's icy.

In my case, 100% of the Capts that did not do walk arounds were former NW.

Yes I know at NW the Capts didn’t do them.

At Delta Init Qual, we were told the PM was responsible for walk around....no I can’t find that written in ink.

Vol1 says “Exterior Inspection - Captain or First Officer”

It is non-standard and not approved, but, one pilot does the outside, the other does the inside, works well when we have all the extra tools available to us to help the Flight Attendants plan their side of the flight. Plenty of time in the final 30 minutes of boarding to brief, cross-check and verify.

Just saying.

Post of the day!


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Believe it or not, I enjoy doing the walk around, buying the beer, and buying the coffee for my FO. At first I thought I was doing something nice for them but I’ve come to realize that I’m doing something good for both of us.

To be fair, I'm not a fan of that at all. Let's keep it straight forward and standard. PM does the panel prep (and the outside should the CA choose to do it as well... I think it is highly appropriate) and then verifies the box. PF loads the box. Simple. Easy. Right by the book. No one has to cast an extra thought as to what the other is doing.

The 737 freaking drove me nuts. I was the autocomplete FO... sometimes the CA did the panel prep, sometimes they just didn't. You never really knew what you were getting. I've had some FOs always do the panel prep on the bus that have come off the 737. That was almost as weird a fleet as the 88, but not quite!

Not sure when you were last on the 737, but in my 15 months on it since Indoc, other than my jab at the former NW Capts and their lack of walk arounds, I would say the other 99.69% of Capts do the panel when they are PM while I load the box as PF.

Now I’d be lying if I didn’t mention they come in from the walk around while I’m still banging away on the FMS and they ask “did you make the noises?” I politely say “no” and keep on FMS’ing...Capt gets seated and starts setting the panel.

Or if there's active lightning...

I don't think we'll ever transcend the randomness of it at this point. Whatever, who cares as long as it gets done I guess. But whoever goes outside, don't do a Mach 5 walk around then plop in the seat and try to instantly check everything then act all flummoxed that there's a discontinuity in the box or winds aren't loaded etc. Going outside for 3 minutes is cool but it takes me longer than that to make my nest and sip coffee and look at like 2 things on the release etc.

The best is when you see a few random things done on the overhead but not other obvious things so you start to do stuff and they say "I got the noise makers" when you know they didn't get them all etc.

And why are we still trying to collectively figure out that 100% of flights in the history of aviation need water and a trash bag?

As a clean-sheet design, the C series finally figured out we need a trash bag. It comes with an integrated dispenser and designed rubbish location.


Nah, just kidding...still need a gray bag hung over the arm rest!

...or wherever the CA is most likely to trip over it. :p

Embraer figured it out in 1997 with the 135/140/145. There’s an integrated trash bin on each side of the cockpit....but we still used a grey trash bag....

Could you imagine the amount of butthurt if we had to pull out and empty a trash bin and put a new liner in it before leaving the airplane?

LOL right! That can be said for just about any change that is made here.

I’m not sure an integrated trash receptacle is the best idea. The armrest bag is easy to see and gets taken out generally before exceeding the structural integrity of the bag. Imagine the fermented nonsense that would build up in any bin that is even remotely invisible because of its built in nature, or the nastiness that will build up in leaks, stuff thrown in without a liner, etc. I can’t believe the nasty odor that emanates from the galley trash carts when they’re getting changed - not something I want to invite into the cockpit, especially under a July sun with the greenhouse going full tilt.

Special Assist, Gate A25. Go ahead A25. This is the third call for groomers to come empty these trash bins in the cockpit. We have a 4 and a half hour flight and I’m not going sit here and smell this fermented tobacco spit all the way to Phoenix.

I stopped asking for a trash bag, i just start throwing my garbage on the floor and someone usually offers me one.

I've tried that and sometimes I can't make enough garbage before the door closes.

No, but the same guy who built that computer became Governor of Michigan, drank some water and died.

Well. I guess that's worth a google