With NO FMS on the DC9 there is even less for the CA to do now. Oh well, even though I'm even more busy it's GREAT to be at the New DAL. :)

Heck, in this economy I'm happy to just have a job. :o

LOL...how true that is...I flew a shuttle trip about a month ago and the Captain would leave the plane as soon as the Main cabin door opened, go sit in the LGA lounge, and literally come back to the plane as I was starting the APU and we were receiving our AWABS......he did nothing! LOL. He was a good guy and I didn't mind at all because I hadn't flown in about a month, so it was keeping me sharp;)

Feed Me
 

I like it better that way, FOs can handle the pre-flight stuff alone. If the CA sets up a good relationship with the FAs then I usually get fed. Sometimes I hint... "Dude, I got this, go chat with the FAs so they'll feed us in flight."

Weed

A FO is an Admin Asst. Our job is to make the CA's job as easy as he wants it to be. That in a nut shell is the job of an FO here at DAL. I like it. It gives the CA the leeway to deal with a preflight issue that may arise, and still leave on time.
I am always at the gate 1+00 hr prior if possible. Walk around is done and generally the flight deck preflight is done prior to the CA arriving at the aircraft. It I am really lucky the trash bag is on my arm rest, and the weather for the TO, Dest, and Alt airports is already printed up and sitting on the pedestal. I have found that abject professionalism makes a trip go a lot smoother.

As for the flaps. Well we do not extend them until the lead marshaller has given is the wave off. Now they are making sure it is done prior to taxi. Just like actually starting the warm up clock after the EGT is "not rising" instead of starting it when the red tick goes away. It is just further guidance.

Really do not sweat the small stuff.

Yeah, why isn't it on the before start the person who did the item responds to the item? It seems pointless to read a checklist if someone is saying something was done but has no idea if it really was.

Exactly the way I do it as well ACL. NewKnow will learn to love it.;)

ACL,

While I understand your philosophy, I must respectfully disagree. Instead of making the Captain's job as easy as he wants it to be, I make the Captain's job as difficult as I want it to be. The way I see it is that the Captain is paid more so it is my responsibility to ensure he is she is working harder than me.

I do this in one of many ways:

1.) Show up 15 minutes prior to push, then bull$hit with the FAs for 10 minutes.

2.) Wait until we're loaded up, 10 minutes from departure, and say, "Hey I'm gonna go grab something to eat and hit the head, be back in a minute."

3.) Answer every one of the Captains' questions with another question.

4.) Miss as many ATC calls as possible when I'm PM, and as many callouts as possible when I'm PF.

5.) I always ask before accomplishing every single item on the checklist, and then announce my actions while accomplishing the item, followed by announcing my completion of the checklist item.
For Example:
CAPT: "Taxi Checklist."
ME: "Taxi Checklist, Flaps....Captain Would You Like Me to Extend The Flaps??"
CAPT: "Yes"
ME: "Ok, Deploying the Flaps to 11, Flaps extending into position, Flaps approaching 11"
ME: "Flaps Set 11, Captain I have set the Flaps 11 please confirm Flaps 11"
CAPT: "Flaps 11"
ME: "Sorry Captain the proper call is 11...11...Set, confirm 11..11..set?
CAPT: "11...11...Set"
ME: "11...11...Set"

As a reserve they can't send you out on a trip that will put you over the ALV unless you agree. If you have 60 hours for the month and they try and give you a 4 day worth 21 hours and the ALV is 80 you can refuse the trip.

New, wait until you go through recurrent and you learn that the DAL philosophy during an emergency is to have the FO do all of the flying and talking to ATC. The CA runs the checklists and coordinates with the FA's and pax. The FO will get the jet to a 10 mile final for you or he/she to land.

Which is why the new shutdown check philosophy is dumb. The FO does all of the actions and then asks the CA to confirm that the FO did them. Somebody left the pitot heat on and now we all have to dumb it down.