Any "Latest & Greatest" about Delta?
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2008
Posts: 3,716
I posted one simple statement that this is the first time the company has mentioned a west coast 717 base. Nothing more or less. I personally have seen no talk about building up the west coast bases since the merger with the exception of the 767 base in SEA. I have seen discussion of increased flying but that does not go hand and hand with pilot basing. Prior company statements in fact indicated no new basing in the west.
SEA has however seen one of the largest percentage increases in pilot manning of any base since the merger so all is not bad.
In addition system wide the growth component in contract 2012 was projected to produce about 1100 new pilot jobs (excluding retirements and other attrition). It now appears we will handily beat that number!
SEA has however seen one of the largest percentage increases in pilot manning of any base since the merger so all is not bad.
In addition system wide the growth component in contract 2012 was projected to produce about 1100 new pilot jobs (excluding retirements and other attrition). It now appears we will handily beat that number!
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2011
Posts: 403
I don't need survey results to cast my votes during memrat. With all due respect to my fellow pilots, my vote will be based on what is best for my family, not yours, and I expect nothing else from any other pilot. Given that, why do I need to kknow what anyone else put in his survey?
Some might say, well then, your personal minimum was not 25%. I can live on what we make right now. However, I think the average of the Delta pilots' opinions would be a very good indicator of what we are actually worth, just as the market determines stock price. That number should be made public.
Respectfully submitted.
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2010
Position: Decoupled
Posts: 922
Just a point on trainer. Management has promised it will turn a profit next quarter every quarter. So far their predictions have been wrong. The 10 cent per gallon fuel savings applies to all jet fuel in the NE. The production at trainer has pushed the price down for everyone. Sadly that gives us no competitive advantage as all airlines are enjoying that 10 cent reduction. We have however shouldered over half a billion in costs to cut the price for everyone and taken on a long term potentially very costly EPA liability.
Runs with scissors
Joined APC: Dec 2009
Position: Going to hell in a bucket, but enjoying the ride .
Posts: 7,728
Not than some of us have never paid for that before!
Super Moderator
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: DAL 330
Posts: 6,870
Just got back from my first trip of Mad Dog IOE, and boy, have you guys been pulling the wool over my eyes! For years I've been hearing "The Mad Dog is a worthless piece of crap" and "Rube Goldberg was a McDonnell Douglas engineer" and "Mad Dog don't care, she's so nasty." It only took me 4 days to realize that the Mad Dog is in fact a docile, reliable, well-behaved gentleman's airplane! I can only surmise that rumors to the contrary were started by junior guys trying keep senior bubbas off the airplane. In the interest of correcting the record and salvaging a much-maligned airplane's reputation, I present the following:
Mad Dog Rumors and Facts
Rumor: Mad Dog trips involve 7 legs a day followed by 10 hour overnights in Huntsville and Greenboro.
Fact: I flew between 1 & 3 legs a day, and had long layovers in DEN & DCA. Mad Dog trips are so cake I was able to eke 2 days use out of each shirt!
Rumor: The Mad Dog is uncomfortably hot in summer.
Fact: This rumor was clearly started by pasty MSP crews. The Mad Dog has a lovely tropical climate similar to some of my favorite spots in the world such as Thailand, Mexico, & the Caribbean.
Rumor: The Mad Dog is an unreliable maintenance queen.
Fact: In four days we had one MEL, and zero malfunctions. The check airman assured me this is very typical. I'm pretty sure his little smile was not sarcasm, just satisfaction at flying the best airplane Boeing ever made.
Rumor: The Mad Dog is busy in the right seat before takeoff.
Fact: With practice, a three-armed FO can knock out pushback items, engine start, after engine start, reading the WDR, setting thrust & speed bugs, taxi items, runway update & change items, delayed engine start, after delayed engine start, and before takeoff items and associated checklists in no more than 7-10 minutes of intense labor. It helps if you're crosseyed like me, you can keep one eye on what you're doing and one eye on where the CA is taxiing, throwing out "clear rights" & flipping lights on & off where appropriate.
Rumor: The Mad Dog is busy in the right seat after takeoff.
Fact: Heck, you don't even really use that third arm very often when airborne. When you're pilot flying, all you gotta do is fly the airplane...plus run ignition & anti-ice every time you go through a wisp of a cloud, do half the PM flows where the switches are on your side of the cockpit, and program the box. It's not like you're using your left hand for anything else, it has autothrottles for pete's sake - & they work great, +/- 20 kts!
Rumor: The Mad Dog's VNAV doesn't work well.
Fact: It works extremely well in keeping you from going up or down if you don't really want to. If you REALLY want to change altitudes, you gotta tell it with half a dozen key strokes, executes, & MCP button mashes. And once it's going, you just gotta let it run. I set up for the FRDMM2 arrival into DCA at FL310, set 6000 in the MCP, & then visited the lav, ate some lunch, took a nap, & when I woke up we were at 6000 feet on downwind for Runway 1! Again, the CA assured me this is perfectly typical.
Rumor: The Mad Dog's thrust reversers are impossible to deploy symmetrically.
Fact: This one is actually true, but I find that one engine at 1.1 EPR and the other at 1.9 slows you just as well as both of them at 1.6. Trust me, I tried this.
Rumor: The Mad Dog's brakes will embarrass you.
Fact: This is actually a matter of technique. The technique I like best is to really get on the brakes early, heat em up real good good, then yell "you got it!" at 60 knots and smirk as the CA shimmies, squeals, shudders, and chatters those puppies all the way to the gate. At that point you turn to him and say "I dunno skipper, they worked great for me!"
I've come to realize that the Mad Dog, much like the Honey Badger and the NYC crew base, is not "so nasty," it's just maligned and misunderstood. I've now seen the light, and am even starting to wonder why aren't all compasses mounted behind the pilots and read with a series of mirrors? It just makes sense. New hires considering bidding the Mad Dog, especially in NYC, should definitely do so. You'll thank me later.
Mad Dog Rumors and Facts
Rumor: Mad Dog trips involve 7 legs a day followed by 10 hour overnights in Huntsville and Greenboro.
Fact: I flew between 1 & 3 legs a day, and had long layovers in DEN & DCA. Mad Dog trips are so cake I was able to eke 2 days use out of each shirt!
Rumor: The Mad Dog is uncomfortably hot in summer.
Fact: This rumor was clearly started by pasty MSP crews. The Mad Dog has a lovely tropical climate similar to some of my favorite spots in the world such as Thailand, Mexico, & the Caribbean.
Rumor: The Mad Dog is an unreliable maintenance queen.
Fact: In four days we had one MEL, and zero malfunctions. The check airman assured me this is very typical. I'm pretty sure his little smile was not sarcasm, just satisfaction at flying the best airplane Boeing ever made.
Rumor: The Mad Dog is busy in the right seat before takeoff.
Fact: With practice, a three-armed FO can knock out pushback items, engine start, after engine start, reading the WDR, setting thrust & speed bugs, taxi items, runway update & change items, delayed engine start, after delayed engine start, and before takeoff items and associated checklists in no more than 7-10 minutes of intense labor. It helps if you're crosseyed like me, you can keep one eye on what you're doing and one eye on where the CA is taxiing, throwing out "clear rights" & flipping lights on & off where appropriate.
Rumor: The Mad Dog is busy in the right seat after takeoff.
Fact: Heck, you don't even really use that third arm very often when airborne. When you're pilot flying, all you gotta do is fly the airplane...plus run ignition & anti-ice every time you go through a wisp of a cloud, do half the PM flows where the switches are on your side of the cockpit, and program the box. It's not like you're using your left hand for anything else, it has autothrottles for pete's sake - & they work great, +/- 20 kts!
Rumor: The Mad Dog's VNAV doesn't work well.
Fact: It works extremely well in keeping you from going up or down if you don't really want to. If you REALLY want to change altitudes, you gotta tell it with half a dozen key strokes, executes, & MCP button mashes. And once it's going, you just gotta let it run. I set up for the FRDMM2 arrival into DCA at FL310, set 6000 in the MCP, & then visited the lav, ate some lunch, took a nap, & when I woke up we were at 6000 feet on downwind for Runway 1! Again, the CA assured me this is perfectly typical.
Rumor: The Mad Dog's thrust reversers are impossible to deploy symmetrically.
Fact: This one is actually true, but I find that one engine at 1.1 EPR and the other at 1.9 slows you just as well as both of them at 1.6. Trust me, I tried this.
Rumor: The Mad Dog's brakes will embarrass you.
Fact: This is actually a matter of technique. The technique I like best is to really get on the brakes early, heat em up real good good, then yell "you got it!" at 60 knots and smirk as the CA shimmies, squeals, shudders, and chatters those puppies all the way to the gate. At that point you turn to him and say "I dunno skipper, they worked great for me!"
I've come to realize that the Mad Dog, much like the Honey Badger and the NYC crew base, is not "so nasty," it's just maligned and misunderstood. I've now seen the light, and am even starting to wonder why aren't all compasses mounted behind the pilots and read with a series of mirrors? It just makes sense. New hires considering bidding the Mad Dog, especially in NYC, should definitely do so. You'll thank me later.
Well said!
Scoop - 9.years Navy C9B/DC-9. 2 years M88/90.
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2010
Position: window seat
Posts: 12,522
I do think year one will end up being more than 3, but RA is on the Fed gov board for the ATL branch and he knows exactly how inflation works, what is really is (they take out food, fuel, energy and other "non core" things that make up the bulk of what inflation actually even is in the first place) and then whatever we get will be sold as a compounding figure. For example even 3/3/3/3 will be sold as a 12% "raise" despite the negative value of true inflation/monetary devaluation that will likely exceed that by a significant margin. Put a higher single digit number in column 1, perhaps a low double digit number offset by a harmless looking /2/2/2 after it, and you could show a 15 to almost 20% number at or below tread water true money cost over the long term. Not to mention we could fund one of those 2's from profit sharing. That's good though, cause we "lock it in" that way if we go from billions in profits to zero or a loss, we'll still get it…unless they come for cuts because of the 3B/year swing. But they wouldn't do that...
And then there's whatever we have to give up to get that in the first place, because the evil NMB will give us 0/0/0/0 for a million years so to get COLA or slightly above we have to find places to fund it.
How about a 10 hour long call and 100 seat RJ's. What? Its still a "raise" right?
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2010
Position: window seat
Posts: 12,522
117 negotiations was a reserve work rule issue, and he took several reserve QOL gains to primarily fund the ADG increase. He keeps saying "I hear you loud and clear and number one is pay!"
I could engineer a 20-30% or more raise over 4-5 years that the company would gladly sign if all we cared about was pay.
If its OK to take from QOL to fund pay, and number one is pay…
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2010
Position: window seat
Posts: 12,522
You don't understand, they were thiiiiiiis close to spending billions…billions I tell ya…on re-engining and heavy checking the world's largest 50 seat fleet. They were totally gonna do it too, true story!
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2010
Position: window seat
Posts: 12,522
By far the biggest component of that has already been taken care of by AA. Their contract is much better than their old one, and in the process they killed off the USAir anchor that was dragging the entire industry down. Just that, if no other gains are made anywhere, puts us in a far superior position than last time when looking at the averages. The old USAir contract was a devistating albatross for everyone and now its gone. That, and that alone, should easily fuel greater gains than last time even if no one else makes gains.
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2010
Position: window seat
Posts: 12,522
And everyone keeps talking about a 717 NYC base. Not sure if 88 of them is enough to spread thin over 4 (let alone 5) bases across the entire country but we'll see.
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