No, I'm just making minor changes to the days off I want or removing a day/days from the lower priority bid line. I'm wondering if it would be smarter to just bid one or two prefer off lines and let the system go into denial.

Denny

 

Heyas Rocky,

Not much to it, really.

Building N, AKA NATCO, is in a corporate office park in Eagan, located down the hill from the old HQ. The current training hotel is in downtown St. Paul. It's about a 25 minute van ride. Hotel picks you up from the airport, and also does the van for NATCO. When you are done, they will drop you off at the airport from NATCO or the hotel.

Around the hotel there is plenty to do. Typical downtown area...Lot's of places to eat, but nothing really name brand...some of it is cheap, some is expensive. The Skyway (sort of a habitrail for humans) attaches the hotel to the rest of downtown St.Paul, so even in the winter you can walk around a quite a distance, all inside. There is also stuff in most of the buildings at the skyway level to eat, but it mostly closes after about 4pm or so. The hotel has a hospitality room for people in training with free sodas and whatnot, plus a kitchen if you want to cook. The hotel itself is quite nice.

From what I understand, it's a nicer setup, with more to eat/do than Virginia Ave, but I haven't really had the full experience there yet.

If training in the winter, say October to around June, bring warm stuff to wear, and I'm not just talking about a windbreaker. Sweaters, a GOOD jacket, and lots of layers, otherwise you'll freeze a slow death.

As for NATCO itself, it was a state of the art facility when built, but the years have sorta taken it's toll. Carpets are frayed, and wallpaper peeling. Sims are top notch, though, and there are computers and wi-fi access. There is a cafeteria that is open for breakfast through lunch. The food is typical industrial, bordering on "meh".

There's been lots of construction going on there lately as they move the FAs from over from Building F.

Training is "typical". CBTs the first week, interspersed with door trainers, FMS, and procedures training. There are quite a few fixed based trainers for the bus, so plan on doing a lot of that.

Towards the middle you take the systems validation (systems test), then finish up your PT course, and take the procedures validation (PV). This is all finished before you hop in the sim. Typical sim profile follows...5 sims then the MV, 4-5 more then the LOE. It USED to be that if you passed the SV, there wasn't a systems oral on the checkride, but I understand that will change under the DAL system.

I'm not sure if they are going to keep training scheduling for the MSP facility local or not. They are located on the first floor to your left, after you pass through the foyer.

Nu

 

f training in the winter, say October to around June, bring warm stuff to wear, and I'm not just talking about a windbreaker. Sweaters, a GOOD jacket, and lots of layers, otherwise you'll freeze a slow death.

That's why it's always been known as the "Ice Palace".

 

Who Could Succeed Benmosche at AIG? - Deal Journal - WSJ

what do you North guys think about this?

 

Thank you for the suggestion, but I am one of maybe 50 guys of C44 that is actually on a committee in some capacity. I do agree that more work is better, and will probably be volunteering my time to Strategic Planning, and Contract Admin. Those are the two areas I would more than likely be best suited for. I have also offered my services in any capacity to the new reps.

Just FYI, I actually asked about doing more committee work prior to running and a few of the new reps strongly urged me to run and then do committee work as a back up.

There is no point in lashing out. As the top vote getter put it, we all want the same things, it is just the means of obtaining those goals that may slightly differ. I have a great report with three of the four new reps and will make it my goal to have the same with the fourth. They are all stand up individuals, and it is my sincere hope that they listen to input as other would have.

I am hopeful for C44's future as you should be!

 

Well he is the guy you want if you want cuts done via hack saw and not a surgical knife.

 

The great thing about our reserve (in the scheduler's eyes) is that international pilots on the ER can sit domestic reserve the first 12 hours of a 24 hour call window, then international reserve the last 12 hours. It's a two for one deal!

I have seen scheduling assign only 12 hours of short call to a ER reserve, usually because it's the pilot's last day on call before some off days, and scheduling is really short of pilots: ie, SC from 1200 to 2359.

However, they don't do that as a normal practice because they can only use you for anything other than a very short trip without rolling you into your days off. That's pretty far down the call ladder and there are usually enough people with GS in to cover the flying.

 

Lobo, it was one of my desires to have Scheduling identify on a daily basis a domestic reserve and a international reserve. 24 hr of SC is just plain crazy, and the simple fact is that we have had a few guys call in fatigued in the second half of the window.
Most would like to think that you are at home sipping your Tea, or sleeping until the second the phone rings. Once it does you are up, rested, shaved, showered and out the door prior to hanging up the phone. That is just not the case, and we do get fatigued on SC.

It was one thing that one of our new C44 CA reps and I discussed as a low or no cost item going forward.

Things I would also like see addressed is/are:
-Credit for SC
-Lineholder trip credit for reserves
-No suit up pay, it should just be DPM
-training pay is DPM
-seniority on SC. Ie you can fill up if you so choose earlier in the month, but as a quid you cannot break guarantee at your request, it would have to be done via yellow slips.
-We go to a calendar day not a duty period for DPM. (Gets rid of these three days worth 12 hrs that end in a redeye.
-Reserve LOT bidders are on a month to month basis put in seniority order and then assigned their days of reserve so that unstacking will occur in this seniority bucket not the bucket of the entire seat. (What this does is allows the senior reserve bidders a better chance of getting what they want off, not what works the best for the computer)
-The ability for senior guys on reserve to pass on trips if they so choose.

All of this sucks for junior guys, which I am one, but seniority needs to mean something on reserve.

 

That would work only if a reserve pilot was used those days. It means nothing if you are not used.

 

They have something like that in the tri-state area, or so they have been touting in the printed material they sent home.