Just watched the video. I love it.

Channeling the internet memes is a stroke of genius.

Well played Delta, well played.

The typical time to upgrade varies, but you will start out as a deckhand. The work can be very physical at times and if your boat "tramps" (meaning picking up and dropping off barges) you will do a LOT OF TOW work. Six hours on... six hours off.

I believe you need 360 "river days" (one day equals 12 hours on the water) to be eligible to take the Steersman test. Then you need to find someone to steer you and I would assume you could be in the Wheel House within 5 years.

It is actually a very challenging process and the reward is handsome. The industry is in similar shape as ours since the age demographics of the Captains reflect a very senior group and there will be some serious turnover in the next 10 years.

All the best,

OC

Very True. The LAX Captains are, as a group, pretty cool. I did fly out of ATL at one time and although still pretty rare, the "tool" percentage seemed a bit higher than LAX.

I disagree with Captains being allowed to avoid guys for a couple of reasons:

First off, the Captains are in charge, they are supposed to be leaders. Having to put an FO on an avoid list is a total leadership failure.

Second, if for whatever reason CRM becomes degraded due to personality conflicts the Captain can always have the FO removed from the trip.

Scoop

I agree with you on the avoid thing.

I found there to be a higher concentration on oddies in ATL on the 73 and the 88 as well. I think FTB's analysis of the 88 is quite spot on, and the odd 73 guys in ATL were always the ones that had spent virtually their entire career or actually their entire career on the 73.

I've found the 76 and the bus to be exceedingly low on the tool factor- I call the tool factor normally the 1%, which works out just about right. :)

Sums it up very well. When I first got hired and started on the 88 I'd say I was in month four or five and thought I was in the groove. On one stretch of trips I came across about three captains out of six who I thought were worth putting on a no fly list (if I could have justified one, but alas no need while on reserve). Then about year later it hit me: they were probably very irritable because I was so bad. Didn't come across those guys any more at that point, but I did get more than my fare share of fellas who were "Cya later" - door slam at the end of the night. Again, probably me, but I get a lot less of that on the 717.

LAX is still a 'small' base. Back when we had many small bases, they were all great, because everyone knew each other and even lived near each other, often car pooling to work. There were always tools, but you knew who they were, because their names were on the bathroom walls. So you knew who to call in sick for.

When BOS, MIA, ORD, IAH, MSY and DFW were closed, and most of that flying pushed into ATL, things went to sh!t, because all of a sudden there were thousands of unknowns, you didn't know who you could trust, fun wise. When I first came to ATL as an MD11 F/O after BOS closed, I couldn't believe some of the Captains I was flying with, there were some serious a-holes, Koop Aid drinking, management wannabes. BUT there were some great guys too, thankfully, most were great fun.

But just like a box of chocolates, you never knew what you were going to get!:eek:

Two things have contributed to the loss of Fun;

1. The two man cockpit vs. 3 man
2. The Mega Base concept, vs. lots of small bases.

When there were 3 pilots on the flight deck, you always had a 2 on 1 situation. If the Captain was a tool, the Copilot and Engineer could goof on him and ditch him on the layover, go out and have a good time without him. And you always had a witness if he was a jackass and you had to go see the CP.

The Mega Base concept (ATL) and PBS has pretty much eliminated any chance of knowing who you are flying with, unless you are in one of the very few 'small' categories there. So as an F/O you are on pins and needles until you figure out the other guy, and unless you are on the ER with 3 guys, you don't have any 'back up' if the guy in charge turns out to be a nit wit.

It is no surprise to me that some of the MD88 Captains are a little rough around the edges, you'd have to be to fly that pos for more than a couple weeks! If I ever got into an MD88 and the Captain said he LOVED it, I'd have to get up and leave!

That boy ain't right!

I got about 20% of that. My dad would pick up on even less. Guess I haven't wasted as much time as I thought on the interweb.

Spot on. I know about 75% of the Captains that I fly with in LAX and probably carpool about once every other month. When we had the SNA trips all the San Diego guys would bid them and I pretty much had at least a carpool a month.

Scoop

Had a total touchdown of a guy on a trip last week. He was on a 4 day GS, and he insisted on buying everything-- I couldn't force a beer on him or get the tips even. He even paid the cab driver tip and wouldn't let me! Topped it off by taking all the Flt Att out for dinner with us one night.

Never seen such a thing in 14 years; his answer when refusing to let me pay for anything was "Nope. Someday you'll be on a GS... pay it forward."

Besides all that, great guy and funnny, laughed the whole time. Just thought I should post up the "good guys" that are out there too.

Hummm. So, would you say the size of the flight deck has something to do with it? :rolleyes: