Any "Latest & Greatest" about Delta?
CG
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Joined: Aug 2012
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From: NYC MD88B
Take a look at the flows on the Maddog vs those automated airplanes, it's a joke. You are doing 3 or 4 things at a time continuously from the pushback checklist through the climb check and then again from the approach checklist until you shut down. The time in between you are always worried that the airplane is going to get you violated because it doesn't do what you told it to do. It does build some good PM habit patterns because if you don't back each other up in the Maddog, you are both screwed.
It takes a certain kind of person. If you live locally the equation changes. But for the commuters NYC on a narrowbody is extremely challenging.
Hotels are expensive, even for NB captains. Crash pads are nasty. If you're 40-something you don't need snoring roommates, nasty dirty kitchens and couches, and people going in and out at all hours disturbing your sleep. Since you are junior, you will occasionally have 0600 EWR sign-ins from your Kew Gardens crash pad. Enjoy competing for the 1 shower at 0345 and the ridiculously expensive cab ride or mind numbingly painful mass transit to get to sign-in.
You are going to be junior for your 2 year seat lock, hope you don't like weekends off and vacation when your kids are out of school. Commuting to reserve is miserable at any airline or seat position. NYC adds congestion and WX to what would already suck if you were commuting to PHX. If you get a line it won't be commutable, see the previous paragraph for the fun that will entail. Since you will be flying into LGA quite often, just plan on missing your commute home every now and then since you are going to be late. 40 open seats on your backup the night prior somehow turns into 30 seats oversold in a matter or 12 hours. What just happened? Oh great another night in the pad.
Some guys bet on the come thinking that they'd be able to slide to ATL in a couple months. Nope, ATL is still plenty senior and you're going to eat 2 full years in NYC as a junior captain. Here's your encore kick in the junk. From your freshly minted captain's chair look to your right. That guy might be making more money than you while working less, with all the seniority he could ever desire. Such is the nature of NYC 88/717, I'll pass.
If I was 28 and single, sign me up. Hell, if I was 45 and single...
Hotels are expensive, even for NB captains. Crash pads are nasty. If you're 40-something you don't need snoring roommates, nasty dirty kitchens and couches, and people going in and out at all hours disturbing your sleep. Since you are junior, you will occasionally have 0600 EWR sign-ins from your Kew Gardens crash pad. Enjoy competing for the 1 shower at 0345 and the ridiculously expensive cab ride or mind numbingly painful mass transit to get to sign-in.
You are going to be junior for your 2 year seat lock, hope you don't like weekends off and vacation when your kids are out of school. Commuting to reserve is miserable at any airline or seat position. NYC adds congestion and WX to what would already suck if you were commuting to PHX. If you get a line it won't be commutable, see the previous paragraph for the fun that will entail. Since you will be flying into LGA quite often, just plan on missing your commute home every now and then since you are going to be late. 40 open seats on your backup the night prior somehow turns into 30 seats oversold in a matter or 12 hours. What just happened? Oh great another night in the pad.
Some guys bet on the come thinking that they'd be able to slide to ATL in a couple months. Nope, ATL is still plenty senior and you're going to eat 2 full years in NYC as a junior captain. Here's your encore kick in the junk. From your freshly minted captain's chair look to your right. That guy might be making more money than you while working less, with all the seniority he could ever desire. Such is the nature of NYC 88/717, I'll pass.
If I was 28 and single, sign me up. Hell, if I was 45 and single...
With years of service being equal, only way an 88/717 B will make more than an A working less is if they are very senior and get every LCA trip bought and pick up GSs on top of those trips or get every scheduled trip GSWCed. Possible to make more some months but highly unlikely throughout the year working less. A 16 month guy on the 88 will make $188 in the A seat vs $101 in the B seat. Roughly over a two year period the 16 month guy will need to average 135-140 hours of pay a month on 12 days or more a month off to make more while working less than a reserve A averaging 75 hours.
Now if you have decent seniority and do the GS/WS Mafia strategy you can make quite a bit more than an A but you will surely work more days and have 12 days or less off, with a lot of your free time spent looking at Daily Trip Coverage, Reserve Coverage and waiting for a call. If you like doing the computer stuff, it's quite a lucrative hobby.
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 5,816
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From: retired 767(dl)
Take a look at the flows on the Maddog vs those automated airplanes, it's a joke. You are doing 3 or 4 things at a time continuously from the pushback checklist through the climb check and then again from the approach checklist until you shut down. The time in between you are always worried that the airplane is going to get you violated because it doesn't do what you told it to do. It does build some good PM habit patterns because if you don't back each other up in the Maddog, you are both screwed.
Straight QOL, homie
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,202
Likes: 1
From: Record-Shattering Profit Facilitator
E175 Captain, with only FADEC/glass time...1 year on the 88...to 88 captain.. Yeah. That's safe.
Straight QOL, homie
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,202
Likes: 1
From: Record-Shattering Profit Facilitator
Recommend getting signed up for ALPA emails. Important stuff in there, especially during contract time.
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Dec 2005
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Or, he could be a new hire on his first leg after OE. Good luck with any help on that expressway visual at night. Or anything. Given Delta's "outstanding" training program, even the sharpest guy needs seasoning on the line, to put it tactfully.
E175 Captain, with only FADEC/glass time...1 year on the 88...to 88 captain.. Yeah. That's safe.
E175 Captain, with only FADEC/glass time...1 year on the 88...to 88 captain.. Yeah. That's safe.
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,478
Likes: 481
To everyone on the previous page, thank you for the replies. I see what you all meant / great points.
Last edited by ShyGuy; 07-30-2016 at 04:25 PM.
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Joined: Jan 2007
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From: 765A
Or, he could be a new hire on his first leg after OE. Good luck with any help on that expressway visual at night. Or anything. Given Delta's "outstanding" training program, even the sharpest guy needs seasoning on the line, to put it tactfully.
E175 Captain, with only FADEC/glass time...1 year on the 88...to 88 captain.. Yeah. That's safe.
E175 Captain, with only FADEC/glass time...1 year on the 88...to 88 captain.. Yeah. That's safe.
Speaking as a guy who came from the military flying a heavy with automation very similar to the 88...........you are full of crap.
At this point the pilots getting hired by Delta are very sharp, and while the sim training leaves something to be desired, I have complete confidence in the LCA corp on the 88. This captain, and any other captain, will not be signed off if they are not ready to go.
Every pilot, my self included, tend to think we are the ace of the base and no one can fill our shoes. The fact is we are still hiring some pretty smart guys and gals and they will do a great job.
Straight QOL, homie
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,202
Likes: 1
From: Record-Shattering Profit Facilitator
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