Gary Kelly

*you’re





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LNL76

I can usually tell who the millennials are by their command of the English language!

captjns

Hey Whack... toddle on back to the Southwest threads where you’re loved and appreciated.

Packrat

Actually, I do. Between my "retirement" job, playing golf on the course where I own a home and entertaining my family, I like to come here once a day to TRY to impart some hard earned knowledge to people like you who "think" you know it all.

I've been all over the world both in the military and commercially and I still can't even begin to scratch the surface of Captjns' international airline experience. But when I read some of you people's responses to him I'm reminded of an old saying:

"Never try to teach a pig to whistle. Its a waste of your time and it irritates the pig."

Riverside

Just out of curiosity, what's so special about international experience?

Packrat

If you knew, you wouldn't need to ask.

captjns

It’s not that its special, its ensuring you are aware of all aspects of the operation specific to the day. AIPs, PANS OPS, Cultural etiquette. Actions that the crew has to take in the absence the legal representative to walk your papers from the jet to immigration and customs, regulations dealing with health regulations if a pax becomes ill during the flight, arriving at FIR boundary and the successive state does not have your overfly permit with the wrong date (International Date Line). Trying to find the ATS to file one’s flight plan. Immunization cards for entry into a foreign ports. Not able to depart with pax onboard because the company neglected to pay all required airport, and ATS fees, and to make matters worse it after normal banking hours to arrange for the cash transfer. It’s all up to the crew, as a team to deal these issues and more.

If one does their homework before departing, then for the most part, it’s a non event event. Luckily, information and confirmations are now available at one’s fingertips. A great deal of real time information can now be obtained from home, hotel, even onboard the aircraft whilst enroute. I guess for the most part flying to typical destinations in Euroland and parts of Asia, its usually not big dear. But problems and still crop up that may require creativity.

You may find, thankfully in extremely rare cases, OCC may hang you out to dry if something goes horribly wrong affecting passengers, that can lead to headlines news. Not talking about accidents nor incidences either... company SNAFUs... items that may have fell through the crack.

Back in the day we had no SAT PHONEs, ACARS that could reach half way round the world, nor ability to access a phone patch to company in some distant lands even with HF. Still is the way of life flying in parts of Africa though.

In some cases, we had to conduct our own research with the State Department... without internet too. But we managed to get it done.

I’d wager that Pooch817 could add more to the laundry list about flying overseas and landing at the intended airport without a diversion. That could be an even worse nightmare.

Riverside

As a current 747 driver, go ahead and enlighten me.

captjns

I would say with the automation and instant information of today outshines with what we had to work with way back when. New pilots of today with 250 hours in the right seat of a Boeing or Airbus just can’t relate. Never comes up for discussion unless they want to know. Just like with my generation, I can’t relate to flying the A/N routes that Pooch817 had flown. The subject never came up unless I asked. The current generation won’t have any pass along, other than communicating with that miserable HF, to the next generation given the improvements in communication, navigation, and automation of today that will only improve as time goes on.

I watch an old American Airlines promo on YouTube. It was a DC-7 flying from Idlewild to Los Angelos. They took off IFR, leveled at, I think 16,000’. Cancelled their IFR and flew VFR on top all the way. An era i wish I could have experienced... then transiting to jets. Another subject that Pooch817 could impart to us.

I do embrace the improvements with technology... but equally embrace the philosophy of knowing your airplane and having the ability to fly the same airframe in the event of failure of the onboard automation.

galleycafe

I would like everyone here to know how unbelievably smart and experienced I am.

And also, everyone needs to kindly step off my lawn (which is interesting, because I don't have a lawn).

Plane Coffee