Let's talk PBS Training
 

Alright, this is probably not going to work the way I want, but I'm gonna give it a try. It corresponds with a project I'm finishing up and needs outside (i.e. line pilot) input.

Looking for information, and let's break it down into two sections. Feel free to answer on the forum, send me a PM, or email me.

1. Info Gathering.
2. Suggestions.

Info Gathering.
1. How did you learn to use PBS?
2. Have you ever met with me during one of the crewroom visits?
2A. If so, was it helpful?
3. Have you read ANY of the training material either on the website or the PBS user guide within the software?
3A. If not, why not?
4. On a scale of 1 - 10 how comfortable do you feel using the software?

Suggestions. Looking for an answer to some of these questions.
1. What do you feel is a good way to learn the software? / How would you like to see it explained?
2. What topics do you feel are essential to be covered in training material?
3. What topics do you feel are not well understood by the general line pilot?
4. Any other suggestions you might have on assisting pilots in understanding and utilizing the software?

Info Gathering.
1. How did you learn to use PBS?

By reading the Navtech bidder guide PDFs found via Google search - not Mesa-specific so probably not totally correct.

2. Have you ever met with me during one of the crewroom visits?

No.

2A. If so, was it helpful?
3. Have you read ANY of the training material either on the website or the PBS user guide within the software?

Yes.

3A. If not, why not?
4. On a scale of 1 - 10 how comfortable do you feel using the software?

9

Suggestions. Looking for an answer to some of these questions.
1. What do you feel is a good way to learn the software? / How would you like to see it explained?

Read the manual and figure it out. If explained, then done by example, i.e, "I want to do X, show me how I would do that."

2. What topics do you feel are essential to be covered in training material?

How the different conditional statements work.

3. What topics do you feel are not well understood by the general line pilot?

How the different conditional statements work.

4. Any other suggestions you might have on assisting pilots in understanding and utilizing the software?

Does software exist that would show a hypothetical result instantly based on bidding changes? A "PBS sandbox"?

SmartPref

(filler)

After screwing up an early bid, someone told me to email you and you got me going the next month. Thanks again. After that I had a template that slowly evolved. Then a few months later, I went through the whole manual on a super long sit. Went from about 70% understanding to 98%.

This isn't really a training suggestion, but I still think there should be a Max Days Off option. You might have said it assumes that for everybody, but Award Min Credit doesn't necessarily do the same thing.

I thought you got hired at Delta.

No such luck.

MAGPBS,

I am not happy what PBS has done to my schedule for October.

First, I have 4 trips that are titled "Coverage Awards". Am I right that these trips are not what I was bidding for?

Second, the minimum window threshold is set to "78 HOURS". I though our minimum schedule hours are 76 hours. Did I miss something?

Instead of a 76 hour schedule, I have a 96 hour one, screwing with my vacation time. This happened one time when PBS awarded trips while unstacking.

Well, without looking at your bid I can't comment specifically. But I can comment generically.

1. Go look at the numbers I put up in the Mesa Scheduling section. I think that will go a long way to explaining why coverage awards have been increasing.

2. Contractual min guarantee is not the same as minimum credit required for a line. So yes, 78 can be set as the minimum line value as long as it's posted on the info page when PBS opens. Which it was.

Shouldn't the October schedule be up on Flica by now?

Sap is noon phx on the 20th. That's when flica turns on.

They're in the pbs software. Should be in crewweb also (haven't looked myself).