I agree. If enough people do that maybe I would get off reserve and would actually stop having to pick soda bottles and cans from garbage to make a living.... wait, not I wouldnt.

As far as the checks go, I am sure it was just a mistake on the banks part. Things like this happen, no reason to get all riled up about it yet.

I think what I am upset about is the double standard that is present at PDT. Don't get me wrong here, 99% of the time I am very thankful to be at PDT, there is just that 1% of the time that people need to vent and this is just one of those times.

We are told we are doing well and we won't be losing flying or furloughing. 2 months later we have reduced flying and are asking for LOA's. If a flight gets canceled or trips get modified, we have to beg for money that we are entitled to. But if there is a screw-up in our favor, it is fixed before you can blink. They do not take accountability if the error was on their side. OK, bank error I will believe especially in today's economy but there are those of us who live pay-check to pay-check and we need that money on the day we expect it to pay bills that are due. Landlords and College Loans still ask for their money on the first whether you have it or not. Thankfully they are doing a little to regain my trust in stating if any checks bounce because you did not receive your money to forward it to flight pay so I give them a little bit a credit.

Vent over, on a more positive note the EFB's should be an interesting addition to our 100 fleet. How many people think our senior captains will use them. In EWN I think it will be about 50-75% of the CA's will learn to use them.

I personally think the EFBs are a waste of money, and we would be better off taking that money and replacing the interior panels and maybe a few torn seats here and there on our airplanes as they are filthy, and should be an embaressment for the company. Although I know the grant is for the EFBs so its probably that or nothing.

I don't see how the EFBs will be all that great if we will never know which plane we will be flying and also, it will be in only 20 of the airplanes. So their purpose will be somewhat neutralised.

I wonder what will happen with the fleet in 09. If we will keep any of those airplanes the lease is supposed to expire on. There will either be bad news, or good news come 2009.

Look at how many senior Capt PDT has...Not everyone is unhappy here..just a very few, and those few just like to complain how bad the company is and how much they hate this place and yet they have no plans to move on. How Ironic!

Well, and if you're unhappy and are staying..you can't blame anyone but yourself.

Yeah, but it is better than nothing and it is going on the planes we own so at least once the money is spent they aren't going anywhere else (who am I kidding, who would want them anyways;-)

The problem with the interiors is not so much the side panels but the lights that shine on them. The sidewall lights are all different shades of white. I was on one of the 300's non-reving the other day and swore I was in a psychedelic disco. Every panel was a different color. You would be amazed at how many shades of white in light bulbs there are.

Back on subject, the EFB's will be welcome to me. Basically we are getting them for free. Hopefully the company will see how well they work and maybe they will expand them. Financially, they would save thousands on not have to keep 500 copies of Jeppeson's up-to-date instead just 110 computers in aircraft. It's the normal wait and see game.

That is true, now that you mention it. Half of the reason for the yellow side panels is the yellow lights!

As far as the EFBs go then it won't hurt since they are free, but I could think of better ways to spend that money.

Even if they did install the EFBs in all the airplanes, wouldnt they have to be on both the Kaptns side as well as the F/Os for us not to have to carry our books?

I don't get why they give us all our own Jepps and all that, when if they just had an up to date set in each airplane, every pilot wouldnt need their own and it would save a ton of money, as well as a bunch of handles on flight cases.

Theres around how many, 450 pilots at PDT? Thats 450 Jepps, and revisions for them. If they just had an up to date set in each airplane for both crewmembers to use, it would be around 100 Jepp books, as opposed to 450.

PDT doesn't care how much revisions are. They put their order in with Airways and they pay for them. If Steve had to pay for them we would have one binder with 15 pages.

question for those who are in the pool...Piedmont's website says mins are at 1000/100 for when they start hiring again. Are those in the pool safe with our current times if we are staying current? or will they expect us to have 100 multi for our "second" interview if/once they call us in again? Any ideas?

the people in the pool are already hired . I don't see them hiring till fall 09(30+ in the pool). They do want us to do a sim eval before class date. I won't not be suprised if they make us re interview

Really? I didn't know that. Hey you learn something new every day!?

P.S. paychecks have been deposited so my faith is restored.

Hey whats the deal with the expiring leases? Ask PDT says they are in discussions with the lessor for extensions, but it doesn't mention anything about how many aircraft we're talking about. (A lot of people think 5, but no one really knows?)

Parker has said on several occasions that Airways is not making any capital expenditures over the next several months basically until Airways is back in the black. If we were to extend leases on airplanes does anyone know if there is any upfront cost associated with that or is it all just paid over time?

The 300's are huge money makers and they're all leased so if these are the leases that are up in 09 it wouldn't be wise to pass on them.

Has anyone gotten paid yet I'm still waiting. Guess Im not flying tomorrow.

I still haven't yet as of 5:30pm Wed

I got paid, and many others have, but if you didn't have your cheese early this morning I would not expect it until well past midnight tonight.

Something is rotten on the Dash with this....The company explanation is an obvious lie.

I'm starting to wonder if the nasty rumor that we will be parking 18 airplanes come January may have some validity to it after all..Somethings up guys...and it ain't a Q400!

Hey DashGirl, I think you're thinking too much..it's outta our control anyway.

I think many of us share a similar story…

Ever since I was a little kid, I have been obsessed with flight. If an adult asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I would say, “Airline Pilot”. When presented with the opportunity to begin flight lessons, I could not refuse. After getting my private license, I could see the hopes of my childhood dream come closer.

I would listen to stories from my flight instructor about their former instructors of how they had a very long road to becoming an airline pilot. They would have to flight instruct for many years, get a job flying cargo or charter services. After many years of moving up through the ranks, they might have the fortunate chance of getting the big interview from a regional carrier. It sounded like a long and tough road, but I was willing to do what it takes to get there.

The pilot shortage hit and hiring minimums dropped and the future starting looking bright. An unanticipated window opened I did what I could so I would no miss out. I did so, and got hired at Piedmont.

The planes are fuel-efficient and Piedmont had around longer than any other regional carrier. Looked like the safest bet for job security. The planes might not be glamorous compared to an RJ, my thoughts were that I would be happy just flying.

I was told, along with many others, that training most likely would start in September. September has passed. Gas prices shot up and the economy has dropped along with Mural in the industry. There obviously is still no start date for training. Best guesses are maybe a year from when hired.

Every time I turn on the news, it seems like the sky is falling with the economy, and I read about the Parent company suing each other from within. Now I read there are “glitches” in the system for paying Piedmont employees. It may just be harmless, but with the circumstances of the credit crisis, it makes me wonder. There are also rumors of loosing flying / airplanes. Those at the bottom of the seniority list of other companies have gotten the ax. Piedmont is now offering voluntary leaves of absences. Does this mean furloughs are around the corner?

Now this bright future is looking dimmer. Other than say Republic, I thought Piedmont was a more stable company, but is now questionable. This nothing like I thought the airlines were like when I was younger. I can say I love aviation and are willing to put up with many things. However, I think a line must be drawn. There is a point were giving up everything in life...relationships, money, time, sanity (fill in the blank)….will not be worth the continue pursuit of this career. I know everything in aviation is cyclical, and that in light of what others in the past have gone through to get the job, it really is not that bad…but I fear aviation is headed in a very dark direction where the timing might just not be right. I’m hoping for the best, but also think I should be planning for the future if I simply cannot make a living this way. I fear that if I were to give up at Piedmont, the road to being a professional pilot may be an ever longer and harder climb. I wish everyone the best and hope I can help to push your seniority number up in the future.




And a random question….if I was stuck on reserve forever at Piedmont, would I at least be able to manipulate my schedule to take advantage of travel privileges? What I mean is how long could I get off at a time to travel somewhere if I wanted to. I think you can get 4 days off in a row and two sets of two days off. Is there any way to put them together?

I'll drink to that! http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ll/cheers2.gif

Go to the doctor and get a note for your headache. Couple of days away from the loud turbo props and you will be back to 100%.

Paid this morning hopefully everyone else has gotten their stuff.

Now let's discuss the possibility of a PHX base!

What will it take to get one? :D Mesa going under?

I'm still on reserve from when hired and its looking like it will be much longer before I can even get a build up line. Next week it will be 1 month since I last touched a Dash. How am I ever gonna get proficient??.. anyways..

I feel your pain man, and I am sure there will be an upswing, hopefully soon. But who knows. Lately I have been pretty bummed about stuff too and am getting worried I might be out of a job soon. Not to mention the pay is absolutly horrendous, and I can't even put away a dime. Not breaking guarentee does not help much, either. Not to mention I don't have kids, a wife, nothing, and I still only break even.

That said, I think it sucks everywhere right now, and I guess we all just have to try to ride it out and wait for the upswing. Best is to try to ignore it and let time do it's thing. Although realistically it's almost impossible not to think about it. Don't worry, keep flying while your waiting, or make use of your time and be productive if it's away from flying.

I keep hearing about a PHX base, whether its on the website or on the forums.

MESA operates -200s out of PHX so I guess to get a CHANCE even at PHX they would have to go under, or we would have to get that flying, which would I am sure require more A/C which there are no plans to get anywhere in the near future from what I know. But who know's.

stoki, were you in the May class?

No, March. :)

You know we really shouldn't complain about reserve. And I am experienced at it cause I have been on reserve as an F/O now 1 year in EWN. Anyways, there are captains here in EWN who have been on reserve for over 5 years so we really can't compare to them. Schedules fluctuate year to year, month to month. Eventually things will pick up. Just think about how the people who were here when Piedmont and Allegeny merged. In the past 4 years, PDT has returned about 50 planes. Times change, schedules change, yet we keep flying. I know it's rough right now, but at least we still have our jobs and pay, what little we get, and sometimes a few days late, but it still comes. Try not to let reserve and scheduling get you down.

Just to make you smile too, the other day scheduling called to adjust my on-call to 4am but no plans as of yet. I told the girl, I think it was Kate, that it doesn't matter and she came back kinda offended. I responded "It doesn't matter, cause I'm gonna sleep till 10 anyways like normal and your not gonna call me like normal." She laughed then.

Why do you think we are so over staffed and not furloughing? That is costing Steve lots of money. When something costs Steve money he gets rid of it. Why hasn't he furloughed yet? Something is in the works. All you swimmers keep your head up.

Well said Higgi. I think guys starting out fresh in this industry think that holding a line your first month of SOE and upgrading in a couple years is the norm. Far from it. Before we closed SYR almost a year ago, you needed 18 years senority to hold a line as a captain in MDT. I'm not kidding.

What is going on right now happens about every 8 years. Some guys just happen to hit that sweet spot.

My only real beef with reserve is not so much the schedule, but the lack of money by never breaking guarentee. I know we all went through it, but that doesnt make it any less painful. Especially now when pay is pretty much the same but the costs of everything have skyrocketed, and the dollar really doesnt get you that much anymore.

I had the 4am reserve 4 days in a row now. Never makes a difference to me, either. For the same reasons you stated. :)

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but look at amount of dash 8 flying out of PHX. its 5 destinations a day plus a saturday to Palm Springs. I don't see that as a enough to open base. We would need to acquire more equipment and also have to take the Be1900 flying in order to open a base.

do you guys have a reserve where you have to actually be at the airport? i know at eagle we have "ready reserve"....so you're either sitting at the airport from 0530-0130 1100-1900 or 1400-2200...or do you just have a short and long call?

No, we don't have 'ready reserve' here at PDT. On reserve, you're on-call from 0500-1900 during your reserve days. They ocassionally adjust your on-call time to later, but 0500 is the norm. The min callout time is 75 mins, and I believe 90 mins for Laguardia crews. 10 days off/month.

LaGuardia is a 2 hour call out, but believe it or not, if your say in Manhattan somewhere for example, and get called, with a little bit of bad luck your already pushing it pretty close. So it may seem like it is plenty, but it really isnt.

PSA Hot reserve system sucks.
OUt of a 5 or 6 day reserve period i will get HOT 2 or 3 times. And now scheduling thinks they can call us out on a round trip then sit us down for HOT for 10 hours in addition to the flying earlier.
Up to the 14hrs max of course.

Ask for last out and it ends up being first out and vice versa.
I guess PSA attrition is really low so the rumor is that they want to force people to quit.
Just makes me more and more eager to do less work and when i do fly i am flying Sloooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
No shortcuts. By the books. When i have an airplane swap i take the full 30 min. Have to check all documents. When the release is wrong then i go inside find a pay phone and call dispatch. Same thing goes for when the airplane is broke. Everything get written up. And i spend 25min sometimes just looking for a pay phone. PSA doesn't pay for my cell phone and it isn't a requirement.
Want a Mesa airline then keep treating us like Mesa employees.

What are you kidding. MESA is'nt that bad....no what you have there is a PSA airline!

I'm all for making money but not at the passenger's expense. I hear it way to much that people in this industry forget our pax are the reason we are in business. Safety first, then pax, then screw company. It is not the pax fault our work rules suck and we accept to work under these conditions.

Oh, and HOT reserve sounds like it would really suck, but it wouldn't make sense for EWN, ROA, SBY, CHO, or MDT to have HOT reserves.

Going to an outstation doesn't matter if you end up 15 - 30 min late. Very rarely will a pax have a connection to make.
PSA has been scheduling 40-50 min turns at outstations. If the crew works together you can turn an airplane in 15 - 20. So why not make a little extra $$$? PSA is screwing their employess by having 40min and up stops at outstations. Arrive 15 late, save fuel, fly slow.
Management is screwing pax by having 30 min connections at the hubs. How can you make it from E16 (Wait to get your carry on) and walk to B9 and make your flight? Well i could but granny can't.
How about scheduling crew to work till midnight on day 5?
How many pax's are going to get screwed when the crew calls in fatigued or just plain sick. Our crap scheduled are only going to lead to Mesa quality for our passengers.
Just poor poor management.

MESA already is better than PSA. You have PSA quality and thats too bad.

Wow.. How about we keep the 'PDT News and Rumors' thread related to 'PDT News and Rumors'.. I understand its not easy for you jet jocks to grasp that concept, but essentially you are supposed to create a new topic when you want to discuss something else.

Cause piedmont is doing the schedules for PSA. And the title of this thread is PDT News and Rumors. So that is how we are talking about PSA. Don't get yourself so worked up about it.
If this will make you feel better i overheard while i was at our head office that mainline has put forward a proposal to merge Piedmont and PSA. Soon you too can be a "Jet Jock".