The autopilot can perhaps fly more precise than we can, holding a heading, course or altitude with less error tolerance. But the guy whole clicks off the autopilot on a visual, as opposed setting the autopilot up to fly the approach can easily do it smoother. Also I've seen many autopilots (flight directors) chase airspeeds, giving a horrible ride, because the computer doesn't have any idea what the required pitch is for the selected speed.

 

That's right he and 300+ Compass Pilots have flow rights to Delta. But I know a little about his career. He came from a regional where he flew turboprops where he flew 5-7 leg days and then made a VERY risky career move by switching to an airline that is a flow down airline, not necessarily a flow up airline. All of us there have the risk of being completely flushed and on the street if DAL were to furlough. I know that the risk seems minimal but it is there.

 

BTW, I thought that the article was truthful and showed how this industry has cheapend itself so that a few can make a few more thousand dollars.

 

When I was on the CRJ, I hand flew the airplane a lot- much of the time without the FD. I could out fly the autopilot on smoothness and accuracy all day and every day. The sim was even easier... steep turns with less than 10 foot altitude deviation? No problem.

My skillz have dissipated since then, but I'm still definitely smoother than George (now Gaston). The AP should be utilized as a workload reliever, not a crutch for lack of ability to accurately control the airplane.

 

That was particularly a threat post merger with the market crash. The cost of the CPZ flowback was a major reason DL did not furlough!

 

Hmm. Just so I have this straight...

The article sucks because I have flow rights to a major that most regional pilots don't have, and *may* flow next year after 6 yrs at this company and 10 years at the regionals and several years of instructing and single-pilot freight-dogging before that, and this is apparently far better than all the other regional guys have it, and I wasn't ever furloughed, and it's not enough that I talked about my FO for the trip that was furloughed twice, or all the other guys at my airline that have been furloughed, or all the turmoil going on in the industry. The important thing is that I personally haven't been furloughed, and may go to a major within 12 months, and despite disliking many aspects of the industry actually like my job, and don't mind honestly telling people so, and therefore the article was misleading and is luring a bunch of airline pilot wannabe kiddies down the primrose path...

Is that about it?

 

I'm not going to repost the article due to copyright issues, but the portion where I said "the autopilot and autothrottles keep the plane right on course, flying more smoothly than I am able" was primarily talking about the E175's advanced automation. It was really a comment on the airplane, not on my skills or regional pilot skills in general. It is a FAR smoother autopilot than the Q400s (which granted isn't saying much), and from what I've observed of various Boeing and Airbus products from the jumpseat, I'd say it's smoother than most of those airplanes' autopilots.

The funny thing is, the very next comment in the article was that the automation doesn't do a very good job of keeping the pilots engaged, and talking about one of my strategies to maintain situational/positional awareness considering that fact. But based on one half-sentence out of several paragraphs, ShyGuy's takeaway is that I'm dogging regional pilots' handflying skills.

 

JungleBus, come on, that's not what I meant. It's the construction of the article itself. On one hand you are talking about the AP doing a better job than you can, and how it's an artistic license etc. But you have to realize even certain Private pilots think we are nothing but prima donnas who just sit there like monkeys. Your comment just reinforces that idea for them. Then you turn around and say you have to keep yourself entertained in flight by doing something, and not reading the FOM. Well maybe you can't be honest because your name is attached to the article. But lets be honest. At some point on a 4-day trip, with long flights (3+ hrs), who doesn't: take out a book, or the newspaper, or an IPad, or a laptop, or something designed to pass time on long flights? I think you'd be lying to yourself if you said this doesn't happen. I'd venture to say this happens a majority of the time in some way/shape/form. I guess an Atlas passes time, so maybe you do pass on those things but at some point on a 3+ hr flight, some "non-flight" material is going to come out. The NWA SAN-MSP flight reference could have done without. I still think this article would have done better with a true 'day in the life' where you describe a typical day, duties, etc. After all, most private pilots don't know those minute details and would find it interesting (and not boring as you imagined, I know when I was a PPL I loved reading pilot trip reports/day in the life stuff). Minus the AP comments and "lack" of reading material comments, this article would suffice too.

 

I had to look that up!

To answer the question posed to me by those 8 year old hacker cheaters in Modern Warfare 2 who have radar and aim assist, who kill me, and I verbally chew them out..........



"yeah, I'm mad bro!"





Of course revenge is sweet. Playing "Search & Destroy" where there is no respawning. You know you don't stand a chance with them having radar hack on and aim assist. Not only do they know where you are, they are already shooting as you round the corner and aim assist assures you will die. So I do what I do best: pack dual Rangers (Akimbo) and choose Last Stand perk. I take a best guess as to which corner they'll round, and as I round the corner, I blast both barrels at once, taking the hacker out, but his aim-assist bullets hit me and send me down to last stand. Next, in last stand with the M9 pistol, I take out his sidekick/partner hacker with a few shots and the second hacker goes down. Then I hear a pre-pubescent scream of NNNNOOOOOO and the next thing I get is "Notice: PLAYER KICKED" as the hackers kick me off their server for handing their asses to them.


Ah, success.................... Mission Accomplished

 

I know you're a shart hot pilot. Don't have to justify it to me. Was just trying to answer to that guy's post.