"Squawk 7700"
 

Posting this in response to the thread below about jumping into the 121 regionals by spring.

Awesome book. Highly encouraged reading for anyone entering the industry.

Written by an Eagle new hire back in '98 who got fed up with the conditions and low pay, and left the industry.

The part about his IOE in SJU on the ATR is an eye opening experience. I've talked to many ex SJU Eagle folks who immediately knew which IOE Captain it was.

Anyone else read it?

http://www.squawk7700.com/

Oh yeah! It was a great book. A very good account of what to expect not at just a regional, but of all the hard work that is required to even get to that point.

I definitely recommend everyone to read it.

I've read it - it's really good, and very informative - but unfortunately, it's pretty outdated - there are things this guy went through (the climax of the book) which would NEVER happen today due to CRM rules. There are other things he went through, which would never happen today either, due to the new rest rules as well. They put him through a nightmare in San Juan, but he was one of those extreme cases of bad luck, bad place and bad time. Nevertheless, a good read....but beware that the author left with a ton of bitterness, and the one thing I don't like about the book is the whole notion of "if you are planning a career in the airlines, read this book first..." - uh, it is what you make of it.

Da40pilot,

The CRM back in 98 at Eagle wasn't much different than how it is today. I'd venture to guess that every airline has it's tiny percentage of CAs like that one, even today.
Yeah, he got fed up and left...but if one only concentrates on that, they miss the entire message of the book. To me it was pretty clear that he conveys that this could be a great career if only one was properly compensated for the enormous responsibilities involved - which is clearly not the case at the regional level.
Still a great read and we are still seeing those abysmal pay rates on year 1 at the regionals. I would have loved to have read that book before I went to the regionals in the 90s.

I have to disagree with you 100% on this. Today, the first officer has the authority to nix the flight or walk away from the cockpit if he feels that the Captain is about to embark on a negligent trip (such as the one in the book did on SEVERAL ocassions, on separate days) and your union would have protected you in the worst case scenario.

I remember a part in the book where this guy Pete finally decided to stand up for himself and speak up, and went to talk to the Chief pilot about the Captain, and the Chief Pilot just laughed in his face and didn't believe a word he said, further making Pete feel like he was enslaved in a hellish nightmare.

Yes, maybe in 1998 San Juan that would have worked but not in today's environment. Furthermore, you have to understand that San Juan is known in its culture for having a very different mindset to that of mainland America. It's Hispanic and in that culture a lot of things are allowed to happen that shouldn't - like I said, wrong place, bad timing.

I do agree with you about the low pay, that sucks, and that hasn't changed one bit and I think everyone is hoping that one day, pilots at the regional level will be compensated for what they're worth, especially because of how much sacrifice was put into getting there in the first place (this guy moved like 56 times).

Either way....like I said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but his case, again, sounds like an extreme circumstance - but don't get me wrong, I am not discrediting him in any way, I just feel bad for him, because it just seems like his entire life up until he decided to leave the industry was bad luck after bad luck after bad luck....

You could still nix the flight and walk out even back in '98. Heck, that came about starting in the late '80s with modern CRM. However, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who would do that on their first leg of IOE....

However, what you say about the SJU culture is spot on, and explains why the chief pilot took the CA's side. That could still feasibly happen today in those parts of the world.

Wow what a complete circle jerk. It's a horribly written book about a guy who "makes it" to the airlines but doesn't even finish IOE. Don't waste your money.

I flew with many a junior gringo F/O back then freshly paroled from "the rock". Most had similar stories of a complete CF of an operation.

Hey, what's wrong with salsa turned up high on number two, atc down low on number one, calling it visual in a hurricane over mountainous terrain, saying a passenger headcount in Spanish to a non speaker, dialing in a "secret" frequency and whistling to talk bs to your buddies while missing atc calls, pushing a pencil into the parking brake to get an out time while the chief pilot looks out the window with his arms crossed smiling as you start to board the aircraft but there is a pile of gate checked bags on the ramp because the rampers are busy telling jokes that aren't funny in the air conditioned bus, and most of all bad grammar with run on sentences that make no sense? Este mira este mira!