Another reason for Delta to take it from Comair and give it to Chitmesablic.

And so continues the absurdity of the situation at Comair:

Comair Management: We need you all to fly slow, because it will save Delta money on fuel.

Comair Pilots: Okay...whatever.

Delta Management to Comair Management: Your pilots are too expensive.

Comair Management to Pilots: Because you are too expensive, we can't succeed.

Comair Pilots: Uh, okay. By the way, why are we the only pilots in the Delta system...in fact the entire U.S. flying RJ's around at .61 mach?

Comair Management: It's to save Delta money on fuel. Oh by the way, our future success is dependent on our on time and completion performance.

Comair Pilots: So this is why after a record streak of completion days we were rewarded with yet another aircraft departing the fleet?

Comair Management:

One Comair Pilot: If it takes me five minutes per hour longer to do a flight segment than it does a Mesaba, Skywest, Mesa, Chatauqua, Pinnacle, or ASA pilot, doesn't that effectively make me cost 8.3% more than everyone else who are burning dead dinosaurs at .79 mach?

Comair Management: We're glad you understand that you are more expensive than comparable DCI pilots.

Comair Pilots: Aren't our profit sharing checks loosely based on on-time performance?

Comair Management: Yes...you have to do a good job out there. Otherwise Delta will take more flying away.

Comair Pilots: Why then are we flying around at mach .61?

Comair Management: Because that's what we want. We're not going to give you enough fuel to actually make it to your destination on time after taking a 60-minute delay in BWI because of the atrocious ground handling service we hired there.

Comair Pilots: Why don't you hire better help in BWI?

Comair Management: Well, that station is actually staffed by DGS. Delta hired them because Delta employees were too expensive.

DCA Loses a Cirrus and two aboard.

Just commuted home and turned on the local radio to this news:
Plane crash in Volusia takes two lives - WDBO Local News on wdbo.com

I went to the open house when they opened the new training facility and showcased all the new Cirrus aircraft & sims. I wonder if the BRS (chute) is standard on all Cirrus airplanes, or if it's just an option.

May God comfort their loved ones.

Just saw that. This is just sobering. I remember being there when the one crashed up near Daytona. I had to great the family when they came in to pick up his belongings and it was definitely not an easy thing to do.

My prayers go out to the family, friends, co-workers and fellow students.


Two fatal accidents in -10 years for DCA. Not good.

Any idea what the rating or lesson profile was?

Commercial - Ground Ref?
Instrument - Unusual attitudes?
CFI - spin flight?

Does anyone know the details about COBRA? Oct/Nov furlougees, did anyone take it? How does the new stimulus bill affect COBRA now?

From what I know of the Cirrus SR 20's, they are not traditionally recoverable from a spin. Hence the CAPS's (Cirrus Airframe Parachute System) was integrated into the airframe design. I would assume that DCA is using them for IA, CFII ratings now.

Remember when DCA used to be the Comair Aviation Academy? Those were the good old days, when Comair was still profitable, and growing.

I attended when it was still CAA. We ran numbers at one point with the student loads when they were just over 500 students and figured that they were profiting near 30 million a year. Minus electricity and rent and stuff like that. The profile is much different now I am sure. How many students do they have right now?

A buddy just called me and told me that he bid for a COLA on the 70 for April and that forecasting and planning called him today to tell him that they actually got more hours than planned in the 70 for April and that they were retracting the COLA that he would have been awarded. Anyone know about more hours in the 70 for April?

Probably 82 extra hours for min line value :P...he was the most junior cola!