Thanks! I just sent a Manpower planning an inquiry via USAW... In the app it says official notification comes as a CCS message, which answered one of my questions about how to figure out when it's actually activated.

Lots of unseemly bunky bashing.

We are very fortunate to possess a very large fleet of WB planes which require at least one additional pilot. These are very high paying and coveted positions that our brothers at DAL (for one) would love to have. That these pilots actually fly less is simply part of the equation. That their skill-set is rusty because of it is another. Just how many landings are there in any 24 hour period in a WB? Typically, just 2.

I was never a better stick than when I was hand-flying a Metroliner 6-8 legs per day under Part 135 rules. No Autopilot. No Yaw Damper. No Glass. No Flight Director, just an old HSI. So where do you draw the line?

Bunkies will always be rusty. Be glad that you'll always have that option. Many airlines do not.

I’ll second that! I was beside myself when I came to the 777 and got a taste of some the 570’s mentality. I had more than one of these clowns tell me how much worse he had it living on B-Scale for 5 whole years. This of course was after I had told him about my two furloughs equaling seven years of my UAL career!!! It was even more joyful to hear about them upgrading to 777/400 captain in their early to mid forties. Don’t miss flying with that group AT ALL!

^^^^^^
This.

So Bunkies are slobs that don't care and the 570 are blowhard asses? I certainly am glad I have good memories of the pilots who mentored me when I was hired and offered support during bankruptcy. The current mentality I see on display is truly astonishing.

I'm offended by the term "bunkie."

I'm an "International Relief Officer." Thank you very little.

I can make a bed to military standards that you can bounce a quarter off of.

Hah. You can bounce a quarter off your bed but can you bounce a quarter off her...

Interesting how descriptive and intellectually precise broad brushes are. "ALL 570s are..." "ALL bunkies are..."

"ALL Tidewater dwelling, bourbon drinking, former commuter, mariners are..."

Well stated. What about the ones that have plenty of seniority for the flying seat to stay proficient and choose not to? I think that is what Hoss notices far too often. Not suggesting there are large numbers, but they are out there.

It's probably different for different folks. But, I know allot of folks that commute to wide body and they bid to do back to back teli-deli trips out of EWR, and that meant IRO to make it possible to maximize their pay check and minimize inconvenience of commuting. For me, when I was a 777 FO I simply bid any seat to Narita, which usually meant one of the Bunkie positions. I could have held landings to LHR, but a 3 day 26:30 trip beat a 3 day 17 hour trip. However, sometimes offering to buy dinner for the FO might mean you could buy the landing too.