It makes perfect sense. The opportunity has to be available to all the new hires whether they flew a KC135, a DC10 for a non sked, or the RJ fo who slid in the back door because they knew someone. You can't stroll through class and block some from a 777 slot while allowing others.

Yes, no pilot should be doing the job by themselves. If you have a half winger with zero international experience in the cockpit when things go south quickly, the other guy will be single pilot.

Absolute garbage you are spewing. You can even have an experienced international guy that can fold under pressure or be tired and you are "single pilot". A new-hire is just as capable of flying the airplane and handling ATC as any old fogie. So it comes down to the individual. But i think the odds of getting stuck with someone that is dead weight, on top of the odds of actually having an emergency are almost 'nil'. And in the event you have these unlike odds, I say the CAP needs to be able to take command of his crew and delegate like any good CAP should, especially if an FO isn't at 100% for whatever reason. Maybe you need to question your abilities as a Captain if you are so worried about being stuck single-piloted.

I have essentially been single pilot several times in the last couple of months. 2013 hires in the 777 fleet. 1st trips after IOE.

Any fleet, and base, this is always the risk with new guys. They just need experience. How do you get experience?

Settle down guys, this is the way it is, has been, and will be in the near future. There is a reason an ATP is qualified to teach ATP. We need to help each other out, not dump on them. Remember way back when, we were all new at one time or another.

In the early 90's, ALPA had an agreement with the company, no new hires into a wide body, this is after several NH's got rt seat in the DC-8 and didn't make it through training. Similar thing happened to the rt seat of the 400. They relaxed training freezes to make it happen. If this becomes an issue again, I expect we may see something similar again.

As someone alluded to our 777/400 training program footprints are designed for someone with basic experience in Boeing's and/ or company policies and procedures. Combine that with the knowledge of flying in the arenas those aircraft do and I think you are spreading the margins a little thin.

We can play the odds all you want and degenerate as you chose. I think safety dictates better if by chance a worst case scenario arises.

Some new hires have lots of 121 experience and could easily go right to a wide body. Some not. It is hard to learn to be an airline pilot getting 1 leg every 3 months on reserve. Or less.

Since we are in a seniority based system, no one gets to choose who goes where so you have to dumb it down to the lowest common demoninator. It is better all new hires go to a smaller jet so they get some legs under their belt and learn to fly for United, even if some don't need it.

I respectfully disagree. I think we hire guys who already have a bunch of hours and our training is great. Plus everyone on the line helps everyone out. I think it's a non-issue. Everyone has "legs under their belt" from wherever they came from.

Maybe that policy was when United hired pilots with 350 hours, but not today that doesn't matter.

Dunno... I wasn't too fond of my 737 training. Think it left a lot to be desired. No issues with the instructors, just the program.

As a high time, heavy jet, military Pilot, I know international flying well enough, but didn't have a clue about LNAV/VNAV, 10-7 pages, metering and ramp. Lots of things for this old dog to learn.

If you drive by the school bus lot on a Sunday afternoon do you say, "Look at all the yellow bii!" or "Look at all the yellow busses!"?

We got an entire one day in the sim for international ops, including ETOPS, on the 737. At least on the 756 or 777 the new-hire would be flying with guys who do their international ops procedures regularly.

Can you explain why a 757 with the two FOs in the seat diverted to Gander because they thought they didn't have enough gas to make it back to Newark? (Why they chose not to wake up the captain is a different discussion).

I don't think you're being honest with yourself.

Didn't result in a divert. Good to see the telephone game is still alive and well.

Well then fill me in on the details. You seem to know more about it than me.

The skipper awoke and fixed the problem. Yes a horrible look for two probation guys. It didn't end in a divert even though that makes the story urban legend worthy.

Were they on a redispatch release, bad winds, over burn, etc? Do you remember any of the details?

It's been a while on deets, but I seem to recall either a route overlay or perhaps Route 2 activation issue. Def nothing on dispatch end. Obviously glaringly bad look not keeping skipper in loop, but he saved the day.

We've had new hires flying across the pond for over a decade and this is prob the worst story. We once had a DC-10 Capt who got a report of metorie activity from Gander. This prompted him to alarmingly request 19K for the crossing despite the obvious burn issues. He said it necessary for metorite avoidance. :rolleyes:

I was just curious of the details. I like to file these things away in the back of my mind. Might come in handy some day.

That's OK. I can top that. We had a DC 10 Captain once fly across the pond London-EWR with just a whiskey compass and contrails of preceeding aircraft ahead of him for nav aids. His IRU's wouldn't align and he pressed on. His call sign (before he was fired) was "Magellan." He coasted in only 20 NM off course. Not bad. I hear the last time that was done was by Lindy, but it was single engine and on an east bound flight. I guess he had to do it west bound to complete the circle.

I wouldn't fault just the cAPT on that one.

It was from Australia to HNL I believe, they pushed back with the INS's still in align and didn't want to wait for them to realign.

The rest of the crew still employed?

I don't know if anyone actually got fired, I think I remember hearing that the only reason anyone even found out about it was because someone bragged about it. I'm pretty sure it happened in the eighties.

If this was the event back in 07 ish time frame, then I believe it was an eastbound flight capt in rest area, probably 3 coach seats, 2 new guys got fms fuel warning as computed arrival fuel was lower than entered reserve fuel. It was common to put 1000 to 1500 lbs below release computed arrival fuel as a heads up to a problem. There were some radio comms about a divert as the capt came up from the back.

Tried searching but couldn't find it... Can anyone say the total pilots in ORD? Please and thank you!

Around 1600

The story I recall hearing on this one was they'd gone into VNAV to get a single engine drift down altitude, which results in a "insufficient fuel" message. At least this is the story we were told at TK in the "don't be that guy" lesson.

Go to alpa.org and log in. Go to the UAL MEC page. Committees. System Schedule. The monthly System Schedule Committee report has a headcount table. Lots of other good stuff in there as well. 1676 is the headcount for ORD in July.

A-320 New Hire out of LAX
 

How long do ya'll think it'd take someone hired in 2018 to hold A-320 out of LAX.

Once in LAX, what would the QOL be like for the first 4 years (# of days off/ability to choose what days off you had).

Thank you in advance!

Is this still the plan as of now?
 

Is this still the plan as of now?

If you didn't get it out of training, you'd probably be able to bid into it within 3 to 6 months (assuming you didn't get the guppy out of training).

Currently, seniority is definitely better on the guppy in lax, as that's where the growth is at the moment. The bus has been stagnant/shrinking in lax for the past 1.5 years. If things stayed as they are now, you could probably hold a line within about a year to 18 months, and probably working weekends in that same time. Bidding reserve at the 18 month point, you'd probably get at least some of the weekend days off. If we end up buying some more buses, then all of the above would drastically change.

Im not saying this to be a dick or sarcastic.......There is no plan right now we are all in the dark. What we do know is that next year we start getting 737-MAX8s and in 2020 we start getting 737-MAX10s. Supposedly we are getting 15-25 more A319s. We are getting 4 more 777-300ERs and the last 5 787-9s next year. We start getting 787-10s next summer. I think the number is around 200 new planes. Where are they going to fly? Who knows.

Someone asked about Max9 deliveries for next year on the Q2 conference call and they said they didn't have a firm number yet. Anyone's guess.......


This is from the most recent LC171 update:

New Hires: Current plan is to have two classes per month, November to April. This should equate to 40 more pilots this year, and 1200 for 2018.



Fleet Plan: Where is the "Fleet Plan"? We are being told there is no fixed fleet plan or route plan. It is a living, breathing, dynamic thing. The company has been described as active in the used aircraft market. This is evidenced by the additional two Chinese A320s to hit the books. Here is what we think we know today (subject to change):

747 – parked by October 30
350 – 35 deferred until 2020. Simulator installation cancelled.
777 – 6 777-300ER delivered but awaiting seats. 4 more on order with 3 deliveries in Spring 2018 and 1 Fall 2018.
787 – 1 more 787-9 delivery August 2017, 4 more -9 in 2018, -10 in November 2018
737 – NG deliveries 2 in August, 2 in September 2017, 61 Max9 beginning April 2018, 100 Max10 beginning September 2020
320 – 8 Chinese 319s online, final 12 planned by the end of 2017. 2 Chinese 320s by the end of 2017, up to 14 more 319s 2018-21.

Any intel on the pace of Max deliveries?

LAX days off
 

Thank you Triumph! How often do LAX reserves fly? If ones goal was to fly as little as possible out of LAX, do you think UA is a good destination/career goal?

Been here 2.5 year on the bus in LAX. I'm sitting about 53% in base, my Awarded schedule averages 16-18 days off and 72-85 hours of credit. Swapping and dropping trips is easy, dropping in the summer can be a little more difficult. Getting some weekends off is possible but not all of them, I do get days off that I want though. I rarely fly an LAX trip, mostly SNA,BUR,ONT in that order. Reserve in the winter you'll hardly fly, the summer fly you'll a lot more.

I can hold a line, but I intentionally bid reserve. Outside of the summer months, reserve can be a pretty good deal. Flying 20 hours or less a month isn't uncommon. From what I can tell amongst my buds at the other airlines, United's reserve system provides the best opportunity for avoiding flying. This is all assuming you live within driving distance of your domicile.

Buddy on the 320 in LAX went three months with 10 hours of flying JANFEBMAR. You have to live in base for this to work.

Anybody have a current copy of the junior vacancy chart?