Unionization is, indeed, a large part of the reason for pilot’s high incomes, but the downside is it creates a “winner-take-all” market. Many will do nearly anything to get the golden ring—hence pay to fly schemes, large cost of training, low wages in the entry levels. A freer market would level out...
Jump to postDo US citizens of Iranian origin have the same right under 2A. I assume they do. Would be interesting to see if they commit more or less acts of violence than in Norway. Also do they have more guns per capita than other US citizens. Last question, if I visited the US would I be allowed to Carry?. L...
Jump to postWhy not bring these operations in house? Why do American legacies need a third party company to operate smaller aircraft? Mom-American carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines operate everything from prop jets to 777s. It would seem that both sides would benefit. The pilots wouldn’t be competing with pi...
Jump to postDo you know the price of real maple syrup? It won’t be in the free buffet, let’s just say that at $30:a quart.
Jump to postPilots, like every other worker, are worth exactly what the buyer deems reasonable, totally unrelated to their standing in the income distribution. In the US, lots of pilots at legacy carriers (Big 3+WN, UPS and FDX) make north of $400,000. Heck, FDX and probably UPS had a few break 7 figures. If th...
Jump to postThat’s how the SR did it—the dipsy-doodle off the tanker.
Jump to postCan technology replace the 2nd pilot in <50 seaters? soon https://theaircurrent.com/technology/fedex-and-sikorsky-quietly-begin-single-pilot-tests-for-cargo-airliners/ Single pilot would require full automation and a pilot-qualified on the ground—not happening in RPT. A second pilot is cheaper than...
Jump to postAsking for a friend, what is median total compensation for mainline capt and FO these days.. 300 and 200? Clearly the high end has moved above 300 and is aiming for 500. Asking because there are many types of compensation in these bargaining situations, retirement payments, profit sharing etc. Capt...
Jump to postInertial reference systems already do everything in True oriented to the geographic North Pole, the FMS has algorithms to apply magnetic corrections to true headings so the pilot sees magnetic. Old INS systems worked and displayed in True, which is easier to work with in some ways. GPS only senses p...
Jump to postIf pilots are flying airline transport, they should be airline transport certificates, simple. It’s not a 1500 hour, it’s an ATP rule.
Renslow had much less than 800 hours when hired and numerous checkride busts.
Burners were only on KJFK for about 1 minute, canceled for noise, then basic engine up to the transonic checklist with AB selected abound .93 and maintained until M1.7. Climb rate was higher than 1000-2000fpm, likely around 3000fpm while climbing to M1.7. All this from Bellerophon’s post years ago i...
Jump to postYou are talking if a time period 40-50 years ago when your father flew. It was his choice to go into aviation. If he missed your recital or little league game you should have had that conversation with him to choose a different industry where he could be home to listen to your complaints. The reali...
Jump to postIn the US, if you’re looking for good first class, charter a Gulfstream or Global.
Jump to postI imagine we will be hearing from the colgon famailys soon, theay have stayed active in defending the 1500 hower rule, and for that i am thankfull. The colgan pilots who each had 2000+ hours. The rule needs to be reviewed and all these people skirting around it proves why. These 135 jets will be fl...
Jump to postA bet the faa will not like this if every airline starts doing it. It’s a clear loophole in the refs being exploited. Either deny this or lower the pilot mins. There’s no logical reason why this is safe for a rural city in Kansas and not for anywhere else Also this will only help with FOs. You will...
Jump to postNo. Part of the value in this that the pilots will already be trained on the crj when they get to 1500 hours. Also I see a subfleet of 3-4 old aircraft potentially spread around the county as a reliability challenge to say the least I could see AMR and UAL doing the same thing even if UAL only did ...
Jump to postHad part-time flying jobs, which connected me to an ANG unit that sent me to UPT. Admittedly, that’s an American’s experience many years ago. That still goes on to this day. 2 of the flight ops interns when I did my internship at SWA became military guys, 1 got his hookup by a SWA pilot who's in th...
Jump to postYes, we bank to start the turn the plane in the shortest direction. The autopilot will, too, but we slew the heading bug.
Jump to postAlaska, AA, Delta, SWA. All contracts with the unions are up for renewal. United has a new proposal that comes out Friday. Will be interesting. If it’s a good deal then the pressure will be ramped up. Airlines are now making money so pressure will be put on the airline to get contracts settled. The...
Jump to postI have a related question. European unions seem to announce they will be doing a 1-3 day strike in the coming month, or something like 'no overtime' next week. Management responds in kind, and it all seems to get settled behind the scenes. American unions and management go for the kill and if they ...
Jump to postSo, if you were flying a due north and were instructed to turn to 270 degrees, would you go right three quarters of the way around the circle , or turn left 90 degrees? As you can tell, I'm not a pilot, but it seems to me that in situations where the flight is told to make numerous course changes, ...
Jump to postYou assume correctly, more northern EU destinations would transit Iraq, Turkey, cross Turkey or the southern Black Sea to enter Europe in Bulgaria or Romania.
Jump to postOnly one runway even has CAT I minimums, most are 4000 RVR. No need for them based on weather records and CL is expensive. Both 10L/28R and 10R/28L have CAT I approaches, but only one goes to a HAT of 200 and 2400 RVR. Sorry, just assuming the standard 200’ HAT, but the plane is penetrated by obsta...
Jump to postWow, I’ve lived in small towns down south and in Arizona, live in one in New England now, not once even remotely threatened. I’ve walked around African cites—Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, around a dozen EU cities, never slightly concerned. I’m big on avoidance, look unimportant, the enemy maybe low ...
Jump to postSort of a useless chart, have to go elsewhere to find trip fuel, find alternate and holding fuel. Once you know those inputs, the chart gives you initial FL. Big Whoop! But, it’s 30+ years old.
Jump to postSomebody was offering a BAC in 2011? Yikes.
Jump to postYou should “fear” for them dying in an auto accident as accidents outnumber deaths from shootings by 2 to 1, approx 40,000 to 20,000. I suppose it is maths that causes the fear. In my country, motor accident deaths are around 10 times the number of gun deaths each year. Twice as likely to dies in a...
Jump to postOnly one runway even has CAT I minimums, most are 4000 RVR. No need for them based on weather records and CL is expensive.
Jump to postSo this is what I ended up with. Line #7 (blue line) representing the flight level line. https://imgur.com/Bk0ieFq THat is perfectly correct. I would put it a bit differently, though - this line represents TOW, and hence maximum FL you can climb right after takeoff. Same thing, just a bit different...
Jump to postEh.... certain aircraft are more geared toward that than others. And the B52 isn't really. As the post above stated, I do get it if the B52 is just loitering with smart bombs and someone else is marking the targets. But I kinda don't see that as CAS. CAS used to be low level because you needed to b...
Jump to postBack in the ‘80s, the A-10 community had a fatal mishap every month for 6 months—I lost 3 friends/acquaintances. Over 8 years, I lost six, one a best friends in UPT. It’s not commercial transport. Was there anything in particular about the A-10 that was catching people out? Or was it just a lot of ...
Jump to postSays 5 killed now.. That is one aircraft I would never set foot on the other is the MU-2. Horrible safety record The MU-2 accident rate dropped significantly after the FAA mandated special training for it. A competent pilot should have no trouble flying an MU-2. But they have had 2 crashes in less ...
Jump to postLots of numbers, there’s some truth, some politics. Aug 1990, we were still converting to C-5, lots of beat up old A-models, about 50% termed MC. We were tasked with generating all available planes, by the next evening at 1am, I left with the last of 12 on the ramp. Peacetime v. wartime. I’m sure y...
Jump to postYou could see incremental refinery modifications to get say a a couple of thousand more barrels of output but most of the easy stuff has been done. Alot of the refinery cap-ex spending in recent years has been to simply make the cleaner fuels required - Ultra Low Sulfur diesel for OTR trucks and lo...
Jump to postThere’s as many ways as there are successful pilots. I started, with a father’s enthusiastic backing at 15, solo’s on my 16th birthday, PPL at 17+, CPL at 19. Worked throughout senior year at HS and at an airport my last 3 years of college—weekends and summers. Life was flying and waiting to fly or ...
Jump to postMay rival in design, but the USN has 75 years of carrier aviation experience in 4 wars, innumerable deployments, world-wide, which is hard to beat.
Jump to postAA1 rudder hardover was very different in cause than the B737 problem, unrelated.
Jump to postAt 8% inflation, my IRA is halved in 9 years—yes, inflation is killing income and nest eggs.
Jump to postLots of numbers, there’s some truth, some politics. Aug 1990, we were still converting to C-5, lots of beat up old A-models, about 50% termed MC. We were tasked with generating all available planes, by the next evening at 1am, I left with the last of 12 on the ramp. Peacetime v. wartime.
Jump to postAny bizjet, even a Citation, burns $1500 an hour in Jet A, rates are far higher. I’ve seen lots of charter quotes for a TATL trip at $175,000- 250,000.
Jump to postThat Spanish Royal might have to hunt to feed his family, but he does it with a $100,000 double rifle
Jump to postNone of the Airbusses have tailplane anti-ice. All have wing and nacelle anti-ice. As on the 777, the A380 wasn't supposed to have wing anti-ice. But iirc the authorities insisted on it and there is anti-ice between the engines on the leading edge. Why wouldn't they have wing anti-ice. They both ha...
Jump to postThe C-5 didn’t have wing or tail anti-ice. We’d fly for 4 hours in icing conditions, low speed, not accumulate enough ice to chill a 6-pack of beer.
Jump to postLook at crack spreads, diesel spread has gone up 3.5 times what it was a year ago. Bottlenecks create profit opportunity and refining is where the bottleneck is. There hasn’t been a new large refinery built in 40 years and won’t be one built soon.
Jump to postNavy and USMC pilots go through the same training and some Marine squadrons embark as part of of CVW or fly off assault ships LHAs, primarily. USAF pilots fly in the Navy only as exchange officers, not a regular assignment.
Jump to postYou’re assuming the planes have tail anti-ice which likely not true.
Jump to postWestchester County Airport (KHPN) in New York. There are townhouses right under short final for runway 34 and the locals are NOT happy about it (despite the airport having been there long before they were). I operated at KHPN a lot in the ‘80s, when I returned in the 2000s, I couldn’t believe they ...
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