Nice story for a change. Due to the French ATC strikes Easyjet was facing multiple delays hence a pilot who was actually flying as a passenger volunteered to fly the plane to Alicante where another standby pilot would be called for the flight back. Win-win situation I guess.

https://www.businessinsider.com/off-duty-easyjet-pilot-flies-plane-missing-pilot-2019-9

The delays weren't due to ATC strikes, but to ATC IT meltdown.

Could he just "jump in" and take over? Or would he have to go back into the terminal and review the weather and flight planning first?

iseeyyc wrote:

Could he just "jump in" and take over? Or would he have to go back into the terminal and review the weather and flight planning first?

He did just “jump in”. The weather isn’t different if you read it in the cockpit.

Most tabloid papers in the UK are running this story along the lines of "Hero dad flies plane..."

iseeyyc wrote:

Could he just "jump in" and take over? Or would he have to go back into the terminal and review the weather and flight planning first?

At many airlines, all that stuff if brought to the cockpit. Many times it is brought just before the passengers begin to board, sometimes even after. Many off duty pilots walk with their licenses for just such an occasion, ironically this kinda thing hardly ever happens.

And before anyone asks, a pilot (off duty or not) cannot "work" for another airline even though he/she may be rated on the same aircraft type.

In my current company we have a paperless cockpit. Each pilot is given a company iPad when he joins the company (and needs to sign a waiver saying that he is liable if he breaks it...) and everything you need for a flight is installed on that device. FlySmart (performance calculation software), charts and an electronic flight plan application. Before the flight the company uploads the flightplan, which is then downloaded into the application. Fuel checks, RVSM checks, copying ATIS and clearances etc. is all done digitally in that software. The only things that we still have in paper is the QRH (soon to be electronic as well), flight log and technical log. In our company a pilot could indeed just 'jump in' provided he has the company iPad with him (if he hasn't the iPad with him, it could be MEL'd and a spare iPad, that always remains in the aircraft, used instead).

Wonder why this even makes the news? Slow news day? Summer interns writing the news?

I wonder if he got paid for the flight.

arcticcruiser wrote:

Wonder why this even makes the news? Slow news day? Summer interns writing the news?

I’m sorry, not enough dead bodies in this article for you?

aircatalonia wrote:

I wonder if he got paid for the flight.

Uff! I don't even want to think of the bureaucratic nightmare that would follow such a move at my Airline. Endless headaches trying to pry the extra pay out of them with claims forms and so forth. Good luck getting a refund from Pass Travel for the "used" ticket -- "But it shows you flew the ticketed route, Captain". Probably get a warning letter for improper uniform and showing up without the company iPad to boot.

This sort of stuff happens all the time... seriously with the slow new days.

So what about the return flight, or was there a replacement pilot (or fresh crew) already stationed at the destination?

hOMSaR wrote:

So what about the return flight, or was there a replacement pilot (or fresh crew) already stationed at the destination?

Listen to the Facebook videos; the pilot said Easyjet will have someone at destination.

CarbonFibre wrote:

LMAO!!! Post of the month!!!

MGC1191 wrote:

arcticcruiser wrote:

Wonder why this even makes the news? Slow news day? Summer interns writing the news?

I’m sorry, not enough dead bodies in this article for you?

For something to qualify as news, there generally needs to be... news. It's not about body count. But this is literally a story about an EasyJet pilot who flew an EasyJet plane on his day off. Is that newsworthy to you?

santi319 wrote:

This sort of stuff happens all the time... seriously with the slow new days.

Bonus points if the pilot flew in a REALLY loud shirt.

But yea, slow news day.

Lightsaber

lightsaber wrote:

santi319 wrote:

This sort of stuff happens all the time... seriously with the slow new days.

Bonus points if the pilot flew in a REALLY loud shirt.

But yea, slow news day.

Lightsaber

I think that it is an interesting story no doubt, but probably not top of the fold. Presumably, he met all the regulatory requirements, like minimum rest, etc...seems like a great story for the swim up bar later. It's a bit different than calling up someone on reserve.

aircatalonia wrote:

I wonder if he got paid for the flight.

I offered last year to fly a flight out to Vegas that myself, wife and son were on. They had just found a replacement Captain after forgetting to call out a reserve so I was thanked for the offer. If I had called 20 minutes earlier I probably would have made 20 hours pay to fly a 3.5 hour flight. I'd imagine he got paid to fly there and back(even though he wouldn't have actually flown it)

hz747300 wrote:

It's a bit different than calling up someone on reserve.

It's not that different. He wasn't on a specific reserve *list* of people to call, but that list is just a list of pilots who have agreed to sit there and wait in case the airline needs them. Typically they're just junior pilots who can't fly any other way. If this guy was a line pilot with some seniority (at least over the reserve pilots), then of course he'd have "dibs" on the flight and the airline would have been happy to have him over someone who might take 2 hours to get to the airport.

aeropix wrote:

aircatalonia wrote:

I wonder if he got paid for the flight.

Uff! I don't even want to think of the bureaucratic nightmare that would follow such a move at my Airline. Endless headaches trying to pry the extra pay out of them with claims forms and so forth. Good luck getting a refund from Pass Travel for the "used" ticket -- "But it shows you flew the ticketed route, Captain". Probably get a warning letter for improper uniform and showing up without the company iPad to boot.

Sounds like an unfortunate lack of flexibility at your airline, haha! At mine, they'd just call crew scheduling and get approval, which would take under five minutes. Then they'd just build the rotation with short-call pay, he'd fly it, they'd pay it out. Done deal. I've seen this happen lots. Especially after periods of severe IROPs with crews out of place. Commuting/vacationing crew will jump in to help left and right, if it helps them get where they're going.

aeropix wrote:

aircatalonia wrote:

I wonder if he got paid for the flight.

Uff! I don't even want to think of the bureaucratic nightmare that would follow such a move at my Airline. Endless headaches trying to pry the extra pay out of them with claims forms and so forth. Good luck getting a refund from Pass Travel for the "used" ticket -- "But it shows you flew the ticketed route, Captain". Probably get a warning letter for improper uniform and showing up without the company iPad to boot.

Agree - also maybe insurance problems?

BTV290 wrote:

aeropix wrote:

aircatalonia wrote:

I wonder if he got paid for the flight.

Uff! I don't even want to think of the bureaucratic nightmare that would follow such a move at my Airline. Endless headaches trying to pry the extra pay out of them with claims forms and so forth. Good luck getting a refund from Pass Travel for the "used" ticket -- "But it shows you flew the ticketed route, Captain". Probably get a warning letter for improper uniform and showing up without the company iPad to boot.

Sounds like an unfortunate lack of flexibility at your airline, haha! At mine, they'd just call crew scheduling and get approval, which would take under five minutes. Then they'd just build the rotation with short-call pay, he'd fly it, they'd pay it out. Done deal. I've seen this happen lots. Especially after periods of severe IROPs with crews out of place. Commuting/vacationing crew will jump in to help left and right, if it helps them get where they're going.

Agree 100%. I have done it and seen it done. Flexibility is the key to air superiority !

No drama here armchair pilots....time to move on......

FatCat wrote:

aeropix wrote:

aircatalonia wrote:

I wonder if he got paid for the flight.

Uff! I don't even want to think of the bureaucratic nightmare that would follow such a move at my Airline. Endless headaches trying to pry the extra pay out of them with claims forms and so forth. Good luck getting a refund from Pass Travel for the "used" ticket -- "But it shows you flew the ticketed route, Captain". Probably get a warning letter for improper uniform and showing up without the company iPad to boot.

Agree - also maybe insurance problems?

Provided the pilot is in compliance with rest and alcohol/drug use requirements, there really shouldn't be any insurance problems. Obviously, that's not always the case for pilots (or anybody else) leaving on holiday, but apparently this pilot was okay.

Flow2706 wrote:

In my current company we have a paperless cockpit. Each pilot is given a company iPad when he joins the company (and needs to sign a waiver saying that he is liable if he breaks it...) and everything you need for a flight is installed on that device. FlySmart (performance calculation software), charts and an electronic flight plan application. Before the flight the company uploads the flightplan, which is then downloaded into the application. Fuel checks, RVSM checks, copying ATIS and clearances etc. is all done digitally in that software. The only things that we still have in paper is the QRH (soon to be electronic as well), flight log and technical log. In our company a pilot could indeed just 'jump in' provided he has the company iPad with him (if he hasn't the iPad with him, it could be MEL'd and a spare iPad, that always remains in the aircraft, used instead).

Are girl pilots not liable for the iPads?

Flow2706 wrote:

In my current company we have a paperless cockpit. Each pilot is given a company iPad when he joins the company (and needs to sign a waiver saying that he is liable if he breaks it...) and everything you need for a flight is installed on that device. FlySmart (performance calculation software), charts and an electronic flight plan application. Before the flight the company uploads the flightplan, which is then downloaded into the application. Fuel checks, RVSM checks, copying ATIS and clearances etc. is all done digitally in that software. The only things that we still have in paper is the QRH (soon to be electronic as well), flight log and technical log. In our company a pilot could indeed just 'jump in' provided he has the company iPad with him (if he hasn't the iPad with him, it could be MEL'd and a spare iPad, that always remains in the aircraft, used instead).

A general question for you about this, do you know of any cases where the iPad system backfired somehow, pilots leaving them in the taxi, stolen ect?

I was going to the mall one day, took the bus. Was talking to the driver (my co-worker) and dispatch called on the radio that they needed someone to cover a few runs from the mall ASAP if anyone was available when they get there. No one answered so I grabbed the mike and said if there's no one else to do it, I can do it. So, I did it. Where's my news story?

Seriously, talk about a slow news day and the media just trying to and get some *gasps* from the masses.

santi319 wrote:

This sort of stuff happens all the time... seriously with the slow new days.

ACDC8 wrote:

...Seriously, talk about a slow news day and the media just trying to and get some *gasps* from the masses.

Off duty pilots on holiday with their families or significant others jump into cockpits to rescue delayed flights happens all the time? Really? Maybe the media hyped it a bit too much, but I found it to be an interesting story. Some of you folks are just wound too tight.

dangerhere wrote:

A general question for you about this, do you know of any cases where the iPad system backfired somehow, pilots leaving them in the taxi, stolen ect?

iPads are left/lost/otherwise missing regularly. I've worked in crew scheduling at multiple airlines, and it's happened at every single one. Depending on the airline, there's a spare (or 5) either in the cockpit, crew room, or ops room.

As for the original topic at hand, this also happens frequently. Depending on the pilots' contract at their particular airline, the volunteer pilot can have dibs, but at least one major doesn't have that clause (internally dubbed "Mighty Mouse") and will in fact wait for the pilot with the appropriate seniority/bid status to show for the flight (if the scheduler is following the contract, as they're tasked to do).

EasyJet shows they had good and reasonably flexible management to deal with the situation, saved a lot of hassles from the UK outgoing and return flight from Spain. Perhaps they will make arrangements to him to be paid for this flight or for part of his holiday expenses.

Tomorrow's headline: "Pilot fired for flying out of uniform"

aeropix wrote:

aircatalonia wrote:

I wonder if he got paid for the flight.

Uff! I don't even want to think of the bureaucratic nightmare that would follow such a move at my Airline. Endless headaches trying to pry the extra pay out of them with claims forms and so forth. Good luck getting a refund from Pass Travel for the "used" ticket -- "But it shows you flew the ticketed route, Captain". Probably get a warning letter for improper uniform and showing up without the company iPad to boot.

I'm thinking it would be far cheaper to pay the pilot than to pay a relatively full A319/A320 for hotels, meals, and any other possible penalties associate with a delayed flight.

dangerhere wrote:

A general question for you about this, do you know of any cases where the iPad system backfired somehow, pilots leaving them in the taxi, stolen ect?

Didn’t hear about such a case yet, but this doesn’t mean it didn’t happen (as long as it doesn’t happen to yourself or a colleague you are flying with on the day it happens a normal pilot wouldn’t be aware of these kind of things). We have a spare iPad in the cockpit that is regularly updated and kept charged (for the personal iPads this is the responsibility of the respective pilot, for the spare iPad it’s the base captain assigned to the place with the aircraft is based). If one of the three iPads (Captain, FO, spare) or any other part of the installation (IPad holder, iPad charger/socket) is missing, out of date or inoperative a HIL with a MEL reference will be opened - technically these iPads are part of the aircraft equipment (even though we take them with us) and therefore have to be dealt with in a proper and legal way. After a crew change the HIL item is closed again (if the next crew has their iPads with them). So it’s really annoying due to the paperwork but not really a big deal.

I have a story about a BA flight from LGW to (I think) ANU from a reliable source. Several years ago the two pilots got into a fight before the flight so only one was allowed to fly. There wasn't a replacement pilot for the grounded pilot but a suitable pilot was a passenger on the flight. He was told that if he wanted his holiday in Antigua he'd have to fly the plane. He agreed and did fly after CAA approval was obtained to fly without his uniform.

CarbonFibre wrote:

You win Airliners.net for the day

I suppose this is a good case of going on an (Air)bus man's holiday.....

If you're not familiar with "going on a busman's holiday" ....it's where you go on holiday from work but end up doing something similar or linked to your work.

spacecadet wrote:

MGC1191 wrote:

arcticcruiser wrote:

Wonder why this even makes the news? Slow news day? Summer interns writing the news?

I’m sorry, not enough dead bodies in this article for you?

For something to qualify as news, there generally needs to be... news. It's not about body count. But this is literally a story about an EasyJet pilot who flew an EasyJet plane on his day off. Is that newsworthy to you?

Is it breaking news? No. But I’ll take a happy story for once over the daily doom and gloom we get spoon fed.