The Amazing Life of Pilots Part 1

I'm not so sure if I really understand some of the things we - as pilots - do to ourselves.

A majority of the disdain that pilots, and specifically Airline pilots have is with their leaders and management figures. This disdain can carry over into a pilot's union leaders as well. This disdain can also carry over into other pilots at the same company that a pilot works at. This disdain also transfers over to pilots at other companies. But it's a different type of disdain and anger.

The golden rule does not exist in the professional pilot community. Now, clearly there are exceptions. When like minded pilots gather or work together then clearly they will treat each other in an equitable manner. Also, for the most part, when two pilots who tend to hate each other outside of the cockpit are working together behind that closed cockpit door - standardization and professionalism is the scene. They act and work in harmonious rhythm, protecting each other from violation and ultimately providing a safe avenue for transportation.

There are different levels of hatred and anger as well. I haven't yet perfected a system for recognizing and organizing these levels - but perhaps over my approaching 16 hour overnight in Killeen Texas I can develop one.

Anyway - continuing. . .

Pilot's are a very possessive breed. We are possessive of our women, all of them. Possessive of our meals and drinks, all of them. Possessive of our careers, and possessive of the flying our company is doing.

In the regional industry it is a regular occurrence for Regional A to lose flying to Regional B. Losing probably isn't the right term, but it's the best term that explains the situation. These two companies both provide lift for another company - Mainline A. Mainline A is tired of paying a certain price for Regional A's services, and send out an request for proposal - an RFP. This RFP essentially is the start of a bidding war. Companies that want to provide lift for Mainline A will bid for the flying that is within the RFP.

Now, some companies have certain standards that they like to meet. Such as, never bidding on flying that will not make money. Other companies simply strive for market share, no matter what the cost, and ultimately no matter what that means for the future if they bid low, win the contract, and operate the contract only to find out that they can't do it at the price they bid. Well, now they're stuck and ultimately in poor financial shape.

So how does this all tie into pilots? Pilots at Regional A, who were flying the rights for Mainline A are not being put into a competitive position with the pilots of Regional B who are bidding for the flying that Regional A's pilots are currently flying.

This tension builds until ultimately the contract is awarded. Clearly if the contract is awarded to company A, the tensions will subside. If the contract is awarded to Company B, the tensions build. . .and they build fast.

Take this situation, add in about 4 Mainline companies, and about 20-25 regionals. The situation is compounded on an almost dream like scale. The competition is ready to gnaw off the legs of those who are currently doing flying for the Mainline partner who requested new bids. While the current contract holder is making ways to bid on the new contract, while reducing their internal costs so that they can provide a competitive bid so that they can hopefully secure their future with the mainline partner in question.

Now you through pilots into the mix. Like I said, we're a very possessive bunch. We protect our wives like it's no body's business. We make sure the girls in the back are taken care of and now drunk passenger is causing any problems. We make sure our coffees are hot, or we send them back. We make sure the plane is ready for service, or we don't go. We live a standardized life, and grow accustom to certain things - such as our professional growth and career stability.

The first sign of career instability or anything that would negatively impact one's professional growth the whole show starts to slow down. We get angry, tensions build, we want answers, we begin to doubt our management teams, we begin to doubt our union leaders, and we ultimately begin to doubt our futures.

Throw in multiple pilot groups, and we begin to doubt each other. We begin to accuse each other for problems that none of us control or even contribute to.

This type of behavior further erodes any attempts and any successful attempts of the past to unify the profession under the same guidelines or goals. It's a ridiculous and vicious cycle that not many people are able to get over and beyond.

This pretty much concludes Part 1 of the Amazing Life of Pilots. Part 2 will focus on some other silly topic that makes us look like little children. Stay tune!

For the love of the game.

Why else would I wake up at 4:15? Come on, really? Complaining is far too easy.

Can't miss an opportunity to catch one's reflection in an inanimate object.

Obviously I awoke at 4:15am to go to work. Nothing more, nothing less. Not to fly around in the sky for the love of the game. Nope, just to get a pay check to provide for my family like any other working-class citizen.

Nothing special to see here. Move on. . .

Change

First I apologize for not providing an update in a while. I haven't really been all that busy, except for getting a little behind in my studies this term due to a jury duty assignment last week.

Jury duty took three days out of my week, caused me to reschedule a training event, and pretty much putting we well behind the eight ball in regards to school.

Now I'm trying to catch up, have a lot of reading to do, and it just does not seem as if I have enough time.

I'll get through it though. I always tend to find a way to catch up, get things done, and complete the mission.

In other news. . .

This country has made history by electing the first African-American President. I'm not a huge supporter of hyphenated American's, but this is something that this country clearly needed to get over and put behind us.

We need to come together and embrace the challenges that lay ahead. As an aviation professional who has been extremely disappointed with how the last eight years have gone I'm excited to see what the future holds. More importantly I'm excited to see how a pro-labor executive, along with a Democratic controlled Congress can bring to evening the playing field that exists between Management and Labor.

Here is to our future as aviation professionals. Now let's get to work. . .

John Prater - President, Airline Pilot's Association

So it's raining outside

Well, as anyone close to me knows - I haven't been doing much flying this month. Not that I haven't been available, just that my employer hasn't called me much to work.

Getting paid either way, so - so be it. Been called four times. First to come and sit ready reserve at the airport for eight hours, no flying though. Second call was to notify me of a day line earlier this week, flew 4hrs and 45 minutes, paid for 4hrs and 48 minutes. Third call yesterday evening to notify me of a two-trip that starts on Saturday at 9am, with an overnight in New Jersey. Fourth call was this afternoon to be notified that the previous mentioned two-day trip has been reassigned.

So, that's it. What's really funny is that I actually had a message from the FO taking the two-day trip on Facebook telling me that I should be getting a call shortly. Small world I tell you. The trip was reassigned for training.

All of the pilots who were on the ATR-72 are currently in training for the CRJ-200, some of them must be nearing the end of their training and as such are they are getting sent out for OE (Operational Experience).

But hey - another weekend at home (or so it looks like) to watch College football, and study for an upcoming LOFT (Line Oriented Flight Training) event in November.

When you see an Airline Pilot. . .

-When you see a pilot going through the same security you go through, he's not being paid.

-When you see a pilot walking in the terminal, he's not being paid.

-When you see a pilot at the gate pulling up paper work, planning the flight, and conferring with the agent, he's not being paid.

-When you see a pilot walking around the aircraft doing a preflight inspection, he's not being paid.

-When you board the aircraft and look in the cockpit and see the pilots setting up the aircraft, they're not getting paid.

-When you land safely at your destination and walk off the aircraft and see the pilots shutting down the aircraft, they're not being paid.

-When you see a pilot waiting for a ride to a hotel for the night, he's not being paid.

-The only time the pilot of your aircraft is getting paid is when you DON"T see him... when he's locked behind the cockpit door as you push back from the gate. Every thing else he does until this point is for free. For no wages. Nothing!

-The average airline pilot is at work for 12- 14 hours per day, yet gets paid for less than 6 - 7 hours.

-The average airline pilot is away from home, at work, for 70+ hours a week, yet gets paid for only 15 to 18 hours per weeks work.

A few bits of John McCain information.

JOHN McCAIN THREATENS OUR JOBS, RIGHTS AND SAFETY

Wants to Privatize Essential Aviation Safety Jobs. McCain voted to privatize the air traffic control system and to allow the government to transfer these functions to private companies, putting jobs and safety at risk. (H.R. 2115, Vote 453, 11/17/03; S. 824, Vote 222, 6/12/03)

Mistakenly Believes That Contract Towers Are as Safe as FAA Towers. McCain has said that “contract towers are just as safe—or in some cases safer—as FAA staffed towers.” He supports privatizing air traffic control jobs and says they aren’t “inherently government workers.” (Aviation Week, 9/8/03, 12/15/03)

Opposes Collective Bargaining Rights for Aviation Workers. McCain repeatedly has tried to undermine aviation workers’ collective bargaining rights by supporting unfair baseball-style arbitration that takes away our right to strike and vote on a final contract. (S. 1327, 8/2/01)

Will Turn Over Our Jobs to Foreign Airlines. McCain pushed to allow foreign control of U.S. airlines and to allow foreign airlines to operate on American air routes, threatening aviation jobs. This would create a race to the bottom for wages, resulting in the outsourcing of flight attendant jobs to the lowest foreign bidder. (S.Amdt. 3619 to H.R. 4939, 4/26/06; ALPA Presidential Survey, Air Line Pilot, 2/00)

Helped Outsource Aviation Manufacturing Jobs. McCain voted to send defense technology and aviation manufacturing jobs to Japan, without guaranteeing that American companies would share in the work. (S.Amdt. 101 to S.J.Res. 113, Vote 67, 5/16/89; S.Amdt. 102, Vote 66, 5/16/89; S.J.Res. 113, Vote 175, 9/14/89)

Supports Permanently Replacing Striking Workers. McCain voted twice for a bill that allows companies to fire or replace lawfully striking workers. (ALPA Presidential Survey, Air Line Pilot, 2/00; S. 55, Vote 121, 6/16/92; S. 55, Vote 189, 7/13/94)

Voted Against Rehiring Air Traffic Control Strikers. McCain voted in 1986 against rehiring 1,000 PATCO workers who were fired after going on strike in 1981. The measure was intended to stem the air traffic controller deficit and enhance air travel safety. (H.R. 5205, Vote 267, 7/30/86)

Blocked FedEx Workers from Forming a Union. McCain voted to block FedEx workers from forming a union so that they could bargain for better wages, health care and a voice on the job. (H.R. 3539, Vote 304, 10/3/96)

Opposes Protections for Overseas Flight Crews. McCain said he opposes labor protections for airline flight crews working overseas. (ALPA Presidential Survey, Air Line Pilot, 2/00)

Opposed Union Rights for Airport Screeners. McCain supported Bush’s declaration that union rights for airport screeners are a terrorism risk and voted against giving them collective bargaining rights. (S.Amdt. to S. 4, Vote 64, 3/7/07; American Prospect, “Screening on the Cheap,” 3/1/03)

Put Our Lives at Risk While Flying. McCain opposed meaningful aviation security measures. He voted to gut flight attendant anti-terrorism training requirements; fought funding for air marshals, TSA security and explosion-detection systems; and supported $725 million in cuts to aviation security programs. (H.R. 2115, Vote 453, 11/17/03; McCain press release on S. 2537, 9/15/04; S.Con.Res. 83, Vote 59, 3/16/06)

Helped Send Union Aviation Manufacturing Jobs to France. McCain strongly influenced the U.S. Air Force to award Airbus, rather than Boeing, a $35 billion contract to build Air Force refueling tankers. This deal would destroy 44,000 union jobs. (Lobbyist Disclosure Database, accessed 3/11/08; Associated Press, 3/11/08; Time.com, 3/11/08; Mobile Register, 1/16/07; Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 3/7/08; Washington Post, 6/20/08; GAO press release, 6/18/08)

Called Efforts to Address Flight Attendant Fatigue ‘Ridiculous.’ McCain called research studying the effects of flight attendant fatigue “ridiculous” and listed it with research on blackbirds and blueberries as government waste. As rest periods are reduced, chronic fatigue is a growing problem, jeopardizing our ability to perform safety duties. (McCain Statement on Lobbying and Ethics Reform Bill, 1/4/07)

Opposed Strict Oversight of Foreign Repair Stations. McCain opposed routine FAA safety inspections of foreign repair stations that perform maintenance on American commercial aircraft. These safeguards would ensure aircraft safety, improve aviation security and protect American jobs. (S.Amdt. 914 to S. 824, Vote 224, 6/12/03)

Left Aviation Workers Behind After 9/11. McCain voted against unemployment, job-training and health benefits for thousands of laid-off aviation workers after Sept. 11, 2001. (S.Amt. 1855 to S. 1447, Vote 293, 10/11/01)

Destroys Collective Bargaining Through Bankruptcy. McCain backed Eastern Airlines’ bankruptcy plan, which destroyed 43,000 jobs. He supported letting airlines use bankruptcy to destroy collective bargaining agreements and refused to support corporate bankruptcy law reform to better protect our contracts and right to strike. (H.R. 1231, Vote 276, 10/26/89; H.R. 1231, Vote 273, 10/26/89; H.R. 1231, Vote 222, 10/3/89; S. 2092, 2007)

Opposes Buy American Provisions That Protect Our Jobs. McCain voted to waive Buy American laws for defense systems and to exempt six European countries from Buy American requirements, placing our jobs in jeopardy. He has said he “firmly objects” to these job-protecting provisions and has even called them “ludicrous.” (S. 2400, Vote 135, 6/22/04; S. 1050, Vote 191, 5/21/03; Congressional Record, 7/14/05, 10/7/05)

Says Pilots Are Greedy. McCain spoke out against pilots, claiming that the reason they go on strike is to “satisfy their personal greed.” (Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Hearing on Air Traffic Control, 9/14/00)

Believes Pilots Are Careless. McCain accused airline pilots striking for better wages and benefits of being thoughtless. McCain said, “A large number of these pilots are former military men and women whose code is supposed to be duty, honor and country. Now they take actions without a thought for the Americans that rely upon them.” (Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Hearing on Air Traffic Control, 9/14/00)

http://www.aflcio.org/issues/politics/mccain_aviation.cfm