Reserve at your company.

[chqflyer]

Just as a curiosity, do other regionals consistently use reserve captains in the right seat? It's a common situation here at BB's funland, not exactly one I totally agree with. I know being typed means you're qualified in either seat, but it seems to throw my rhythm off when I'm there. It's not an ego thing. I get paid the same in either seat. I really dislike the "double jeopardy" of having to cover both CA and FO sick calls. I'm not even mentioning the fact that they'd rather pay two CA's to operate a flight rather than increase FO pay in any way shape or form. Well, I'm just venting over some of the day to day absurdities.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

Not allowed at Endeavor, except in the case of a check airman and only to prevent a juniorman.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

Not allowed at Endeavor, except in the case of a check airman and only to prevent a juniorman.

That's a slippery slope. How would you even begin to prove it wasn't done to prevent a junior-manning assignment?

Here's how it would work at XJT:

CPO- "You're gonna have to fly it"

ALPA- "You're gonna have to fly it"

 

[WMUSIGPI]

Simple, if there is any reserve not used that day, it's a violation... Besides, after the last downgrades I don't think there are any LCA's on reserve now.

 

[COOPERVANE]

Simple, if there is any reserve not used that day, it's a violation... Besides, after the last downgrades I don't think there are any LCA's on reserve now.

Well, that SIMPLY won't work at ASA. Crew scheduling are experts at making SURE that everyone.....EVERYONE is at work everyday. If you don't have a day off....and even if you do....you WILL be at work. It is their main IROP/SWAP recovery tool. 4 reserves will be called in for a round trip each. Anyone with an overnight over 16-18 hours will be rescheduled for one more turn or a DH.

I have been sent on at least 20 missions to bring back a "fixed" airplane. Know how many I actually repo'd back?.......1 or 2!!

They burn through reserves with reckless abandon. And then wonder why we have to cancel flights due to lack of crew. Now they want us to give them more "flexibility"??

YGTBSM

TFAYD!!

 

[wms]

There is a top-down philosophy that if they pay you, you're going to do something, even if it wastes thousands of dollars per instance. This costs the company millions more in wasted efforts than if they just paid reserves guarantee to sit at home until they're really needed. It stems from senior mgmt wanting to make sure they get something out of you and occ personnel hating the fact that pilots are pay-protected.

They know the financial waste of their actions, but don't care if it gets you out to the airport.

I think our new VP knows this and will fix it. ie, CH is gone for starters. She was a propagator of this attitude, and responsible for much of our financial losses due to crew-utilization inefficiencies.

 

[JumpersAway]

WMS- at least this point will show who is truly running the show, and how far up the totem pole this attitude permeates. I can honestly count on one hand the number of times, in 5 years of reserve, that I wasn't used and stayed home. Frankly, one way or the other, I simply couldn't take it anymore. Looking back at it, I should have left WAY before I did, and gained experience elsewhere. Reserve was an absolute sentence to misery- no life outside of work, in any capacity. Wow- I still get worked up thinking about it!

 

[Oakum_Boy]

It stems from senior mgmt wanting to make sure they get something out of you and occ personnel hating the fact that pilots are pay-protected.

I'm not so sure this isn't a SkyWest-driven thing. They do have a tendency- an extreme one- to latch onto bull******************** like vacation-low, reserves at home, eliminating soft time, etc...

It's not new to the business, but this mentality permeates the G.O. at every level. They hate pilots, and spend 99.8% of their working lives focused on them. All the while letting the operation crumble, and then blaming- you guessed it- pilots.

 

[COOPERVANE]

Deleted

 

[PBRstreetgang]

I'm not so sure this isn't a SkyWest-driven thing. They do have a tendency- an extreme one- to latch onto bull******************** like vacation-low, reserves at home, eliminating soft time, etc...

It's not new to the business, but this mentality permeates the G.O. at every level. They hate pilots, and spend 99.8% of their working lives focused on them. All the while letting the operation crumble, and then blaming- you guessed it- pilots.

Brad doesn't hate pilots, he hates pilots sitting at home, collecting guarantee for watching TV. I am sure glad he is your "problem" now...
BTW reserve at Skywest is, well, the worst thing that will ever happen to you in your aviation career. Cartwheeling a plane down the runway is almost better, because the pain will be short lived, one way or another. Reserve at Skywest on the other hand is driven by Brads old philosophies and mutated by the bevy of 19 old SGU girls and boys who wholeheartedly embrace the philosophy that pilots are lazy, shiftless, slackers who must be deadheaded to all points of the route map to insure that they are wearing the monkey suit for as many days as possible as atonement for that sweet 5 on 2 off schedule.
With the current 7 year upgrade into the EMB you will be on reserve for quite awhile, enjoy!

 

[wms]

It shows how inept the "leadership" is when they will waste millions more than they will spend, turning what would be profits into losses in the meantime.

 

[TheRaven]

I'm not sure how it's done at Envoy (we've only existed for about 30 hours), but that practice was phased out at American Eagle Airlines a couple years ago.....company viewed the fact that Capts didn't get any time being evaluated in the right seat each year as a liability. For a short time they increased right seat time on checkrides from just a visual approach to a V1 cut, hand flown Single engine ILS, and an aborted takeoff. The added sim time to check off these minimal requirements.

In the end a Capt. Is a Capt.......an FO is an FO.......hope Envoy continues this policy

 

[BuckMurdock1]

I know being typed means you're qualified in either seat,

Does not mean you're "current" in that seat necessarily. Be careful. In the 121 world; OpSpec/airline-approved-training program dependent..you are only qualified in the seat in which you were last checked (PC) & for that duration of currency. For example- If you are a CA and have not had seat-dependent training in the sim for over a year..you are probably not qualified to fly from the right-seat. Don't let some idiot at crew scheduling "bully" you into thinking you're good. It's your ticket.

In fact; I recall at 9E years and years ago-- they considered you "dequaled" from the rt seat the moment your butt sat in the upgrade class on day 1. I know because in the upgrade class previous to mine..a few guys washed out and actually had to go take an F/O PC to 'requalify'..even though one guy had an F/O PC the previous month.

In a perfect world--- even if you ARE Rt-seat qualed and haven't flown in that seat for a LOONNG time; you should be able to cite "safety of flight" and say you're not comfortable doing it...and that should be that. Like someone said: CAs should be CAs/FOs should be F/Os. Period. they need to hire enough F-Ing pilots!

 

[chqflyer]

They have us do 3 TO and landings from the right seat plus a V1 cut and SE ILS during every PC. So we're legal on paper, but not what you'd call proficient when assigned to fly the right seat.

 

[BuckMurdock1]

They have us do 3 TO and landings from the right seat plus a V1 cut and SE ILS during every PC. So we're legal on paper, but not what you'd call proficient when assigned to fly the right seat.

Gotcha. Which regional are you? You say "BBs fun land" I'll assume that's Brian Bedford-- but is he Republic or SKW? It seems the names are consistent in this biz-- just hard keeping up with the companies they move to.

Depending on if you're union or not-- you could check your contract and see if it expressly provides for ongoing dual-qual (and dual-use) for RSV CAs. If it doesn't and the company is unilaterally doing it anyway..you most certainly have grounds for a grievance on behalf of all your RSV CAs. Dual-qualed (and utilized) RSV CAs is not a "common industry practice" as far as I can tell..and certainly not consistent with 'best practices' as they relate to safety.

VX tried this crap when newly-upgraded RSV CAs were still 'current' in Rt Seat and F/O RSV staffing was tight. They would call and say "we've got a trip..and btw; it's as F/O". The expectation of us covering both seats was NEVER disclosed to us..either written or verbally (until blindsided by crew scheduling to cover Rt st). We collectively pushed back and now apparently it's 'optional' for the few guys who are still Rt. seat current (and they'll soon dequal as F/o anyway). We don't train/check anyone other than F/Os and LCAs in right seat.

In short- I feel your frustration..cause I lived it not too long ago.

 

[chqflyer]

Republic. They pull all sorts of crazy stuff over here just to get the meat in the seats.

 

[ASACRJFlyer]

XJT tried slipping that little gem into the failed TA's language (CPT's could fly up to 20 hours per month in the right seat) and it was one of many reasons the TA failed so miserably. Let's just hope they pull that kernel from the next turd of a TA and fix the loose language and other shortcomings or they'll get another rejection from us.

 

[248to2.8]

We used to have to do it here at Compass. We would have new CA never getting off high mins because they were only flown as FO's. Then the FAA shut that practice down since it wasn't safe in their opinion about 4-5 years ago.

 

[dojetdriver]

Does not mean you're "current" in that seat necessarily. Be careful. In the 121 world; OpSpec/airline-approved-training program dependent..you are only qualified in the seat in which you were last checked (PC) & for that duration of currency. For example- If you are a CA and have not had seat-dependent training in the sim for over a year..you are probably not qualified to fly from the right-seat.

Nope, L-XJT has been doing it for years. Apparently, it DOESN'T matter how long you were out of the right seat, you were STILL "qualified" in the right seat according to them. Wasn't till only recently did they start having CA's do right seat work on the yearly AQP.

In a perfect world--- even if you ARE Rt-seat qualed and haven't flown in that seat for a LOONNG time; you should be able to cite "safety of flight" and say you're not comfortable doing it...and that should be that. Like someone said: CAs should be CAs/FOs should be F/Os. Period. they need to hire enough F-Ing pilots!

I made this argument, with a safety rep in fact. He didn't see it that way. "If you refuse, there will be consequences" was the response. No sh1t, one of those was me ASAP'ing it.

 

[wms]

LASA doesn't fly CAs in the right seat, but I can tell you that you have to be checked annually in order to fly from that seat. Ask any check airman how strict the company is about right seat qualification.