Avantair Monkey Radio

[HSDriver]

HSDriver

You are only partially correct about freq changes.

Read AIM 5-3-1.

Not lets get back on topic instead of radio phraseology.

(a) When operating in a radar environment: On initial contact, the pilot should inform the controller of the aircraft's assigned altitude preceded by the words "level," or "climbing to," or "descending to," as appropriate; and the aircraft's present vacating altitude, if applicable.


Initial... the first time you talk to a new facility.
If you are already talking to the same facility on the previous frequency, it is no longer an initial contact and thus not applicable to report your passing altitude.

Try it sometime. If you get a frequency change to the same facility just say climbing or descending to and the assigned altitude. They will not ask you anything about your passing altitude. And then try the same thing when you get transfered to a new center or approach control and they will ask you to " verify altitude passing."

OK, back to the topic. I'm done hijacking the thread, just had to get it off my chest...

HS

 

[fivefootnuthin]

I agree with the basic senselessness of this policy change. Just a lil more put on the Captains shoulders, and it improves nothing. Clearly this wasnt done for safety (long runway for F.O's - bad. Short runway for F.O.'s - good?) Once again, the "appearance" of safety is more important than safety itself, which pretty much explains why the companys performance criteria remains what it is. The irony is that while mgmt continues to put sales ahead of everything else, they fail to realize that a safety related incident will crush the company more than telling an owner that a trip cant go due to wx, or performance, etc. Recently we had mgmt praise the crews handling of two potentially damaging incidences, and they were right to give those guys a pat on the back. However it apparently hasnt occured to them that their current performance policy could well have been disasterous regarding both those incidences, only fate allowed those crews the wiggle room they needed. Sooner or later, this lack of foresight will come back to haunt them.
Regarding the new FO policy, they apparently believe that reducing the potential for trouble at a high profile airport (one that will make the news) by having Captains fly in/out is about as ridiculous as anything ive heard anywhere. You either trust your training dept and the crews who receive that training, or you dont. Its that simple. We have good F.O.'s here, guys with good time and good skills. You think Southwest F.O's no longer fly into MDW when it snows?? Moreover, do they really believe that an accident/incident at a smaller field will make ANY difference to the FAA or NTSB?
The bottom line is that mgmt is concerned with the appearance of safety, as it relates to sales. Better let the Captain handle that ATL landing, they say. But when that same Captain elects to take a delay out of ATL due to a line of TS's, his phone starts ringing. Mgmt would rather lick a hot iron than tell an owner no with regard to a proposed trip that pushes perf limits or causes a lenghty delay due to weather, but they have no problem condensing a crews trips with obsurd 20 min turns all day to make it all fit knowing full well that owners will be delayed regardless. All of this combines to frustrate both crews and owners alike, makes the company look bad as a whole and its an infinitely more serious problem than letting an F.O. land at a Class B airport.

 

[OPECJet]

So why exactly is Avantair carrying gear jerkers? If the FO can't fly, why carry the dead weight.....

 

[doylehargraves]

What does the F/O do if the captain dies with passengers on board enroute?? I mean, he can't land it so...

 

[BoeingBaller]

What does the F/O do if the captain dies with passengers on board enroute?? I mean, he can't land it so...

Once safely on the ground at a class B airport,the FO would then be terminated.Should have had the owner come up front and land the plane.

 

[BushwickBill]

Guys, it's more simple than "the lawyer said" and "the D.O. has no nuts" (which he doesn't).

That airplane was used extensively as a trainer as well as a parts whore. Anybody at avantair with some history can attest as they witnessed it sitting in the hanger for months on end in various displays of disarray and sweated through their initial and recurrents in it.

The crew swears (CVR should back it up) that the landing was normal-not hard. Assume for now it was.

Bag the crew (FO because he was flying) and redirect the focus from possible mx issues to that of the all-encompassing "pilot error" and the whole thing goes away. Strike preemptively by instituting ridiculous rules for FOs flying the line and jump start the focus.

Who's to say this wasn't the subject of a compilation of hard landings (training, etc.) that decided to finally evolve while this crew was flying?

Probably can't prove it, but it's a much better option for management to hang the crew out to dry than endure the scrutiny of a mx deficiency and subsequent investigation.

Or maybe they just landed hard. REAL hard.

This may be a bit spectulative but we were doing a lot of flying for Avantair at the begining of the month. 2 legs per day at least. For a short time we were flying for Avantair more than Sentient. Could it be possible that Avantair is hurting for aircraft so badly that they are using a "parts whore"?

Anyhow I feel for you. You guys have it as bad as I do now in terms of not flying the airplane. In fact worse. I still fly into "metro" areas. Whatever that means. I agree with whoever that being vectored into 10000' runways with an ILS is simpler than the visual into UDD. I get more time off to ride my mountain bike too.

 

[se1776]

just don't work there

 

[MrX]

just don't work there

AMEN !


And I'll tell you a lot of us who are still here have more than a foot out the door, it's gonna be real interesting to see what this company does w/out pilots ...