CNN reporting NWA to cut 2500 jobs

[General Lee]

Nu,
If I read your post correctly you guys bid for a quarter at a time. You had better start studying PBS now since we bid every month.

I think he was talking about bidding for an advanced entitlement, not monthly PBS bidding. Sounded like he would bid ATL DC9 Captain, A or B (line holder or reserve) block holder.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[FBN0223]

rumors are there are about 350 with retirement papers in just waiting. The increased medical coverage in retirement will more than likely get a lot of people to leave so they can get grandfathered in under the NWA coverage. We'll see.

Heard that one in NRT a few days ago. For many to retire now under the PERP locks them into the lower NWA medical coverage costs.

Been leaving a copy of the PERP on the Captain's yoke.

 

[clippyrip]

That is a good call. If your captain smells like dust mixed with Old Spice then you'll know to leave one for him.

 

[NuGuy]

That is a good call. If your captain smells like dust mixed with Old Spice then you'll know to leave one for him.

Or mothballs...

Nu

 

[Tanker Clown]

Yes, actually, our VP of Flight Ops is very smart, and a great guy on top of that. I am proud to work for SD.

But the person Gen Lee was referring too (GH) is our VP of network planning. He is a genius and Delta is lucky to have him.

If he's so smart, why can't you guys make a profit? Are these the same brilliant folks that landed you in Ch 11?

How come the airline God who thunk up Song isn't the CEO of that joint down there?

 

[denny]

The 9's will replace RJ's while also bringing a better product.

The DC-9 better than an RJ? You have got to be SH***ing me! Do pilots ever live in any world other than 50 years in the past?

 

[Tanker Clown]

The DC-9 better than an RJ? You have got to be SH***ing me! Do pilots ever live in any world other than 50 years in the past?

Well, I think we can all at least agree that if the 9 is anything, it's fuel efficent.

 

[denny]

I think that if the DC-9 is anything it is that its paid for. It is the underbrush of aviation.

 

[waka]

Leave the lame comments at the door, we are trying to play nice.

okay Mr. "Nice" Police


Man, if that rattles your cage, your threshold is quite low. There are bigger fish to fry.

 

[clippyrip]

The DC-9 better than an RJ? You have got to be SH***ing me! Do pilots ever live in any world other than 50 years in the past?

So when did something that still stands the test of time become underbrush? They made it right the first time.

My 1970 Chevy truck may not have all the bells and whistles of the new trucks but it still does the job. It's a whole lot easier to work on too. Oh yeah, it's paid for....

 

[Redmeat]

I think that if the DC-9 is anything it is that its paid for. It is the underbrush of aviation.

The DC9 is a simple machine, it is reliable, it is crude, it is fun to fly if you are a decent pilot once you master it, it is easy to maintain and it gets the job done.

It has also PAID FOR ITSELF (over and over again) at NWA.

The part I enjoy most about it is...YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO have some stick and rudder skills and use the lost art of pilotage to do a good job flying it.

Spikey hair's beware.

 

[Diesel-9]

And passengers prefer the -9 by a longshot vs. the 50 seater and most of the 76 seaters.

 

[Fly4hire]

The DC-9 better than an RJ? You have got to be SH***ing me! Do pilots ever live in any world other than 50 years in the past?

Yup, regular NB cabin, reliable, real overhead bin space, 3 full size lav's, rarely weight restricted, and an airline managed and flown by adults, not teenagers.

I wish I had a buck for how many times I've heard at some of our smaller stations "thank God it's not one of those little jets".

I'll be the first one to admit the flight deck and automation on the CRJ is light years ahead of the DC9 - so what?

 

[sqwkvfr]

The part I enjoy most about it is...YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO have some stick and rudder skills and use the lost art of pilotage to do a good job flying it.

Spikey hair's beware.

While I agree with your sentiment that a lot of "spikey hairs" have zero stick and rudder skills, I can't help but think that most of them would know that "pilotage" has very little to do with flying a DC-9.

 

[Superpilot92]

While I agree with your sentiment that a lot of "spikey hairs" have zero stick and rudder skills, I can't help but think that most of them would know that "pilotage" has very little to do with flying a DC-9.

The DC9 requires more "pilotage" than any airliners flying today. There are guys at the regionals that have NEVER even flown an NDB approach. I cant tell you how many times i have guys in my crashpad that fly for regionals ask me "how do you guys fly that" or have had a jumpseater ask "wow i dont even know what to look at in here".

Simple truth is now a days there are more and more people at the regionals that have never really flown round dials. A lot of the flight schools today have switched to garmin 1000 glass cockpits all the way down to cessnas.

Disclaimer: thats not a hit on regional guys, i was merely pointing out that alot of the recent newhires at the regionals have very low time and some haven't flown anything but glass.

 

[cargoflyr69]

Yeah the good 'ol Diesel 9, Works good lasts a long time! My favorite transport category airplane so far.

On the 2500 job cuts...

On the pilot side I think we should be safe from furlough. If nobody brought it up yet, the Union cut a deal where they will lower the montly max from 88 hours to 80 hours. there is a caveat that on certain fleets they could go to 77 hours.

If you think about it, that alone is a 9% reduction that each pilot has to fly each month. If some fleets do go to 77 hrs, then we're over the overall 9.5% systemwide flight reductions this fall. Pretty cool concept, work less and everyone stays on property!

Furthermore the company has recinded all the October APA displacements (likely due to this LOA just signed)

Me thinks the company knows that if the joint CBA gets ratified, they will be short pilots on DCC which is supposed to be in Nov-Dec. They will be even more shorthanded if they furlough....

My .02

 

[Donsa320]

The DC9 requires more "pilotage" than any airliners flying today. There are guys at the regionals that have NEVER even flown an NDB approach. I cant tell you how many times i have guys in my crashpad that fly for regionals ask me "how do you guys fly that" or have had a jumpseater ask "wow i dont even know what to look at in here".

Simple truth is now a days there are more and more people at the regionals that have never really flown round dials. A lot of the flight schools today have switched to garmin 1000 glass cockpits all the way down to cessnas.

Disclaimer: thats not a hit on regional guys, i was merely pointing out that alot of the recent newhires at the regionals have very low time and some haven't flown anything but glass.

I think what that "pilotage" comment was about is that "pilotage" is a method of navigation. Other methods are "Deduced Reckoning" (D'ed Reckoning), "Celestial Navigation", "Radio Navigation", "Map Reading" etc. Stick and rudder skills are not "Pilotage" but surely can be lacking these days IMHO.
DC

 

[cargoflyr69]

I think what that "pilotage" comment was about is that "pilotage" is a method of navigation. Other methods are "Deduced Reckoning" (D'ed Reckoning), "Celestial Navigation", "Radio Navigation", "Map Reading" etc. Stick and rudder skills are not "Pilotage" but surely can be lacking these days IMHO.
DC

I'm thinking he meant both stick and rudder skills as well as pilotage.

We on the DC-9 fly on steam gague style HSI and RMI's for our only source of nav. Yes we do have the luxury of DME, but there is no groundspeed readout, moving map, FMS, VNAV or any other navigation comforts.

Therefore, we have to use the 2 onboard computers (pilots) to do things like figure our top of decent, crossing restrictions, ect. I'd say that fits the definition of "pilotage" wouldn't you?

As far as the stick and rudder comment. the autopilot is nothing more than a auto wing leveler that can also do constant rate climbs and decents. It is often times jerky and a good pilot can fly the plane more smoothly by hand flying!

 

[Bubba Dog]

OK,show your pilot age.

What does TVMDC mean when it comes to navigation?

 

[DashTrash400]

Ehhhh....pilotage, in its normal usage referring to navigation, means navigating solely by reference to landmarks & a map, without the benefit of radio navigation or even a list of wind-corrected headings to fly (deduced reckoning). Now, the DC9 is old, but it's still advanced enough to have a VOR head in it! Heck, even has HSI. That's all any decent pilot should need, in my book

/says the guy steadily losing all his "real pilot" skills in one of those lazy man's glass airplanes