Gray Beard do's/don'ts for newbies

[furloaded]

excellent suggestions all. Her are my 2 cents:

when the pressure to complete a flight is greatest, you must deliberately slow down. If you are already 30 min late, it's night, snowing, flying with a new FO, into an unfamiliar airport, with a full airplane, last leg of a four day trip, flaps inop into airport with a snow covered runway and swapping airplanes for the 4th time that day, is not a good time to cut corners. just the opposite.

As you feel the weight on your shoulders increase, go to the bathroom, take a wiz, splash water in your face, and collect your toughts. Yes you will be even more delayed, but who cares?

Take your time and do it right. Look at the MEL's and make sure they are still valid. Preflight the plane like you did on every leg so far. Double check the fuel on board. Check the flight release for the things that get you busted, like wrong airplane. Double check the weather and your weight and balance. Look at the approach you anticipate before you leave. Check the gear pins. Check the fuel caps.

These days will happen, but hopefully not a lot. But don't be rushed. It could get you a violation or worse, killed.

 

[JetProp]

Tell your captain: "Cear right, your right, I'll take the fat one"!

 

[1900laker]

Here's One,

GET IT IN WRITING! Anytime anyone is suggesting you do something which seems a little off to you, get them to put it in writing. If they are trying to get you to do something wrong, just that suggestion will often stop their advance (scheduling duty times for example). I got burned on a checkride once because I was taught for five days in the sim what the "NEW" procedure was going to be for a rejected landing. This was supposedly the new approved, straight out of the meeting, way the training dept. was going. Turned out, that is what half of the training dept. left that meeting with. The other half, including the company DE that gave me my ride, was still on the old page. Checkride day, that was the only item we disagreed upon, and he busted me for it. Paperwork was filled out. Next day, he had a pow-wow with another IP and the Director of training and learned about the miscommunication within the training department. I completed the one item with the DE after succesfully retraining (3 times around the field). The only thing that kind of takes the sting out of the bust is the note that I had him add to the second training form to the effect that the previous bust was due to miscommunication in training department. BUT, I NEVER SHOULD HAVE ACCEPTED THE "NEW" PROCEDURE IN THE SIM BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE IT IN WRITING in the form of a new procedure, bulletin, or whatever. I learned my lesson the hard way. Please learn from my experience before it happens to you.


ALSO, to agree with another post:

I generally try not to piss off MX, but I refuse to accept a questionable MEL item or pencil-whipped repair. If I'm not comfortable, I'm not going

I had to piss of a MX guy one time over an MEL. This was on a pitch black night (no moon) and It was over Cockpit Instrument Lighting. MX tried to say that it was just a rheostat that was MEL'd. Problem was that the rheostat was failed to the off position AND it controlled about 3/5 ths of the entire cockpit instrument panel lighting (Pilots/copilots subpanel, overhead panel, center pedastel, and circuit breaker panel lights were all out (BE-1900)). I couldn't see squawt for what switch was what (don't flame, I would still know where they are in a blindfolded check) and the MEL stated that the remaining lighting must be sufficient to illuminate affected blah, blah, blah, AND must be acceptable illumination and intensity by the flight crew.

When I called MX to inform them that I wasn't accepting the A/C in its present condition, the head of MX stormed over with an attitude. He came up to the cockpit, hit the emergency instrument light switch and said "there, you can see all the switches right?" I said, "first of all, you hit the EMERGENCY instrument light switch to illuminate those lights. I wonder what the FAA would think of you arbitrarely saying that those lights should be the planned primary method of illumination. Secondly, have you ever sat up here at night and looked for other aircraft that you have a responsibility to see and avoid, with this BRIGHT GREEN GLARE FLOODING THE COCKPIT?" He backed down immediately as he realized suddenly that should be looking at what operational impact this would have on the flight rather than purely what the MEL stated. I turned down the Aircraft and never heard another word about it. I was still a brand new Captain at the time, and its the first time that I had to actually EXECUTE some of the authority that goes with the position. In hindsight, it was a valuable experience that I have drawn from many times since. Ok. I'm done now.

 

[PHX767]

Very good thread!

A recurring theme that all of us seem to share is knowing when to exercise your authority: As a PIC, as a SIC, or just as a human being.

Smartest thing I ever told dispatch - "I don't care what all the other Captains are doing, I am waiting for the wx to pass."

Smartest thing I ever heard from one of my Captains, "What do you think?"

Standard way of thinking that always works: Do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason.

If you find yourself staring at the fuel gauges, you probably don't have enough. Land or turn back.

And finally, heard on a biography of Pro football coach Marv Levy: "Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?"

I'll be saying that when I get back in the saddle.

 

[SpinDoctor]

Here are the top 10 rules of flying.

1. Always, always, always, always, and did I mention always, try to sound as cool as possible over the radio. Chicks dig it.

2. Sometime in your career you will fly a P.O.S. Live it, love it, and cherish it. It makes your B777 that much better.

3. Take pictures. Those FAs won't always be that hot and drunk.

4. Never, never, never, never, and did I mention never, report the braking action as Nil. You'll have about million 135 freight guys want to beat the snot out of you. The worst braking action report should be, "extremely to ludicrously poor."

5. The movie "Airplane" is the funniest dad gum thing you'll ever see.

6. If you don't curse, swear, drink, womanize, brag, or have a subscription to some type of porn, you don't belong in the cockpit.

7. Learn how to complain, and how to complain loudly. You'll never bitch like you do until you're a B777 or B747 captain working only 5 days a month making $300,000 a year.

8. You will get a schitty schedule. Your wife will hate you. Your kids will miss you. Your bills be overdue. Your phone will get disconnected. Life will suck every now and then. Suck it up, grow a sack, and drink your way though it.

9. Know your FARs. Knowledge is power. Especially over scheduling!

10. Know your airplane. Knowledge is power. Especially on the road with contract MX at podunk airport with Jeter the high school drop out mechanic.

11. Pilots who fly Garret engines do it louder.

 

[A1FlyBoy]

great stuff!!!

 

[TurboS7]

Always do what is best for the customer, not what they want, but what is best.

 

[Captain Over]

...when the briefer tells you the crud will roll in in about seven hours, what he really means is it will be here in one-half hour. So don't tear off on that 2 hour cross country.

Learned that one the hard way.

 

[A1FlyBoy]

good stuff!

 

[A1FlyBoy]

Ideas / tricks for hotel stays?

Heard a few guys taking about filling the room's ice bucket with water, and hanging a towel from it over the a/c to humidify the room.

stealing pens, bar stories, or any other hotel tricks for newbies out there?