Have you earned your Stripes?

[NightFlyer]

SD,
I'm an FE and I wear three stripes because I'm also a pilot. I believe PFE's are the only one's that wear two stripes. Actually, at my company wearing two stripes in not an option anyway. Like machspeed said, who really gives a crap. Take care and good luck.

NightFlyer

 

[LA Confidential]

How many stripes!?!?!??!

WTF????

Hang on a sec, let me find a ruler…

Yep 10.5 inches! Now excuse me while I go beat up my neighbor.

LA

 

[PilotOnTheRise]

Re: Re: Have you earned your Stripes?

"a lot" is two words, not "alot"

True, however, if you really want to get into using correct English, " a lot" is not proper. As my English teacher used to tell us, "A lot is a piece of land!" Instead, the word "much" usually fits properly in place of " a lot" and is supposedly proper English.

I am not arguing, just stating something I have learned.

 

[dmspilot00]

Using figurative language is not improper. Bad English teacher.

 

[Counselair]

You should be more concerned with how broad the shoulders are in command (PIC, SIC, FE, PFE) not how many stripes are on them.

Counselair

 

[SDdriver]

I am sorry I just have to add my opinion about something in this post. I know the subject is about Bars and I kind of agree with a few of the other posters, who really cares. You will always have the guys out there that will put 4 on when they are suppose to wear 3. I even knew this 135 charter guy, flying a BE200, that after he was FIRED, he was seen wearing his uniform to the local lunch places and shopping in it all day, problem is he was seen around town all day sometimes 4 days out of the week in the full uniform, so when was he suppose to be flying? It is sad when you don’t even fool the general public.

Anyway, my opinion about the other issue is this spelling thing. Look, if I want my spelling checked I will give it to an English teacher, or I will use spell check. Issue is I don’t really care if I misspell a word or two and I could care less if someone else misspells either. I have never really seen a post that read, “Hey can you see how many words I misspelled in this post and point it out to me”. Most peoples post are aviation related, not English related. I didn’t realize the amount of English professors and professional spelling bee winners we had in the aviation community. I mean, wow it must not be a problem for you all, and you know who you are, to find work as a teacher when you are furloughed. So I tell you what, correct your kids in your class, not other aviation professionals on this board. If their misspelling bothers you that bad, don’t read it. I know I misspell a lot, but it is not due to my inability to spell, it is normally fast typing and not spending 10 minutes proof reading my post so I won’t offend any of you people out there that are anal spelling bee champions. I guess I just take it for granted that if I spell their “thier”, you will read between the lines and get the point. Come on people, can we not criticize other people on their spelling and just stick to the whole point of this board, AVIATION. If that is impossible for some of you, then do like the other poster said, start a thread for that purpose, or if that is not feasible, let me know and I will go and find you a English and spelling forum and you can have a blast!!

Sad thing is, I guarantee there is going to be a couple of people, AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, who will look at every word I have written in unbelievable scrutiny just to see if I have misspelled something, well for you I offer this satisfaction, thier.

Take care guys, I really am not trying to be an a$$ or start something. Just stating my opinion, because I would rather see someone able to post freely without fear their post will be corrected by our 5th grade English teacher. See ya.

SD

 

[freightdogfred]

I was asked to fly a trip at brand x airlines, (my last place of employment) as an FO. The captain was almost 60, wearing 4 stripes. I had just upgraded, wearing four stripes. The FE was a ex-captain, wearing four stripes. Shooting a visual approach into Peoria, and above glidepath, the cockpit erupted into an arguing match on the best way to descend onto the glidepath when caught slightly high. I then became convinced the only thing more unsafe than three captains flying together would be three check airman flying together. Moral of the story-there can be only one captain, wear the appropriate set of epaulettes for the seat your're in!

 

[English]

Slightly off topic, but still appropriate here...


I met a pilot this week on the road. He was in full uniform, American Airlines, in fact. He had the AA wings and all. I thought he was on the wrong side of the field, maybe needed a ride to the airline terminal. Nope, he's a furloughed AAer flying a turboprop in his AA uniform. Epalets and all. hmmm....

 

[SDdriver]

Geez..that is all I can say about that one. Wonder if AA knows or if his current company knows? Guess he just can't let go of the image hu?

SD

 

[SquirrelDog]

I did not mean to give the idea that in certain occasions there is a purpose for more than one set of bars of the same suit in a cockpit. Check airmen, flying double captains, company policy or whatever. I was just stating that at companys with traditional customs pertaining to stripes and on everyday normal operations guys/gals have been seen doing this.

I agree who gives a crap but, look at this example I know from first hand experience. Pilot upgrades to ATR captain from RJ FO and while in training is displaced back to RJ FO because of 9/11. Though not even making it through training for a Captain slot he wears 4 bars. I'm not sure but hate to fly with this tool.

Yes this isn't anykind of industry changing topic but sitting in a hotel room I thought I would bring up something different than same old MEC, ALPA, regional vs. mother airline BS.

And I would be happy and proud to wear any set of stripes that I EARNED, this was my original POINT! I did mention that I thought black pants and a grey polo was my vote for best dressed, but uniforms help with dealings with MEXICO and getting discounts at Hotels.

Its just a forum! not a change in your Operations, jeezzzz

Squirreldog

 

[KATL8R26L]

The pilot that use to live across from me in my old neighborhood wore the most sought after rank FULL BIRD, Silver Eagles, he was in the Army Air Core. During WWII.

He would always have a crazy war story to tell, all you had to do was ask.

 

[Chunk]

Re: Re: I smell what you're cooking.

This board is also for learning and education... Squirrel Dog now knows the correct spelling 6 words...

Falcon Capt,

What's that phrase about the "pot and the kettle"?

You are missing the word 'of' between 'spelling' and '6'.

Chunk

 

[FracPilot]

Who cares

I don't care how many stripes I wear. I don't really care how many stripes the other guy wears, either. At my company, it is policy that everybody wears 4 stripes. Some people have a major problem with this - mostly very inexperienced, first time Captains. Then there are some First Officers that feel that they are ENTITLED to 4 stripes because they are typed - although they are not PIC qualified.

The bottom line is...does it really matter? I vote that we all ditch the uniforms and go with Dockers and polo shirts. Of course, I can imagine that some people would then sew stripes onto the shoulders.

 

[saabcaptain]

Most airlines do it in a simple and fair fashion (mine included)...

Pilots qualified as Captains and listed as Captains on that months bid lines wear 4 stripes no matter if they are downflying in a pinch in the right seat. If a Captain is forced to bid as a FO due to cutbacks etc. and can not hold a Captain line they will begin wearing 3 stripes again. Check airman always wear 4 stripes regardless of seat position.

However I strongly believe that although this is a good system and typical, I can't understand those who get so "disturbed" by anything different. Who cares about the stripes etc. so much that it becomes a major issue and an issue of self worth?

 

[stingray]

I don't care about the stripes, Just show me the $$$$$$$$$

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

Good points saabcapt. Deep down a person knows whether or not they've earned their stripes no matter what the official uniform is for the job. A person may be able to fool someone not in the know, but they can't fool their peers.

 

[fatburger]

I used to make the f/o give me their epaulettes at the beginning of the trip. I would squeeze them next to my 4 stripes to give me seven on each shoulder. Then they had to address me as "el supremo commander".

just kidding...................fatburger.

 

[eddie]

Maybe at some p135 and fractional companies both guys wear 4 stripes because the company advertises that all the pilots are qualified captains, and that is what the customer expects to see.

A few years ago I saw an exec.jet crew with the 4 on the right 3 on the left. I think they were goofing around though.

I haven't seen any 121 companies with nonstandard shoulder boards, yet. I don't spend much time around 1900s in FL though.

ps- the epaulets are the part that you button to your shirt, the shoulder boards have the stripes on them.

 

[Hawker rider]

We used to fly with casual outfits.(135-lear)

Until we paired a young captain with a completely ignorant 50-year old co-pilot who looked nice and sofisticated in this outfit, so all line guys started asking him about fuelorders etc. he actually gave them a very "intelligent" answer too. We just got caught with our pants down a few times since he had no clue we couldn't land at max landing weight with a very short runway...

Needless to say we brought the uniforms back, no tie but with epaulets and actually now it's a little better. Still get a lot of people ask questions to my co-pilots who , unfortunately still happen to be VERY ignorous to jet flying.


M

 

[A Squared]

As long as this has degegenerated into a thread on English, I thought I'd throw this in:

>>>>>>and I could care less if someone else misspells either

I always wonder about this, the words "I could care less" mean that actually you *do* care. If you really don't care then you "couldn't care less". Typos I can understand, I make a bunch of them myself, and I'm not that hot at spelling, but I can't for the life of me understand why people use words which mean the exact opposite of what they're trying to say.

Regarding the stripes thing, before reading this thread, If someone asked me how many stripes a captain wore, I probably couldn't have supplied the correct answer off the top of my head. In a few weeks, I will have probably forgotten again. I think that the vast majority of people on this planet, and a fair number of people in aviation don't spend a lot of time thinking about how many stripes a pilot wears