How Does Your Department Assign Trip PIC's?

[semperfido]

I guess it doesn't really matter because it pays the same whether you are PIC or SIC (plus you can't be blamed for anything that goes wrong),

not a bad thing, enjoy it while it lasts. fewer gray hairs and less Prilosec

but I just don't know of any large department that does stuff like this. This is why I asked the original question.

Last company I was with was sort of like you described. I like the more progressive democratic way we do it now. old farts don't like change-now that i are one, i see why.

 

[sleepy]

not a bad thing, enjoy it while it lasts. fewer gray hairs and less Prilosec






Last company I was with was sort of like you described. I like the more progressive democratic way we do it now. old farts don't like change-now that i are one, i see why.

The policy really doesn't effect me. I just think it is silly and hurts pilot development. I don't want to be the PIC all of the time, it is nice to get a break from the stress. I also would not want to be an SIC for 8 years (if I was a junior guy). I would go somewhere else.

 

[Kingairrick]

So if a passenger calls you with a time change or something when you're not the "trip pic," do you ask him to call the "trip pic" and hang up? At our company, the guys and gals in the back just call whomever's phone number is easier to find. Whomever gets the call deals with it. I've not seen anyone's feelings get hurt when they are senior to the person who got the call...
I'm not criticizing, just sort of seeing a lot of potential for weirdness over stuff that I don't see mattering that much.

 

[PlaneStupid]

Sounds like an Ego thing. Very irresponsible of the chief pilot to not challenge the new captains with more difficult international trips. How else do you learn? One fine point. In todays operations if something goes wrong it is both crewmembers fault. I don't think the idea of it was the PIC's fault will fly if the customer is not happy.

 

[K.V.]

Speaking of egos, I've never understood why somebody working in a single pilot/single aircraft operation, feels the need to refer to themselves as the "Chief Pilot". When there's no other pilots, who are you the chief of?

 

[AA717driver]

Sounds like an Ego thing. Very irresponsible of the chief pilot to not challenge the new captains with more difficult international trips. How else do you learn? One fine point. In todays operations if something goes wrong it is both crewmembers fault. I don't think the idea of it was the PIC's fault will fly if the customer is not happy.

Not at my former company. Something goes wrong and the CP and senior guy on the trip get the 'feces car wash'. AND it reverberates and implicates for months.

You DON'T want to have to answer the question: "Why was he captain on that trip if he wasn't ready?"

My first Int'l. trip as CA went badly. We made an unnecessary fuel stop because of a bum flight plan from AR and I didn't catch it. Neither did the very senior other two guys. I got a lecture and they got chewed out. My second Int'l. trip went flawlessly (thanks to the other two guys, one a prominent member here and frequent poster , who all worked together to eliminate problems).

So, no, you don't want to throw someone in the water to see if he floats or not--it could mean your job.

TC

 

[Shamus]

If your there for 8 years to become "senior pilot" It's probably a really good job. Don't get dicked up in company politics, just be happy to have a job. A good job that.

 

[PlaneStupid]

AA717 I would guess that where you worked you didn't have a very stringent PIC checkout program. If a guy is qualified as a captain then he/she should certainly be qualified to act as PIC. I wouldn't "throw" a new captain on a trip to La Paz as his first International trip, but certainly there are other destinations to increase his/her experience level.

 

[ILOVEBEER]

I wouldn't "throw" a new captain on a trip to La Paz as his first International trip, but certainly there are other destinations to increase his/her experience level.

La Paz? Really? With the exception of Canada, I don't think there could be an easier international trip than La Paz.

 

[AA717driver]

AA717 I would guess that where you worked you didn't have a very stringent PIC checkout program. If a guy is qualified as a captain then he/she should certainly be qualified to act as PIC. I wouldn't "throw" a new captain on a trip to La Paz as his first International trip, but certainly there are other destinations to increase his/her experience level.

No, there wasn't a very formal checkout program. They hire very high time people with international experience and don't let them be trip captain until they're comfortable with the operation and have flown as trip captain on domestic.

I got into trouble because the senior guy on the trip didn't do squat, didn't care and if he had the choice of giving you the right answer or the answer that would get you in trouble, he'd screw you every time. AND, I still had the 'deer in the headlights' going on. But I didn't make the same mistake twice. Oh well...

TC