Junior Manning?

[skeezer]

Possible excuses to get out of junior manning if I pick up the phone:

1. "I 've had a lot of lunch beers today so the flight better be for tomorrow or I can't take it." (the rule is 12 hours at my company)

2. "My uniform is at the cleaners and the only things I have to wear are my wife beaters with BBQ sauce stains and some ratty jeans. You still want me to fly?"

3. If you make the mistake of picking up the phone in the wee hours of the morning (has happened to people I know). "I got wasted last night and am hung over!" Click.

Probably many more excuses to think up. I have a bottle of jack pretty near my phone so I am ready to take a swig if I happen to be in the mood to pick up the phone on my day off.

Skeezer

 

[Boeingman]

Cute replies about the alcohol intake (especially in the early morning), but you could subject yourself to a fitness for duty
evaluation.

 

[FlyinBrian]

Every now and then, scheduling will try to junior man you by ACARS when you call in-range. Don't answer them!!! Cockpit is sterile. Bolt for the door as soon as you're on the ground.

 

[beezlebozo]

Junior Manning Possibilities

Interesting junior manning possibilities:

1. Simple phone call to home.

2. ACARS message to call scheduling.

3. Ops notification to call scheduling

4. Rampers/operations agents chasing you down in the parking lot on your way home to tag you for a trip

5. Chief pilot visits your home with a sheriff because he was "concerned with your well being since numerous phone calls went unanswered." (my understanding is this actually happened at Air Wisconsin in the early 90's)

6. Company FedEx's you a package, signing for delivery is acceptance of notification (again, I know someone who they tried this on at Air Wis in the early 90's).

Fun stuff, huh? Then, when you say you've had a drink at 0600 when they call you, the company sends you to a dependency program...

 

[browntail]

The junior manning rules are usually much better once you get to the majors. I guess the older you are the less crap you put up with. At my company you can answer the phone all you want and all you have to say is sorry I'm not available. You can even ask what the proposed trip is and if you don't like it, " Sorry I'm not available"!

I remember all the crazy games my regional company would play with us. Their favorite was telling you on the in-range call. That finally stopped after pilots complained about safety issues. It seems guys would get so pissed that they would make all kinds of mistakes because their mind was pre-occupied with ways of getting out of the JA trip.

 

[LR25]

I sure would like to help you but:

I just took the timing chain off my car and uh......

(cell phone call) Im in another state....

I guess there are a bunch huh.

Im out working my other job....(thats for us regoinal pilots)

Have fun

LR25

 

[AZaviator]

As a former Dispatcher for a large regional airline, I worked right next to the crew schedulers. They had a really evil way of getting pilots to call them. First they'd call the ops. station the crew was arriving, and tell them to have the crew call Dispatch. Then, sometime around when the crew was supposed to call, they'd come over to my desk and say "If Captain Smith happens to call you, transfer him to me when you're done talking to him." So, the next thing I know out of the blue, Captain Smith calls, and I"m like..."uuhh...yea....what did you need?" and he's like, "uh, nothing, what did you need?" and I'm like, "uh, nothing, but come to think of it, Scheduling wanted to talk to you, one sec."

In a few days I caught on to what was going on and put a stop to it. You have to admit though, that's pretty evil!

 

[LearLove]

Its not that big of a deal

In three years I've only been Jr manned once. It was to do an ABE-PHL round trip. I left the house at 3pm and walked back in at 7pm. 6 hours pay for 4 hours and I was just sittin around surfing porn and watching Springer when they called. Anyway no need to make up stories like drinking and cloths at the cleaners just tell them your unavailable and thats it. No further explaination needed. Or just don't answer "unknown caller" caller id displays.

I once herd a story of ALG crew sked jr manning a guy based in syr when he was home in Miami. They called his cell and wanted him at the airport in 1 hour. When he told the crew skeduler he was at home and couldn't make it she yelled and went off on how they could do this as per the contract bla bla bla. He said fine just have the Concord meet him at the FBO in Miami and he'd be there. Aparently the phone was silent for a few seconds and then they hung up.