NJA Meteorology

[grounded92]

Communication between crew and pax

Hello all,

I've been flying private jets for over 12 years and this thread perfectly summarizes crew/passenger communication. I'm wondering if the fractional companies could use this type of medium to facilitate improved relations between their varied groups.

I think it is important for the passengers to understand that many of the fractional pilots never intended to be in the customer service business. Their career expectations involved big iron, newspapers in the cockpit, crew meals and hotel rooms. This is important because many have not made the transition to pilot/customer service agent.

While many of us fractional pilots find satisfaction in the intimate charter setting and the customer contact, some don't. Yet. Please let your pilots know when the service isn't up to par. I know from experience that many pilots don't understand what the owners really value.

Example: I flew with a military/airline pilot who filled all the cabin stock space with chocolate nu-go bars. When I asked why he didn't add a little variety he was honestly confused. His experience was that if you were hungry you would eat....whatever was at hand. He was an awesome pilot but unable to see how the airplane looked from the back.

A owner pointing out deficiencies could have a much larger impact than the “counseling” of a co-pilot or management.

 

[Pervis]

Grounded, I can't speak for all fractionals, but NJA is very specific during the interview and IOE to address the areas you mentioned. I'll bet our competitors do as well. While former military and big iron pilots may need to adjust, it is ingrained from the get go that customer service is on a completely different level than boarding, turning left and closing the door.

All fleets have a clean and stock checklist, although some are admittedly outdated due to recent changes. These are being addressed. When you have 70-100 of one type a/c, it's important to standardize, as I'm sure you can understand. Can some crews do it better? You bet. But most do a pretty darn good job given the limited number of stock lockers and recent manning issues.

Fishfry and NJA owner, it is indeed the crew's responsibility to ensure the cabin is stocked and in working order if at all possible. It's no small thing to me when the deck of cards you've become accustomed to are not available. Additionally, if you like items that are not standard, you have every right to place that request on your profile or catering order and expect them to be available for your flight. These are not unreasonable requests from customers who pay top dollar for our services. It may seem rare in today's world, but I can honestly say that if you're not happy, I'm not happy-until I can change your situation to your satisfaction if it is at all within my grasp. I can also assure you whatever concerns you have will not interfere with the safe operation of YOUR aircraft. Pilots generally compartentalize very well.

 

[fischman]

Well said Pervis. I know I certainly don't mind getting in a crew car to get a deck of cards if it will make the person who makes decisions about a million dollar contract with my company happy. If something doesn't meet the standards of an owner the crew is usually the only ones who can immediately do anything about it.

Please let us know!

 

[Mike Jenvey]

<<<< Please let us know! >>>>

Concur!!

 

[DAS at 10/250]

All fleets have a clean and stock checklist, although some are admittedly outdated due to recent changes. These are being addressed. When you have 70-100 of one type a/c, it's important to standardize, as I'm sure you can understand. Can some crews do it better? You bet. But most do a pretty darn good job given the limited number of stock lockers and recent manning issues.

Sorry Pervis, but I'm calling complete and utter bullsh!t on this statement.

I saw zero difference in the quality of the airplane given to me from the previous crew from the 2008 hey days and the idle days of 2009. Every single Sovereign that I picked up I threw away at least 50% of the on board stock items. And 99% of all airplanes were NOT stocked in accordance (or even close) to the NJA 680 Master Stock list. Hell, most pilots didn't even know we had such a list.

Maybe it's gotten better since 16 Jan 2010, but I doubt it.

If your airplane isn't stocked it's a good bet it is your pilots fault.

 

[rajflyboy]

NJA Weather Department

Key to this is taking the weather information and relating this information to the flight operation from point A to point B.

Does NJA weather do that?? Well to be honest I don't think they do. This job is really up to the Pilots on that particular flight. The pilots are more capable of taking this weather information and making a "Go" or "No Go" descision or possibly finding a better route or altitude that would be more conducive to safe flight.

 

[Pervis]

Sorry Pervis, but I'm calling complete and utter bullsh!t on this statement.

I saw zero difference in the quality of the airplane given to me from the previous crew from the 2008 hey days and the idle days of 2009. Every single Sovereign that I picked up I threw away at least 50% of the on board stock items. And 99% of all airplanes were NOT stocked in accordance (or even close) to the NJA 680 Master Stock list. Hell, most pilots didn't even know we had such a list.

Maybe it's gotten better since 16 Jan 2010, but I doubt it.

If your airplane isn't stocked it's a good bet it is your pilots fault.

Just curious. What did you do about it? Email the previous crew? Call Pro Standards or the ACP? There are those that need a little push at times, and doing nothing gets nothing done. There has indeed been improvement of late, but we can always be better. As soon as we think we can't, we're doomed.

 

[rajflyboy]

Just curious. What did you do about it? Email the previous crew? Call Pro Standards or the ACP? There are those that need a little push at times, and doing nothing gets nothing done. There has indeed been improvement of late, but we can always be better. As soon as we think we can't, we're doomed.

So.....

You are x pilot that will not carry extra stock and then you fly your Cessna XL on a pax trip into Eldorado Arkansas. On the trip your pax take most all of the stock off the airplane and bada bing you happen to have a pax trip out of Eldorado in 1 hour heading back to your beloved KTEB.

What happens then? You don't have the time to cater the stock in and you hosed yourself by not having extra stock. You really hose the pax who wanted to drink a few drinks that you cannot find at the FBO.

So... how goes it??

There are many angles that make some of this stuff interesting. I wont rip on a guy that wants some extra stock on the airplane. In the same message I will not rip on a guy that is straight by the book either.

 

[DAS at 10/250]

Just curious. What did you do about it? Email the previous crew? Call Pro Standards or the ACP? There are those that need a little push at times, and doing nothing gets nothing done. There has indeed been improvement of late, but we can always be better. As soon as we think we can't, we're doomed.

I addressed the issue with ACP's during recurrent and with our "king" (I mean that in a nice way, he really knows the 680). The common reply was a shoulder shrug and a "what ya going to do?"

Where the fault is, I don't know. I do know that our restock "system" is/was broken.

The other thing that drove me effing nuts was that CMH would schedule the aircraft for a cleaning that night and not inform the crew. So, we'd bust our arses getting the airplane clean again so that the company could pay a crew to come in and do very little behind us. If you're going to hire a crew to clean then let the crew know. Why pay OT after 12 and cut into extra rest when we're already hiring someone to do the job?

Edit: I forget to address two other issues.

ProStans at NJA is tits worthless. They have zero authority to do anything other then have a kumbaya phone conference.

Emailing the previous crew always comes with a prepackaged response:"Sorry, we only had 30 min to catch our flight home".

 

[NJAowner]

Under stocked

Raj -- in that case the pilot says to the second owner "I apologize but the owner before you took all the ...." Since we are in XXX, Ark. and can't get restocked even by our caterer we apoligize (and maybe offer a free ugradein the future??) Honesty is the best policy and most owners are capable of understanding if told the truth.