Pilots wearing backpacks??? lets get campy?

[CapnVegetto]

What does wearing a backpack have with being in uniform or not?

My point exactly. I mean, we're talking about a BACKPACK people. It's not a wife-beater with a beer stain on it, it's not pasties on nipples, it's a BACKPACK. Get some perspective!

 

[k_EAT=ho_ME]

Get some perspective!

Says the guy no longer the least bit impacted by the debate, but still devoting post after post to debating it.

 

[bizicmo]

You can be in uniform AND wearing a backpack at the same time.
It like walking and talking at the same time. One is totally independent of the other.

 

[CapnVegetto]

Mostly you have the right attitude, unfortunate that you may not be able to play the game long enough to get through the probation year without pissing off the wrong people at many of the better paid carriers out there. I am guessing that is your goal otherwise why bother with this thread.

I am with you on the treating a person right and not taking the abuse, my last employer found out the hard way just how marketable a decent pilot is, I think he is still trying to find my replacement, been through a couple of guys that scared the crap out of him in the last few months. Bad thing is it used to pay well and be a good job until he started to listen to the wrong guys about how to become a first class aviation bottomfeeder. So you have no quarrel with me in that department.

I still think that backpacks make a pilot look like a young schmuck still trying to figure out how an airplane works though!!!

Good debate man.

I've already been through a probation year at an airline. It was a crappy regional, and you can look at my profile and probably figure out which one. I had two instances I had problems, and got off scot free both times.

First instance, I was told by crew tracking not to show up at normal showtime for a flight the following morning on the overnight, (along with a flight attendant, because our captain was JA'd and our flight was going to be delayed b/c of it). Next morning, right around showtime, I'm asleep in my room and get a call wondering why the hell I'm not at the airplane. 'Because you told me last night I didn't have to be!' 'No we didn't!' 'Yeah you did.' 'Oh well, get there ASAP!!'. 'OK.' Get a call from the CP next day and he's chewing me out for not being there blah blah blah, (I've been on line 1 month). He threatens my job, calls me lazy, etc. Finally, amidst all the yelling, I figure out what he's squawking about, and tell him to shut it (verbatim). He's like, "Whaaaat???" I said, "Do you even want to hear my side of this??" I then tell him what happened, and tell him to pull the tapes. (Every conversation with CT is taped). He calls me back later and APOLOGIZES for yelling at me without checking first. Turns out CT DID tell me to stay at the hotel. They screwed up and tried to pin it on me. I respond with "That's OK, I know you probably deal with this 20 times a day, but I just wanted to get a word in edgewise." We ended up drinking together when I got back to DEN.

Second instance, CT tried to junior assign me to a 4 hour turn when I had flown 28 hours in 4 days. I said no. They said "you WILL fly this trip. my info says you've only flown 24 hours" (We were even warned about this in ground school. It's part of our JOB to know when we're illegal.) I politely (for the second time) told them I won't do it. CT starts to yell at me that he doesn't care what I have in my log, I'm flying it. I told the guy to "eat my a$$ with a spoon" and hung up. Got a call from another CP (different one), and he says he hears I've been cussing at a crew tracker. I said, yep, I was. The guy made me mad and wants me to fly an illegal trip. CP says well I I have info here that says you've only flown 24 hours. Well, my book says 28, and we were told in groundschool that we have to keep up with this, that we're supposed to go by it, blah blah blah. CP then says "Well, you need to fly this trip. I see that you're on probation, and non-compliance could result in termination." Then I get REALLY pi$$ed. I said something to the effect of, "OK, first and foremost, I will NEVER risk my career for this dam company. Second, I won't knowingly break the regs anyway. You go right ahead and fire me. But you and I both know that this phone conversation is taped, just like every single other one that is made from SOC. First thing I'm gonna do if you fire me, is get one of the lawyers I play golf with to file a nice little wrongful termination lawsuit against your company. Firing me for refusing to fly an illegal trip should go over real well in court. Then I'll put in a sweet little call to your POI in Dallas and tell him exactly what has transpired here, and get him to fly right up your a$$ with a group of FAA safety inspectors to find this taped conversation of exactly what illegal thing that you asked me to do. I'm sure you might try to get rid of this tape, but are your ready to perjure yourselves in a court of law to protect this company?" The CP then calmly stated, "We'll get someone else to fly the trip. Thank you."

Both of these instances happened in my year at my regional airline. The second CP is now on at SWA, (I don't know how he got on there, with his reputation), and the first CP is still there, and still a good guy. The bottom line was, I wasn't real concerned with losing an $18,000 a year job when I can always find another one. But sometimes you just have to call people on their bull$hit. I shudder to think about how many illegal things are done by pilots on probation at regionals that are afraid to stand up to the company asking them to do something illegal. Same thing with 135 outfits. My current company has been wonderful about it so far. If they even suspect a duty day coming close, they swap crews out.

I've already done the airline thing, and it really wasn't for me. I'd consider going back to a big one, (CAL, DL, NWA, etc.) but I doubt it. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and I'll probably never go back. I just didn't like the lifestyle. I guess I'm weird, because being on call doesn't bother me one little bit. I play golf, basketball, go out with friends, and enjoy the hell out of life, all while being on call. I have friends that would rather get shot in the head with an elephant gun that be on call, but it just doesn't bother me. Never has. And with my current 135 "crappy" job, I work maybe 13 days a month on average, and am home every night. QOL is the biggest thing for me. I'll probably fly Citations, Lears, and Kingairs my whole career.....I just don't wanna do anything else. Sure I could make $130K or so flying a G550 or flying a whale for NWA, but you know what they say, the bigger the airplane, the bigger the suitcase. I'd be miserable, and I know it. I like my family and my own bed too much. I'll be perfectly happy with my $60-$70K for the rest of my career and being home almost every night, with the freedom to do whatever else I want to on the side. I know I'll probably get out of 135 one of these days for a good corporate job, but right now, I'm content. I'll leave when the right thing comes along. 'Till then, I'll be working on my golf handicap.

Have a good one dude! Cheers.

 

[CapnVegetto]

Says the guy no longer the least bit impacted by the debate, but still devoting post after post to debating it.

So sue me for having no life.

 

[CapnVegetto]

Says the guy no longer the least bit impacted by the debate, but still devoting post after post to debating it.

I wanna catch General Lee.

GAWD!! I am such a loser.

 

[bigD]

You're just pissed 'cause Auburn doesn't have a shot in hell at the title this season.

 

[CapnVegetto]

You're just pissed 'cause Auburn doesn't have a shot in hell at the title this season.

And the ref takes a point away!!!!

I can't argue with you though.

 

[bigD]

Don't feel too bad - players will come and go, but you have a proven coaching staff. Our staff is incapable of winning big games, and that'll be the case indefinitely.

How's this for a thread hijack?

 

[fam62c]

How big a deal is this?

I don't wear a backpack and I don't think they look all that professional. I also wear my hat and my flight bag isn't covered with stickers that make it look like something a circus performer would carry (have you read some of the childish and unprofessional things pilots put on their flightbags ?). I also don't carry 3-5 bags with me including brightly colored lunch coolers that look like something a kid would bring to kindergarten with them. Having said all that, I find it hard to believe that this issue has gotten 129 posts so far. With all that's going on is it really that big of a deal? On a scale of 1 to 10 this issue has to be a 1 or 2 at most. It's also important to note that society in general has gotten more casual. When I started with my airline 12 years ago most of the business travel passenegers wore suits and ties. Most of them today wear "business casual" clothing and almost nobody wears a suit anymore. I think that the backpack thing is partially a reflection of that trend coupled with the fact that many pilots now drag laptops around with them and backpacks work well for that.

If this was that big a problem the airlines would cover this in their uniform codes....some airlines may, I don't know, but mine doesn't. I guess that if it's not against the rules and it doesn't affect safety or how a pilot does his/her job in the cockpit it's really not my business if the younger guys want to get "campy." Live and let live.