Pinacle starting to interview

[Towelie]

you guys at mesaba that carry enough fuel in the saab to go to tokyo when youre only flying to toledo...

Wow, DennyCRJ... that certainly sounds like a dangerous thing to do. Thank you for pointing that out.

 

[PeanuckleCRJ]

...was pointing out oddities that can cause some operational problems at each airline. The saab with you guys is really only a 28 or so passenger airplane.


On the other hand, theyve been trying to short us on contingency fuel recently. Nothing a call to dispatch can't solve...but is a pain in the butt if we're running behind.

 

[MACH-TUCK]

ROFLMFAO!!!

Forgot about THAT particular language, and that's OH so true.

"Who dat?"
"Where u be?"
"Whatchu want?"
"Oh you better back dat sh*t up... nother plane be on da ground for dat gate."

No joke. But if you're not in a hurry, it's pretty funny to listen to.



LOL...hahaha thats so true, thats the funniest sh#t ever man..Im still laughing my arse off.....

 

[saabingitagain]

Hey, this is fun. While we are at it, lets look at Mesaba's safety record. Other than Mechs playing crash-up-derby with the Avro in MEM, in over 50 years of operation we have never injured a pax or totalled an aircraft! Knocking on wood. (other than the guy who go a windshield wiper blade in his thigh after it got knocked off by a goose and hit the prop... but that was just FREEKY)
Is it due to luck, superior pilots, safety culture?? Who knows.. But it is worth pointing out.

 

[Rook]

Hey, this is fun. While we are at it, lets look at Mesaba's safety record. Other than Mechs playing crash-up-derby with the Avro in MEM, in over 50 years of operation we have never injured a pax or totalled an aircraft! Knocking on wood. (other than the guy who go a windshield wiper blade in his thigh after it got knocked off by a goose and hit the prop... but that was just FREEKY)
Is it due to luck, superior pilots, safety culture?? Who knows.. But it is worth pointing out.

Ok so Rain Man can add XJ to his list in addition to Quantas...definitely Quantas...Quantas.

Rook

 

[saabingitagain]

Um, you mean Qantas? Those silly blokes down under don't believe in the whole u after q rule :erm:

 

[Rook]

Um, you mean Qantas? Those silly blokes down under don't believe in the whole u after q rule :erm:

:laugh:

 

[Aerobat007]

Pinnacle

I have an interview coming up in about a week. Can anyone, current Pinnacle FO's, give me the real low down on a typical day, week, month there. Is it really that bad? What are some good points of the company? Whats training like? Any insight would be very helpful for me. Thanks in advance!

 

[Tank Commander]

It's a good place. We have our shear of disgruntled pilots like everywhere else, but they already have a job, so they bioach load. Training, like someone putting a fire hose of info in your mouth and turning it on high. Do well on the interview. Be yourself. Good luck.

 

[Lear70]

So what´s this "special" ERAU program?

The Embry Riddle "CAPT" program.

It's run completely separate of ERAU and costs around $80,000. No joke, $80,000 to take you from Private through Commercial Multiengine Instrument rating, 250+ hours, plus around 150-200 hours in an MD-90 sim and a FULL (not SIC) MD-90 Type Rating with a PIC restriction until you can hold an ATP.

At this point, you get hired by Pinnacle (or some other regionals participating). I don't know WHY we are hiring these people, but we are.

I was down at the AIR, Inc career fair in Atlanta on Saturday, these guys got up and spoke, here is a direct quote that had every REAL pilot in the room rolling their eyes (including the 30 or so Pinnacle pilots that were near enough to see each other):

"People say that there's no substitute for experience; we disagree. Experience does NOT equal judgment."

Are you fu*king sh*tting me???!!! Moron.

Back to the Pinnacle info, our guys got up and laid down the $200 a week per diem, paid hotel, and a $1,000 signing bonus upon successful completion of O.E. They still only got about 12 resumes from qualified applicants. 12. All afternoon. They weren't happy - looked pretty pissed off actually.

They also announced they will be hiring and training 64 pilots PER MONTH. Again, no sh*t, 64 pilots. A couple of us cornered Terry during a smoke break and asked him WTF? He said he hasn't been told, but he HAS been instructed to find 64 pilots per month starting in January.

There were two Check Airmen there looking for other jobs and they said the company is actively looking for more Check Airmen again as well. All of this points to either:

a. Massive hiring just before massive furloughs as propaganda against our MEC or NWA's MEC.

b. Massive hiring because senior management knows something they haven't announced yet.

Not spreading rumors, I have NO clue which of the above (or even other possibilities) it might be, just reporting what went down at AIR, Inc.

 

[CoATP]

What Does Mgmt Know?

Before Ch 11 NWA put $300 mil of the PNCL stock it owns as a contribution into its pension plan. They put in $0 of MAIR stock. Mesaba goes Ch11, PNCL doesn't - $300 mil now worth $200 mil (but not $0) MAIR stock now worth $0. If that contribution goes away they are on the hook to make it up (unless they dump the pension plans - but that is another topic)

PNCL is interviewing and class starting again.

It does seem to form a picture. Just not sure what the ending will be.

 

[NEWSOUTH]

The word I got is 70 seaters is a done deal. Memo from management in 30 days. NW trying to get super seniority or Jets4jobs.

 

[Lear70]

I've said it once and I'll say it again. I don't want 70-seaters... but if NWA mainline isn't going to get them, I hope it's either us or Mesba... as long as it's NOT some new 3rd red-headed step child to whipsaw each other against.

If they DO come here, NWA pilots are WELCOME to super-seniority in them as far as I'm concerned. As long as we can keep our seats, we don't reduce the 50-seat fleet, and it doesn't detract anyone's quality of life currently on property AND we get flow-through when things change in the next 5-7 years, WHO CARES ??!!

 

[dondk]

They also announced they will be hiring and training 64 pilots PER MONTH. Again, no sh*t, 64 pilots. A couple of us cornered Terry during a smoke break and asked him WTF? He said he hasn't been told, but he HAS been instructed to find 64 pilots per month starting in January.

There were two Check Airmen there looking for other jobs and they said the company is actively looking for more Check Airmen again as well. All of this points to either:

a. Massive hiring just before massive furloughs as propaganda against our MEC or NWA's MEC.

b. Massive hiring because senior management knows something they haven't announced yet.

Not spreading rumors, I have NO clue which of the above (or even other possibilities) it might be, just reporting what went down at AIR, Inc.

Company is looking for 20 checkairmen for Jan, the checkairman attrition is not that high.

I have heard the 64 number too.. although I cannot see us training that many that quickly. Proof of something happening will be in the form of a vacancy, and the company will have to post one in the next few weeks if they want anything to happen.

 

[YourPilotFriend]

The word I got is 70 seaters is a done deal. Memo from management in 30 days. NW trying to get super seniority or Jets4jobs.

Hey why don't they just give PNCL the A319's then they wouldn't have to buy 70 seat airplanes and not have to deal with the 50 seat airplanes. Then you guys can operate the A319's at CRJ-200 pay and we will all be happy. SAVE THIS AIRLINE!!!

 

[arthompson]

Qantas

Um, you mean Qantas? Those silly blokes down under don't believe in the whole u after q rule :erm:

It's not even that. QANTAS is actually an ackronym. It stands for Queensland and Northern Territories Air Service.

Adam

 

[Aerobat007]

zzzzz

 

[Aerobat007]

Pinnacle interviewees....

Has anyone been to the recent interviews?? Would like to hear from you folks.

 

[AV1ATRX]

I've said it once and I'll say it again. I don't want 70-seaters... but if NWA mainline isn't going to get them, I hope it's either us or Mesba... as long as it's NOT some new 3rd red-headed step child to whipsaw each other against.

If they DO come here, NWA pilots are WELCOME to super-seniority in them as far as I'm concerned. As long as we can keep our seats, we don't reduce the 50-seat fleet, and it doesn't detract anyone's quality of life currently on property AND we get flow-through when things change in the next 5-7 years, WHO CARES ??!!

You might want to talk to some Eagle people about that whole super seniority thing and see what they have to say about it...

 

[Lear70]

Read what I said a little more closely. I didn't suggest anything like what Beagle has.

I specifically said IF we can keep our seats (jobs), we don't reduce the 50-seat fleet, and no one's QOL is hurt, I'd agree to it.

In other words, it would NOT allow NWA pilots to take jobs away from people already sitting in the aircraft. It WOULD allow for NWA pilots to take every NEW seat that comes available from NEW deliveries of 50-, 70-, and/or 90- seaters.

That's the only way I'd vote for it, IF it ever came to pass...

Unfortunately, I don't believe they're going to keep Scope. I could be wrong, but a bankruptcy judge is going to look at NWA pilots and say, "Why should I allow you to keep your restrictive Scope language when every other company in the nation doesn't have anything NEARLY as restrictive for management?"

I still believe the 70- seaters will be going to a red-tail affiliate. JMHO.