Pinacle starting to interview

[screwed_again]

Tin, I am sorry you had such a difficult childhood. I hope you will feel better about yourself soon.

Listen to this guy. He speaks for the whole world, doesn't he? He speaks for the entire industry, Air traffic controllers, NWA management. Give me a break. Speaks for yourself and not others.

NW management doesn't disrespect Pinnacle. It's Pinnacle, Mesaba, and their own Northwest pilots. (Ask NW guys.) NW ground crew are mean to Pinnacle AND Mesaba. We all got the red head.

Prop strikes? Mesaba chopped somebody's hand. Eagle, Express Jet, they have hit people with their props. Well, people ran into them. No pilots wants to see people parts all over the ramp.

Going off the runway? Express Jet in Cleveland? Skywest losing control on T/O? Eagle landing hard enough to settle on the grass in Puertorico?

ASA landing on a taxiway in ATL? FEDEX bending metals here and there or got burnt to ashes? American pilots not being able to shoot approaches in IMC?

These are all found in NTSB.gov

I hope you will get over your size problem and start feeling better about yourself.

Do you know what is funny about your post, Mayoplane? PCL has had all these accidents at least once... I'VE talked to MEM controllers about PCL, and they laugh and laugh, they say PCL sucks. Oh, and the XJ hand chopping incident, wasn't that a previous PCL ramp crew???? Sorry, I had to call you on that one...

Peace out!

 

[arthompson]

You people are a real class act. Since you've been proven wrong about our compleation factor and reason for cx's you now have to resort to name bashing and making unsubstansiated<sp?> claims. When someone gets hurt it shouldn't matter who they work for and who they have worked for, it's a tragedy all around. All of you that think you know so much about PCL, if you have the balls to say where you work I bet we could tell you what kind of history your company has.

 

[arthompson]

Oh, let's not forget about the Hibbing accident in 1994, or the rampy that was killed in MSP or the rampy that was ALMOST killed by a Saab prop in MSP AFTER the previous rampy was killed (apparently MGT thought their procedures on the ramp weren't the problem).

Oops, this wasn't PCL, this was Express-completely different!!

While we're at it lets talk about AA 1284 where the CA (the DFW CP) felt it was safe to land in a 76KT cross wind. Killed himself and I believe 20 PAX. We can also discuss the LIT incident where the COEX manager was killed on the ramp by the prop of an ATR. CO 1716 which killed over 40 people because the Flight deck crew didn't bother to have the airplace deiced. Also I'll check with someone thats been at the company longer than I, but I don't think PCL has ever had it's own ramp crews in MSP (even when we were express).

 

[Towelie]

Prop strikes? Mesaba chopped somebody's hand.

In the interest of accuracy, it was a Mesaba flight, however it was a Pinnacle agent who dropped the paperwork and chased it into the running prop, thus losing fingers.

 

[Towelie]

Also I'll check with someone thats been at the company longer than I, but I don't think PCL has ever had it's own ramp crews in MSP (even when we were express).

Yes, Express did have their own ground agents and for a number of years. They used to be on opposite sides on the airport. Mesaba had their own rampers, gate agents, etc. and Express had their own.

When Express/Pinnacle went south, some quit, some moved, and many came over to XJ.

Ground agents at Express used to give the pre-departure briefing on the Junkstreams.

 

[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.