Maybe here is something we can all sink our teeth into and try to get something resolved. In this post-9/11 world lots of things have changed including one of the best things in the commuter pilots world, THE JUMPSEAT. I know that I am probably not the only one having trouble commuting these days so I hope this will elicit a few responses.
Here is my story. Yesterday, 4-19, I tried to commute out of ORD to the East Coast. Anywhere in the MA area would have been terrific, but to my horror, everything was zeroed out in availibility. I was just about resigned to catching AmTrac when I found one city where I could get to that my wife could drive 3 hours to pick me up from.
Here is my issue. Now that some terrorists decided to use our airplanes as guided missiles, we as pilots have to suffer with reduced jumpseating ability. I know that there are provisions for being able to sit in the cockpit if you are basically an employee of the airline or its express/mainline affiliates, but what about days where flights are very full. It could be possible for someone to spend the entire day trying to catch a seat on just one airline. To add to the problem, some airlines don't have a close enough affiliation with a major to get into anybody elses cockpit (Great Lakes Aviation is the one on my mind). Why can't we get some kind of universal pilot ID card? I have been searched repeatedly at the gate of United's flights just to get the opportunity to be an ordinary passenger in the back of the airplane. Conversly, American will clear us automatically and give us a seat in the back so we don't have to search the isles for the open seat, but I would gladly be searched every time to have the possibility of occupying that one seat that no other regular passenger can, OUR JUMPSEATS!
As all of us know, there will never be a way to absolutely eliminate all possibilities of danger. We all live with it every time we take our seat at the controls. That is why we train to control the situation or at least reduce the hazards. I hope that we can come up with some possible solutions collectively and work with our companies and unions to resolve this issue and make the airline industry that much of an easier place to work.
Here is my story. Yesterday, 4-19, I tried to commute out of ORD to the East Coast. Anywhere in the MA area would have been terrific, but to my horror, everything was zeroed out in availibility. I was just about resigned to catching AmTrac when I found one city where I could get to that my wife could drive 3 hours to pick me up from.
Here is my issue. Now that some terrorists decided to use our airplanes as guided missiles, we as pilots have to suffer with reduced jumpseating ability. I know that there are provisions for being able to sit in the cockpit if you are basically an employee of the airline or its express/mainline affiliates, but what about days where flights are very full. It could be possible for someone to spend the entire day trying to catch a seat on just one airline. To add to the problem, some airlines don't have a close enough affiliation with a major to get into anybody elses cockpit (Great Lakes Aviation is the one on my mind). Why can't we get some kind of universal pilot ID card? I have been searched repeatedly at the gate of United's flights just to get the opportunity to be an ordinary passenger in the back of the airplane. Conversly, American will clear us automatically and give us a seat in the back so we don't have to search the isles for the open seat, but I would gladly be searched every time to have the possibility of occupying that one seat that no other regular passenger can, OUR JUMPSEATS!
As all of us know, there will never be a way to absolutely eliminate all possibilities of danger. We all live with it every time we take our seat at the controls. That is why we train to control the situation or at least reduce the hazards. I hope that we can come up with some possible solutions collectively and work with our companies and unions to resolve this issue and make the airline industry that much of an easier place to work.
