Right seat captain stories

[Abernathy]

I will have to say that FO's have the easiest job in the world, come on in all honesty what do we really do, yea fly the plane, but a monkey could do that, probably the hardest part is trying to figure out what the guy in the left seat is all about each week, but after that, if you really think this job is tough, you haven't ever been out in the real world. Just do your job have fun, and don't be an over controling idiot and you won't be the subject of all these hilarious posts. I can't believe some of this sh*t is true.

Give me a break.

 

[ehaecker]

I have flown with captains that were hired with 250 hours from some puppy mill and upgraded as soon as they were eligible. For the most part, they were terrible pilots and their decision making skills were poor. I once had a captain nearly kill me (and 70 other people). I took control FROM him. I guess that make me an arrogant person? riiiight....

 

[febtober]

I was hoping for a bunch of funny stories in this thread. instead its just made me really happy i fly single pilot

 

[brian041102]

Big Papa you think I'm a RSC because I speak up when a safety issue is involved? I always respect the PIC however when they are compromising safety I'm going to at least express my concern. Thats called good CRM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Flyer1015]

I have flown with captains that were hired with 250 hours from some puppy mill and upgraded as soon as they were eligible. For the most part, they were terrible pilots and their decision making skills were poor. I once had a captain nearly kill me (and 70 other people). I took control FROM him. I guess that make me an arrogant person? riiiight....

Do tell, do tell!

 

[ehaecker]

Do tell, do tell!

Had a captain (old school type, bad CRM, etc...) set off the stick shaker no less than 4 times while trying to climb through a layer of moderate icing in an ATR. He actually made me scared (which being an aerobatic pilot in the past, is hard to do) several times. I finally pushed the nose down myself, pushed the props to 100% and selected MCT. We finally came out of the tops.

 

[pdub20s]

(if it is not there yet). Now just do the job that is expected of you, evaluating the captain and second guessing him/her is not your job! Remember you are NOT in the training department. Don't become one of those arrogant FOs that every pilot talks about.

Well If I wouldn't have second guesses any of my CAs we would have:

-Landed on the wrong runway
-Entered a hold at the wrong FIX
-Turned onto wrong taxi ways
-Used the WRONG T/O Weight Cards
-Climbed instead of descended
-Blown through 10K at 280kts+
-Stalled the A/C on Approach
-Turned the wrong way after Canarsie VOR on the Kennedy1 Canarsie Climb.

..and many more I cant think of.

But I guarantee you that the CAs thanked me every time. I find the "newer" upgrades having the biggest EGOs and dont take kindly to the FO proving them wrong. The More Experienced captains generally are humble ,respect your opinion, and are very pleasant to fly a whole bid with.

 

[Turtlesfly]

You're a Captain because your number came up. That's it ladies.

PIPE

Typical FO argument. And it's totally wrong. You're a CA because you went through the training to be one - and many don't make it.

 

[spudskier]

Well If I wouldn't have second guesses any of my CAs we would have:

-Landed on the wrong runway
-Entered a hold at the wrong FIX
-Turned onto wrong taxi ways
-Used the WRONG T/O Weight Cards
-Climbed instead of descended
-Blown through 10K at 280kts+
-Stalled the A/C on Approach
-Turned the wrong way after Canarsie VOR on the Kennedy1 Canarsie Climb.

..and many more I cant think of.

But I guarantee you that the CAs thanked me every time. I find the "newer" upgrades having the biggest EGOs and dont take kindly to the FO proving them wrong. The More Experienced captains generally are humble ,respect your opinion, and are very pleasant to fly a whole bid with.

True enough... but there's a spread.

-Newbies (captains) can be a pain, ego is huge.
-Semi-new - not bad, getting intothe groove
-Mid-way through the career - fun!!!
-Older but not the oldest (maybe 15 years from retirement - PAIN IN THE A$$ they are old enough to have experience and think that they are now g-d's gift
-Oldest (near retirement) - well, they go to bed early but they're fun to fly with and are usually easy going

All that being said, all have exceptions. Some are VERy set in their ways and can't imagine themselves ever being wrong, others are very easy-going, open to professionally given suggestions.

if you're in a 2-crew environment, act like it, learn something, you're not invincible and your FO is there for a reason. Remember, almost EVERY reg written is reactionary - someone did something that wound up being stupid and now there's a reg for it.

Captains have caught many a mistake I've made and you bet your @SS I've caught a crap-load of theirs, in one case I was just a jump-seater

(Captain tried to enter the runway for t/o at a mid-point taxiway intersection instead of full-length, f/o said nothing... I tapped him on the back at the same time tower called him out)

 

[spudskier]

Typical FO argument. And it's totally wrong. You're a CA because you went through the training to be one - and many don't make it.

...and some of them shouldn't have made it.

There's an argument to be made for both sides, yeah, some people are captains because their number came up (and they happened to barely get through training), others are captains because they're dang good at what they do and seniority allowed them to do it.