Spoke with LL...and a couple of ???

[CaptWidgeon]

Thought I'd just let y'all know dropped LL a line to say hello Fri. I'm #100 and she said I should be in about class number 7, counting the Feb. classes as 1 & 2. I guess that makes me in school first of May, as long as things don't fall apart.

Now for the questions: have we heard from anyone in class which flashcards people have been happiest with? I know we have a couple of resources but I'm curious if guys who have actually used them and are putting them to use right now have any input.

Next...has anyone heard anything about where SWA might be sending us rats after they run us through the schoolhouse? If I remember correctly the last couple of classes they ran many moons ago all went to OAK. Do we think it could be spread out, split between a couple of cities, all in one direction???

Finally...I'm sure this will change as the classes move through, but, are OAK, BWI, and MDW still running junior? Any guesses as to how the seniority in the cities is breaking down about now? I saw the article about the expansions so I'm interested if anyone has in info here. I'm aching to get to sunny MCO.

Thanks to everyone who keeps the info flowing, be it right or wrong, it always makes for some darn good reading.

 

[Soupbone]

Yes, the PASS cards are worth there weight in gold!! Study those and you will be set for your first day. The reason you probably don't get replies during the week is because we are too busy. But it is sure worth the wait in the pool! Also, you can just about bank on going to OAK for awhile. Good luck.

 

[Snoopy58]

Concur re PASS cards -- good stuff. Focus your effort on the boxed & checked items (boldface memory recall procedures, and required operating limits). Anything that you don't understand what the question is asking, just set aside... don't spend time memorizing stuff that doesn't make sense. There will be plenty of time to understand those cards once you get to class (most guys in the past don't get PASS cards until they get to class, and they have ample time to study them), and some small # of the cards get printed incorrectly. Focus on the boxed & checked items, and you'll be well ahead of the game.

As far as bases, the trend lately has been that everybody goes to OAK for the first month or so, then as new classes come on line, guys slowly work their way to other places. Next most junior out of OAK seem to have been PHX (somewhat surprising, but several guys got it directly from OAK) and MDW (semper junior, semper commuter, but thankfully a very commuter-friendly base). At the moment, DAL is the most senior for both FO's and Captains (most junior FO in Dallas has been with the company well over a year), MCO is next, and HOU & BWI are somewhat in the middle.

All of this can & will change as thing progress: as poolies start class, senior FO's upgrade, and the system expands. Depending on where the next round of expansions occur (BWI gets lots of mention, as does HOU; MCO has some possibility, as does PHX) & where the upgrading FO's come out of, these trends may change, perhaps fairly quickly.

Another twist of fate is that if you get 2 classes of newhires bidding for their base in the same month, the senior of the 2 classes may (emphasize MAY) be able to skip OAK entirely... if there are 40 slots (instead of the usual 20) in a vacancy bid, probably some will be to bases besides OAK. Hard to project which classes will have that situation, but as long as there are more than one class per month, at least some will.

And, of course, the faster poolies come in the door after you, the faster you'll gain the seniority for whatever base your heart desires.

All the best to all the poolies!

 

[chase]

New Hire bases

Here is some info that maybe of some use to those waiting in the pool & wondering where you might go. There are several aspects to where you will fly for the first month or so. Here is what I mean. Scheduling will ask each new hire one's base of preference for the following, IOE trip (usually 4 days or 2 x 2 days), the rest of the month after IOE (I'll explain later) & the first full month of flying after the previous month you flew the IOE.

1. IOE location are assigned based upon several factors. One is base of choice preference by you. For example, getting an IOE trip out of DAL is possibly as likely as getting OAK if you request it. It is solely based upon check airman availability and what is going on with check airmen, not base seniority.

2. Hypothetical situation to explain the 2nd part of the 3 part bidding process. One's IOE trip is say 2-4 Mar in DAL. You complete everything & pass (very few don't but don't worry if you do not, 2nd chances are always given unless you've gone inverted & pull for some reason). You put in a request for HOU for your base of preference for both permanent domicile & "temporary" domicile. Training scheduling in conjunction with scheduling looks at the partial trips out there at each of the bases (7). They determine the number of uncovered trips in HOU is low (meets historical lows). But the number of uncovered trips in MDW is high for some reason. They determine your temporary base for the 'REMAINING" portion of Mar will be MDW. All the trips after 5 Mar will be flown out of MDW. So that becomes your temporary domicile.

3. OAK is the junior most base & remains that way for April due to new schedule that comes out 6 April (day light saving schedule comes out then). You will receive a hard line for the month of April out of OAK. So from 2 Mar until the end of April you will be flying hard lines,no reserve, IOE out of DAL, temporary out of MDW. This allows you to get your 100 hrs to get out of the restrictions with new hires with under a 100 hrs & it allows you to keep up to speed before sitting reserve. You can still fly a lot on reserve though so don't fret not flying on reserve.

Summarize. Three bids; IOE, temporary domicile (for remaining part of the month after IOE) & final domicile.

Obviously if you finish up your IOE at the end of month one may not get a temporary domicile but you will get a hard line for the next month , guarantee.

Hope that helps get a picture of what is in store for you the first few months. Cheers,

 

[corndog]

Chase, looks like you got it 99.9% correct. Although, Dal and Hou are not available for IOE due to the fact that SWA pilots are no longer accomplishing -200 training and those two domiciles are still flying the 200 model.

Corndog.

 

[chase]

Maybe

As long as the line out of DAL or HOU the check airman is flying doesn't have a -200 line on it, the new hire could still find themselve flying out of those two locations. Now the likelihood of find a 4 day like that out of DAL or HOU? Well, that may be tough but there are a few. BTW, the assumption that all -200s will gravitate to DAL by the end of it all versus HOU isn't necesarrily so according to the -200 folks. As the time comes closer for that call a full analysis is taking place now to see where they will gravitate to. It will be interesting to see. Thanks for the reminder of the -200 issue. I still like flying them except when there is weather!! cheers,

 

[Sierra-Hotel]

Aw come on chase......you don't like driving a -200 around during those legendary Texas thunderstorms? Just Kidding! What is it with the -200s...they don't have a WX radar for them...whenever the weather is bad they start cancelling everything down there. Once it took us 2:30 from TUL-HOU....I think I we flew around the entire state of Texas being vectored away from storm cells!

 

[Heat]

Getting OAK

Chase,
Is it reasonable to assume that with OAK being junior, I would be able to request OAK for IOE, temp & permanent domicile? Are there any benefits or liabilities in doing the 3 in the same place? I suspect that Training and Scheduling's findings would still play in the final decision, but the odds would be better at a known junior base.

Your post was great for all readers, but especially informative for all the swimmers. Thanks for taking the time.

Heat

 

[ATKTK]

Heat,

I did IOE, temp, and permanent domicile all in OAK. IOE the last week of August, Temp for the month of September, and placed in OAK permanent in October. No problem getting this if this is what you want. You'll have enough pilots in your class that don't want to be in OAK to make it even out throughout the system if need be.

However, having said that....it will all depend on the number of new hires coming into the system at the time. (Multiple classes per month changes the formula) Couple that with the new schedules, more gates opening in one location, and movement within the ranks, and you end up just guessing what will happen.

Bottom line.....you'll get a chance in the first week of training to ask for your preference, but you'll find out in the fourth week of training what you'll really end up with.