LXJ31
dirka dirka jihad dirka
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2002
- Posts
- 309
Hey all,
I'm one of the FO's who switched fleets on to the 300. Fantastic airplane, roomy, good performer and designed specifically for fractional use. I came off the Lear 31 so the bugger feels like a cruise liner to me. One of the cool things about it is the simplicity of the systems; they were designed by both the pilots and mechanics, rather than some techno-geek trying to re-invent the wheel. Most of the aircraft's systems, especially engine parts, accessories and hydraulic were designed as Line Replaceable Units. The LRUs can be swapped out within 20 minutes with the part on hand. The paperwork takes longer.
Overall the aircraft is very reliable. We've been doing a decent number of demos which seem to be going pretty well. We'll just see where it goes from here. (The 31 is finally going away in about a year. It wasn't for lack of interest; I know alot of people are sad to see it go but it was just too expensive to operate for what could be charged for it. My understanding is that the overall operating costs of the A/C were comparable with the 60 for obviously lower revenue.)
As far as Flexjet itself, things are fairly decent; I'd like to upgrade and make more money but who doesn't? But I'm gradually getting near the top of the FO list so it will come one of these days. They've upgraded a few people recently and there were a couple of retirements. The health and dental is a good package. Wish there were more gateways (if that happens, I'd pack for a cold rotation in Hell.) Three vacations a year, each worth about two weeks.
The negatives continue to be some screwed up schedules, not for everyone but when a guy gets a bad schedule he screams bloody murder so you hear about it. Seniority doesn't seem to be a big priority on crew scheduling or crew assignments. It has more to do with convenience and cost. If they have to send a pilot to PIT and they can send a guy either from NYC or LAX, they'll send whoever is cheapest in terms of airline ticket, regardless of seniority. Which I can understand from a cost-benefit point of view but... The hotels are generally ok, you get some good ones and some bad ones but overall they are decent but not spectacular. I wish they'd listen to us more on the road when a nice hotel close by with restaurants is passed over in favor of a more expensive hotel further away.
The new sales teams looks like they are doing a much better job than that knucklehead they had brought in from Gulfstream, a definite upgrade
.
Not sure when they will fly the 300s oceanic, but I've heard a rumor about February. However, that is not official, so I really don't know. But it is certainly capable.
Overall, I'd say I'm cautiously optimistic.
I'm one of the FO's who switched fleets on to the 300. Fantastic airplane, roomy, good performer and designed specifically for fractional use. I came off the Lear 31 so the bugger feels like a cruise liner to me. One of the cool things about it is the simplicity of the systems; they were designed by both the pilots and mechanics, rather than some techno-geek trying to re-invent the wheel. Most of the aircraft's systems, especially engine parts, accessories and hydraulic were designed as Line Replaceable Units. The LRUs can be swapped out within 20 minutes with the part on hand. The paperwork takes longer.
Overall the aircraft is very reliable. We've been doing a decent number of demos which seem to be going pretty well. We'll just see where it goes from here. (The 31 is finally going away in about a year. It wasn't for lack of interest; I know alot of people are sad to see it go but it was just too expensive to operate for what could be charged for it. My understanding is that the overall operating costs of the A/C were comparable with the 60 for obviously lower revenue.)
As far as Flexjet itself, things are fairly decent; I'd like to upgrade and make more money but who doesn't? But I'm gradually getting near the top of the FO list so it will come one of these days. They've upgraded a few people recently and there were a couple of retirements. The health and dental is a good package. Wish there were more gateways (if that happens, I'd pack for a cold rotation in Hell.) Three vacations a year, each worth about two weeks.
The negatives continue to be some screwed up schedules, not for everyone but when a guy gets a bad schedule he screams bloody murder so you hear about it. Seniority doesn't seem to be a big priority on crew scheduling or crew assignments. It has more to do with convenience and cost. If they have to send a pilot to PIT and they can send a guy either from NYC or LAX, they'll send whoever is cheapest in terms of airline ticket, regardless of seniority. Which I can understand from a cost-benefit point of view but... The hotels are generally ok, you get some good ones and some bad ones but overall they are decent but not spectacular. I wish they'd listen to us more on the road when a nice hotel close by with restaurants is passed over in favor of a more expensive hotel further away.
The new sales teams looks like they are doing a much better job than that knucklehead they had brought in from Gulfstream, a definite upgrade
.Not sure when they will fly the 300s oceanic, but I've heard a rumor about February. However, that is not official, so I really don't know. But it is certainly capable.
Overall, I'd say I'm cautiously optimistic.
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