You know you are a regional CA when.....

[Papps]

That's when you play the Heading Bug Game. When he/she is not looking, turn it a few degrees off (no more than the width of the heading bug). When they sync it, wait a few seconds and move it again. It kept me entertained for my last 4-day with a d0uche bag.

Caution: Only do this when it's your leg and they're f'ing with the FD.

Ya thats funny some people think the wings peel off if your hdg bug isnt synced 24/7. I used to screw with that constantly with sync crazy captains. I could get one guy to sync the crap out of it about 2 times per minute for 8.0 hours of block. I figured he would blow out a rotator cuff by day 4 but he was fine.

 

[BenderGonzales]

I can't believe you clowns are fighting over the controls in the flare. Hey Skyking, if your F/O (or Captain) is so unsafe that you even THINK about taking the controls, GO TO PRO STANDARDS!!!

Don't try and transfer controls in the flare.

Damn it scares the hell out of me to ride on the commuters these days...

 

[Quiet Flight]

You're number one for the visual and your F/O tries to start configuring and calls for flaps (188 KIAS) 14 miles out. Seriously...

"What are we, in a parade?!?"

 

[h25b]

There is another captain who did that to me once, but I fought him on the controls and salvaged it.

YGTBSM ...

 

[SplitBar]

All Captains have a few "quirks". If the Captain wants the heading bug to match the actual heading then why sit and fight him/her on it? It's the pain in the a$$ FO's who will sit and battle over such a stuipd thing and cause a CRM issue. A good FO will follow SOP and do some adapting here and there to appease his/her Captain. The CRM nightmares who constantly get reported to Professional Standards will sit and fight their Captains on such trivial matters. It's not too hard for a Captain to pick up whether or not an FO is working with or against him/her. If your one of the few that likes to work against, then you will find out what I mean when you make Captain.

As far as fighting controls your just asking for trouble. As an FO, when the Captain says "my airplane" you better fu#*$&#in let go. If you don't you are off the trip the instant we land. No if's and's or but's about it

 

[Axel]

I had a captain like that.

I counted 9 times the whole flight he told me "now your speed control is key here". I hardly think ATC is goign to yell at us for being at 184 isntead of 180.

You know you're a commuter captain when your FO thinks that close is good enough in aircraft control, but perfect is necessary in self image.

 

[ERfly]

As far as fighting controls your just asking for trouble. As an FO, when the Captain says "my airplane" you better fu#*$&#in let go. If you don't you are off the trip the instant we land. No if's and's or but's about it

Speaking of good CRM...

 

[BenderGonzales]

"when the Captain says "my airplane" you better fu#*$&#in let go."

I dont want to be a paying passenger on any aircraft where a pilot has to take the controls from the other pilot. You are not a CFI. Your copilot is not your student.

THIS is the problem with minimums having been lowered so significantly over the last several years. You end up with power-hungry Napoleon types in the left seat who never learned to be a first officer and therefore have no clue how to be a Captain.

 

[jellynuts]

....."When your student load payment is more than your paycheck."

Baja.

i almost fell out of my chair the other day, those bastards want $1300 a month from me for student loans. i think i'm going to change my name and social security number. maybe move to another country.....

 

[Crossky]

You are not a CFI. Your copilot is not your student.

Really? Then why do I often feel like a CFI and why does my copilot react like a student when I have to talk them through a safe and acceptable landing in a measly 12 kt crosswind?

Like it or not, in a good flightdeck the CA IS an Instructor, manager, supervisor, team leader, mentor, and friend. A good CA will put on the CFI hat only when needed. And if a CA messes up, he or she is big enough to admit it.

Perhaps what's needed is a course on growing thick skin and pride swallowing for both CA's and FO's. What I mean to say is we need to improve in resolving conflict and need better communication skills.

Dang . . . up on the soapbox again . . .

 

[zawillif]

Your know your a regional Capt. when:

1. your F.O. is on his first "real" job
2. your F.O. wasn't even born when you got your first "real" flying job
3. your F.O. has never flown a plane that weighed as much as the bags in your cargo compartment
4. your F.O. keeps telling ATC you are at three-one thousand because he/she has never been in the flight levels
5. your F.O. doesn't have enough time for a VFR Part 135 check ride.

Post that in the "You know you're a regional FO when . . ." thread.


You know you're a regional captain when you take these funny-ass threads so serious that you need to make a new flightinfo name just to get on and whine cause someone hurt your feelings. (Probably means something in this thread is true for you.)

 

[zawillif]

You know you're a regional captain when:

Your F.O.s can't fly a visual approach

Your F.O.s think they are entitled to their job as an airline pilot

Your F.O.s violate FARs and company policy every leg because they are incompetent

Your F.O.s b.itch on Flightinfo because all the captains they fly with are "nitpicky, anal, etc." GUESS WHAT...maybe it's because you suck!



When the F.O.s fly like a captain, they get treated as such. Why should we have to babysit and flight instruct in a 121 enviroment...it's pathetic.

AWACoff

See above post. I was laughing my ass off at the FO thread as well as this one. Get a sense of humor.

 

[zawillif]

You know you're a regional captain when:

Your F.O.s can't fly a visual approach

Your F.O.s think they are entitled to their job as an airline pilot

Your F.O.s violate FARs and company policy every leg because they are incompetent

Your F.O.s b.itch on Flightinfo because all the captains they fly with are "nitpicky, anal, etc." GUESS WHAT...maybe it's because you suck!



When the F.O.s fly like a captain, they get treated as such. Why should we have to babysit and flight instruct in a 121 enviroment...it's pathetic.

AWACoff

See above post. I was laughing my ass off at the FO thread as well as this one. Get a sense of humor.

 

[JohnnyP]

...

Someone clue me in, do you RJ captains find yourself talking your FO's through a standard x-wind landing on a normal basis (off of IOE)? Ive seen that comment mentioned several times, just curious. Maybe it's just as common in the turboprops, I dont know though. I dont seem to ever really hear about that type of thing as much in the turboprop community, but maybe im out of touch here.

 

[pianoman]

It's not uncommon for a person new to the equipment type to need a little coaching during the first couple of of big crosswinds. (I guess I mean more around 20-30 kts. direct, not 12!)

It has happened more than once that you just don't get a chance to see a substantial crosswind during the two trips you're doing IOE on. I make the FO's aware of that and tell them to inform the captain they're flying with as well.

And I'm glad that if the captain felt they had to take it, they did. Better bent egos than bent metal. I guess maybe it's a bigger deal if you're just doing a regular trip. I find myself taking the airplane usually around once or twice a week!

 

[Bluto]

I was laughing my ass off at the FO thread as well as this one. Get a sense of humor.

Hey, I was laughing at his comments on this thread. What's wrong? You only want to see one side of the Regional CA thing? p.s. Maybe one day you'll realize that dealing with FOs is a big part of being a regional (or any kind of) Captain.

(Probably means something in this thread is true for you.)

??

 

[JohnnyP]

...

Pianoman,

I guess i'm still out there on this one, but having to rescue the airplane away twice a week seems like a fairly high rate (in a non-IOE environment). I can understand maybe during your first few weeks in the airplane needing some coaching and maybe a bit of assistance, but yikes, once/twice a week, that doesnt sound right. But then again, im just flying a slow 'ol turboprop crossing the numbers at 100 knots.

 

[Booker]

Someone clue me in, do you RJ captains find yourself talking your FO's through a standard x-wind landing on a normal basis (off of IOE)?

Johnny: I have no clue what goes on with other FOs, but in my opinion the WSCOD is more difficult to get a good crosswind landing in than the Dash is. Not tough, just harder.

 

[pianoman]

Pianoman,

I guess i'm still out there on this one, but having to rescue the airplane away twice a week seems like a fairly high rate (in a non-IOE environment). I can understand maybe during your first few weeks in the airplane needing some coaching and maybe a bit of assistance, but yikes, once/twice a week, that doesnt sound right. But then again, im just flying a slow 'ol turboprop crossing the numbers at 100 knots.

Hi Johnny-
Should've clarified- I'm usually doing IOE. Never had to take the controls on the line regularly. A little verbal coaching, definitely, but most guys can figure it out with a little prompting.

 

[arthompson]

Ah pianoman the joys of being a Check Airman. I deal with them alot in my job and I have heard some horror stories.

 

[JohnnyP]

...

Ok that makes things a bit more clear, thanks fellas.

 

[Alchemy]

It's not uncommon for a person new to the equipment type to need a little coaching during the first couple of of big crosswinds. (I guess I mean more around 20-30 kts. direct, not 12!)

It has happened more than once that you just don't get a chance to see a substantial crosswind during the two trips you're doing IOE on. I make the FO's aware of that and tell them to inform the captain they're flying with as well.

And I'm glad that if the captain felt they had to take it, they did. Better bent egos than bent metal. I guess maybe it's a bigger deal if you're just doing a regular trip. I find myself taking the airplane usually around once or twice a week!

Trust me, you don't have to be a regional captain to need to do this every once in a while. I've jumpseated up front on enough "mainlines" to know.

 

[XJETDriver]

... I find myself taking the airplane usually around once or twice a week!

Deleted

 

[jumppilot]

i dont let him fly to begin with and politely ask the chief pilot to retrain his poor performing dangerous ass...

That will be $200 for your education today, oh dumb ass.......

dang, you'd f*uck a new FO like that? How about realize he is new to the regionals and will gain experience over time, which is about 1 year, rather than ruin his career for life.

Wow.

 

[Flightdawg]

THIS is the problem with minimums having been lowered so significantly over the last several years. You end up with power-hungry Napoleon types in the left seat who never learned to be a first officer and therefore have no clue how to be a Captain.

And overpriced flight school 500 hour wonders who think they know everything there is to know about aviation. Boy Wonder

 

[DGdaPilot]

-You started out in a brand new metro-liner or shorts 360, upgraded in 3 months, have over 16,000 hrs and still work at the same commuter flying "the jet."

-Touch boys.

-Fail 3 interviews with American, sign a 16 year contract with a flow through agreement as that is the only way your bipolar ass can move on.

-You keep the company op-specs on your lap so you can point out to your FO how they are messing up throughout the flight.

-You throw a temper-tantrum hissyfit and run through every excuse in the book when you screw up or when the FO points out that you aren't following op-specs.

-At the end of the trip you apologize for being an asshole.

Definitely sounds like you are an Eagle ex-ATR driver!

 

[QCappy]

...you spend more money on beer than food on a four day trip.:beer:

 

[Alchemy]

Yeah.

 

[FirstMate]

... when as the nonflying pilot you hint to the FO that you think it is time to add more flaps, gear, etc. by slowing reaching your hand toward the appropriate control, never touching it, but hovering a millimeter away so that you can activate it the very second that it is called for.

Couldn't agree more...I think its a silent prompting technique.

Guarding the parking brake handle when the FO secures the control lock is another.

 

[JohnnyP]

,.,..

ive got no problem with the other guy guarding the parking brake lever. Last thing I need is for me to slap on the parking brake as were taking the first high speed. On the 8th leg of the 5th day on duty, at 11:59pm, handles start to look the same.