Recently in Flying the Line Category

Hey everybody, all is well here at AirTran Airways. The company has brought back all of our pilots who were on furlough and they are all back flying the line. We are expanding to several new cities such as Cancun, Knoxville, Atlantic City and Branson to name a few. AirTran was number one for the second year in a row in the airline quality survey and best of all we are making a profit.

Hello again everyone this is Michael Bailey, I hope all has been well with everyone. I have been very busy flying the line at AirTran Airways. I woke up early this morning to catch a flight out of JAX to ATL to start a 4 day trip. I checked in for my trip at 7 a.m. and was about 45 minutes early. After chatting with folks around the crew room, I picked up my JEPPESEN Revision and flight bag and went to get some breakfast before heading out to preflight the Boeing 717 we have been assigned to fly.

Hello future airline pilots. My name is Michael Bailey and I currently fly the Boeing 717 for AirTran Airways, based in Atlanta, Georgia. I will be contributing to this blog periodically and am looking forward to sharing some of the things that I experience flying the line for AirTran.

I can relate to most of you because I wanted to be an airline pilot for as long as I can remember.

No matter what kind of equipment you have been flying or how you flew it before you were hired, your new airline will expect you to learn their flight procedures and adhere to them. As soon as you are hired, your airline will send you a box of manuals and expect you to know the material when you show up for ground school. This package will contain, among other things, a POH (Pilots Operating Handbook). The POH will describe every maneuver that you will be learning, and exactly how to do it, so that is a good place to start.

My name is Jason Ginn. I am a pilot with American Eagle Airlines, and currently I fly the CRJ-700. I have (in my opinion) the best job in the world, and from time to time I will be contributing to this Blog to tell you about it.

I hear this question a lot: What will a typical day be like when I'm an airline pilot?

Most of your days as an airline pilot will be typical - which is a good thing. In all professions, a routine is the key to success. Flying halfway across the country at 30,000 feet is no different. Well, maybe it's a little different.

Check In: You'll arrive at the airport at least an hour before your first flight. The first thing that you will want to do is get checked in with your airline. Usually, you'll just need to log in on the computer, but it's important to do. Delays along the lines of hours have happened simply because a pilot forgot to check in.

Weather Briefing, Clearance, Passenger and Cargo Manifest: You need to print out a weather briefing for the whole day, as well as a more detailed report for the first flight. You'll also download all other information that you and the crew will use, such as a clearance (permission to fly a certain route to your destination) and information about how your aircraft will be loaded with passengers, cargo and fuel.

Captain's Briefing: The Captain will want to brief you about the aircraft, and your itinerary.He'll go over, among other things,

• details about the first flight
• weather that you will face en route
• special passenger needs
• and special cargo.

Prepping the Aircraft: After speaking with the Captain, you'll head out to the ramp to board the aircraft. You're the first crew member on board. Drop off your equipment in the cockpit, plug in your headphones, turn on the interior aircraft lights. The flight attendants will start to prep the cabin. You'll inspect the outside of the aircraft to make sure it is safe to fly for the day.

Preflight Walk-around: Your preflight inspection will take you around the aircraft. Use your checklist, and if you find anything unusual you'll notify the Captain or call a company mechanic.

More Systems and Checklists: After you are done with the “walk-around” you will go back into the cockpit. You'll help the Captain check all of the internal systems and go through several more checklists. Once everything is checked out, you'll have the gate agents begin to load the passengers onto the aircraft.

Almost Ready to Go: Once the passengers have all found their seats, the you will go through some more checklists. The aircraft’s doors will be closed, and you'll start the engines. Another checklist or two have to be done as you taxi out to the runway for take-off.

In the Sky at over 300 knots: You and the Captain will take turns flying each leg of the trip. When the Captain is flying the aircraft, you will talk to Air Traffic Control (ATC) on the radios, help with the navigation of the aircraft, perform in-flight checklists and perform other necessary duties.

Landing: As you get close to your destination, you will help the Captain get the aircraft ready to perform an approach into the airport and land safely. After landing, you will talk to ATC ground controllers and taxi to your new gate to drop off the passengers. Once the passengers are all safely off of the aircraft, you will get off also and take a break while the aircraft is cleaned, restocked with food and drink, and refueled.

The Day Continues... Then you will do it all over again! A typical day will have 3 or more legs to be flown in it, and then you will go to a hotel where you will overnight to eat and rest up for the next day’s activities. The next day, you're headed to new cities in different weather and with new challenges. No two days are alike! Even though there is a routine, each day is filled with experiences that you can only enjoy as an airline pilot.

Jeremy Ridout is a captain with ExpressJet Airlines. He attended the Airline Career Pilot Program with ATP as well as the Regional Jet Standards Certification program. Jeremy is based in Ontario (ONT) for ExpressJet. They also have bases in Houston (IAH), Newark (EWR), Cleveland (CLE), San Antonio (SAT), and Los Angeles (LAX).

Inspired by one of our aspiring pilots on ATP's Pilot Career Coach forums on BeAnAirlinePilot.com, I am writing about a single trip that I flew October 23-24, 2007. It was a two-day trip, atypical for me, but perfect for an in-depth article about what I do at work.

Before the First Push

While I typically do four day trips, my schedule this month included a two day. Unfortunately, this particular two day wasn’t commutable on the front end (an 8:40am show time), meaning that I wouldn’t be able to wake up at home on day one of the trip and get to work in timeÑthere just aren’t any flights that early (the earliest show that I can make is noon). I live in Dallas and am based in Ontario, California (ONT). So, I had to go to work the day before and stay in a hotel the night before the trip began the next day.

The Commute

I knew that I had most of the day at home so I didn’t even look at flight times (or start to pack) until late morning. There were several non-stop flights that afternoon on American that I could take. I chose to take the 7:45pm flight. This enabled me to stay at home until 6:00pm. That would leave me with a 9:45pm flight as a backup, just in case I couldn’t get on the first one. Additionally, I looked up the UPS flight schedule and there was a 3:30am flight from DFW that I could use as a last resort, if neither AA flight worked out.

I made the 7:45 fight, but I had to ride in the cockpit jumpseat for the 3 hour flight to ONT. That was O.K. with me. I almost prefer the jumpseat to a tight middle seat. Plus, the conversation with the pilots, who are usually interested in what’s going on at my airline, and being able to monitor the flight’s progress make it feel like a shorter ride. This particular night was the second night of the big SoCal fires and the view from up front was tremendous with so many hills glowing orange. There was a stiff wind at the runway and strong gust just before we touched down made the MD-88 float almost halfway down the runway.

After we landed, at about 9:15p local, I called ExpressJet to see if I could get a hotel room. Every night, they reserve block of rooms at a local hotel for crews in case there are unscheduled layovers and since that tends to be a rarity, they will usually give them away to commuters at the end of the day. In the past, I’ve always stayed at a different hotel, on my own nickel (well, my own $63.81), but this evening I put all my eggs into the company basket. I was fortunate to get one this night—it turns out that because of the fires, all of the hotels were sold out. Had I not gotten a room from the company, I would have been sleeping in the terminal.

I was up early the next morning. I try to stay on Central time when I’m on a trip. It makes those early California departures a piece of cake and when we are on the east coast with 5am wake up calls, it’s not nearly as bad for me as it is for those west coasters. I thought about going to work out, but couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead I laid in bed and watched the fire coverage.

The hotel van took me to the airport, and I got there at about 8:35am. My badge and uniform mean that I am exempt from the latest security rules about liquids, and I can leave my shoes on, but I still have to go through the metal detectors. I can usually get through security very quickly.

The Crewroom

With only an hour until we push from the gate, I didn’t have much time to dilly-dally in the crew room. The crew room in ONT is really just a few offices underneath the passenger terminal. It serves as the nerve center for the operation where they coordinate with the gate, airplanes, maintenance, catering, fuel, ground crews, etc. It has offices for the chief pilot, the base administrator, the flight attendant supervisor and the operations manager. There is a break room that has vending machines, restrooms, lockers for the ground crew and a computer with internet access. The actual crew room is a small office, about 10x10 with 4 recliners and two more computers. There is also a bag room (more like a closet) where pilots can leave their flight cases.

When I arrived at the airport, I went down to the crew room to get my flight bag. My first officer for this trip was already there and introduced himself (I found out later that he was also an ATP alum from the Chicago training center and had been at ExpressJet for just over a year). The flight attendant found me as well. I had never flown with either of them before.

The Paperwork

I got the flight paperwork from the operations people and reviewed it. As the captain, I am responsible for the safe and legal operation of the flight. When I review the paperwork, among other things, I am concerned primarily with three basic thingsÉ fuel, weather and maintenance. Do we have enough fuel to get to the destination, plus any alternates, plus reserves? Is the weather at the destination a concern? How about the weather enroute? Are there any deferred maintenance issues with the aircraft that need to be considered? Any one of these things can affect the other and must be considered before we takeoff. On this flight, from ONT to SAT, the only concern was that there is a takeoff alternate of Las Vegas. This was added by dispatch because of the fires. Apparently, there was a concern that air traffic control (ATC) facilities might be affected by the fires and if radar service was interrupted, we could go there in an emergency.

The Briefing

About 35 minutes before go time, we all headed out to the airplane. Once our bags are stowed, we got to work. I turned on the airplane and started initializing the aircraft systems. Meanwhile, the first officer did a pre-flight walk-around and the flight attendant did her thing. When the first officer got back, I led a crew briefing. We discussed the weather and a planned bumpy ride as we climbed out of the LA area, the time enroute, security issues when opening the cockpit door in flight, and what we might do if we have an emergency. The first officer and I further discussed my expectations of him and any little peccadilloes that I have—such as using good checklist etiquette, when to run flows, and to keep an eye outside during taxiing. We also discussed who would fly which legs. This trip, we chose to fly every other leg.

PreFlight

There are a number of checks that each pilot is responsible for when you get to a new airplane. Typically, the captain will enter the flight plan and performance data (planned altitudes, speeds, winds, etc.) into the FMS. The first officer will work on the weight and balance to determine our maximum takeoff weight given the runway we’ll be taking off on, the winds and the temperatures. We both are responsible for separate aircraft systems. The captain typically checks the electrical, fuel, fire detection, powerplant, pressurization, and stall protection systems. The first officer typically checks the ice protection and hydraulics systems. We both check the autopilot and trim systems.

About 15 minutes before go time, our set up and systems checks were complete so I called for the ÒReceiving ChecklistÓ. The first officer reads the checklist and whichever one of us actually checked that item will announce its status (e.g., On, Auto, Off, Checked, etc.). Once that was done, the first officer was busy double checking my work on the flight plan while I reviewed the paperwork, the fuel on board, the aircraft logbook, the local weather and our clearance. I then gave the first officer a takeoff briefing that typically includes our taxi route to the runway, how we’ll handle an emergency before and after we get airborne, and a review of the published departure procedure that we’ll be flying to exit the LA area.

At 5 minutes to go, most passengers were on board and the bags were loaded. I made my first passenger announcement to introduce myself and my crew to the customers, to tell them about the flight time and path and the weather we would expect to find when we got there. By this time, the first officer was entering the passenger and baggage loads into the computer to ensure we are below maximum takeoff weight and that we are balanced properly. I gave the flight attendant the O.K. to shut the main cabin door and we ran the ÒBefore Start ChecklistÓ. We called Ontario Ground for pushback clearance, and off we went, 4 minutes early.

Engine Start and Taxi

The first officer (FO) started engine number two during the pushback. We then ran an After Start Checklist and got permission to taxi to the runway. We then started engine number one after we started taxiing towards the runway. This wasn’t the first flight of the day for the aircraft so the engines only needed 2 minutes of warm up before takeoff. As we taxied, we had two more checklists to run, the ÒTaxi ChecklistÓ and the ÒBefore Takeoff ChecklistÓ. The FO ran those while I concentrated on taxiing. As we got to the end of the runway, we were cleared for takeoff.

Takeoff

We accelerated down the runway. There was a strong crosswind from the left and I turned the yoke into the wind. As I did this, my hand grip wasn’t good so I repositioned my hand. Unfortunately, as I reset my fingers, I accidentally caught the edge of the steering disengagement trigger. Ding! A steering inop message appeared on the EICAS. I could see out of the corner of my eye that my FO looked at me. ÒContinue,Ó I said, knowing full well why the message came up and that it didn’t matter at this point anyway. Ò80 knots,Ó he said. We continued down the runway. ÒV-One. Rotate,Ó he said. I pulled back and we were airborne.

As we climb, a number of things happen. When we have a positive rate of climb, we can raise the landing gear. Then we pass an altitude, Òacceleration height,Ó that, if an engine had failed, is the safe altitude to momentarily level off and accelerate before climbing again. After this altitude, we can start retracting flaps and back the thrust off slightly to climb the calculated thrust setting. The non-flying pilot also must configure the air conditioning system and ensure that the aircraft is pressurizing properly. Then he runs the ÒAfter Takeoff ChecklistÓ. During all of this, the Ontario tower tells us to contact the regional ATC facility. We had initially been cleared to 7,000 feet and we were soon cleared to 11,000 and told to contact Los Angeles Center, who sent us on course and climbed us up to our cruising altitude. We were barely past Palm Springs when we were cleared direct to El Paso (a point on our planned route of flight).

I was flying and did not turn on the autopilot until we were near 11,000 feet. Sometimes I’ll fly more, sometimes, less. It mostly just depends on my mood, but can also vary depending on my workload. If my first officer is getting overloaded as we navigate, talk to ATC, look for other traffic, and run checklists, I’ll usually go ahead and turn on the autopilot so I can reduce my workload to help out the first officer and monitor the flight. My first officer was very good and well ahead of the airplane (what can I say, he was an ATP guy) so I felt comfortable hand-flying for a while.

The fires created a lot of smoke around the LA basin, but didn’t really make the ride that rough. The first officer and I were both amazed at one of the fires south of ONT. The flames were huge and the smoke glowed orange—even in the morning light. I soon called the flight attendant and told her it was safe to get up since during our briefing I told her to stay seated until I called her.

Enroute

The rest of the flight to SAT was uneventful. We flew at 37,000 in relatively clear, smooth air. During the flight, since I was the flying pilot, I was responsible to control and monitor the autopilot. The first officer, as the non-flying pilot, was responsible for talking to ATC and to back me up in monitoring the autopilot. As the captain, I am also concerned with our fuel usage and our arrival time. On this flight, the Flight Management System (FMS) showed us arriving a few minutes early with close the planned amount of fuel.

While we were at cruise, the FO and I mostly made small talk. Family? Kids? Where are you from? Where’d you do your flight training? It was here that I discovered that the first officer too was a former ATP instructor. We chatted about ATP, both agreed that it is THE best place for flight training, and talked about some experiences we had when we instructed there. An hour into the flight, the flight attendant brought me some coffee and a bagel. I don’t remember what the FO had. We continued our conversations.

I made a few PA’s during the flight. Most pilots at my airline don’t seem to like talking to the passengers. Usually, the non-flying pilot will talk to the passengers once or twice during a flight. Personally, I prefer doing the talking, and I’ll usually give updates when we get to cruise altitude and then every 45-60 minutes after that until we get close, then one last goodbye with the latest weather. I’ll also pop in real quick if we’re flying over something interesting. Some of my favorites to point out are the Grand Canyon (duh), Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Glen Canyon National Recreational Area and Lake Powell, Monument Valley in Arizona, the Very Large Array near Socorro New Mexico (look it up), and my house (just kidding). I think some pilots forget that they do this every day, but a large number of their passengers don’t. I’m reminded of this when I commute and sit next to a first time flier! It’s actually happened twice. And no, they weren’t 3 years old.

Arrival and Landing

As we descended toward SAT, we began to set up for the arrival. I gave a briefing of the approach. This time it was a visual to runway 30L. The winds were gusty and it got quite turbulent as we came through about 6000 feet into SAT. We were following a Southwest jet and we picked him up as he was turning final. We called him in sight and we were told to follow him to the runway.

It’s personal preference when you turn off the autopilot. I don’t hand fly very much as we come in to an airport. Some pilots will turn off the autopilot as they descend from 18,000. Others will do it at 10,000. As for me, if we’re straight in, I’ll wait until we’re a few miles outside of the outer marker (which is about 5 miles away). If we’re on a downwind, I’ll usually turn it off as we enter the downwind. Trying to tell the autopilot how to fly a pattern is just too much work. It’s much easier to just hand-fly it. I did the same in SAT. As soon as we saw the Southwest jet, I flew the plane to the ground.

I seem to be having a good landings month. They’ve all been very smooth and squeaky recently. I remember August for me was a different story. I couldn’t do a smooth landing all month long. Just like baseball; you get on these streaks.

Sitting around in Airports

We had a two hour sit in San Antonio before our next flight to Tulsa, so the crew and I went over to a Mexican restaurant and had burritos. After that, we still had more than an hour so we wandered back to the gate to hang out. I chatted with an FO who lives in Dallas and is considering upgrading, so we talked about how he could prepare for it. I then bumped into my check airmen for my upgrade. He was super cool and we chatted about my new job, that it’s already been 6 months and how I have a checkride next month.

Maintenance

We had less than 10 passengers for the 4:15pm flight to TUL so we waited until 30 minutes to go time to go down to the airplane. Unfortunately, the FO found a missing static wick during his walk-around. This means that in addition to what I normally have to do to get ready to fly, I have to call maintenance and write up the problem in the logbook. I also have to talk to dispatch to get the dispatch paperwork to match up. We pushed from the gate right on time, instead of the 10 minutes early that I usually shoot for. There was another plane waiting for our gate, and we pushed back so they could get in. We then got going quickly because we were blocking a Southwest Airlines gate and they were also waiting for us.

Long Approach

This was the FO’s leg so our roles in the sky were reversed. It was interesting as we got to Tulsa. We got on with Tulsa Approach and we heard, ÒJetlink 505 (that was us), you are 32 miles from the outer marker. Fly heading 015 and intercept the localizer. Maintain 4000 until established. Cleared ILS three-six right approach.Ó You don’t usually hear clearances like that, 32 miles away! We were just passing 12,000 at the time and we could see the airport. So I told them, ÒAirport in sight.Ó Again, ÒJetlink 505, maintain 4000 until the marker, cleared visual approach three-six right.Ó Cool.

Well, the FO did a nice job on the approach and made a nice landing. I taxied us to the gate and what passengers we had got off the plane in Tulsa.

Quick Turn

We had 30 minutes on the ground in TUL. We got the plane turned around and pushed 10 early. We’re allowed to leave 10 minutes early if all the passengers are on board. We can’t go any sooner without approval from dispatch and they won’t approve it without a really good reason. I always tell the gate agents, Ó10 earlyÓ as soon as we get there. My thinking is that it gives me a 10 minute buffer for when things go wrong to still get out on time. Then, when we arrive at the next station a little early, we have more time and can still be early. The gate agents are usually thrilled because it gets the passengers out of their hair sooner. Sometimes I believe that they think that their job would be great if it wasn’t for all those passengers.

Enroute to San Diego

It was my leg again as we took for San Diego at 6:15pm local time. When we hit our cruising altitude, flight level 360 and barely over Oklahoma City, my FO asked for a shortcut. I was telling him that we’d never get anything past Corona (near Albuquerque). We’ll foot in my mouth, ÓJetlink 410 (that’s us again), cleared direct Imperial.Ó Imperial is in California, right next door to El Centro. That’s the winter base for the Blue Angels in case you were wondering. It’s also the first fix on the arrival into San Diego. It was a 956 mile direct. Wow! Suddenly we’re going to be 35 minutes early. So, I pulled the power back and cruised at Mach 0.69 all the way (we were planned at Mach 0.76). It saved lots of gas. We were still going to get there 15-20 minutes early.

Midway through, the flight attendant brought us dinner—turkey sandwiches, carrot sticks and an Oreo cookie. They were small. I had two. Again, my FO and I chatted about this and that. Turns out, he was a category 2 bike racer, and so was I. We had lots to talk about on this trip. We also worked on updating our Jepp’s. These are the company issued IFR charts that we use to make departures, arrivals and approaches at every airport we go to. These include the navigation frequencies, headings and altitudes to fly, and airport diagrams. I have 3, two-inch binders full of charts and updates come roughly every 2 weeks. This last one was big. It took us each nearly half the flight to finish it.

Landing in San Diego

We arrived in San Diego at night. We could see the glow of the fires all the way up to LA. We flew right over what I think was the Witch Fire. It was huge and put lots of smoke in the air. We were only 6000 feet as we went by. It smelled of smoke in the cockpit. As we dropped into the San Diego area, we could see the airport and made a visual approach. We were a little late in slowing down and the tower asked us to slow to our final approach speed so they could let another jet takeoff ahead of us. We were only 4 miles out when that other plane got their clearance. That was a little close and I was going through the go-around procedures in my head as we watched for them to lift off. They did, and I landed. Well, it wasn’t that close, but you get my point.

After we taxied in and deplaned, I saw that we brought 10 Red Cross workers out with us. I never even saw the passengers get on, but it was cool to see these volunteers here. This was our last leg of the day. Maintenance met us at the airplane to do their routine thing on it and we walked out to the front of the terminal to wait for the van to the hotel. Ten minutes later we were at the hotel. It was 7:45pm or so. It had been an 11 hour duty day that included 7 hours and 30 minutes of flying, a long day for sure.

Done for the Day

This hotel is a very nice hotel. But, like all very nice hotels, nothing is free. No free in-room Internet (I didn’t even bother to bring my computer with me), no free coffee in the morning, and no free breakfast. I just went up to my room and watched TV. An hour or so later, I went downstairs to use their computer to plan my commute home. It was then back upstairs for some more TV and bed. It would be a 5:30am wakeup call.

An Early Start

Five-thirty a.m. in San Diego came early. I’ve found that an early wake up gets harder and harder to do by the end of a west coast trip, and this one was particularly hard. What I usually do is I usually set my wakeup call 45 minutes before the van time. When that phone rings, the first thing I do is turn on the lamp. I’ll use my mobile phone alarm for snoozing. It too goes off 45 minutes before van and I’ll use the snooze function for an extra 10-15 minutes. That gives me at least 30 minutes to get up, shower, dress, brush (hair and teeth), shave, pack and get downstairs before the van leaves. I have a great fear of missing the van and that paranoia makes it easier to get up on those early mornings.

The trick to these early mornings (or any overnight, for that matter) is to be consistent with your routine. This has been learned from experience... When I get to the hotel, my wallet, belt, tie, watch, phone and anything else in my pockets all go on the desk. The shirt and pants immediately get hung up in the closet (I only take two uniform shirts and a single pair of pants on a four day trip). The suitcase goes on the luggage rack, and the shoes go under the suitcase. The phone and laptop get plugged in on the desk. The toiletry bag goes into the bathroom. I do this every time I get to a new hotel room, as soon as I get to a new hotel room. Nothing gets separated from the herd—if it did, it would be in danger of being left behind the next morning. Before I go to bed, I lay out socks and undergarments for the next day, fold up anything that I got out that evening and iron my uniform shirt. In the morning, the very first thing I do when I get up is to pack away the charger for the computer and the mobile phone (those things are expensive to replace).

This morning, I was the first one downstairs. As the rest of the crew showed up, we exchanged good mornings and got on the very full van for the short ride across the street to the airport. We got to the airport, went through security, and I got a latte at the little airport cafŽ. It was fine, but not Starbucks. At the gate, I got the paperwork, quickly looked it over and handed it to the FO. I like to give the paperwork to my first officers’ on their leg. I expect them to look it over and make their own decisions about fuel, weather, alternates, etc. Of course, I supervise, but they’ll never learn if they don’t get to practice. We got to the plane and went through our regular routine. This time, however, there was a problemÉ

Maintenance

The fueler had been waiting for us to arrive. He got the fuel load from the operations folks before we got there, but the digital control panel that he uses to pressure fuel the airplane had a ÒfailÓ message. I had just powered up the airplane when he popped his head in to report the problem. There is no set procedure in my manuals to deal with this so I turned the airplane off and back on again. Many times, simply rebooting the airplane fixes these kinds of weird problems. Not this time, however, as the message appeared again when he reopened the service panel. The only thing left to do is to call maintenance. They gave me a series of circuit breakers to pull and reset. It didn’t fix the problem. Hmm. They suggested turning the airplane off and back on again, and again, of course, it still didn’t work. At this point, the only thing left to do is to fuel the airplane the old fashioned way: overwing. I gave the fueler the amount for each side and he got to work. We chose not to write it up in the aircraft logbook, hoping that this refueling panel would Òwake upÓ later on in the day. We were also only going to Boise and then to our hub in Ontario, so if it still didn’t work in Boise, we could have maintenance deal with it back at the base.

A Silly Little Problem

While all this was happening, our flight attendant was doing her pre-flight checks and found a problem of her own. She didn’t have the bracket that the oxygen mask is supposed to fall from for her emergency demonstration. Unfortunately, I am well aware that this is a required, no-go item (ExpressJet Bob had the same thing happen to him, also in San Diego, when he was an FO). It is a silly little plastic piece that is fixed to the overhead panel and holds the oxygen mask. If there is a depressurization, the door opens and the mask falls. Our standard emergency briefing, however, says, ÒPull the oxygen mask from the bracket. This will start the flow of oxygen.Ó Well, that little phrase makes the bracket a required item. There were no other airplanes there for us to borrow a bracket, and I remembered that when Bob had this problem, it took hours for them to get a new bracket. I asked the flight attendant what she wanted to do about it and she said that her book says that all discrepancies are up to the captain as to how to proceed.

Suddenly, I’m faced with a dilemma. Do we go? Or delay the flight and wait for maintenance? A number of thoughts pass through my mind: ÒIt’s the last day, and I have a plane to catch.Ó ÒIt’s a no go item.Ó ÒYeah, but it’s a silly little bracket for the FA demo.Ó ÒIt’s the last day, and I have a plane to catch.Ó After batting it around in my head for a few seconds, I decided to call maintenance. Maybe they could release us without it. The conversation made it clear that they didn’t want to delay the flight for it, but there wasn’t much to do about it. Luckily, the maintenance guy who was in San Diego last night, was still in the area. San Diego is not a maintenance base, but since we do so many flights from there, they have been sending trucks down there occasionally. What we decided to do was to delay the flight while they got the maintenance guy out of bed at the hotel and down to the airport. If there was one on the truck, then we’d be good to go. If not, they’d remove the bracket from seat 1A, thus rendering that seat unusable. But at least the flight attendant could do her demonstration.

It turned out that there was a spare bracket on the truck. We ended up delaying the flight by 25 minutes, but we ended up arriving in Boise only 7 minutes late. Hindsight being what it is, I should not have allowed my commute to cloud my judgment. That silly little bracket is a no go item, and I knew that. If we had gone without it and showed up in Ontario without it, the flight attendant could have gotten in trouble. Look at what happenedÉ the flight attendant who brought the plane in to San Diego the night before now gets in trouble for not having a required item on board that caused a delay the next day. It just doesn’t pay to break the rules.

Boise

So, we flew out to Boise. It was an uneventful flight, and as I said, we landed 7 minutes late. The fuel panel never woke up and we had to overwing refuel it again. However, one of our FMS’s started acting up as we landed in Boise. This happens occasionally and a quick phone call to maintenance, a few reset circuit breakers, and the problem is usually solved. Not this time. It never came back. Again, no big deal, we just fly with one instead of two. It’s a little inconvenient, but not something that will cause any problems—unless the other one dies. Still, with all this mucking around with maintenance, we blocked out 10 minutes early.

California Burning

Another uneventful flight and we were back in Ontario. The only thing out of the ordinary was a fire that had popped up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Another airliner spotted it and told ATC who then called us, since we were closer, and asked us for a report. Yep, there was a fire on a ridge in the middle of nowhere at our 11 o’clock and about 15 miles. It looked like it was relatively new. We didn’t see it earlier that morning on the way to Boise. When this happens, ATC will then call the local authorities with the latitude and longitude.

We landed in Ontario, and I had 2 hours until my commute home. I called maintenance on the radio who met us at the airplane. We told them about the Fuel panel and the FMS. The airplane was due to sit in Ontario for 4 hours before flying again—plenty of time for them to work on it. I said goodbyes and nice flying with you to the crew, and we went our separate ways.

To Get Home

I put my flight case back in the storage closet in the crew room, made a last check of my file for any communiquŽs from the company, and headed off to catch my flight home. I got a window seat with no one in the middle seat on the way home. The captain tried to get me a first class seat, but it was full. No problem, I just want a seat on this airplane. The American Airlines flight attendant gave me a free sandwich and some chips to eat. Very nice. On the flight I started writing this article and also read the newspaper. We landed in Dallas at 8:15pm. As I got off the airplane, I gave the Captain a quick thank you for the ride. Twenty minutes and an employee bus ride later, I was at my car. Twenty-five minutes after that, I was home.

Quote: I hope you enjoyed the series. My goal was to provide an insightful look at to what I do when I go to work. This one was just a two day trip.

Q&A with Jeremy Ridout

Jeremy Ridout is a 2nd year First Officer with ExpressJet Airlines. He attended the Airline Career Pilot Program with ATP as well as the Regional Jet Standards Course. Jeremy lives in Dallas with his wife and daughter, and commutes to IAH. He is also ATP’s newest Pilot Career Coach.

Describe your Airline.

ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. operates as Continental Express, the regional provider for Continental Airlines. With service to approximately 152 destinations in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean, ExpressJet currently operates all of Continental’s regional service from its hubs in Houston, New York/Newark and Cleveland, and additional non-hub service. ExpressJet Airlines employs approximately 6,800 people including about 2600 pilots flying 274 Embraer 145/135 Regional Jet aircraft.

What is your position at the company?

I am a First Officer on the Embraer 145/135 Regional Jet.

What was your flight time, and what ratings and certificates did you hold at the time of your interview?

I had 653 hours of total time (224 single, 429 multi). Those hours included 617 PIC, 72 night and 27 actual instrument.

I held Commercial certificates for Airplane Multiengine Land and Airplane Single Engine Land and an Instrument rating. I also held Multiengine Instructor, Certified Flight Instructor and Certified Flight Instructor & Instrument certificates.

I had also attended ATP’s Regional Jet Standards program.

Briefly describe the interview and selection process.

I applied online to ExpressJet as soon as I met their published minimums. A few months, later, I received a phone call from ExpressJet’s human resources department and was given a phone interview. The phone interview consisted of simple aviation questions that a current instrument rated pilot should be able to answer such as, “What is a HAA?”, “When can you descend below MDA on a non-precision approach?” and “What is a MOCA?”

After the phone interview, I was invited to Houston for an interview. My interview class consisted of about 40 pilots of which I believe 25 or so were hired. The interview began at 8am and consisted of three mini-interviews: Instrument knowledge, Decision-making and Human resources, each one lasting about 5-10 minutes. The instrument portion was like an instrument checkride oral. The decision-making segment asked “What would you do if?” questions. Finally, basic job interview questions were asked by the human resources folks. At the completion of the interview, I was told to wait in the hallway and about 2 minutes later was informed that I had been hired. I then spent a few hours completing their application and background check forms, getting fingerprinted and providing a sample for drug tests. I was sent home with a rather large study manual and a class date in two weeks.

What was the experience level of those in your class?

Most of those in my class had between 800 and 1800 hours with a few hundred hours of multiengine time. There were a few pilots who were on furlough from Independence Air, and there were two other ATP graduates who had similar total time as myself.

Briefly describe the new-hire training process.

The first week of training is ”Basic Indoc“. During this week, we are taught company policies and procedures from the Flight Operations Manual (FOM). This covers information ranging from requirements for reduced take-off minimums to the company’s drug and alcohol policies to how many lap children may be on the airplane.

We then participated in two days of CRM training. In CRM, the main objective is to teach us that we are part of a crew and the course uses exercises and case studies to get this point across. Since we were new-hires, they focused on accidents that occurred in part because the first officers didn’t speak up when they saw a problem developing. It was an interesting study and is a no pressure event.

After that came Systems and FTD training. The Systems class takes an in-depth look at one or more systems of the aircraft per day and lasts for 2_ weeks. After the first week we began five sessions in the Flight Training Device (FTD). Similar to ATP’s CRJ FTD, we practiced our flows and approach profiles in 5 sessions. They don’t teach you how to fly the jet, but you learn everything about flying the jet here.

Once Systems and FTDs were over, we took a written test and a comprehensive oral exam. Finally, we made it to the full-motion simulators for 6 sessions followed by what is called a Proficiency Check (basically, a checkride). Like the FTD training, each sim session focuses on different scenarios and builds on the previous session. Additionally, there were opportunities in each session to practice approaches and maneuvers for the checkride.

After the checkride, we had one more sim session called a LOFT (Line Oriented Flight Training). The LOFT is intended to simulate any flight that we may fly as line pilots. It is run in “real time” beginning from when we arrive at the aircraft. Usually a new first officer is paired with a newly upgraded captain, and usually something happens on the flight that requires the crew to work together and utilize all resources to resolve the situation and is meant to test and develop our decision making abilities. It not a jeopardy event.

Initial Operating Experience (IOE) is the final step to becoming a line pilot. We leave the training center and are paired up with a Check Airman to fly a few trips while we actually fly passengers. On IOE we are taught, not only how to fly and land the real airplane, but also where the crew rooms are, how to access the crew scheduling computers, and how everything really fits together.

Was housing provided during training?

Housing was provided for all new-hires in the Holiday Inn at the Houston Bush airport. We were assigned rooms upon arrival at the hotel, two to a room. The hotel was very friendly to the pilots and provided transportation to and from the training center and had a full sized cardboard cutout of the flight deck in room designated for our use.

What is the pay and/or per diem during training?

ExpressJet pays a one time "Per-Diem" check of approximately $1500 within the first week of training. This will be the only pay you receive until you pass your checkride which will take 5-6 weeks depending on your schedule. After your checkride you are officially on the payroll and you will receive at least your minimum pay guarantee of 75 hours.

What is the pass rate among new-hires in the simulator?

I know that we lost three people from our class during training. None of them made it to the simulator. Several people did not pass the checkride the first time, but it was a relatively small percentage, and they all received additional training and passed on the second attempt.

Describe the pay structure for line holders?

First year FO’s (reserve or line holder) currently earn $22.04 per flight hour and all ExpressJet pilots are guaranteed 75 hours per month. That works out to just under $20,000 per year. Second year FO’s earn $32.80. For comparison, 4th year captains earn $64.15 per flight hour.

What is the current projected time required to upgrade to Captain?

It is hard to say what the projected time to upgrade is right now at ExpressJet. April 2004 hires upgraded in 2006, less than two years. But a lot of pilots were hired between April 2004 and today so the upgrade time is getting longer. It is probably safe to say that if things keep moving as they are today, a new-hire today will upgrade in less than five years.

What is the approximate time a new-hire spends on reserve?

Seven months—but that is pure speculation since the company does not publish the information.

Is a strict seniority system in place?

Yes.

What are the current domiciles, and which aircraft are based there?

Houston, TX Newark, NJ Cleveland, OH

ExpressJet operates an all jet fleet out of each hub.

Are the bid lines structured so that pilots can commute?

Many of the bid lines are commutable. In Houston, it seems that more lines are commutable than lines in Newark and Cleveland. Personally, I have had very few non-commutable lines in the 12 months that I have been a line holder.

Reserve lines are typically not commutable.

What are the jump seat reciprocity agreements?

ExpressJet has jumpseat agreements with just about every 121 airline and several large 135 operations. We are CASS certified and as a result, ExpressJet pilots can ride in the cockpit with other carriers.

How many days do you fly in a 30-day period?

Lines are built with a minimum of 11 days off in a 30 day month and with 12 days off in a 31 day month. Very senior captains and first officers can get as many as 18 or 19 days off per month. Fourteen to sixteen days off is average in the pilot group.

Do you have a 401(k), and if so, what is the maximum amount an employee can contribute?

ExpressJet offers both traditional and Roth 401k plans. ExpressJet allows up to 100% of your salary to be contributed (however, government regulations limit the amount that you can contribute in a single year).

What is the attrition rate per year?

The company does not publish this information and deriving a number would not be very accurate.

Is attrition expected to accelerate?

The industry is beginning to experience an upswing in pilot hiring. Continental Airlines has said that it will hire 20-30 ExpressJet pilots per month for the foreseeable future (a formal flowthrough agreement is not in place). The major legacy carriers are recalling their furloughs and will likely begin hiring in the next few years. Other major carriers such as Southwest, Alaska and AirTran are currently hiring pilots. With a large number of pilots at the majors nearing retirement, the outlook appears good.

Is there a union or consideration for a union?

ExpressJet pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).

What is the sick leave policy?

When you are sick, call in sick. Just don’t get caught calling in sick when you are not sick—you will get into trouble. After 5 sick calls in a single year, you may have to do a song and dance in the Chief Pilots office, but if the calls were legitimate, you don’t have to worry. A doctor’s note is required if you call in sick during a holiday.

What is the vacation policy?

Pilots earn one week of vacation after their first year and two weeks of vacation during their second through 6th years of service. Vacation time is bid, by seniority, during the fall of the preceding year for which the vacation is to be enjoyed.

ExpressJet vacation lasts from Monday of the week that vacation is awarded through Sunday, 7 days later. Pilots bid for their trips during a vacation month, just like they do at any other time for the year. However, if any portion of their awarded line overlaps with the vacation, even by a single day, the trip is dropped. With shrewd bidding, it is quite easy to stretch a week of vacation into nearly 3 weeks off.

ExpressJet Airlines serves as the regional jet carrier for Continental Airlines, providing domestic jet service as well as flights to many locations in Mexico and Canada.

Embraer Regional Jet (ERJ)

ExpressJet flies the new EMB-135 and EMB-145 aircraft produced in Brazil. Equipped with the most modern glass cockpits and Flight Management Systems (FMS), ExpressJet’s young fleet is growing with deliveries of several new EMB-145XR aircraft each month.

Interview process

Currently ExpressJet is accepting resumes and conducting interviews. The minimum requirements are 600 hours of total time and 100 hours of multiengine time. The process begins with an on-line application on the company’s web site at www.expressjet.com. After submitting general information online, the applicant will be called by a recruiter who will conduct a phone interview. This interview consists of some basic questions about the current aircraft the applicant is flying and some multiengine flight principals such as Vmc. A successful phone interview will result in a formal interview at the airline’s Houston training facility. A round trip ticket will be provided and a one-day, three-part interview will be done.

The first portion of the interview is a company overview, done by one of the recruiting staff, and a thorough review of all logbooks, ratings, and medical certificate. The second part is a technical interview done by some of the airline’s Captains, First Officers, and Check Airmen. Finally, there is a human resource segment that covers more of a personal interview and review of qualifications. Once the interview is complete the applicant is informed of a decision. If offered a position, an application is started that day and a class date assigned.

At the time of the interview, I held a commercial multi-engine pilot certificate, instrument rating, and multi-engine instrument flight instructor certificates. I held a current first class medical, and had approximately 950 hours–about 600 of which was multi-engine built while instructing at ATP. I had also completed ATP’s Regional Jet Standards Certification Program prior to the interview.

New Hire

As a newly hired First Officer, my flight time was a little lower than the class average, but I had much more multi-engine time than most. The majority of the pilots in my class were flight instructors. Only three new hires were from other airlines.

Training is a two-month process that is very fast paced and demanding. The first week is a formal introduction to the company and policies. The next phase is a two-week course including ERJ systems classes and 5 ERJ flight-training device (FTD) sessions. After the systems exam and final FTD checkout, there is an Oral exam with a check airman. The final phase is the full flight simulator (FFS). This is a two-week process with 6 sessions and a final check ride with a check airman. After passing the simulator checkride you are a crewmember and begin 25-35 hours of Initial Operating Experience (IOE). IOE is intended to show you how all the things you learned come together in the real world environment.A final IOE check completes all the required training and you are then flying the line.

During training housing was provided at a local hotel with shuttle service to the training center. Travel to and from home was also provided on weekends. Food was not included, however breakfast at the hotel was free. Per-diem was paid to all new hires but not the minimum 75-hour salary. Approximately $1100 was paid for the entire training process, and received during the second week.

New Hires begin to receive pay after completing the simulator check ride. Once IOE is completed the newly hired First Officer is flying the line as a reserve pilot.

The following article consists of a letter written by Michael Golinder, a current Chautauqua Airlines First Officer on the EMB-145. Mike completed ATP's Airline Career Pilot Program and subsequently built multi-engine experience while instructing for ATP. Before his interview with Chautauqua Airlines, Mike enrolled in ATP’s Regional Jet Standards Certification Program. While the training had him well prepared for the interview, the value became even more apparent during ground school and sim training.

Michael Golinder, EMB-145 First Officer, Chautauqua Airlines

September 14, 2004

James Havard
Regional Jet Program Manager
Airline Transport Professionals
P.O. Box 1784
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32204

Dear Jamie:

I wanted to let you know I completed training at Chautauqua and flew the 25 hours required for IOE. I would like to tell you that I underestimated the value of the Regional Jet Standards Certification Program. I found out very quickly how lucky I was to go through that training. Most people in my systems class were struggling to understand the material and keep up with the pace of the course. Most, like myself, were transitioning from piston aircraft to jets. One very big difference was the fact that I had a great understanding of these systems and could concentrate on the important details while others just had time to grasp the basics. We had a few seasoned pilots in our class as well, one a Jetstream 31 captain and one a TWA/American MD-80 pilot. To my complete surprise, they had a harder time than anyone due to completely new automation.

Then followed my biggest realization of the importance of this course. We started sim lessons and, even though I was not flying the CRJ, I had an easy time adjusting my scan and reading the information presented on the CRT’s in front of me. At the same time my sim partner and other classmates spent 2-3 sim lessons just trying to figure out the flight director, the autopilot, and glass, while I had some time to concentrate on flows and other details. I cannot say that I was not nervous. We only had a total of 8 sims before the check ride. Every sim lesson I was getting more and more nervous, but compared to my classmates’ anxiety, I was cooler than Elvis. I forgot to mention that I had the coveted midnight to 4 a.m. sim.

When it came to the check ride, I was more than nervous, but having gone through one similar in the CRJ with another check airman gave me an advantage. The check airman that gave me my ride failed 3 out of 4 people that he checked in my class. It was not an easy check ride. As a matter of fact, it was the hardest one I have ever taken, but I passed, thanks in no small part to the Regional Jet Standards Program. If it sounds like a sales pitch, well it should. I get frustrated when I hear that people do not reach their dreams and goals because of a flight school letting them down.

I have always supported and thought the best of the ATP Airline Career Pilot Program! Now I am completely behind the RJ Program. Everyone in my class I spoke with said in one way or another that they wished they had gone to ATP. If not for the Career Pilot Program—then the Flight Instructor—if not that—then at least the CRJ & FMS Orientation. There were people that spent almost $100,000 through other flight schools to be in the same place I was for $35,000. I cannot express enough how thankful I am to ATP.

Best Regards,

Michael Golinder
EMB-145 First Officer
Chautauqua Airlines