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Yeah, ok, lunch would be better!!!
Cool, right downtown, what day are you coming in?
When dreams come true... (long)
- Thread starter LDJones
- Start date
Yeah, ok, lunch would be better!!!
Cool, right downtown, what day are you coming in?
mscard88
Touchdown! Greaser!
Downtown pretty cool, CHA Aquarium is real nice but you may not have time to visit it. There was a breakfast place there that was good, don't remember the name but it's a popular place w/ the locals. Maybe @Bill Jennings knows it, across from an older historic hotel our crews stayed at, forget the name.
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Several good breakfast places and lots of good lunch places. Did you stay at the Reed house? If so you probably had breakfast at the City Cafe Diner.
Arrive night of Tuesday 2/6, leaving Wednesday 2/7 at 2:30
One of these days our paths will cross. I have a dogleg through ATL in my current ticket, I with any luck I can change that to a direct flight to DC. In that case I would probably have a layover until about 5.
mscard88
Touchdown! Greaser!
May have Bill, Reed House rings a bell but it's been awhile. OK, looked it up and that's it. Seems like it was a white building (diner) but I won't swear to it.
Yesterday was first official flight as PIC. It was a cold, clear day in MSP and it started with a Winnipeg (CWYG) turn. Probably due to the Super Bowl, they launched westbound instead of turning us out to the north over downtown. That turned out to be advantageous since I got to fly over my hometown (KFAR) where I learned to fly, and the town where I got all my advanced ratings while in law school. (KGFK) My first FO was a sharp young man who attended UND the same time my son was there. It was a nice flight up, but had gusty crosswinds on landing.
It was a 1:57 turn, requiring us to deplane with all our stuff, clear Canadian Customs, walk through the terminal, go back through security and then go through U.S. Customs (CWYG is a pre-cleared airport for U.S. Customs, which is actually pretty helpful, saving time back in Minnie.) But the whole process is definitely a pain in the tush, but required for any layovers beyond 90 minutes.
The flight back was equally nice with a gorgeous sunset going into MSP. We had about 1:20 to kill in Minnie before heading to SBN, so got some food and watched a little of the Super Bowl. Earlier in the day my FO had pointed out that odds were good we'd have something broken since SBN is one of our maintenance bases.
Sure enough, I got to the plane and had the attached note on the yoke, left by a friend and former Skywest classmate of mine! I opened the MX can to find out what was up with it. Turned out to be a deferred FMS. That's always fun, but having learned to fly in the days before GPS flying "Green Needles" in the CRJ isn't that big a deal. ATC is usually pretty helpful with radar vectors to point you in the right direction toward your VOR. At 32,000' you can pick up a VOR quite a ways away, so it was a pretty easy jaunt down to SBN. Plus it was the FO's leg!
Today we head down to ATL, sit for four hours, then fly to MOB for the night. A pretty easy today. Tomorrow it will be back to ATL early afternoon, a long sit, then a deadhead home. They pulled me off the last day and a half so I can finish my CRJ-700 checkout tomorrow on a GRR turn without our Chief Pilot. He's a great guy and an excellent chief, so I'm looking forward to finally getting to fly with him.
It was a 1:57 turn, requiring us to deplane with all our stuff, clear Canadian Customs, walk through the terminal, go back through security and then go through U.S. Customs (CWYG is a pre-cleared airport for U.S. Customs, which is actually pretty helpful, saving time back in Minnie.) But the whole process is definitely a pain in the tush, but required for any layovers beyond 90 minutes.
The flight back was equally nice with a gorgeous sunset going into MSP. We had about 1:20 to kill in Minnie before heading to SBN, so got some food and watched a little of the Super Bowl. Earlier in the day my FO had pointed out that odds were good we'd have something broken since SBN is one of our maintenance bases.
Sure enough, I got to the plane and had the attached note on the yoke, left by a friend and former Skywest classmate of mine! I opened the MX can to find out what was up with it. Turned out to be a deferred FMS. That's always fun, but having learned to fly in the days before GPS flying "Green Needles" in the CRJ isn't that big a deal. ATC is usually pretty helpful with radar vectors to point you in the right direction toward your VOR. At 32,000' you can pick up a VOR quite a ways away, so it was a pretty easy jaunt down to SBN. Plus it was the FO's leg!
Today we head down to ATL, sit for four hours, then fly to MOB for the night. A pretty easy today. Tomorrow it will be back to ATL early afternoon, a long sit, then a deadhead home. They pulled me off the last day and a half so I can finish my CRJ-700 checkout tomorrow on a GRR turn without our Chief Pilot. He's a great guy and an excellent chief, so I'm looking forward to finally getting to fly with him.
Attachments
Shepherd
Final Approach
Livin' the dream!
Keep on having fun.
Keep on having fun.
mscard88
Touchdown! Greaser!
Years ago I go in for my 6 month check ride in the sim. JFK to Toronto. Over NJ FMS craps out. Immediately go to green needles and coordinate with ATC.
A few days later my FO asked how was my check ride and I told him about the FMS failure. He said I know why you got that. A young crew actually took off on the same trip, FMS quit over NJ, they declared an emergency and returned to JFK. I guess our FAA guy and the Co weren't too happy. So I reasoned the IPs were doing the scenario in the sim to see how others would react to it. It sounds crazy but it really did happen.
Oh, heard they both were Riddle guys too.
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I wrapped up my first official trip as a Captain today with one leg from MOB to ATL. The trip was made pretty easy by a very sharp FO who'll probably be upgrading in the very near future. We had originally decided to do two and two...we each fly two legs before swapping Pilot Flying and Pilot Monitoring duties. I few the first two to CYWG and back, then he took us down to SBN. The next day he did the leg into ATL and I did the leg into MOB. Since I'd done three and was exiting the trip in ATL, I offered the MOB-ATL to him, which he happily accepted (you generally always prefer the flying to the monitoring, although I enjoy both!)
After landing I packed up my stuff and before exiting thanked our Flight Attendant, a young man from NY, for doing a great job on my first flight as a Captain. "This was your first flight?? I would have never known!", he said. I told him I'd take that as a compliment!
As I stepped off the plane I was met by a beautiful young woman wearing four stripes. She introduced herself as Melissa, then informed me she, too, was on her first trip off of Captain IOE! She also told me she was a longtime POA member and had been following my saga here. Go figure! She has a very bright future ahead of her.
I deadheaded home, enjoying a pretty entertaining movie compliments of Delta! ("Central Intelligence" if you haven't seen it. Comedy and action!)
A very satisfying first trip, overall...not 100% error-free (those dang lights!), but nothing too significant! Tomorrow I will be flying a GRR turn with my Chief Pilot in the 700. Looking forward to flying with him, as he's been very encouraging from the very start.
After landing I packed up my stuff and before exiting thanked our Flight Attendant, a young man from NY, for doing a great job on my first flight as a Captain. "This was your first flight?? I would have never known!", he said. I told him I'd take that as a compliment!
As I stepped off the plane I was met by a beautiful young woman wearing four stripes. She introduced herself as Melissa, then informed me she, too, was on her first trip off of Captain IOE! She also told me she was a longtime POA member and had been following my saga here. Go figure! She has a very bright future ahead of her.
I deadheaded home, enjoying a pretty entertaining movie compliments of Delta! ("Central Intelligence" if you haven't seen it. Comedy and action!)
A very satisfying first trip, overall...not 100% error-free (those dang lights!), but nothing too significant! Tomorrow I will be flying a GRR turn with my Chief Pilot in the 700. Looking forward to flying with him, as he's been very encouraging from the very start.
Meliss
Pre-takeoff checklist
It was great meeting you Loren, glad to have swapped with you. I've enjoyed following your journey even prior to being at OO and I wish more people had your attitude! Hope to cross paths again.
mscard88
Touchdown! Greaser!
Loren were you able to sample that delicious Alabama Gulf Coast seafood? Hope you were!
Likewise, Melissa. Thanks for introducing yourself. Best wishes for your aviation career. Maybe start a thread on the transition to mainline when you make that jump. I suspect that will come sooner than later!
Sadly, no. We got in close to midnight and had to leave at noon. But next time...I promise!
(I did manage to bring back some Mardi Gras beads for my wife, courtesy of the gate agent in MOB!)
mscard88
Touchdown! Greaser!
Yup, Mobile just had their Mardi Gras I believe, older MG than New Orleans too, actually they brag it's the oldest period lol.
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Last Saturday I had my first experience having to make the tough Captain decisions.
A snow storm was bearing down on the Twin Cities and from the looks of it my current high-mins status (requiring an extra half mile plus 100' added to all approaches) was likely to come into play. Saturday morning I check the schedule and discovered they had swapped out my first turn. I assumed they figured I wouldn't make it back to MSP to finish my trip. Instead they through a turn to BIS, which was already my final destination for the last flight of the day.
So off to BIS we went. Unfortunately, an second storm hit them just as we arrived. Normally that wouldn't have been a problem, except the ILS we needed and a glideslope out of service, which raised the minimums to the "just barely" doable level. We did manage to get in but then the snow hit in earnest, and the weather in MSP was going down fast.
The gate was pressuring us to do a quick turn and get out. I had a long discussion with dispatch, which also really wanted me to make the quick turn. We talked about alternates, then looked at the deteriorating conditions and it became obvious was going to drag 50 people to MSP, then would end up diverting to FSD, probably for the night. Conditions we're starting to go below CAT 2 mins. They said it was ultimately my decision and I said I'd rather strand them at home than in a city to which none of them wanted to go. I said no.
My airline is big on Captain's making face-to-face announcements. I'd done my first on the last trip when icing had taken the braking action down to nil and we ended up having to cancel the flight because we simply couldn't land and stop the plane! So this was my second.
I was honest and told them that the weather had deteriorated to the point that there was no way we'd get into MSP and I'd rather they were stuck at home rather than FSD. There was disappointment, but they seemed understanding.
So my temporary crew and I went to the hotel, checked in, then went and grabbed a nice, late lunch at a great little Mexican restaurant.
The next morning we took the most of those same passengers to MSP. All were understanding, but grateful to be getting on to their destinations.
A snow storm was bearing down on the Twin Cities and from the looks of it my current high-mins status (requiring an extra half mile plus 100' added to all approaches) was likely to come into play. Saturday morning I check the schedule and discovered they had swapped out my first turn. I assumed they figured I wouldn't make it back to MSP to finish my trip. Instead they through a turn to BIS, which was already my final destination for the last flight of the day.
So off to BIS we went. Unfortunately, an second storm hit them just as we arrived. Normally that wouldn't have been a problem, except the ILS we needed and a glideslope out of service, which raised the minimums to the "just barely" doable level. We did manage to get in but then the snow hit in earnest, and the weather in MSP was going down fast.
The gate was pressuring us to do a quick turn and get out. I had a long discussion with dispatch, which also really wanted me to make the quick turn. We talked about alternates, then looked at the deteriorating conditions and it became obvious was going to drag 50 people to MSP, then would end up diverting to FSD, probably for the night. Conditions we're starting to go below CAT 2 mins. They said it was ultimately my decision and I said I'd rather strand them at home than in a city to which none of them wanted to go. I said no.
My airline is big on Captain's making face-to-face announcements. I'd done my first on the last trip when icing had taken the braking action down to nil and we ended up having to cancel the flight because we simply couldn't land and stop the plane! So this was my second.
I was honest and told them that the weather had deteriorated to the point that there was no way we'd get into MSP and I'd rather they were stuck at home rather than FSD. There was disappointment, but they seemed understanding.
So my temporary crew and I went to the hotel, checked in, then went and grabbed a nice, late lunch at a great little Mexican restaurant.
The next morning we took the most of those same passengers to MSP. All were understanding, but grateful to be getting on to their destinations.
KaiGywer
Line Up and Wait
And then you got to meet the coolest airport cop ever
And then you got to meet the coolest airport cop ever
True!! It's always nice to be screened by someone you know!
One other story from this trip:
This was my first scheduled arrival into ORD. I've down ORD a few times in the past, but always with a Captain who was familiar with it. It always seemed like organized chaos! Hence, I was a bit stressed about it, and told my FO I wanted to take some time to brief ALL the possibilities for our arrival. And that's exactly what we did.
The result was a completely routine arrival and fairly quick taxi to our gate. A true non-event! But I suspect the preparation was a big help.
So now I can say I've done the two busiest airports as PIC, ATL and ORD.
Good times!
This was my first scheduled arrival into ORD. I've down ORD a few times in the past, but always with a Captain who was familiar with it. It always seemed like organized chaos! Hence, I was a bit stressed about it, and told my FO I wanted to take some time to brief ALL the possibilities for our arrival. And that's exactly what we did.
The result was a completely routine arrival and fairly quick taxi to our gate. A true non-event! But I suspect the preparation was a big help.
So now I can say I've done the two busiest airports as PIC, ATL and ORD.
Good times!
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Greg Bockelman
Musta been a really long leg if you briefed ALL possibilities. LOL
Do it a few times and you will see that there really is a method to the madness there.
Do it a few times and you will see that there really is a method to the madness there.
We discussed the possibilities the night before over beers. Once we got the ATIS and had our arrival gate we brief the two approaches/runways in useplus the taxi route. That was a manageable number!
And I’m sure there’s a method to the madness. But it’s not readily apparent on the first few visits!
denverpilot
Tied Down
True!! It's always nice to be screened by someone you know!
That’s creepy dude... LOL...
That’s not “screening”, dude. That’s “date rape”!
ORD is semi organized. Except when ground doesn’t let you read back taxi instructions and almost taxis you into several airplanes.
KSCessnaDriver
Pattern Altitude
Sounds like a few ramp controllers on ramp 4 in ATL...
mscard88
Touchdown! Greaser!
I somehow have been able to avoid ATL for a year.
I find ATL pretty easy...much easier than ORD, at least.
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Greg Bockelman
Looks like ORD is going to be a disaster for the next 8 or 10 years. Just read a news brief that says O’Hare terminals are going to be expanded and updated over that period. Long over due, but it sure will disrupt things for a long time.
KSCessnaDriver
Pattern Altitude
And other than 2x in the last month, where I operated in and DH'd out of JFK, I hadn't been to NYC since last summer. So glad I rarely go there.
jaybee
Cleared for Takeoff
ATL and ORD way easier than CLT...
denverpilot
Tied Down
CLT had some dude take off his shirt and run around the ramp until the airport cops tackled him like 40 minutes later, recently. Think today. LOL.
jaybee
Cleared for Takeoff
They actually tackled him right next the E28, right where we got front row tickets to the show. Our crew room is right between gates 28 and 26 where it happened. Comments on our crew FB page was "that's first time I've ever seen the blinds open" lol ! there was a bunch of videos of the incident on our "secret" FB page I think they had to take them down though. but yea my departure was delayed 15 minutes because I was flying out of gate 28.
denverpilot
Tied Down
I wish stuff like that would happen at my work.
Grab some candy from the vending machine and a Diet Coke and watch the show!
I read that, too. I can't imagine the chaos that will ensue.
They both have some weird quirks.
Our family ives in a Chicago suburb. When they come to visit they always fly out of/in to MDW. Shorter/Faster in the car and less "Big Airport" hassle compared to ORD.
-Skip
Just a quick update as I finish my third month in the left seat...
My comfort level with the left seat has come MUCH faster than it did in the right. I guess it helps when you already know the machine!
I'm enjoying the Captain side of things even more than I did the First Officer side, and you all know how much I enjoyed that. I continue to be impressed (and, frankly, humbled) by the quality FOs I've been flying with. Even the pretty new ones seem like they're sharper at this stage of their CRJ flying career than I was at the same point. It definitely makes my job easier.
The best part of being in the left seat is being able to set the pace and tone for the flight deck. I realize now just how much of a chameleon I had to be in the right seat whenever I approached a trip with a Captain I hadn't flown with before. 99% were awesome, but everyone has their own style and you never know what that might be. Now the tone is always the same....professional, but relaxed. I make it clear I'm still new to the seat and that I'm old enough to know I'm fallible, so watch my back and I'll watch theirs. The goal of every trips is safety, on time and no paperwork...in that order.
Biggest challenge so far are the mechanical delays. Thankfully, our mx crews are top notch and keep the planes in pretty good shape, but with a million parts there's plenty of opportunity for things to go awry. So I've gotten pretty good to handling the write-ups and following mx instructions for troubleshooting issues. My company is in the process of going to a paperless system (Electronic Aircraft Maintenance Log...eAML), and I got to fly one of the test group planes last night and this morning AND had a minor mx issues (broken armrest cover) so got to experience a digital write-up. It was pretty slick and definitely see the advantage this system will provide...assuming you have no EFB or connectivity issues.
Seniority is creeping up slowly...about 3% a month...now bidding 61%. Hopefully trip selections will improve once I break the 50% mark. I screwed up my bid for this month and ended up with a month full of standups (Split Duty trips.) As you may recall, I have a love/hate relationship with them...I love having my days free to instruct and do other things, but hate the often too-short nights which require at least a nap sometime during the day to feel human! The silver lining to that mistake was I ended up with six days off in the middle of the month including my wife's birthday. It allowed us snuck off to Arizona for five days, tour Sedona, visit the Grand Canyon and then hang out by a pool under warm a warm sun for a few days. After enduring the coldest April in Minnesota's recorded history (going back to 1872!), it was a welcome break.
Life is good!
My comfort level with the left seat has come MUCH faster than it did in the right. I guess it helps when you already know the machine!
I'm enjoying the Captain side of things even more than I did the First Officer side, and you all know how much I enjoyed that. I continue to be impressed (and, frankly, humbled) by the quality FOs I've been flying with. Even the pretty new ones seem like they're sharper at this stage of their CRJ flying career than I was at the same point. It definitely makes my job easier.
The best part of being in the left seat is being able to set the pace and tone for the flight deck. I realize now just how much of a chameleon I had to be in the right seat whenever I approached a trip with a Captain I hadn't flown with before. 99% were awesome, but everyone has their own style and you never know what that might be. Now the tone is always the same....professional, but relaxed. I make it clear I'm still new to the seat and that I'm old enough to know I'm fallible, so watch my back and I'll watch theirs. The goal of every trips is safety, on time and no paperwork...in that order.
Biggest challenge so far are the mechanical delays. Thankfully, our mx crews are top notch and keep the planes in pretty good shape, but with a million parts there's plenty of opportunity for things to go awry. So I've gotten pretty good to handling the write-ups and following mx instructions for troubleshooting issues. My company is in the process of going to a paperless system (Electronic Aircraft Maintenance Log...eAML), and I got to fly one of the test group planes last night and this morning AND had a minor mx issues (broken armrest cover) so got to experience a digital write-up. It was pretty slick and definitely see the advantage this system will provide...assuming you have no EFB or connectivity issues.
Seniority is creeping up slowly...about 3% a month...now bidding 61%. Hopefully trip selections will improve once I break the 50% mark. I screwed up my bid for this month and ended up with a month full of standups (Split Duty trips.) As you may recall, I have a love/hate relationship with them...I love having my days free to instruct and do other things, but hate the often too-short nights which require at least a nap sometime during the day to feel human! The silver lining to that mistake was I ended up with six days off in the middle of the month including my wife's birthday. It allowed us snuck off to Arizona for five days, tour Sedona, visit the Grand Canyon and then hang out by a pool under warm a warm sun for a few days. After enduring the coldest April in Minnesota's recorded history (going back to 1872!), it was a welcome break.
Life is good!
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You finally got to use your travel benefits! Keep up the thread. Love reading the stories.
Shepherd
Final Approach
Keep on having fun!
And stay safe.
And stay safe.