Flaps 8.....?

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Well, my first exciting "moment" which ended in a non occurrence, happened last night on the last trip of a 4 leg day. I finished with a total of 8.14 hours after the fact. So, here's the story.

Yesterday was the 5th day after being extended like crazy with 3 naps, a regular overnight (about 7 hours rest total finally after I got to sleep) then followed by another overnight then a full day to finish it up. I was originally "scheduled" to be off on Tuesday, then it got moved to Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and I have to have Saturday off tomorrow because of the Federal Regulations. I was lucky that I packed extra expecting that I was going to be extended. All the other roommates were getting extended like crazy, so I just prepared for the worse and that's what I got. I'm enjoying all the flying though really.

We had a jumpseater for the last leg to Des Moines, Iowa which was my 2nd of the day. That was pretty cool, and it was my leg to take. I had a great take off and cruising was normal. Moving ahead into the approach segment, we were cleared to join the localizer, and as I began to slow down and descend, I called for "Flaps 8." To my surprised, we got a Yellow Caution Message saying "Flaps Fail." I kind of paused a little bit and just proceeded by asking for the QRH or Flaps Fail. I asked the Captain what he wanted to do, and we got vectors around the Des Moine city at 4000 feet. I continued to fly the plane until the checklists were done and we contacted all the necessary people. Finally, the Captain took over the aircraft in preparation for a No Flap landing. This increases our approach speed by about 30 knots to 178! Definitely a lot faster. To top that off, the usuable runway for 31 was about 7898 ft. We needed 7000 so that means that it was all good. We declared an emergency just in case if we were to run off the runway and / or have the breaks overheat. We got all setup and I asked to get vectored back and that we were ready. The jump seater was definitely a little surprised too.

Anyways, coming in at that speed (178 knots = 204.838742 mph) definitely made the ground move like I've never seen before. The trucks were out on the runway with their lights all flashing, the flight attendant notified and we were set. The captain was really calm and I was too, surprisingly. "100 feet.......50 feet.....40....30..20.10" The Captain executed the landing with finese and awesomeness! It was smooth and had barely any float. I have to say that it was just freaking tremendous. He even kept the nose wheel off the ground for a little bit and then followed with some heavy braking and full reverse. We still had about 3000 feet of runway left! The jump seater was all excited and we both congratulated the captain on an excellent execution. All in all, it was not that bad. I definitely had a little of an adrenaline rush and couldn't sleep for a while, but I finally laid my head down and got some rest knowing that today was going to be another long day. Oh yeah, I didn't eat all day long except for a granola bar and some stuff that I had for breakfast at the previous hotel stay. I can't wait for this last leg today. I get to go home and sleep on my air mattress!

too little time..

in

Lets see, I rode the jumpseat of a Delta 757 on my way back from San Diego which was awesome except for the fact that I wasn't able to get any sleep. The crew on board was entertaining and I just loved chatting to them. Of course, I did wish that I got some sleep, but I got enough.

I haven't been able to post that much at all lately because of the schedule that I've been given as of late. I've been on what the company calls "Naps" for exactly what it is. The past two trips that I have had, I left around 2130, arrived at 2245, got to the hotel by 2330 and then went to bed around midnight or 0100, then had to wake up at 0400 - 0415 to get downstairs for the shuttle back to the airport to take the aircraft back. These last two days have been somewhat of a blur, but I'm hanging in there. I was going to have another Nap tonight, but I guess that since the layover time is > 8 hours, it's considered a regular overnight. I also noticed that I already got extended for another RT (roundtrip) right when I get back in the morning so I won't be back till about 1200 tomorrow.

I better get ready for another fun filled night! Oh yeah, the 30 minute flight time to Augusta, GA is a little crazy in terms of being rushed. You are up then back down, and its just crazy busy.

Round and round....

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From Evansville, Indiana to ATL then to PVD where the winds were gusting. I took that last two legs which included the gusty crosswind landing in PVD then a smooth one back in ATL. Providence did prove to be a little too much for me. I'm still getting use to feeling out how much actual correction I need to put in while I fly the plane down. I definitely do a lot better without following the flight director and just flying the plane down visually. Once we touched down, the Captain once again bought us lunch from Wolfgang Puck Express. He bought me a bags of chips and a Turkey Sandwich on a special type of bun. The bread was great and the meet was appetizing. I have to say that the meat itself was just some turkey from an Oscar Meyers package or something, but it was tasty. I'm really grateful to the crew for such a good experience. They raise the bar so high that I just hope that each of the crews that I fly with from here on out are that awesome!

Anyways, so, on takeoff from PVD, I wanted to do it the way another Captain taught me, but it didn't work out that well because I still wasn't aggressive enough. I'm sure that I'll have a lot of chances and days that demand a lot of perfection in crosswind landings and takeoffs, but I want to master this now. I'll try some flight simulator or something to help me out. Atlanta landing was good but it was cheap because the winds were light. It still wasn't the smoothest that I've done, but good enough.

I had to rush though from once we got the gate at D Concourse, I had to run to the C Concourse to drop off my pilot bag full of Jepps in the crew lounge, then out to security but I took a detour back on the tram to D. I eventually took the trolley back the other way to the terminal, went through security, and then to Gate A10. I had <1 hour from the time we touchdown to get to my commuting flight back home to San Diego. It worked out to where I was #2 on what was remaining on the standby list that didn't get assigned a seat but I checked in at the gate with about 20 minutes left till departure. The whole security thing is a mess. I guess that it proves and means well, but the hassle of going back out to just get screened then back in just to catch a flight home is a little cumbersome. If I did get checked this morning, then I wouldn't have to go through it in ATL, but Evansville is just quaint and we still get to go through the crew area.

I made it as the last person on the plane back to San Diego and I'm here just hanging out once again. I'm finally going to get my eyes checked but ASA's Vision provider stinks! No one wants to accept them. The name of the company, Spectera is just plain awful. I'm just going to head to LensCrafters who also just recently stopped accepting them because of how bad they were. I can't believe that the company that I work for provides this poor insurance. I might as well not have anything at all! I was looking forward to heading to my old optometrist, but he doesn't like them either. Go figure!

I met a really cool dad on the plane. He's basically all set in life and it awesome to sit next to someone that is just really full of positive energy and stuff. It was the first time that I commuted in my uniform. I did that only because there was 1) no point to change 2) no time to change. Now, I just read that since I brought some liquids with me, I have to commute back to ATL in uniform. Geez. Oh yeah, my gel also exploded in my toilettres' bag. It got everywhere! Thanks to Adelle for helping me clean it out! Alright, well, I'm excited for some new glasses and contacts. It's been just a little over 5 years since I got my last exam. This one is going to cost a pretty penny for both contacts and glasses.

Best layover ever...so far...

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It's definitely going to be really hard to top this trip. The crew that I was paired up with was just too much fun. The Captain and Flight Attendant were just really nice, outgoing, dinner was awesome and the Captain even treated us out! Thanks again Captain! If this is was flying was everyday or every time I went out on a trip, then it wouldn't be half as bad. Once again, don't get me wrong, it's not that bad at all just yet and I'm sure that it won't be. I was surprised that Evansville, Indiana was going to be this awesome. The Jameson Inn is really pleasant and comfortable. Apparently they had an awesome renovation and there is just a lot of stuff to do around here. I ate at the Rafferty's just down the street and had a 10-12 oz. Prime Rib with a House Salad and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. It was just too good. Dinner was awesome all together and I'm looking forward to tomorrow's trip followed by a trip back home to San Diego. The flights look good so far so I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.

Tomorrow is going to be another long day but with only three legs. I'm going back to Atlanta early morning, then up to Providence, Rhode Island then back to Atlanta. I should be on the 1655 flight out of Atlanta back to San Diego, but like I said, we'll see how the loads go and hopefully the weather holds up in all places.

I got my first full month schedule for April. I did get awarded a reserve line but I can't argue that it's bad. Apparently, I got a shift that is from 1800 till 0000. This is designated a "nap" line where we go to some place for like only 5 hours then come right back. Should be fun and definitely tiresome, but it'll be some good experience if I ever end up getting these kind of flights. I made good friends with a scheduler today also and look forward to helping that relationship grow into some good terms. I trying to go for some flying out West still and we'll just have to wait and see if I'm "awarded" anything out there. Pray for me! Oh yeah, if you haven't already, you have to watch the Dora the Explorer spoof that SNL did last Friday. It's kick ass!

1st Trip out of I.O.E

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Well, today marked the end of the first trip out of training. I flew a total of 4 legs on this two day trip, 3 yesterday and 1 back to Atlanta today. Definitely a good trip being that each leg was just about 2 hours long. Within those two hours, I got a chance to continue learning more about the plane and various techniques that the Captain has learned throughout his career in the CRJ 200. I consider myself very luck to get a Captain on my first trip that was really cool.

The overnight in Islip, NY was pretty cool, but once again, I didn't get a chance to venture out only because we arrived late, and I just wanted all the sleep I could get. The Radisson has some great contract with SleepNumber and I had a chance to sleep on one. It was great, but I have to admit that it still felt like my current air mattress from Wal-Mart. It wasn't that bad really, but it's just an air mattress that can inflate and deflate with you on top of it. One of the guys in the house just got a "tempurpedic" from Wal-Mart and it definitely feels quite comfortable. His bed was $280 and mine was only $59 or something like that. Huge difference, but like my roommate said, "It's a lot cheaper than back surgery." I might turn in this air mattress maybe 1) if i can find the receipt 2) if i really want to spend that kind of money. I don't even have a frame to put it on top of either. I'll see what's up sooner or later.

I got to go home to San Diego again and spend sometime with friends and family. I'm starting to actually commute if you will and hopefully I'll get the chance to go back home sooner than later. I'm looking at a flight for Wednesday right after I get off of my flight from Providence, RI but I've never traveled in uniform and I'm a little hesitant. I still have to check out my schedule too for the upcoming reserve line that I have for April to even make sure that this trip would be worth while. I'm going to use this trip as a last one for a while until I get the reserve thing figured out and to spend more time here in ATL finding a part time job. I need to definitely do something else to cover my ass.

The Luggage Works Pilot Bag that I ordered a while back finally came in. It was a pretty penny and it has already scratched me a little bit with its metal frame, but I'm definitely impressed with its build. I'm just glad that I don't have to carry my flight case in one hand and drag my suitcase in the other.

To answer all those questions about pay, etc and stuff, here's a print shot of an awesome website called AirlinePilotCentral on ASA's Pay Rates. It might look like a lot, but remember that here at ASA, we are contractually held to only 97.5 hours a month while the government allows 121 Carrier Pilots to 100 hours a month. The hourly rate is the pay we get when the plane is moving, so once again, we don't get paid while we are on the ground. We do get a per diem if we are on shift for that time which is $1.50 an hour. But hope that this little spreadsheet enlightens you all. Here's also a government description of our occupation: Airline and Commercial Pilots. It's probably the best description out there except for a few details left out.

Got to get some rest for another 1 legger tomorrow and 3 the next day!

The Chargers new uniforms kick ass and they are opening up against the Chicago Bears! That's going to be just pure awesomeness!

update: I know this is an old post but link to the bls was broken. I recently redirected it their updated site and also received a link to https://peoplemanagingpeople.com/topics/occupational-outlook-handbook Cheers in that new career!