Programs: AS MVP (withering away due to insane fares), UA, AA, AGR, NPS passport, Costco Exec
Posts: 5,179
Quote:
Originally Posted by aluminumdriver
Once we are off the gate, we have to contact our maintenance in SFO for assistance. We can call them directly on a cell phone, or go through ACARS and text message them, or through our dispatch and phone patch with them.
Do you have company-issued cell phones or would you just use your personal ones?
It's interesting to see the difference in attitudes about personal cell phone usage--some of the people I work with constantly use their personal phone for work-related calls because they'd rather do that than walk around and find a landline, while others are so guarded about their usage that they won't even give the company their number as an emergency contact because they don't want to use any of their minutes.
I would fall into the former camp--if I needed to get in touch with SFO maintenance, I'd just whip my personal phone out, since it's probably a lot less trouble than texting them through ACARS. (I don't know about that, though, either--is ACARS easy to use and type on?)
Do you have company-issued cell phones or would you just use your personal ones?
It's interesting to see the difference in attitudes about personal cell phone usage--some of the people I work with constantly use their personal phone for work-related calls because they'd rather do that than walk around and find a landline, while others are so guarded about their usage that they won't even give the company their number as an emergency contact because they don't want to use any of their minutes.
I would fall into the former camp--if I needed to get in touch with SFO maintenance, I'd just whip my personal phone out, since it's probably a lot less trouble than texting them through ACARS. (I don't know about that, though, either--is ACARS easy to use and type on?)
Uh, no, United doesn't provide us cell phones (LOL), that would cost them money. If a pilot wants to call from the jet on his phone versus using the radio, he pays for it.
__________________
These views are my own and do not represent the views of United Airlines or the ALPA.
It seems to me that pre-2001 Pilots used to announce sights/waypoints/views more often than they do now. On any given transcon you'd get about 3 announcements when flying over something interesting (like a lit up city, or Yosemite National Park, etc...) Is it me or are you guys still making those announcements? And if not, is there a specific rule in place that prevents it?
The reason I ask is that I download the flight path of every flight as a KML file and import it into Google Earth to re-fly the route. That way if I have seen something interesting or want to know what certain things are I can look them up.
Programs: AS MVP (withering away due to insane fares), UA, AA, AGR, NPS passport, Costco Exec
Posts: 5,179
Quote:
Originally Posted by aluminumdriver
Uh, no, United doesn't provide us cell phones (LOL), that would cost them money. If a pilot wants to call from the jet on his phone versus using the radio, he pays for it.
I figured as much, but I didn't know for sure--Amtrak provides their conductors with cell phones in order to call in certain information such as station stop times. (I recently struck up a conversation with a conductor on the California Zephyr somewhere near Green River, UT. I can't remember exactly why, but he handed me the phone because we were trying to figure something out--I think he may have wanted me to help him find the calculator buried in the menu somewhere--and I noticed that the home screen had been all decorated up (probably by some bored new-hire assistant conductor) and said "AMTRAK CONDUCTOR PHONE". He used the phone after the stop to alert someone at Amtrak HQ of the departure time from Green River, probably so they could update the train's status for the phone and internet status applications--apparently, it's not done automatically by the host railroad's dispatchers.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by snowed
The reason I ask is that I download the flight path of every flight as a KML file and import it into Google Earth to re-fly the route. That way if I have seen something interesting or want to know what certain things are I can look them up.
Cool! What site do you use to do that? I think I may have seen it somewhere, but I never thought of that using it for that kind of application--I see interesting things on nearly every flight and always want to go back and figure out what they were!
Cool! What site do you use to do that? I think I may have seen it somewhere, but I never thought of that using it for that kind of application--I see interesting things on nearly every flight and always want to go back and figure out what they were!
The site I have used for this is fboweb.com and I have picked a few backcountry hikes while flying over the sierras with it. They also have KML files that show all incoming flights into certain airports.
freshairborne - great post but why if you're "auto" land would you need
I know the crew obviously need those but what does it have to do with an autoland requirement? The machine isn't looking at the scenery. (is it )
Ahh, very astute question, grasshopper.
At least two reasons.
1) Before we cross a certain point on the approach, the visibility must be above a certain value, around a thousand feet of vis on the runway. If viz drops after we've passed that point, known as the beginning of the Final Approach Segment, usually about 4 or 5 miles from the runway, the viz can go down to zero, and we continue. The requirement for wipers is a holdover from before the zero viz thing became legal a few years ago.
2) We still need to see to taxi. There is no waiver for zero visibility when taxiing, just landing. Makes no sense? The approach guidance electronics are very precise in flight, and landing rollout, but non-existent for taxi.
I remember doing an autoland with so little viz that we caught a glimpse of the runway environment (approach, threshold, and runway lighting) then had to follow a truck from the taxiway to near our gate because we couldn't see the terminal. Hmmmm.....
Fresh
__________________
These are my own observations and/or opinions, and not necessarily those of the Air Line Pilots Association or UAL Corp.
That's officially the funnest thing I've read today. Kudos to anyone that was able to remain upright as I fear I would have lost it on that one.
Yeah, that's a fact! I couldn't believe she said that. Now, that Captain was known for being a pretty humorous dude, and I've tried to get a few honeys to give me an opener a time or two, just to keep that ball rolling, so to speak.
No dice, though, that's the best exchange I've ever heard first-hand. I'm not giving up, though, and my motto is, I try to get slapped about once a day bu someone, passenger, F/A, whatever, but stay out of the pokey.
If you see a capt. with as many as 7 (my personal record, on a dare) Swatch watches on as he's saying hi or bye, it's either me or my brother-from-another-mother, Pablo.
Haven't been slapped for it yet, though. feel free to take a shot if you see me with said Swatch adornment (can't stand the radar-reflective 7 pound "pilot watches").
Fresh
__________________
These are my own observations and/or opinions, and not necessarily those of the Air Line Pilots Association or UAL Corp.
I remember doing an autoland with so little viz that we caught a glimpse of the runway environment (approach, threshold, and runway lighting) then had to follow a truck from the taxiway to near our gate because we couldn't see the terminal.
Here's a good video of what a Cat III approach looks like from the cockpit.
You'll hear "200, Land 3" and "100, Land 3" calls which are 200' and 100' above touchdown. Land 3 is the autoland system status. You'll also hear the 50' and 30' calls which are also feet above touchdown.
It seems to me that pre-2001 Pilots used to announce sights/waypoints/views more often than they do now. On any given transcon you'd get about 3 announcements when flying over something interesting (like a lit up city, or Yosemite National Park, etc...) Is it me or are you guys still making those announcements? And if not, is there a specific rule in place that prevents it?.Thanks.
My Friday SFO-ORD pilot called out Cedar Rapids, Iowa so we could all see the flooding from the air, so I doubt there is a rule that prevents it.
Do you have company-issued cell phones or would you just use your personal ones?
It's interesting to see the difference in attitudes about personal cell phone usage--some of the people I work with constantly use their personal phone for work-related calls because they'd rather do that than walk around and find a landline, while others are so guarded about their usage that they won't even give the company their number as an emergency contact because they don't want to use any of their minutes.
I would fall into the former camp--if I needed to get in touch with SFO maintenance, I'd just whip my personal phone out, since it's probably a lot less trouble than texting them through ACARS. (I don't know about that, though, either--is ACARS easy to use and type on?)
United does not issue us cell phones. We are free to use them for company business if we want, though.
I use mine on most days at work. When an operational maintenance issue comes up, we can use our radio to patch through to our SFO maintenance facility, or call dispatch, or zone control, etc, or we can, if not airborne and not moving, call on our cell phone. The phone is much cleaner and clearer, so information transfer is more reliable.
My cell phone # is the only phone # United has of mine, and when they call, there's a unique ring tone and picture to warn me not to answer. If it's important, they leave a message, I screen it, then call back if I think it's prudent, like after I've reviewed the section of my contract they might be referring to.
My phone also has internet capability, and I can access weather info same as on a computer. Real-time weather data is available via the internet, but not on the airplanes. Ironic, because I fly corporate on the side in a little Cessna Citation that's 30 years old, avionics that are 2 generations past, but with a modern nav unit that uplinks real-time weather and other things to it. United could equip every airplane with those units for much less than the cost of a sweet executive bonus.
All of these things allow me to write off my phone for business purposes, and only talk to them when I want to.
The airplanes have a SELCAL (Selective Calling) system, discussed on this thread a few months back. My phone is my SELCAL. I only talk to them when I want. Suffice it to say, if they're calling me, it's not to congratulate me for anything, so I screen my calls.
They can ignore our ACARS text messages, too. As a result of being ignored yesterday, I rode a jumpseat home because they ignored my request to adjust my deadhead to a later flight because I was going to land in ORD too late to be on my scheduled deadhead.
And day before yesterday, they ignored my request for a legality question after reassigning me to fly to Kansas city instead of Honolulu. There's absolutely NOWHERE to surf in Kansas City, so it was kind of a bummer, dude.
__________________
These are my own observations and/or opinions, and not necessarily those of the Air Line Pilots Association or UAL Corp.
You'll hear "200, Land 3" and "100, Land 3" calls which are 200' and 100' above touchdown. Land 3 is the autoland system status. You'll also hear the 50' and 30' calls which are also feet above touchdown.
Yeah, like that. Sporty.
Fresh
__________________
These are my own observations and/or opinions, and not necessarily those of the Air Line Pilots Association or UAL Corp.
You'll hear "200, Land 3" and "100, Land 3" calls which are 200' and 100' above touchdown. Land 3 is the autoland system status. You'll also hear the 50' and 30' calls which are also feet above touchdown.
wow, how do they figure 600' viz? From the video it looked like the only thing one could see was gray.
Programs: UA 1K (thanks to UCBeau and Lucky), RCC, Fallen Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 287
On our flight from ANC-SFO Sunday, we had the pilots deadheading that were to fly the 9:30 pm flight to LAX. We ended up leaving ANC 1:15 late, then a 4 hour flight, and about an hour before their scheduled flight left SFO.
That makes for a very long day, but I'm curious about how you get paid when you are not commuting. They flew the flight up the night before that arrived around midnight, then ride back and not fly until late that next night.
If as you say "if you can see us we aren't getting paid," isn't that a financial loss to the pilots for all of that time and only an hour of flight time?
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I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up....
On our flight from ANC-SFO Sunday, we had the pilots deadheading that were to fly the 9:30 pm flight to LAX. We ended up leaving ANC 1:15 late, then a 4 hour flight, and about an hour before their scheduled flight left SFO.
That makes for a very long day, but I'm curious about how you get paid when you are not commuting. They flew the flight up the night before that arrived around midnight, then ride back and not fly until late that next night.
If as you say "if you can see us we aren't getting paid," isn't that a financial loss to the pilots for all of that time and only an hour of flight time?
ALMOST whenever you see us, we aren't getting paid. Up until a few months ago, there was no pay credit for deadheading in most cases. That was changed recently, and we now get paid for it.
The FAA rules for domestic flying limit our time on duty to 16 hours, and our contract further limits it to 14. There's still a limit of 8 hours scheduled flight time in a 24 hour period, but no limit to actual flight time other than it has to fit within the 14 hour rule, so we could have delays (you laugh, I know) where we're off the blocks for a lot longer and still be legal. Those can be long days, as most of our passengers can well attest to.
Freshairborne
__________________
These are my own observations and/or opinions, and not necessarily those of the Air Line Pilots Association or UAL Corp.
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