Proficiency Flying

[donv]

I'm thinking about doing a proficiency flight in the 980 in the next week or two. I will probably run over to an airport about 50 miles away with a good ILS, shoot the approach, walk around the airport a bit, and come home. The good news is, fuel is really cheap right now! Under $2/gallon at home right now.

Anyone else looking at doing the same?

[Steve binnette]

That’s a good idea, knocking the rust off the plane and yourself.  I need to take my Plane in for its 150hr. Next month I am guessing.

[donv]

Steve, are you doing much airline flying?

[JimC]

I'm thinking of it, but I haven't removed my metaphorical rear from my metaphorical couch to do it. It's close to the longest stretch I've been without flying for the last 6 years.

[Steve binnette]

Steve, are you doing much airline flying?

My last trip was flying to Kona on March 9.  As it ends up that will be my last trip ever for the airline.

They offered  something they called a  permanent leave.  It pays me 50hrs of flying ( about 60% pay) and provides full benefits and retirement contribution until I am 65 years old.  I just turned 62 last month.

Looking forward the airline will trim pilots schedules dramatically for the next few years.  The time of flying a 1000 hrs a year is over for a while.

It worked for me, but was not how I had envisioned going out after 34+ years.

[SKYFLYER]

Heaps better than having them go under and seeing maybe 10% if that. The sudden timing of it all would be something to get used to... but I think that is a pretty good deal especially keeping full benefits and full retirement. Guess it would be sorta like bidding reserve the whole time.

Now all you have to do is find a comfortable balance between all the wife's requests and keeping the Commander polished up

[Steve binnette]

It’s a great deal.  630 or so pilots were eligible and took it.  You had to be 62 yrs old or older.  That is out of 15000 total pilots.

Needing less pilots going forward means furloughs.  That creates its own problem.  You can’t just furlough the bottom 3000 pilots.  It would trigger a training crisis as other pilots would be displaced down into lower paying equipment that the furloughed guys just vacated. It would cascade all the way through the seats.

The leaves eliminates senior guys from multiple fleets preventing others from those fleets needing to be displaced down into lower paying equipment.

They are also offering short term leaves of 1,3 and 6 months.

The government has an interest in the airlines success.  It is the economic value they provide plus the CRAF, civil reserve air force.  I have always put myself on the list to volunteer for that duty but have never been called up.  They activated it during gulf war.  Taking airliners and crews from the airlines to supplement the Air Force.   

The airlines will survive but will look and operate a little different.

[Adam Frisch]

Wow, congrats and my condolences at the same time, Steve! And happy retirement, I suppose! More time to fly the Commander! 

[donv]

Congratulations, Steve! Time for the next chapter... that sounds like a pretty good deal.

[Steve binnette]

Thank you, once the dust settles from the virus debacle I feel I will be happy with the choice I have made..

It was hard giving up any income with the economic unknowns.  The airline gave us 5 days to decide.

Our business has paid the bills for the last 20 yrs not the airline job.  Like a lot of businesses I believe we will survive this event but I am not sure how much damage will we take from it?

We need to get people back to work.

[donv]

I did a nice little 3-leg trip yesterday. Each leg was about 25 minutes, so quick but not completely rushed, with an ILS at the first stop and an RNAV (LP only) at the second. I did a visual back home, as it was so busy I think they would have had a hard time accommodating an instrument approach.

I went for about a 20 minute walk at each of my stops. Felt good, and I definitely needed the practice!

[Adam Frisch]

Now you just ate 3 more cycles, Don! 

[donv]

You know, I thought about that. And in my position, that's actually the most limiting factor. But hey, it's the end of the world...

[donv]

I will say it surprised me how busy Seattle Center was. Although a big part of that reason was that there was only one controller covering pretty much all of Oregon.