There are checked bags, carry on bags... and then there's ass bags. Anyone that has flown into and out of EWR/LGA/JFK knows that ATC flow control delays are a part of the norm. On this day there was a line of weather to the west of Newark and it was hosing up all the arrival and departure routing. Juuust as the passengers started boarding the plane in Detroit, we got word that we had been given a 2 hour delay. We were stuck at the gate. Considering the length of the delay, we let everyone stay in the terminal so that they had access to space, real bathrooms, restaurants, etc.
We decided to start boarding the flight 40 mins before our slot time. That should be enough time to get boarded plus another 10 mins to taxi out to the runway and be ready for our departure slot time. The gate agent must have had other ideas, however. It became obvious that she was only wanting to get the door closed by our slot time. It was a downright struggle to just get people boarded in 30 mins. Unreal. Then, since the flight was so late, the tug and tug driver were somewhere else. So, we had to call our operations people and try to get a tug to come back and push us off the gate. ATC usually gives you +/-5 mins leeway on your slot time. We arrived at the end of the runway right at the +5 mins. If we'd been one more minute late, we'd likely be sitting off to the side, or even perhaps returning to the gate to await another slot time. Needless to say, we were pretty pissed with the gate agent and ground crew.
We blasted off, and headed to EWR. We had some storms to go around, we had some speed reductions and delay vectors to hold us back further while enroute. Again, not really out of the norm considering the weather. We even had to be in contact with dispatch to verify the new routing with them to ensure we had adequate fuel to accept the routing and still have enough left for our alternate airport as well.
As we got closer to the line of weather, it was evident that we'd have to find a path through the storm cells. We had a few options, but one seemed the best course, so we stuck with that. We punched through a decent gap and only got bumped around for a short time. Wasn't too bad at all. After that, we got vectored around some of the smaller storms as we descended down below 10,000ft and got into the terminal area. Things around the NYC area can already be tense due to the traffic volume, so having weather in the area just adds to it. Needless to say, it was exceedingly busy for the last 30 mins of the flight.
We managed our way through it all and even stayed fast on final approach (per ATC request) to help them out with spacing for aircraft in trail of us. Then, we slowed on short final, and I even managed to squeak out a sweet greaser of a landing with the gusty crosswinds (pure luck, I'm guessing). I was feeling pretty good about it all. It was a lot of work and a lot of items to juggle. But, we worked together as a crew and made it work.
Ground control in EWR was busy as usual and they gave us a pretty complicated taxi route. Of course, there were about 40 other planes taxing around us, coming and going. So, even though we were on the ground, it wasn't time to sit back and let our guard down. We followed everything to the T and got to the gate.
Once we got parked, another wet towel was thrown into the goings-on. The jet bridge didn't work. The ramp personnel fought with it for at least 5 mins while the passengers were waiting to get off the plane, a full 2 hours later than originally planned.
Now, I know things happen, but I will say this. I was in EWR only a few days prior. And that very same damn jet bridge didn't work then either! I don't buy the fact that this very jet bridge ONLY goes on the fritz when I'm in town. I don't buy it for one minute. Those personnel KNEW that jet bridge didn't work. Yet, they still spent 5 mins dicking with it. Then, they took another 10 mins to get their act together so that we could unload the passengers via the airstairs and then have them walk up the metal stairs up into the jet bridge. And, we had two passengers that required wheelchairs. No, they weren't ready for that either. That was another 10 min wait after everyone else had gotten off the plane. They totally and completely dropped the ball. Why is it that only the flight crews seem to be the ones held to the "high customer service standard?"
Most people, as usual, were at least understanding of the weather and traffic delays. I think the jet bridge issue was the final straw and really ticked some people off, myself included. I knew it had been a problem there for several days.
However, what REALLY did it for me, was some suit wearing cock monkey who got off the plane, looked at the crew and said, "Piss poor job today, boys!" It took every ounce of my being not to grab this fat, ignorant and arrogant ass clown by the throat and rip him 17 brand new assholes, R. Lee Ermey style. All that was going through my head was "Ex-fucking-scuse me??? I just busted by ass, lost 2 hrs out of MY sleep for tonight, and battled my own company every step of the way to get you here as fast as I could and as safely as possible. I did not a single thing wrong. Not one. I made this flight happen. I got you here to your destination safely. Don't you dare pull that shitty little bitch ass adolescent attitude with me about how I did a piss poor job. You don't like flying this airline? Go find another! Go! Get the fuck off my aircraft. I don't want your damn business if you're such a colon roaster. It's people like you that do nothing but piss and fucking moan about every damn thing in the world. You're just a miserable human being and I don't care for all my other passengers to have to deal with a dick face like you in the cabin. Everyone else here will be happier without you around. Get lost."
Was I bitter? Yeah... a bit. The lesson? The flight crew is the most visible part of the airline operation. However, they are certainly not always the ones to blame when things don't go well. In fact, they are usually the ones doing everything they can do make things happen while pushing against every other department in the company.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Adventure in Decline
I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a huge movie fan. I don't dislike movies, but I just don't think you get what you pay for going out to see a movie anymore. I did, however, finally see "Amelia" on DVD last week, and it sparked a bit of thought. In Amelia Earhart's day, aviation was a completely different industry than it is today. Adventure in this line of work is not what it once was, and I think it peaks extremely early in a commercial pilot's career.
Now, it's certainly worth noting up top that it is a good thing that "adventure" isn't a normal component of part 121 air travel. I'm pretty sure the traveling public likes it that way. They want dull, boring, and routine. And, that's fair enough. I understand where they are coming from with that, but it certainly does take away from the romantic pilot image.
I think one of the biggest adventures for a new pilot is that first solo flight. I think it might even be the pinnacle for a pilot's career. It is a tremendous feeling the first time your CFI turns you loose for a few laps around the field. At this point, you likely have very little in the way of hours in your logbook, and much of what you're about to do, is very new. The first solo is an adventure. The first time you part ways with the tarmac, and its just you and the plane. It's your first real "gut-check" in flying. There's no one else to make any inputs on the controls. No one else to take up any space inside the cabin. Up to that point, your entire brief flying career has been under the guidance of your instructor. Then, for the first time, its just up to you to fly this bird around the patch. It really does feel like uncharted territory. Even though your CFI is confident in your skills, there is certainly a feeling of risk and uncertainty. The first solo is usually an event that every pilot remembers and enjoys looking back on.
From that point on, as a pilot progresses through his/her career, I think the "adventure" element begins to decline. As a pilot completes the instrument rating, the commercial single and multi-engine ratings, there are little adventurous bits here and there, but I don't think they compare to that first solo in terms of sheer exhilaration.
This is even more pronounced later in a pilot's career. As a pilot learns to fly bigger and faster aircraft, type ratings are earned, and pilots start flying as a crew, not just by themselves. It wasn't too long ago that I had my first flight as a regional airline captain. If you would have asked me, back in my private pilot days, what it would feel like to fly my first flight as a 121 captain, I'd have been using words like, "Awesome, incredible, exciting, kick ass, etc." Now, this isn't to say that this wasn't a milestone flight in my career. It was a very enjoyable and satisfying thing. However, that sheer sense of adventure was notably absent.
Why is this? Well, adventure certainly is a wonderful thing, but it's also closely associated with something called, "Risk." You see, as you fly bigger, faster, and more expensive aircraft, risk is something to be minimized. By the time you make a line flight, even as a new first officer, much of what you are about to do, has already been rehearsed, rehearsed and re-rehearsed. This is in effort to make things as routine as possible for you and the operation. This indeed is a good thing, seeing as how the first time you fly your actual aircraft, you will have paying passengers behind you. They don't want to even think about you having an adventure up there in the front of their plane.
So, this is really just a little note to those just getting started in or about to start their aviation careers. I know you're focused on getting through those ratings as fast as you can, and all you want is to be done with training and flying big fast jet somewhere. But trust me, don't short change that enjoyment of those early ratings, and mostly importantly, that first solo.
Now, it's certainly worth noting up top that it is a good thing that "adventure" isn't a normal component of part 121 air travel. I'm pretty sure the traveling public likes it that way. They want dull, boring, and routine. And, that's fair enough. I understand where they are coming from with that, but it certainly does take away from the romantic pilot image.
I think one of the biggest adventures for a new pilot is that first solo flight. I think it might even be the pinnacle for a pilot's career. It is a tremendous feeling the first time your CFI turns you loose for a few laps around the field. At this point, you likely have very little in the way of hours in your logbook, and much of what you're about to do, is very new. The first solo is an adventure. The first time you part ways with the tarmac, and its just you and the plane. It's your first real "gut-check" in flying. There's no one else to make any inputs on the controls. No one else to take up any space inside the cabin. Up to that point, your entire brief flying career has been under the guidance of your instructor. Then, for the first time, its just up to you to fly this bird around the patch. It really does feel like uncharted territory. Even though your CFI is confident in your skills, there is certainly a feeling of risk and uncertainty. The first solo is usually an event that every pilot remembers and enjoys looking back on.
From that point on, as a pilot progresses through his/her career, I think the "adventure" element begins to decline. As a pilot completes the instrument rating, the commercial single and multi-engine ratings, there are little adventurous bits here and there, but I don't think they compare to that first solo in terms of sheer exhilaration.
This is even more pronounced later in a pilot's career. As a pilot learns to fly bigger and faster aircraft, type ratings are earned, and pilots start flying as a crew, not just by themselves. It wasn't too long ago that I had my first flight as a regional airline captain. If you would have asked me, back in my private pilot days, what it would feel like to fly my first flight as a 121 captain, I'd have been using words like, "Awesome, incredible, exciting, kick ass, etc." Now, this isn't to say that this wasn't a milestone flight in my career. It was a very enjoyable and satisfying thing. However, that sheer sense of adventure was notably absent.
Why is this? Well, adventure certainly is a wonderful thing, but it's also closely associated with something called, "Risk." You see, as you fly bigger, faster, and more expensive aircraft, risk is something to be minimized. By the time you make a line flight, even as a new first officer, much of what you are about to do, has already been rehearsed, rehearsed and re-rehearsed. This is in effort to make things as routine as possible for you and the operation. This indeed is a good thing, seeing as how the first time you fly your actual aircraft, you will have paying passengers behind you. They don't want to even think about you having an adventure up there in the front of their plane.
So, this is really just a little note to those just getting started in or about to start their aviation careers. I know you're focused on getting through those ratings as fast as you can, and all you want is to be done with training and flying big fast jet somewhere. But trust me, don't short change that enjoyment of those early ratings, and mostly importantly, that first solo.
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