Careercast.com, a career oriented website, released today the list of the most stressful jobs in the united states. Guess who is ranking first ?... us, skippers of the skies. While I definitely agree that this profession is very stressful, I would have to say that I can find numerous other jobs that are, if not more, at least equally challenging on a day to day basis. To be more representative, the survey should have been more oriented toward quality of life. I am saying this because some of the key points that they mentioned, including an average six figures paycheck and 9 hours of work per day is completely wrong and make people wonder what can be so stressful about thoses decent work conditions. The truth is, this job might deserve the number one spot for other reasons. To start, I would have mentioned the fact that pilots are usually reimbursing close to 100000 dollars of tuition fees and that the pay at regionals is between 20000 and 50000 for about the first ten years. If you are even lucky to get there because for the past few years, thousands of us have been furloughed thanks to the oil price and subsequent cost cutting plans and unlike other professions, our experience is not really recognized. When we start at a new carrier, we start back at the bottom of the pay scale. It is also worth mentioning that the 9 hour work day that they give is unrealistic. Pilots are allow, by law, to be on duty up to 16 hours a day. And believe me, we do work that much. While we can usually only fly around 8 hours a day, we still spend the other half of the time, sitting at the gate preparing for the flights or coping with delays being at the mercy, most of the time, of the weather and traffic just like any passengers. And guess what folks... we dont get paid for that lost time. Add to this, the fact that every so often, pilots have to go back to the simulator and prove to the FAA and their companies by doing a checkride, that they are capable of flying and exercising good judgment. While this is necessary to continue having the best trained crewmembers in the cockpit, it is obvious that thoses checkrides are always stressful, regardless of how many you have done in your career. Mainly because as a pilot, your job is on the line everytime. I could also add the fact that half of the pilots have to commute to and from their base and often either sleep in a room with 5 other pilots in a so called crashpad at 300 dollars a month or try to jumpseat before the biginning of the trip and also at the end of it. All of thses factors add to fatigue and create a tremendous amount of stress and make the quality of life a little less attractive than what the article suggests. But just like doctors or firefighters, most of us are pursuing this job because of our passion for the job, hoping that by the time we retire ( without pension by the way ) we can look back and still say that it was a very rewarding career.
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Incredible two minutes video of more than 2400 photos taken during a flight from San Francisco to Paris. Fasten your seat belt and enjoy this quick 11 hours journey taking you across the US and Canada, inside the artic circle and finally over Northern Europe. Enjoy the view !
I have been training at Eagle for a bit more than a month so far and it has been an interesting process. We have been alternating between home and classroom studies. We had to cover airplane systems while covering other subjects that are important parts of a pilot's job. It included among other things, FMS ( flight management systems ) labs where through an interactive computer program we were able to learn and become familiar with the functionalities of the equiment. We also spent some time learning about the abnormal procedures relating to safety, by using the emergency equipments that we have on board like fire extinguishers or life vests and about the operation of the emergency exits. Moreover we were given a speech about high risk situations like terrorism and complicated passengers. While it was done in a very unorthodox manner, it was at least to the point. The past week we started working on cockpit system integration which basically is the process of sitting in front of a plastic display of the CRJ's cockpit and work on the crew members flow and understand how the systems are used at different stages of the flight. It allows pilots to establish some sort of confort and make for an easier transition before starting the simulator sessions. After spending the last month working hard to become familiar with the airplane, I successfully passed my oral check. While I was fully prepared and thought it was pretty straight forward I found myself stumped by two questions. I left the interrogation room more knowledgeable and satisfied by my performance. Now I get to go home for a week or so while I wait for my simulator sessions to start and finally complete my checkride. The amount of pilots who are currently training accross the country are keeping the full motion simulators and training centers very busy lately. It's a good sign of health !
I just got back to cincinnati for five days, and as much as I would like to consider this a vacation spent at home, most of my time will be spent studying. As you might now if you follow my blog, I was recently hired by the biggest regional airline in the world, American Eagle. After enjoying couple days off between my old job and the new one, I flew down to Dallas on sunday, and officially launched this new step in my pilot career. The first night was pretty relaxed and offered me, as well as a few other new hires the opportunity to meet up for dinner and discuss among other things, our expectations. I mention expectation because at Eagle, the choice of base and equipment for new hires is based on age. The oldest of the class getting first pick. I was personnaly anxious to figure out where I situated my self among the class as I was trying to get a specific spot and was not sure if my age would give me the seniority to obtain my first choice. Regardless of the airplane I was really hoping for chicago to be my hub as it would allow for easy commute to and from home and bring me closer to some of my family members. During the first night I also got to meet my roommate. A really interesting guy originally from South Africa with an extensive experience flying humanitarian missions in different war zones around the world. Monday was the first morning of this intense training and the bidding started around 8 am. I was happy to see that I was number 11 out of 22 people which gave me the opportunity to get what I wanted, the Bombardier CRJ700 based in Chicago. When the dust settled, we where given a brief about the training content and quickly started the first part, indoctrination, which lasted the entire week. We reviewed everythings about company policies and operating procedures. I didn't find it hard to understand the bullet points and thought it was pretty much straight forward. During the week, Eagle really showed us what it is like to be part of a sizeable and organized airline. They took care of everything from uniform to ID badge and setting us up quickly with the company website where we can have direct access to our information about health and travel benefits, payroll, discounts and lots of other useful information. I will add that they definitely provide their employees with a great flight academy where, with American Airline, everyday hundreds of people cross each others continously through the maze-like dedicated training space, and where we can also enjoy the museum about the history of American, and have access to a pilot store and a cafeteria. There are also different departments housed in the complex and right across the street there is also AMR's headquarter. Employees nicknamed the training center "the school house" which doesn't quite give it justice. Outside of the center, Eagle provides all the pilots with hotel rooms that are mainly occupied by the new hires and in which they have set up rooms available for group study and cockpit training. After those first five days, we had to pass the indoc test on Monday and for the folks who got awarded a jet position, including me, we got to go home for the week to study the airplanes systems via a computer based training made available by the manufacturer. Once this is done, we will all head back to the academy for the next step of the training bringing me closer to flying the 70 seat jet.
One of the biggest worry for airlines and their employees, is the fuel price. In the past few years, we have seen it reach well above the 100 dollars mark for a barrel. High price means huge losses and therefore forces airlines to cut expenses in order to stay operational. This diagram below, reflect the financial consequences with the barrel at different prices. Even though it is a 2008 estimate ; with the current and continuous increase of the price of crude oil, the consequences would be the same.
It is the end of the cargo road for me. A few days ago, I finally got the word from American Eagle and will be starting my training on February 28th in Dallas. After taking care of the last details including paperworks and my medical examination, I gave my two weeks notice to my base manager who was not surprised. That is because he did not even know who I was. Pretty chocking considering I have worked there for two years and there are only a dozen pilots flying out of cincinnati. Talk about a sign that says it is time to move on... For my last week flying boxes around the midwest, I got to fly a different E120. Much younger than the one we used to hop around with before I took it to California for the C check. This one has what we had been waiting for in a long time. A gps. It is definitely a nice upgrade and makes our life a little easier. Thanks to this somewhat modern gadget, air traffic control is a lot more keen to give us direct to our destination or at least a shortcut, especially in the middle of the night when there are fewer airplanes zooming through the skies. To be honest, this is the type of update I could get used to very quickly. It is amazing the amount of information you can obtain from the system. From the airplane's ground speed to the wind condition at your current altitude or data about the actual trip, through a very well designed interactive display. I guess it is a nice and efficient step between basic VOR navigation and having a flight management system. It definitely kept me entertained for my last few nights hauling freight, as it seemed like time was dragging on very slowly. It did not help either that I actually was feeling under the weather for a few days. Yesterday was my last flight for the company and I was looking forward to it. After a late departure out of Cedar Rapids, we were flying above the weather and under what was almost a full moon. The tail wind was pretty strong and gave me only a short time to appreciate what I have accomplished on this very same run for the past couple years. With Cincinnati in sight, I brought the Embraer softly onto the runway. After a quick taxi to the ramp, the engines went quiet and one last time, I signed off, finally closing this chapter.
Since the Colgan Crash in February 2009, pilots have been raising a red flag unknown by the flying public and often ignored by airlines. I am talking about fatigue. Because of low wages, pilots can not afford to live in major metroplitan areas like New-York, where airlines have hubs and therefore crew bases. Often, the pilots live in towns with a lower cost of living and before starting their scheduled trip, they will commute either the night before, early morning and even sometime overnight. Because hotels are expensive, especially when you make $1500 Dollars a month, some of them will sleep in inadequate rest areas in airports. Below you can watch a recently aired short video from ABC News about the subject of pilot fatigue.
An airport is often a place of emotions. Sometime sadness from a young child because his grand-parents are leaving after spending a few days with him, from an adult because his significant other is going away for college or perhaps even from an entire family as one of its member is leaving for a tour of duty. Sometime though, the terminal turns into a place of joy. I could give you multiple examples but I thought this T-Mobile commercial would sum it up best. After seeing it, you will probably look forward to your flight back home...
I have been home for more than a week so far and for what I am told, our airplane will still be down for its heavy maintenance check for about another week. I will probably airline to Burbank and fly it back to Cincinnati. Because of the situation, my February schedule is up in the air and I am fine with it. I am definitely enjoying the time off and spending it with my girls and the dog. Enjoying the comfort of my own home, like sleeping in a familiar bed or having a warm cooked meal somewhere else then in a hotel room is a more appealing choice. I get to do my share of the household chores, like laundry, cleaning, taking the kid to school or walk the dog a few times a day. I try to compensate for the fact that I basically don’t contribute for 20 days of the month, while on the road. This time off is also welcomed because I might be away for a few weeks starting February 28th, as I have received couple days ago, my conditional offer of employment from American Eagle. The next step is the company pre-hire medical examination, which I will be doing very shortly. The training which takes place in Dallas, is about six weeks long and the opportunities to go home are very limited if any at all. I got the news fairly quickly as I had only interviewed three weeks ago and because of all the hiring they are doing, I did not expect to go through the captain review board so soon. But until everything is definitely set in stone, I remain a freight dog and I get to be the lucky one to walk our miniature schnauzer Jazz during the snowy and frigid winter in Kentucky.
7 days into this Texas trip and it seems like I will be heading home on Thursday. I’m smiling. In the meantime, I am sitting here at the Marriott in Dallas until Monday afternoon before going back and forth to Amarillo for a few more days. So far I will say that it has been an interesting assignment. Out of 5 days of work, I have only been able to fly 2 days for a total of roughly 5 hours. Usually I log this much in one day. It is definitely a lot less tiring down here… in theory. For some reason, being stuck in a hotel room and watch TV all day long can get pretty boring after 12 hours. I was hoping to actually stay in Amarillo because the hotel as an indoor pool but due to a technical difficulty with one of our engines, we are parked in DFW for 2 days. Even though in this business you should always expect the unexpected, once again I let my guard down and left my suitcase with most of my clothes at the hotel in Amarillo. I am now convinced that every time I do this I end up stuck where I wasn’t supposed to. But this time, it makes for a good experience. Here is why. Couple days ago my bank blocked my debit card because of unusual activities which were nothing more than expenses over a few different states in a short amount of time. Who knew pilots fly into more than one state ? Anyway, in the mean time, I left my quarters in my suitcase in Amarillo but unfortunately the few clothes I carry with me in my pilot bag for emergency situation like this one, are in need of a good wash and since I don’t plan on walking in my underwear for three days. I just need to walk to the gas station to grab food but I have standards. I am not one of those people who go to Wal-Mart in my pajamas. I was left with only one option. To do my laundry the old fashion way as I had everything I needed here in my hotel room. Some soap, hot water and a sink. An hour later and some serious elbow grease and voila ! Everything is now drying on my shower curtain bar with some help from the blow dryer. I always miss the comfort of my own home but usually the washer-dryer are not on the top of my list. I probably won’t have to do it again as I should be home soon. Yes, I’m almost there.