Is it over yet

Chicago ohare waking up, with a b747 departing to Asia. They have a long ride ahead.

Day 5. It's been a long 5 days. The schedule has not really worked as smoothly as previous trips. Nothing has seemed to work as smoothly. Had a day we were supposed to fly syr ORD ind JFK cvg. While enroute to ind we received notice the JFK had been canceled. Now we are scheduled to ferry and empty plane to cvg and overnight there. That's a loss of 4.5 hours of flying. I can say this, empty, the emj145 can climb. You have to be very careful, you can blow right through an altitude assignment in a blink of an eye.

One day Chicago departure held us at 5000 until we got out over the lake.
It was an awesome view. If you look south of downtown, there is a patch of grass that looks like a Island. That was Meigs field. Now, its a patch of grass. Don't even want to get started on that one.

This was out plane on the ORD-IND trip. We gave her to another crew who took her back to ORD. Our plane came in a short time later and we ferried it to Cincinnati.
The only good thing about that was getting some Famous Dave's BBQ. Its pretty good.

This was my view from the back of the plane on our return trip to ORD from Nashville. Yes, Sitting in back. But the stroy really starts at 4am. I get a call from crew scheduling. They have an assignment. I am to Deadhead to Nashville, and pick up an empty plane and ferry it to Chicago. The trip down was ok. I met the Captain I was to fly with on the ferry flight and had some small talk. He was a newly upgraded Captain. Seemed like a really nice guy. I was looking forward to that flight. I had just spent two days with a guy who was not as pleasant. When we got on the ground at BNA The crew who flew us told us they received word that our ferry flight was canceled. Now we are to return to Chicago, again in the back. Deadheading. If your not familiar with that. Deadheading is when the company flys you in the cabin as a passenger, but you are being paid to fly. You are on duty. So they basically paid us to fly as passengers to Nashville and back.
The only problem now is that this is my last day. I want to go home. and Chicago is about to get pounded with Tstorms. This could back things up for days. Not want I want to hear. The view above was on approach in the clouds, and rain and lightning. I do not like looking out the window and seeing lightning. Thankfully it was fairly smooth and the wx we were in was not to bad. We got on the ground and deplaned. Once Inside I called crew scheduling again and they released me. This means I am done and can go home...really? You couldn't release me in BNA where I was already half way home. I could grabbed a flight to DFW and a connection to SAT.
Long story short I made it home, even with the delays and cancellations. Now it's time for a little rest. ONE more day In ORD...Just ONE more, and then I will be DFW based!!! Woohoo. I'm excited 15 flights a day and only a 45 min ride. Compared to 3 flight a day and 2hr and 45 min ride. this is going to make life so much easier!!!

Trip 3

So maybe I don't get to go to exciting places like the international 747 pilots go, but that's ok. I grew up in Missouri, in a small town south of St Louis called Festus. Yes, I'm sure you have heard of it. Haha. I have not gone Many places. I could probably count the states I visited before this on both hands. I have been to Honduras, and that's it for foreign countries. So this opportunity to travel is exciting to me. I have already seen things I have never seen before, and probably would have never seen. This trip is not to exciting. I overnight tonight in champaign IL. Not to far from where I grew up. Tomorrow I overnight in syracuse NY. I have never been there, so I hope to find something to see.
I got another first class seat to ORD this morning, Now that I have had a nice breakfast, it's time for a little shut eye for the last hour and half.

It's nice to have an uneventful flight. No wx or mc delays. I got to Chicago on time and early enough to update my jepp charts.

Jeppessen charts are basically maps. They tell is whereto fly, and sometimes how high or low to fly. They update on a regular basis so we always have the most accurate enroute and airport information. Everyone hates jepp updates, and today's was a large update. Technically we do them on our own time. It's actually really amazing how little of our time spent away from home is paid. A 4 day trip away from home pays us on average 14-19 hours. For being gone for four days. A lot of the work we do is off the clock. Later in your career it equals out in regards to pay. However as a new guy, I could probably make more working full time at mcdonalds.
Today we do a Harrisburg PA turn and we overnight in champaign IL. I did not have a camera ready, but Harrisburg is right next to three mile island. It was a nice view on final. It's funny how overnights are judged by the breakfast. If there is a good "free" breakfast everyone wants to go there. Well apparently cmi has a good one.

So tomorrow will be an even shorter day. Return to ORD and then go to syr for another overnight.

The first trip

This photo was inspired by a comic strip given to me by a friend. When he gave it to my wife at church I was actually already gone on my first trip as a "line qualified" pilot. Little did he how how appropriate it was.

It all started out OK. I took an early flight to Chicago.I got a first class seat which was nice because I also got breakfast.
After that I settled in and tried to take a little nap. It was going to be a long day. It was an uneventful flight, and just about the time we were to start our descent into Chicago the captain comes on to tell us we are going into a hold.

And as you can see we had to hold for a while. Long enough that we had to divert. That last little hook to the left was our descent into Peoria Ill.
Now I'm thinking great, I'm gonna be late on my first day! The turn in Peoria was great. The folks on the ground had us fueled and ready to go in 30 minutes! Before you know it we we're #1 for takeoff. Then we get the message. No realease into ORD. We're not going anywhere. We spent the next hour and half sitting on the taxiway engines off. Finally we get the go ahead. The Captain very quickly brought the old MD80 back to life and we were off. It was so fast I could almost hear him thinking lets get in the air before they change their mind!
I make it it ORD with a little time to spare. I finally meet up with my first Captain. Real nice guy! We head to our plane, and find out it's a no go due to mx. The flight gets canceled. now I'm wondering what crew scheduling is going to do. I'm hoping they will not call and just let me wait for my next scheduled flight. No luck! Within 15 minutes they call and tell me I'm reassigned to do a Indy turn. The only problem here is when we get back I will only have 15 minutes to get to my Chattanooga flight. I really do not want to lose this sequence, I'm really looking forward to it. It takes me through Dallas with a couple good overnites!
We get to Indy to find a plane sitting on the ramp waiting for the gate we are due to arrive in. They had been waiting over two hours for it! This does not look good. Short of the story, we get back to ORD late. My CHA flight has been canceled. Now I sit in Chicago and have to get a hotel, on my own dime.
The good news is that they are going to deadhead me aboard an American flight to Dallas to pick up my sequence. 24 hours later after the storms that caused all the problems I'm waiting to board my deadhead flight and I hear there are 110 people waiting standby. That's nearly an entire plane load of people.
The rest of the trip went well as far as keeping on schedule goes. But, thats where it stops! My performance was awful. It seems like everything just went to pot. My communications, my landings. It was so frustrating! It wasnt to the very last trun, on my last day. I met up with Anthony. My Captain for the last flight to Dayton and back. This guy was relaxed and laid back. Had such a good personality. He just set a good tone for the flight. It really allowed me to relax and recover from my bad performance prior. What a way to end the trip.
It's funny how just someones personality can set a tone for the whole day.
I've mentioned Rand Peck before. He writes a blog, Rand Peck a life aloft. It's linked to the right -->
To me he seems like one of those Captain that are just a pleasure to fly with. If you have not read his blog, read it! It's awesome! I look at these Captains who have a positive outlook on life, and thats what encourages, and inspires me.

Thankfully I got a ride home the same day. I had to sit on the jumpseat from ORD to DFW to SAT, but I got home. Both of those crews were great people too!

After a couple day off, I had to head back for my next sequence. It's was only a three day. It changed up on me as well. I was due to overnight in Memphis. I was hoping to go visit mud island and get some Memphis BBQ. But I end up going to Baltimore instead.
Once in Baltimore I took the light rail downtown and walked around a bit. One of the things I seen was this.



The USS Constellation is a Beautiful ship, with an interesting history! USS Constellation There is a video and some history on her on this site.
The next day was a Jacksonville FL overnight, and then another trip Home for three days off.
This second trip was much better then the first. Thankfully I felt much more relaxed and comfortable with the airplane
So far I have had a good time seeing new things. even ORD is interesting. You see so many different people from ALL over the world. Or the views I get like seeing the smokey mountains in the morning light while doing my walk around
the view out front beginning our descent into Chicago h the view of downtown Chicago the historic Camden Station, with the Baltimore Orioles Camden Yard behinds it It has been very interesting so far. I feel very fortunate to be here. I'm really looking forward to what is in store for me.

IOE Part 3

I've already experienced some of the best airline life has to offer. Flight delays, mx delays, scheduling issues, trying to get rides home, and the list goes on. Well, this flight was no different. The schedulers in the training department have this awesome ability to call and assign a trip at the worst time, this after you sat at home for two plus weeks waiting and wondering. This past Thursday I finally get the call.
The message said, you are to deadhead out on Monday and your trip starts on Tuesday and you will overnight in dsm. It was to be a two day trip and then I would deadhead home on Thursday. This sounded to good to be true! Actually get to spend the weekend at home and take off Monday morning. The message went on to say that this sequence would be in the computer system within a half hour. Great! Well, half hour, an hour 12 hours later it's still not there. Finally around noon Friday it showed up...sorta. The system now shows me leaving on Sunday finishing on Tuesday. Yeah a phone call or at least putting the schedule in on Thursday would have been nice. I decide to call and find out why the change. No answer, voice mail. Seriously what good is voice mail if you NEVER return the call! Saturday comes, no reply. I intentionally waited for Saturday because usually Saturday there is a guy who work who does answer the phone and actually gets things done! Unfortunately he did not answer, but another lady who rarely gets anything done, and true to form she didn't! It ended up being Sunday before things got somewhat fixed, but I'm still stuck with leaving on Sunday, rather then Monday. I was hoping to be home on Sunday so I could celebrate my wife's birthday. Change plans, call family, now celebrating on Saturday.
One bright note, her birthday is actually on Tuesday, and my flight ends early enough I should be able to catch a ride home after my last leg.
Sunday rolls around. I pack and head to the airport. I'm scheduled to fly sat-ord aboard an AA md-80. I check in and I'm pleased to see I got an upgrade to first class. I much prefer sitting first! Go figure right.
Just about the time the captain says we are over the Mississippi river just north of St. Louis we begin our decent. Just a few moments later I look out and see what I believe is Springfield I'll. I cannot help but think back to my ppl training. I grew up in the St Louis area, and got my ppl while still living there. The reason Springfield Ill. Is so significant is that I flew to that airport on my long solo X-C. I went from k02 (perryville mo. the airport where I finished up my ppl) to Jefferson city mo to Springfield Ill. back to k02. 4 hours of flight. So here I am 11 years later flying over the place where it all started to go finish my 121 training. But this is just the beginning of the story. More to come!
I make it to Chicago, check into my hotel. Relax a little, update my jepp's. And then head out for a small dinner. The next morning I arrive to ord early. I want to make sure I'm ready! This should be my last IOE flight. The captain finally shows up, but he actually arrived from an overnight. We did our intro and I notice he sits down an ioe form. He just finished up with another new fo. I look at the name and wow, it's a friend of mine from class. I can't believe it. Then out of the blue the captain says I'm going to call and extend you another day. I'm thinking great the only thing good about this trip is that I will be home on my wife's birthday. Now I won't make it! I bump into Derek on the way to the airplane. He tells me he is now signed off, and line qualified. Good for him. I knew he would well! I'm trying to do my preflight preparations in walk the captain and says "I called and you are staying with me until Wednesday. Oh joy. Well let's just make the beat of it. We start off with a Rochester mn turn. Head back to ord and now we are off to Memphis. Here's where my little story about my past gets good!
Captain says here's the Mississippi river. I look out and also see a large airport. Thinking we were much further south I'm trying to figure it out. So I pull up the info on the fms and it's Scott AFB. That means were almost over St Louis. Ok admittedly I have not looked at a Chart so I was not real sure our exact location. So I point out a couple facts to him as I spot things in St Louis like the location of a us navy ship which is sunk in the Mississippi river! Yes there is one!
Ok, I still cannot make a link with blogger so google USS Inaugural and read about this ship there.
I then realize we're circle west before turning south towards Memphis. Then I realize we will fly between FES and K02. The two airports I took lessons for my ppl. I couldn't make out the runway in Festus Mo. (my home town) but I could see the city. I'm flying directly over all the places I flew as a student and ppl pilot. By the way I received my ppl on February 29, 2000. I had no intentions at that time to pursue commercial flying.
This was such an amazing experience for me. I literary flew almost directly over my mom and dads house. They now live in Saint Genevieve.
Unfortunately my time to reminisce was short lived because atc began our descent into Memphis.
The approach into mem was pretty normal at first. Then we turn toward a small cell we see on our radar. It was small but this cell had a magenta center to it. This is not good! Magenta means bad wx. So a couple quick questions to atc and they turn us inside this cell for a tight base turn. We're still aiming toward some pretty serious looking clouds so we are expecting to get our butts kicked. However surprisingly it wasn't too bad.

Once on the ground The discussion turns towards food! Your in Memphis, so of course its BBQ. The Captain and the Flight Attendant decide to go to neelys BBQ. The same on of the food network fame cooking with the neelys. I decide to go along. I was looking forward to some really good Memphis BBQ. I hate to say it, it just wasn't that good!
The next thing that pops to mind is Mud Island. This is where the B-17 Memphis belle was parked. I have always wanted to see this plane. Years ago a read a book written the the pilot of that airplane. "the man who flew the Memphis belle" Col. Robert Morgan. It was a great book! Unfortunately, after a quick search of the Memphis Belle I find out they moved it off mud island and to the air force in Ohio. Oh well, another day.
I decided to head to mud island anyway. I hear its still a very nice park. After a short walk I make it to the entrance to the sky walk, and wouldn't you know it. It's closed! That figures. Well, I will have more time to visit Memphis I'm sure.
I did decide to hop a ride on the street cars.

Some of these trolleys are as old as 1927. The I rode was old, not sure it's exact age, but you could tell by the woodwork alone it was old.
After a nice walk around Downtown Memphis I figure it's time to head back to the room and get ready for my 4am wake-up time.
Tomorrow will be Mem back to ORD, and then a Jacksonville Florida turn. I like the longer flights. Gives you time to relax, and get prepared for the approach. This IOE Captain was very different then the other two. He never just sat quietly. He was always asking me questions, or trying to teach me something new. I'm just trying to keep up still. all the questions where keeping me very busy.
About half way back I sent an estimated on time report. In the reply we received it said there would be a crew change. I was being taken off, and another FO would continue to DSM and overnight. Hmm what are they doing now? The CA sends an ACARS (a way to communicate with OPS via satalite) asking why I was being taken off and that he had already requested I stay with him through the next day. With nothing resolved in the air, we finally make it to ORD with an interesting approach. The controller flew us through the localizer and kept us at 190 knots until the outermarker. This really makes things happen quick and makes it hard(for a newbie)to make a stabilized approach. Once on the ground and at our gate we postflight very quickly and make a dash to the computer. The captain has to not only figured out whats going on with me, but he has to change airplanes (from gate H3 to G20) find his new FO and preflight all in 30 min. I betting that next flight did not leave on time.

Once we made it to the computer, and during this He was on the phone trying to straiten this all out. We finally decided I'm done nothing more to do. So, he pulls out my paperwork and signs me off. I'm now a Line Qualified Airline Pilot!
What a trip!