I had hopes of announcing that I was accepted for transition training to the Dash 8-Q400! Unfortunately, I won't be eligible to be awarded the transition until my month of hire (1 year seat lock). I was hoping they would award me the transition now, and give me a class date in May. It is possible to talk them into it, but I think I will take upgrade to Captain first. I had been going back and forth with the pros and cons of making the switch, and I concluded that the transition to the Q was the best option. Lots of things went into that thought process, but it came down to a matter of the effect of the merger on my chances to upgrade to Captain.
The winter weather we experienced in Houston this week was pure havoc on the system, to say the least. We had a lot of canceled flights - per Continentals request - and many flight crews stuck at outstations. First on all of our minds were the passengers. We knew many were trying to go to the Superbowl or business meetings. One of the things that is important to us is our customers... after all, it isn't the company who pays me! The passengers are our employers, and without them there would be no job for me to enjoy. We completed every flight that we could just as quickly and as safely as possible.
The kind of winter weather we experienced is one reason why I have a lot of respect for the Saab. The plane was designed to be flown in the European high country for corporate flying and airline service into short, unimproved, airfields. It is a very robust plane, and I think I would much rather be in a Saab during severe turbulence then just about any other plane - not that I want to be in that condition in the first place, LOL. The de-ice and anti-ice capabilities of the Saab are actually better then most all of the other turboprops flying the skys today.
I know this post is pretty short, but the main reason is because I am still recovering from a very nasty cold that I had. It started to turn into pnemonia, but thankfully the anti-biotic shots they gave me really started to work well.
Tomorrow I am going to try and post some information for those who may be trying to become airline pilots. I will share some of my experience with the hiring process, and give some ideas on how to answer the really tough questions they pose during the interview. Also, I will share some thoughts on different paths someone could take to become an airline pilot. I will reiterate this in that post, but the most important step in the process is to take the time to thoroughly research the basics of the career you are about to embark on. I see too many people quit because things turn out to be so different from what they were expecting. I really don't know why there isn't more information out there, but I will try to give some more insights into the daily life of an airline pilot. Hopefully, someone can benefit from the information. I was a very fortunate young man when I was growing up. Due to my parents business I was able to meet and befriend many airline pilots. The information they provided me was invaluable to helping me make an informed decision. Every person wanting to become an airline pilot should have access to gain the knowledge they need to make that decision. That is where I will spend most of the time on my next post tomorrow.
Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to read this. I enjoy sharing the information, and please... if you have any questions feel free to ask.
A very good friend of mine once told me.... I like helping people learn about being an airline pilot, and the only thing I ask in return is that if you are ever in a position to do the same... pay it forward.
Have a great one,
Bob
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