Busy

The economy is definitely starting to make things interesting in the airline industry. With fuel prices at record levels and fierce competition for passenger dollars, the volatility is bound to affect regional airline staffing levels. The questions are: which ones and how many jobs?

It's getting more difficult to find time to post. The company is short staffed and things have been a little busy. As a reserve pilot, the airline guarantees at least 75 hours of pay per month. The last several months, I have seen at least 90 hours. Between the time working and commuting, time at home has been precious.

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With fuel prices ever increasing, there is a shift toward larger, more fuel-efficient regional aircraft. I would prefer to fly 50 seat or smaller aircraft and leave the larger planes for mainline carriers. However, relaxed scope has made 76 seat aircraft the wave of the future. Fortunately, my airline has a separate increased pay scale for 76 seats. Some regional carriers actually pay pilots the same wage for 50 and 76 seat aircraft.

In the next few months, I will be moving from the CRJ-200 to the 700 & 900. Differences training is scheduled for summer. I am looking forward to moving to the 700/900 type for many reasons including:

1. They have a large crew bag locker that doesn't require contortions to stow a bag. (No more cuts and scrapes on my hands)
   
2. They have leading edge devices on the wings, which allow lower approach speeds.
3. The more powerful engines offer better rates of climb above 20,000 feet.
4. The environmental control system works much better...set it and forget it.
5. The engines are managed by a full authority digital engine control system (FADEC).
   
6. There is a forward lavatory. No more trips to the back during long flights.
7. One or two forward baggage compartments in addition to the aft. No more weight and balance issues.
   
8. Automated control of the bleed air system.
9. Simpler operation of fire systems
   
10. The 700/900 trips are better and easier on the schedule.

From a passenger standpoint, the CRJ-700/900 series are more comfortable. The air distribution system circulates cabin air much better. The floor is lower, which makes looking out the windows easier and more comfortable. Also, there is a few inches more headroom. On the new Nextgen planes, there are larger windows, overhead bins and enhanced LED lighting. The CRJ-900 also has 12 first class seats.

With the number of 50 seat RJ's declining, moving to the 70-76 seat aircraft seems to be the right thing to do. Time will tell.

A few photos:


The world-famous Verrazano Narrows Bridge, which connects Staten Island with Brooklyn. When it was completed in 1964, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. This was taken on a particularly clear day in February flying the Expressway Visual approach to runway 31 at LaGuardia. I will never get tired of flying over New York City.




These two photos were taken at JFK on runway 31L. They were utilizing the runway as a taxiway to hold traffic departing over Robbinsville. When we pushed back from the gate, visibility was zero. In the first photo, the fog was just beginning to lift. A few minutes earlier, the World 767 was not visible. The second photo was taken just before we started our engines again to taxi. After the fog lifted, the wind started blowing. Almost every arriving aircraft was executing a missed approach due to gusty crosswinds. Departures were getting out, though. When it was our turn, we encountered a plus 60 knot wind shear. The airspeed indicator instantly jumped from 70 knots to rotation speed! Pucker time for sure. After our departure, they shut things down again for a while.

Our destination was Baltimore, where a bunch of JFK arrivals were diverting to. An Emirates 777 declared a min. fuel emergency and landed. We also saw a United 747, British Airways and others. When we left Baltimore 3 hours later, the Emirates 777 was still sitting on the ramp, doors closed. Can you imagine being a passenger on a flight all the way from Dubai, getting diverted to Baltimore and then having to wait on board until JFK was accepting arrivals? That's about a 12 hour flight, at least 3 hours on the ground in Baltimore and another 60 minutes to JFK. That's a long time to sit in a coach seat.

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More soon...