Thanks for the pics!

[Phil2016]

Doug and Bog:

Just wanted to say thanks (again) for continuing with the Pictures from the Road. I don't know what cost you're incurring to keep it up, but I'm sure I speak for many on here when I say that is one of my favorite features of the site. It is great to see where you end up from day to day and allows some of us sitting at our desks to live vicariously through you.

I'd offer to provide "Pictures from Behind Phil's Desk" but it just wouldn't have the same effect.

[Doug Taylor]

It might make for an interesting feature! We can call it:

"What's on Phil's Desk!"

[Swen]

Suck up! Ha Ha...just kidding.

It probably is a good thing to show my appreciation for them also. Thank you dudes! Keep 'em coming.

One request: If you can swing it, get a pic of a ramper. Why? I don't know. It'll be cool though.

[Doug Taylor]

Nah considering Ellen S. (Queen of Sky) raised the ire of her former employer, last thing I want to do is start photographing employees in uniform. I wouldn't be suprised if we end up with some draconian rule about photos because one person couldn't clue in that her photos in company uniform were clearly inappropriate.

[asl]

Hey, is it still true that they have to use an earthing rod when re-fuelling a plane, because the fuel moving in the pipe creates a static charge that could spark so they earth the plane to avoid this problem? If they do, any chance of a piccie of that? I did hear mention that it may not be needed these days cos they put some anti-static additive in?
I have to teach this in school, so a pic'd be awesome.

Great job all round Doug and Bog, love all the pics

[USMCmech]

Everywhere I have ever seen aircraft being fueled they are grounded (american for "earthed") to the truck.

[Bog]

Glad to hear you're enjoying them. I tend to slack off for awhile, but I've been trying to rebound just a lil bit.

I'm doing the same day-trip this bid. Only do it 9 times, which is nice, thanks to vacation. How's this for a schedule:

Duty on 0605
Depart BNA for IAD: 0650
Arrive in IAD. Sit for 3 hours.
Depart IAD for RDU: 1225
30 minute turn in RDU.
Depart RDU for ORD: 1400.
Arrive in ORD. Sit for 2:35 or more. No crew room.
Depart ORD for BNA. STD (that's be schedule time of arrival) 1929.
Loooooooooooong day.

I'm off for 3 days, but more pics will be on next week.

-B

USMC - you work at Dee Howard, eh?

[Doug Taylor]

Mine should be pretty lame next month, all I do is this wednesdays thru fridays:


A Day:
ATL-PHL-ATL-BDL

B Day:
BDL-CVG-ATL-SDF

C Day:
SDF-ATL-MSY-ATL

[USMCmech]

[ QUOTE ]
USMC - you work at Dee Howard, eh?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's San Antonio Areospace now.

Dee Howard went bankrupt after a fatal accident, and the post 9-11 slow down.

Same place, same work, same hangers, mostly same faces.

[Bog]

When I instructed for ATP in SAT, I used to drive by DH every now and then, just to keep the dream alive.

Ahh I miss those days, before reality appeared.

[Doug Taylor]

Remember when we thought that we could do this job for free, Bog? hahahaha! *cough* damn, it hurts when I laugh! Oww!

[Nick]

Doug,

I saw an MD-90 at MSY today. Is that from somewhere out west? There was a 767-200 also...maybe that was the one from ATL. Who knows. Just wondered if you got to fly on the -90 since I remember reading that you said it was much nicer than the -88.

A long layover in New Orleans would be awesome! I was there from noon on Saturday to noon today and had all Saturday night to walk around Bourbon Street, Riverwalk, the French Quarter...awesome place! Mardi Gras was definitely still going on a bit.

[Doug Taylor]

I used to fly the MD-90 almost exclusively when I was based in DFW, but I haven't touched one since early 2004 after changing bases.

The MD-90 is a fantastic aircraft to fly.

[Bog]

[ QUOTE ]
Remember when we thought that we could do this job for free, Bog? hahahaha! *cough* damn, it hurts when I laugh! Oww!

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeup. When at ATP, I mistakely mentioned, in the presence of a "commuter" pilot, that I'd fly for free just to get hours. He tore me a new one.

Now I'm the one doing the tearings. This industry just isn't what it used to be, especially not when at least two airlines supplement their balance sheet with flight school monies.

[Doug Taylor]

My "moment of zen" comes back when I wince at the memory of arguing with two of my roommates during the Eastern strike telling them how $80G's was a lot of money for an airline captain.

[Jack]

Doug & Bog,

Let me add my thanks as well. I really enjoy following you guys around. The pix are the first thing I check when I hit JC. Kepp 'em coming as you'e able.

Jack

[asl]

Bog,

I was wondering if on those long sits you are sitting on the plane or waiting for another plane to come in in order to leave.

And if it is sitting with the plane, isn't that terribly inefficient use of the plane and therefore very expensive, as far as I can recall all these low-cost airlines make their money by keeping the planes flying as long as possible, and sitting them at a gate for more than 30 minutes is kinda like a big "no-no"

[Bog]

[ QUOTE ]
I was wondering if on those long sits you are sitting on the plane or waiting for another plane to come in in order to leave.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sitting in the airport. The plane we take to IAD normally turns and goes to BOS with another crew. The plane we take to ORD normally turns and goes to ROC with another crew. The plane we take to BNA comes from BNA with another crew.

There are times where the aircraft will sit idle for 2+ hours. Happens in DEN, to mainline as well. You are correct, not a good use of resources. But, that decision is made well above my pay grade.

[Doug Taylor]

Same here. But we have been keeping the plane a little more often.

So I got that goin' for me.

Which is nice.

[FlyChicaga]

It's surprising, but we have lots of times where planes will sit for over two hours. And it's very normal to see crews with a 2+ hour sit somewhere in their day at a hub.

I've even seen airplanes that sit for well over 2 hours at an outstation.

[ERfly]

I've heard XJT is starting to get longer and longer sits at the outstations now. At least that seems to be the word coming out of IAH. It's common to have a big sit built into your schedule after you come in from an International destination. This gives you time to clear customs (and repo the airplane, if needed). It normally never takes that long, though.

[pscraig]

I flew a 135 from CLE to LGA Friday afternoon at 1400, and flew the same aircraft back to CLE the next morning at 1000. The aircraft sat the entire time at LGA!

[asl]

OK - amazing - thanks for backing me on it being a poor use of resources, I know airlines in Europe that'd rather fly the plane out of 1 location empty to get it onto a route where it was needed, rather than leaving it sitting there doing nothing, but I guess someone somewhere is watching for these sorta things (I hope so anyway) to make sure they aren't to outta hand. Interesting about the incoming from international, I woulda thought the maintenance crew would do a repo if needed. Oh well I guess you get to bill the taxiing time as the cabin door is closed while your taxiing - right