Well, I am in my second month of line operations now and every single flight that I do makes me even more confident for the next. Every trip that I take makes me more confident and more comfortable with embarking upon the next.
I was awarded a B/U line for the month of Nov, which means that my schedule isn’t a prebuilt schedule, but will consist of trips that others cannot fly due to military leave, vacation, etc. I should know my schedule, no matter how bad or good it is by Sunday the 28th (They build the lines in advance based on known holes in the coverage). I’ve been very lucky this far in being able to pick up open time trips – being causitive about life on reserve is the only way to go. There are many folks on reserve who just aren’t doing a lot of flying. I’ll have over 70 hours of flight time for this month by the end – not bad for my first month. In fact, tomorrow, I am heading out for a 4 day trip that will consist of 19 hours of flying which will wrap up this month.
This last weekend, I left St. Louis a day early even though I still had reserve for the following day under the assumption that I wouldn’t be called (it was strictly an educated guess). It was a gamble that I ended up winning and I might very well do the same thing next week after this next 4 day. I’ll just have to make that call at the time based on all the facts as I see them. I am really hoping to get next to no reserve days next month. I’d like to show up, fly my trip, and come home. Hanging around the crash pad waiting for a phone call isn’t much fun at all and luckily due to my open time pursuits, I haven’t had to do it too often.
I feel like I am in the groove right now – things aren’t perfect, but they are moving along and could be worse. I’ve acheived all the aviation goals that I’ve set out for myself this year except for the very last one – pass 1000 hours of logged time by the end of the year. Its going to be close, but is quite possible. At the end of this trip, I’ll have about 850 hours going into November, so will need something like 75 logged hours for both Nov and Dec to reach that goal. Through a combination of scheduling luck and open time requests, I can probably do it. If I don’t, I’ll have at least 950 – 980 and will pass 1000 the 1st or 2nd week in Jan.
2007 was a ball buster year with crazy changes, and its been tough. If TSA continues to treat me like a human (it hasn’t been as bad as I’ve heard it is – “knock on wood”), I’ll probably stay there for a good while. Every hour that I log, I am slightly more elgible for a better job, but I have barely scratched the surface of what there is to gain here professionally. Perhaps I will come to the decision that another airline is clearly a better choice and make the move, however, save for something like that, I’ll probably stick around for a bit until they scare me away – if they ever do.
Therefore, 2008 is going to be strictly a time building year. 800-900 extra hours of turbine multi time in my book. Then perhaps 2009 will be when I upgrade to captain and start the turbine PIC clock.
My motto is “one day at a time” when it comes to this job. I feel like the industry is fickle and dependent on my health – I REALLY need to exercise more and eat better. Sometimes I feel like I am slovenly – almost not worthy of my job. I know this is stupid, but I want to be in shape and physically fit so that when I apply for the next job, I appear professional and am an image that the airline wants to project – which translates into a job.
That is probably my next real goal. I’ve acheived the flying goals – but must continue to create it all by being on time, good attendance, professional, easy to get along with, accomodating, etc. This job is somewaht tough on your body if no actions are taken – lots of eating out and lots of sitting in a cockpit seat. The next step is to check these tendencies by putting more energy and emphasis on my physical self. The health of my body is pivotal to the success of this job. Exercise is key.
Well, I’ll leave you with that for now. Catch you later.