ATI interview

[b707guy]

crack-down on smoking aboard company aircraft.

So what have you been smokin' on those long layovers, G?

You forgot to mention our smoke detection system: We've decided to revive the old system that draws air through a tube from various locations in the cabin up front to the FO's right nostril. If at any time the FO starts gasping and retching, the Capt and FE know to put their canisters on!

 

[Colonel Savage]

For use in emergency's, you simply pull the pin and suck on that 800 C blowtorch till below 10k.

WTF??

 

[Colonel Savage]

Luckily, some of the FEs got their jobs back-thanks to the good people of AARP and the folks at the 747 Local.

AhHa! That reminds me, when is your contract amendable?

 

[b707guy]

when is your contract amendable?

You mean when DID it become amendable? We've been hashing it out for a couple of years now - status quo since May 2004. Last meeting showed some promise that things may progress a bit more gentlemanly, so for a nice change of pace from the past few years, many of us are optimistic. Still a lot of unknowns long term, though, with the relationships between Astar, ABX, DHL, etc.

 

[Colonel Savage]

You mean when DID it become amendable? We've been hashing it out for a couple of years now - status quo since May 2004. Last meeting showed some promise that things may progress a bit more gentlemanly, so for a nice change of pace from the past few years, many of us are optimistic. Still a lot of unknowns long term, though, with the relationships between Astar, ABX, DHL, etc.

Thanks, hoping for the best. Sorry it's taking so long.

 

[Jurasicpilot]

Luckily, some of the FEs got their jobs back-thanks to the good people of AARP and the folks at the 747 Local.

Hans Solo, I believe is still there. He was an original Pan Am Clipper Flight mechanic back in the 20s'.

I believe that at 115 years of age, he is one of the original PFEs still around at ATI.

LMAO!

 

[IdRtherBsailing]

What are the international lines like? Do you ever get any time off in exotic locations?

 

[b707guy]

As far as scheduled runs, we just got Singapore back after the military decided it wasn't going as well in-house as it was when we did it for so many years. For now, it's short term, but we all hope it gets renewed long term. Otherwise, layovers with time for a beer in Bahrain, Lajes, Thule, Ascension I, Honolulu, and Yakota AB (near Tokyo). Pretty much all the other international work we do is ad hoc and therefore hit or miss, boom or bust. Sometimes the layovers involve a crew change where the dropping off crew stays there until the airplane comes back, usually within the picking up crew's duty day, meaning you have time to see some sights and have a beer and still get rested for the return or repo leg afterwards. Other times you land, drag yourself to the hotel, crash, and get up in time to go. Years ago, we had airplanes all over the place, and you never knew what was coming next if you were out on the road with them. Now the trips are a lot more structured, with the plane generally ferrying from TOL to the pickup point and then heading on to the destination. A few weeks ago, I was snoozing in the hotel in TOL and woke up to the phone's message light flashing. Turned out we had a pop up charter in which scheduling actually did their job by setting a departure time based on our actual required rest, and they didn't wake us up directly to inform us of it. We ferried down to IAH, picked up some oil rig equipment, and flew it to Prestwick, Scotland, had minimum layover time to keep from exceeding 12 in 24, and ferried back to TOL. A really fun trip that would have been made better only by having some more time in Prestwick. A lot of our charters that pass through Europe stop at Frankfurt-Hahn with a great layover.