Professional Pilot Career Journal

February 16, 2004 – Off to reserve duty

Training is done! It was really pretty easy this time being my third initial training cycle. I knew what to expect, how to study, and my experience with the CRJ really helped me get through the simulator and IOE portion with no difficulties.

Everyone keeps asking me my impressions of the ERJ and how it compares to the CRJ. It is really quite similar although it climbs better and is in general a more user-friendly airplane. It only goes up to 37,000 feet but since I can count the number of times on one hand I ever went above that in the CRJ it’s just not that big of a deal. All in all, I’m enjoying flying it although I think it is harder to land. The airplane is so long (19 rows instead of 13) that I find I have to land it twice. Once I get the main landing gear on the ground I really have to baby it to get the nose to come down gently. So far, my passengers haven’t probably been too happy with me but that’s OK since I just hide in the cockpit as they’re getting off the plane. Practice will make me better though.

I completed IOE with about 31 hours of flying. One of the things I enjoyed most about IOE was flying into Amarillo, Texas. Why Amarillo, of all places? I realized as I was approaching the area that I could see things like canyons, dry riverbeds, wide open space and scrub brush – all the things that reminded me of the desert of Nevada where I spent two years of my life. It was the first time I have ever commercially flown into an area that looked anything like the western United States that I still think of as home. After spending the last 18 months flying around the overcrowded east coast it was nice to finally see something different. I will enjoy flying in and out of our Houston hub which include other destinations such as Tucson, Palm Springs, and Bakersfield.

So tonight I head to Newark to sit reserve for the next 5 days. I can’t say I’m too excited about it since I’d rather be here at home in Chicago but that is the life of a commuting pilot. This should be only temporary however as I was awarded the Cleveland domicile on my last system bid. I’m hoping to be transferred soon – they officially could wait all the way up until October but it is more likely I’ll be transferred in April or May. At that point, I will be moving straight to Cleveland. My girlfriend Carey will move with me which is very exciting for both of us since we’ll finally be able to see each other on a little more regular basis. She’ll commute to Chicago or Dulles from there which won’t be too difficult given her relatively high seniority at ACA and her ability to travel on both her airline and mine. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy sitting reserve from my own home rather than a crashpad and hopefully putting some time into my consulting business.

Speaking of crashpad, I’ll see mine in Newark for the first time tonight. It’s a 10-bedroom house shared by 63 Continental and XJET pilots. Good thing I should only be there for about six weeks. Never thought I’d be spending so much time in New Jersey.

Despite the hassles of commuting, I’m quite happy to be returning to flying. Prior to IOE it had been three months since I saw the inside of the cockpit so I was itching to fly again. I’ve already had some enjoyable overnights in Kansas City, Rochester and Milwaukee and crossed half the country several times. My airport count is now up to 215 and have popped over the 2900-hour mark as of a few days ago.

The future looks pretty good here. I have no fear whatsoever of being furloughed (knock on wood) given our stable growth plan and general industry recovery. It’s so nice to go to your job every day without worrying if you will still have it tomorrow. We are currently hiring and having some much-needed attrition with the pilots who flowed back to XJET from mainline Continental returning to their seats in the 737. Given those factors, I’m told I might see the left seat in 4-5 years. I’m not going to hold my breath and I might even remain a first officer for longer than that just to enjoy a better of quality of life, but these are decisions to be made much later. For now, I’ll just be happy when my Cleveland transfer goes through. I still want to return to the deserts of Nevada or Arizona in the long term but will not pursue that move until Carey and I can both easily commute from there.