Quote:
Originally Posted by Edward64
Nice. Some questions  |
Quote:
1) For some reason, I always imagined a pilot/crew that did international travel did that pretty much exclusively vs international and domestic? Not sure why but I figured if you flew a big 787 to Europe/Asia you wouldn't be flying a 737.
|
You're correct. Pilots are assigned to a plane. You don't have guys going between the 787 and 737. But guys who fly the smaller planes still fly international where it makes sense for that plane to operate.
Quote:
|
2) When you fly internationally, can you schedule for 1-2 days off to tour?
|
Time between flights on long international legs is determined by FAR 117 which dictates rules for crew rest. Those regulations came about after studies that pointed to tired and not well rested crews being the reason for a number of incidents. They're quite complicated and are impacted, but how many time zones you've transited, how long you've been there, how long the flight was, and how many pilots are operating the flight. You're free to spend your time how you like on your layover, but not to determine how long your layover is.
Quote:
|
3) I've always thought the exposure is not so much terrorists getting onboard with weapons but more like a terrorist baggage handler. When I fly internationally, many times it seems Delta has additional screening when I return back to the US. But I always wonder how tight security/background checks are for the local baggage handlers. Your opinion?
|
That's no something that I'm privy to honestly. I can only speak to pilots who are subject to FBI/DOT background checks.
Quote:
|
4) Whats the latest on Malaysian Airlines 370? I think you were leaning towards the Captain did it. Any change of opinion and do you think we'll ever find the plane? Followup question - have they resolved the problem where planes are often in a "blind spot" from satellites/GPS etc. and not trackable?
|
There's been no change in the search, but I feel like more and more the Captain is still the most likely culprit. The parts of the plane that were found and the knowledge of currents and timing placed the likely disappearance in the South East part of the Indian Ocean. They might continue to find little bits and pieces of it, but otherwise it's gone. I don't know about your last question. Worldwide radar is limited, and it's not practical to have radar services everywhere. Even last night, I flew over the Ocean and was out of radar coverage, where the only knowledge of where I was, was based on my position reports. If a pilot wants to make a plane 'go dark' they still can. No satellite is going to visually or electronically track it. The resources just aren't there. Maybe trump can use his secret satellites get those photos?
Quote:
5) ... do crew hookups happen as much as I think they do?
|
Not for this happily married guy. Have you seen how hot my wife is?
