Ask The Pilot

[jb747]

JB, when is your next MEL-LAX flight? A couple that I know are flying out on Tuesday, I think it is, on the A380.

Don't hold your breath. On Tuesday and Wednesday I'm in the sim (I haven't flown for a couple of months). Whilst I do have a couple of weeks before the end of the roster period in which I'm sure I'll do a bunch of standby duties, I only have one sector allocated to me at the moment (HKG-SYD). Next roster will consist of 3 trips to London (or I'll eat my hat).

Basically, I do an LA trip about once per year.....

 

[jb747]

Having recently retired after 40 years of flying I have to say I believe that all jobs reach that point on occasions :!:

I have to say though that even after all that time flying still has its moments of awe and wonder.

Are you staying in the Sale region?

To be honest, flying is about a million % better than most other jobs that I can imagine. But, like anything, it becomes jaded with time. Relationships with employers can, of course, change this dramatically.

Nevertheless, it has many cool moments, and some you'd rather forget. I guess we do forget that when we look out the window at (say) Sydney during a departure, that there's about 20,000 people down there looking up and wishing they had my view.

 

[straitman]

Are you staying in the Sale region?

No plans to move. Pay nights at the Officers' Mess aren't quite the same anymore though :!:

You'll have to come and visit and also see Jim L.

 

[jb747]

No plans to move. Pay nights at the Officers' Mess aren't quite the same anymore though :!:

You'll have to come and visit and also see Jim L.

I assume Jim is still flying.

Haven't been in the Sale O's Mess since QFI course....

 

[straitman]

I assume Jim is still flying.

Haven't been in the Sale O's Mess since QFI course....

The old O's Mess has been demolished.

New one is OK but not the same character. (They only serve beer in stubbies now. No glasses)

 

[jb747]

The old O's Mess has been demolished.

New one is OK but not the same character. (They only serve beer in stubbies now. No glasses)

What about the Cadets Mess...pulled down too? And no glasses! How plebeian...

 

[straitman]

What about the Cadets Mess...pulled down too? And no glasses! How plebeian...

Cadets' Mess is now the chapel :!: (medium term temporary)

No cadets as everyone does OTS which is now at East Sale.

 

[jb747]

Cadets' Mess is now the chapel :!: (medium term temporary)

I guess there was plenty of praying to various gods there in the past.

 

[mjt57]

No plans to move. Pay nights at the Officers' Mess aren't quite the same anymore though :!:

What do you do at East Sale?

Has the government come through on the expanded facilities, yet?

When I was a kid living in Sale my parents had RAAF friends and often they'd be invited out there to dances and stuff. I recall getting a treat before being tucked in in the back of the car as they went off to party...

Do that today and DHS will take your kids off of you and have you strung up...

 

[straitman]

What do you do at East Sale?

Has the government come through on the expanded facilities, yet?

Visit the O'mess and go to chapel. That's about all these days.

Several months ago the gov't approved nearly $200 million for upgrades etc.

 

[Major]

Visit the O'mess and go to chapel. That's about all these days.

Several months ago the gov't approved nearly $200 million for upgrades etc.

Julia has probably cancelled that

 

[straitman]

Visit the O'mess and go to chapel. That's about all these days.

Several months ago the gov't approved nearly $200 million for upgrades etc.

Julia has probably cancelled that

That would not surprise me. She already took back a bunch of the promised money for the highway duplication between Traralgon and Sale. We are now only, at this stage, getting 5 of the 50 km duplicated.

 

[simongr]

Don't hold your breath. On Tuesday and Wednesday I'm in the sim (I haven't flown for a couple of months). Whilst I do have a couple of weeks before the end of the roster period in which I'm sure I'll do a bunch of standby duties, I only have one sector allocated to me at the moment (HKG-SYD). Next roster will consist of 3 trips to London (or I'll eat my hat).

Basically, I do an LA trip about once per year.....

Will you be ferried up to HKG then given yu don't have a sector allocated to get up there?

 

[jb747]

Will you be ferried up to HKG then given yu don't have a sector allocated to get up there?

Allocated a passengering sector.....

 

[mjt57]

That would not surprise me. She already took back a bunch of the promised money for the highway duplication between Traralgon and Sale. We are now only, at this stage, getting 5 of the 50 km duplicated.

And we can kiss the t'gon bypass goodbye, too...
If Gillard reneges on funding for East Sale it will hurt the community. It was bad enough when Esso pulled the pin, and the Valley is about to be decimated. But we go OT here, I think.

I would imagine that JB won't be too sorry to retire when he does, because I see flying becoming, once more, an elitist activity in the next ten to twenty years.

 

[anat0l]

A lighter hearted question, and one based on the latest joke from "A BIT OF HUMOUR" thread:

Mac died at the controls of his plane and went to pilots' hell, where he found a hideous devil and three doors.

The devil was busy escorting other pilots to various "hell rooms."

"I'll be right back, don't go away," said the devil, and he vanished.

Sneaking over to the first door, Mac peeked in and saw a coughpit where the pilot was condemned to forever run through pre-flight checks.

He slammed that door and peeked into the second. There, alarms rang and red lights flashed while a pilot had to avoid one emergency after another. Unable to imagine a worse fate, Mac
cautiously opened the third door.

He was amazed to see many beautiful, scantily clad flight attendants answering to a captain's every whim. He quickly returned to his place seconds before the devil reappeared.

"Okay, Mac," said the devil, "Which door will it be, number 1 or number 2?"

"Um, I want door number 3," answered Mac.

"Sorry," said the devil. "You can't have door number 3. That's flight attendants' hell."

Any pilots willing to comment on this? Seriously... as in are they probably the most hellish aspects of the job (except for the third door, which probably is FAs' hell...)

 

[jb747]

Or perhaps the real hell is when you sit there forever, and nothing ever happens.

 

[mjt57]

Or perhaps the real hell is when you sit there forever, and nothing ever happens.

And your iPad's battery is flat...

 

[Boris spatsky]

Or you get rostered onto a blank line for eternity

 

[simongr]

Allocated a passengering sector.....

How regular is that for you?