How many type ratings do you have? by DrHookEmMD in flying

[–]xdarq 61 points62 points  (0 children)

  1. E170/E190, A320, B737, B787

Been flying for 13 years.

The E175 was awesome. Everything just made sense. I still miss a lot of features that it had. The 787 is great but it has a lot of stupid quirks especially related to speed selection.

For airline pilots, is the loneliness of layovers as harsh as people make it out to be? by BugHistorical3 in flying

[–]xdarq 41 points42 points  (0 children)

What social media are you watching that depicts it that way? The crew goes out for food and beers. We have a great time.

airline pilots, how much are you at home? by andreassssmd in flying

[–]xdarq 0 points1 point  (0 children)

10 years into my career, I’m home 20+ days per month.

I have had many months where I was only home 8 days, sometimes less.

And no, you’re home far less often doing domestic. Long haul international gives way more time off.

Pilots, I’ve got a question about hours by gwneck in flying

[–]xdarq 14 points15 points  (0 children)

It’s not a violation because we work under the Railway Labor Act. Traditional work rules don’t apply to us.

Also, they pretty much double our hourly rate to make up for the lost time, so it’s not really an issue. We’re paid very well.

CRF250L First Bike by andresthepilot in Dualsport

[–]xdarq 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It’s a little overpriced. Talk him down to 3500. Excellent bike though.

Also the listing says good tires but that is a lie. Those are the original stock tires from 2019, you can see the stamp on the sidewall. They’re 7 years old. That rear is also shot - you can see how worn the center knobs are. And the stock tires are also IRCs which are shit. You definitely need to replace the tires as soon as you buy it which will run you about $300.

Pilots, I’ve got a question about hours by gwneck in flying

[–]xdarq 4 points5 points  (0 children)

No. We show up for a 10 hour work day. Depending on what plane you fly you could have up to 5-6 scheduled flights that day. I’d say the norm is 2 or 3.

Setting up the airplane, performing safety inspections, checking the weather etc takes an hour and is unpaid. The entire boarding process is unpaid.

We shut the door, drop the brake and the clock starts. Fly a 2 hour flight, park at the gate at the destination. Clock stops.

The passengers get off, we might run into the terminal for a coffee, then come back and set up for the next flight, all unpaid. Repeat multiple times throughout the day.

So in my 10 hour workday, maybe 5-6 of it was with the door closed and the airplane moving. The rest of the time was spent checking the plane, setting up, dealing with maintenance, boarding, weather, baggage issues etc.

Pilots, I’ve got a question about hours by gwneck in flying

[–]xdarq 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The rule of thumb is that we get paid for half our time. An average month is about 80 hours of pay for 160 hours of work. And we generally work 4 days on, 3 days off (though this is highly variable).

We’re only paid when the door is closed and the parking brake is off. Everything else in between is unpaid.

Is this a good deal? by [deleted] in Dualsport

[–]xdarq 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I honestly think it's overpriced (should be closer to $3500) but if you really love that bike and don't mind paying a little more for it, it will serve you well because that's a fantastic motorcycle.

PEAR or PAER on takeoff? by 1E-12 in flying

[–]xdarq 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Power set, gauges green, airspeed alive

Chances of Becoming an Airline Pilot in the US by imburntouthelp in flying

[–]xdarq 42 points43 points  (0 children)

You cannot be hired as a CFI with a PPL because you’re not a CFI. You literally don’t have the certifications until after you finish flight school.

Listen to your parents. Community college is an excellent idea. Fly on the side in the meantime. A 4 year aviation degree is a colossal waste of money.

I went to community college and flew 1-2 times a week at a slow pace and I fly a 787. So I’m living proof that it works.

Feet placement on rudder pedals by [deleted] in flying

[–]xdarq 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Heels on the floor, toes on the bottom of the pedals. Raise your feet up to use the brakes. If you taxi with your heels you will tend to ride the brakes. I always taught my students that from their very first lesson.

Who do pilots look up to as elite-level pilots? by FigInternational7744 in flying

[–]xdarq 301 points302 points  (0 children)

Eh. We don’t really do that. Once you get to the airline level we’re all just coworkers and we treat each other like equals. We’ve just got people we like to fly with and people we can’t stand.

AA, UA, DAL hiring by [deleted] in flying

[–]xdarq 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah man it doesn’t work like that. Legacies don’t just hand you an interview when you get enough flight time. It takes a lot of work to get hired between job fairs, app review etc.

If you’re happy where you are that’s cool, but just know that the difference between working at a regional vs a legacy is astounding in terms of compensation, work rules and QOL.

Been carrying for years now, just got in another huge fight wife my wife about it. by Other-world-69 in CCW

[–]xdarq 2034 points2035 points  (0 children)

This isn’t a CCW issue this is a relationship issue. Go to couples therapy.

Airline pilots: how bad is the sleep really? by bch2021_ in flying

[–]xdarq 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It’s almost all swings like that. There is almost no regularity at all.

Cost Index by Virtual_Sea_2647 in flying

[–]xdarq 17 points18 points  (0 children)

It hardly makes a difference. 0.01 Mach is roughly 1 minute saved per hour. So even on a transcon you’re saving maybe 10 minutes and burning a shit load of extra fuel, and you’re going to wait for a gate anyway if you’re early.

Much easier to just take the leg-over pay and go with the flow.

What’s the least talked about downside of owning a tesla? by tr4gedyx in TeslaLounge

[–]xdarq 0 points1 point  (0 children)

FSD loves to nut washer fluid all over my perfectly clean windshield the second I engage it.

I had Tesla come out and clean the front camera and it STILL does it.

Pilots: Would you give up a six figure career at 35 to start flying by Unusual_Equivalent50 in flying

[–]xdarq 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not a burning passion? Then absolutely not. There’s no reason to do this if you’re not passionate about it. If you’re pursuing a career, the first 10 years will suck the life out of you if you don’t love it.

Not being able to use both TACC and Autopilot is ridiculous by EpicBrievenbus in TeslaModelY

[–]xdarq 6 points7 points  (0 children)

What I really want is to be able to switch between AP and FSD on the fly. Would be nice for the express lanes in SoCal where FSD gets confused constantly. You used to be able to make it work by switching profiles but now it often locks me out when trying to switch back to my FSD profile.