Owner: the.outer.marker URL:http://outer-marker.blogspot.com Join Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:03:53 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: The life and times of an airline pilot for a US regional airline carrier Site statistics:Click here
Which Are You? 2008-02-29 13:20:00 When I'm on the road, I find that I have some time on my hands...shocking I know. I can find ways to get into trouble just like the best of them, but reading is always a viable option. Not too long ago I found myself at an Urban Outfitters looking at the off-the-wall titles of their books. One in particular got my attention: "How To Win a Fight With a Liberal.". I normally am not drawn to politics, unless it deals with something pretty outlandish, but this was just too great not to share. So, which one are you?"You believe in an honest day's work, family values, free enterprise, keeping what you earn and killing them before they kill us.You believe in NASCAR, neighborhood barbecues, Sunday sermons, the Ten Commandments, fair and balanced news, faithfully interpret
Epiphany 2008-02-25 20:37:00 Have you ever had a time in your life that you look back and say, "What the hell was I thinking?" Maybe it was during a time when you were sporting the Afro hair-style, bell-bottoms or tapered Z Cavarecci jeans.I had one of those epiphanies today. I was looking through some pictures of myself at a time when I really thought I had it "goin' on" and thought to myself, "Man, what in the world was I thinking?" I really sold myself short on what I thought would bring me happiness. I have very few regrets in my life, but my epiphany made me realize that there are so many times that we settle for less than the best and truly sell ourselves short of what life has to offer. My definition of happiness, as of today, is temporary gain or a moment of pleasure, which in the end amounts to dissapointment
If I Had Eyes (CO Snowboarding Trip Pt 2) 2008-02-17 12:35:00 Part 2 from our snowboarding trip to CO. Two of the three days was snowing, but the one day we had sun was full of incredible boarding. If we look cold in this video, it's pretty much because we were. Can't wait for spring break boarding!!! Read more:Snowboarding
Snow Day 2008-02-17 09:08:00 As we were walking through the security checkpoint to kick off the first flight of the day this morning, a gate agent for Big Brother made the anouncement in the already overflowing passenger terminal that all flights for the day were cancelled. The reason for the cancellations: snow accumulating so quickly that the plows couldn't keep up to clear the runway. Big Brother requires a 100-foot wide clearing on the runway from all snow. But, not us. Our flight was still a go....that is, until we turned the power button on....and no juice. Dead batteries. Not going anywhere today. Replacement batteries will need to be flown in and installed.
Great crews in situations like this make all the difference. Fortunate for us, there's a good gym at the hotel for PT and a warm pub within
Playin in the Rain... 2008-02-16 14:45:00 So here we sit about 2 hours behind schedule, rain's falling and lightning's crashing....it means less time for rest at our final destination....so goes life, just living the dream!! Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Protecting the Industry: Pay Matters (Pt 2) 2008-02-13 11:37:00 I want to focus on why pilot pay is a critical element in keeping the industry the best and the safest it can possibly be and some of the reasons why we have seen a large drop in pilot pay scales industry-wide. Keep in mind these are observations from a 30 year-old first-year First Officer for a regional airline. The first reason why pilot pay has diminished is because struggling airlines have forced pilots to take huge pay cuts and lose their pensions in the wake of 9/11 and the massive downturn of air travel that followed. The only two major airlines which did not file Chapter 11 bankruptcy after 9/11 were American and Southwest. Pilots from most, if not all (Southwest might be the exception), of the other major airlines also took huge pay-cuts, but this did not prevent them from filing Read more:Protecting
Go On (Snowboarding Trip to CO Part 1) 2008-02-12 15:30:00 I couldnt resist posting this video from our snowboarding trip to Colorado last week. My singing isnt the greatest, but I think my dancing definitely makes up for it. This is Part 1...Part 2 will be out shortly and will have some good snowboarding clips. Read more:Snowboarding
Protecting the Industry (Pt 1) 2008-02-12 09:50:00 With the onset of spring and some great flying weather, I want to share my thoughts, insights and opinions (for whatever it's worth) on flying, and the business of transporting people from point A to point B.I would be remiss if I didn't share my knowledge and insight to those who are either trying to decide if becoming a pilot is for them or not. I don't think anyone would disagree that being a pilot and the freedom that comes with it, is one of the best gifts that God has given man.Someone asked me just yesterday what I do for a living, and I told him that I don't work. The truth is, I rarely feel like I'm working. Being a pilot is a great way to earn a living, without a doubt. However, in the last year I have learned a lot about how an airline operates, seeing firsthand that the glamour Read more:Protecting
Flying the Line 2007-10-31 15:32:00 Video I made from the cockpit. Song is "Club Foot" by Kasabian.... Read more:Flying
Failure is not an Option 2007-04-27 11:01:00 I just watched an interview on CNN by their Senior Pentagon Correspondent, Jamie Macintyre with Gen. Petraeus, commander on the ground in Iraq. Macintyre's questions again confirms that the left and the mainstream media is setting up the US to fail in Iraq to win seats and more importantly, the 2008 Presidential election.His last question to Petraeus was something along the lines of, "If the surge fails, will you be prepared in September to give this report to the President and more importantly, Congress?"Why are we asking questions to our Generals about failure? Why is failure an option for us? The answer is because we want to fail, so we can get a new party in the White House.Mark my words: If we fail, it doesn't matter who is running the country because the consequences of failure to A
Politics as Usual? 2007-04-26 18:44:00 Let me just take this opportunity to voice my opinion about the current political climate in this country.The war in Iraq is not lost, as US Senator Harry Reid recently proclaimed, as if he's some military expert. If this statement is true, this means that al-Qaeda in Iraq has won. This is all part of the propoganda machine that the left is employing as part of the "get-out-of-Iraq-no-matter-what" strategy. Why do we need out of Iraq? Because that will reflect a glaring failure of Republicans, most notably the President. Think I'm making this up? In the words of Senator Reid himself: “We’re going to pick up Senate seats as a result of this war. Senator Schumer has shown me numbers that are compelling and astounding.”How did we come to the point in this country that a major political
We're not in Kansas Anymore...We're in Toronto, I Mean Montreal 2007-04-05 15:36:00 "Folks, from the flight deck, welcome aboard flight 382, service to Toronto
."The ride out of Chicago had been a bit choppy as we climbed through the overcast layer that blanketed the city. The sun was just beginning to peak above the low-level cumulus clouds on this daybreak flight. The ride reports from other early morning flights indicated that the ride at 37,000 feet was smooth as I reached to turn off the fasten seat belt sign."Our ride into Toronto should be a smooth one, so we will go ahead and shut off the seatbelt sign. We ask that if you remain seated that you leave your seatbelt fastened in the event we encounter any unexpected bumps along the way," a clause that we always add to protect the passengers and us."Currently the weather in Toronto is cloudy, temperature is -1 degree C Read more:Kansas
, Montreal
, Kansas Anymore
Captains: Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde 2007-03-23 09:40:00 "Number one rule is make sure you are having fun.""This is my switch. Stay on your side.""What are you doing?""I better take this leg, also. The winds are kind of strong in Chicago.""Don't hesitate to challenge me on anything. I make mistakes too."(ha ha ha) "Great landing. I don't think they felt that one in the back."These are all things I have heard from the various Captains I fly with. As one can imagine, their personalities are as different as some of the trips themselves. From flight to flight I never really know what kind of Captain I am going to fly with.My first Captain I flew with on the line for IOE was what we like to call a Screamin' Eagle. On the ground he was great-very personable, relaxed, liked to joke around. When we got into the air, he was completely different, especial
Crew Scheduling & Reserve: The Life of a Regional Pilot 2007-03-16 15:56:00 I just concluded my reserve sequence for the week. Update: I am now starting my reserve sequence for the week.I started this blog entry last week and got one line into it before I was able to sit down and finish it today. Amazingly, I am no longer the bottom-feeder First Officer at the O-Hare base. There is a new class of new-hires beginning their IOE (Initial Operating Experience) this week, which means my "Ready Reserve
" days will hopefully be fewer and farther between. The difference between being on reserve and ready-reserve is that reserve is on-call at home; ready-reserve is on-call at the airport. However, when I move my base to Dallas in May, I will again be at the bottom of the list and will get the opportunity to sit ready-reserve more often.So, I decided to take it upon myself t Read more:Pilot
President Bush Impersonation - 2006 White House Corresponden 2007-03-07 09:27:00 Whether you like him or not, one has to admire the quality of our President
who can laugh at himself in front of his peers, his cabinet and staff and millions of people around the world on C-Span. This was a great concept and executed well by both the President and impersonator, Steve Bridges. Three days off for me in Dallas and then back to Chicago!!I've also added some more sites to our Flying Blogosphere. Read more:White
, House
, President Bush
, White House
stop loss 2008-03-08 21:35:00 "You've Been Stop-Lossed" Those words invoke a helpless, sinking feeling. You have done your duty and expect that the military will uphold their end of the contract just as you have. This continues to happen at an alarming rate, just as was happening when I managed to leave the Army four years ago after my contract was up. I was happy to do my duty, but when all was said and done I was ready to get out and get on with my life.Being that this is an MTV Film, there will more than likely be a liberal spin on the war itself which I dont necessarily agree with, but nevertheless the message of how the military continues to take advantage of those who have served honorably is one that should be paid attention to.
The Things We Say 2008-03-18 15:25:00 One of the highlights of my job is hearing the occasional gaffe of fellow airline pilots over the radio. Not to long ago, as I was flying out of DFW, I was on departure control and witnessed the following exchange between departure and a Big Brother flight. It was especially hilarious because it's not a secret that the vast majority of Big Brother pilots believe they are the best in the industry, i.e. they alone have been gifted with "the right stuff." Big Brother Pilot: "Departure, American xxxx with you, two thousand for ten thousand." ATC: "American xxxx, Radar Contact." Two Minutes Later: ATC: "American xxxx, are you hand-flying that RNAV departure?" Big Brother Pilot: (Long Pause) "Affirmative." ATC: "American xxxx, lets just say that we can tell." Needless to say, the captain
Leadership 2008-07-04 09:47:00 "Leadership
is the ability of a single individual through his or her actions to motivate others to higher levels of achievement."-Buck Rogers
This Has to be a Joke 2008-07-02 11:47:00 "In recent months, the price of oil has continued to skyrocket – closing at $140 per barrel on June 27th. American families feel the pinch of rising oil prices everywhere from the gas pump to the kitchen table and need relief. The New Direction Congress has been working on behalf of America’s families and businesses to lower energy costs for the American consumer, increase energy independence
East Africa Video Teaser 2008-08-18 17:00:00 This is the latest project that I've been working on. I used Apple Motion for the project. This is a teaser for the DVD I am making Mr Ratzlaff from his trip to East Africa
in the late 1960's. The DVD will probably be about 30 -45 minutes and will most likely include an interview and him narrating during portions of the video. Read more:Video Teaser
, Teaser
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