As far as I understand it, the winglets make the most significant difference to the cruise performance. As a result the significant cost of upgrading existing aircraft tends to mainly be carried out by operators who fly longer sectors than others.
I personally think the 737 is a bit of a retro style ugly duckling whose looks are improved with a bit of boy racer winglet!
Martin – I think your involvement at Enstone just adds to your commitment to succeed. Everything counts when selling yourself to an employer/sponsor. I even spent a few months as a professional prop swinger at the Tiger Club in the mid-eighties which became a useful discussion point at interview. The interviewers enjoyed being able to discuss something other than A to B in a Cessna!
Skypilot 62 – What type are you flying now and who with?
I put that point to the management pilots and they said if they don’t sort out the short term there won’t be any need for a strategic view! Branson isn’t short of ‘wonderful’ ideas but invariably it’s not him that has to pick up the pieces to make them work.
Doc – I’m referred to as an SFO in the company (Senior First Officer). People usually join as an ordinary FO and then get promoted to SFO after a certain amount of experience. Next step is Captain just as soon as the old buggers start dying off at the top of the seniority list! I’ve just summarised my voyage to this position on one of the other threads (either ‘becoming a commercial pilot’ or the other one).
Tenthije – With one central location for thrust levers all aircraft require a hand change to fly from the other seat regardless of whether it is a sidestick or a yoke. People only ever tend to think about it when referred to a sidestick! It’s not a problem in the same way that if you are used to driving a right hand drive car it is easy to get in a left hand drive one when you go on holiday.
Having spoken to a Virgin manager recently and a couple of their management pilots there is a lot of concern going round just in case Branson actually succeeds in getting a Concorde. Their business is still struggling enough with coping with the after effects of the last 2 years without operating a high cost PR aircraft. RB’s views are definitely not shared by the people who actually run the airline. If BA genuinely want to get rid of Virgin the easiest way for them to do it is to give them all their Concordes for nothing right now!
Adrian – once in a blue moon we would back up the Shed if it was on maintenance.
I think there is becoming a bit of a divide here as to whether people are talking about scheduled flight time/distance as opposed to actual flight time taken.
It’s principally a problem between the US and other countries. The JAA has massively assisted contract work within member states and most other countries just require a JAR licensed pilot to sit a air law exam and perhaps a brief flight test. Contract work is usually done by a mixture of word of mouth (for regular contract pilots) or through the agencies that advertise in the back of Flight International. Most contract pilots are rated on at least a couple of different types and cycle between these on different contracts to keep plenty of cards up there sleeves. For example they may do 6 months on a 737 followed by 12 months on an A320 before another contract on the 737. Generally so long as you have flown a type in the last 5 years it’s not too difficult to get back working on it.
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