As The Turbine Turns
As the Turbine Turns!
777 787 or A321? The Continuing Saga of Cap'n Aux and Fifi the Wonder Bus!
Episode 10 Gillion: "And the Answer is..."
Folks, when we last left our saga, Cap’n Aux was contemplating leaving his darling Fifi, after 27 years of nearly blissful relationship. Sure, they had their turbulent times, had their ups and downs—sometimes several times a day. But, in the end, they always came back to earth. Sure, some landings were rougher than others, but they always reached the gate together.
Now, however, in our previous episode, Cap’n Aux has announced to poor Fifi that it might be time to start seeing other airplanes…
What might come next?
Tune in for this week’s episode of…
As the Turbine Turns!
777 787 or A321?
So!
I left you on a bit of a cliffhanger last time, when I announced a possible change of aircraft! We talked about the Pilot’s bidding process, his/her possible choices, and factors that might affect those decisions.
In the end, a pilot must bid their “preferences” for 1) Aircraft (Boeing 737, Airbus A321, Boeing 787, for example); 2) Seat (Captain/First Officer); and 3) Base (PHX, ORD, JFK, etc.)
Then, when the Company issues a new bid, and the pilot submits the preferences, based on their own private factors, and the specific opportunities and restrictions of the current bid, well then…
Let the Chips Fall Where They May!
If I Were Cap'n Aux, I Would...
In our last blog post, I announced my desire to move to the Left Seat of either the 777 or 787. We had a little fun with it, and you all voted on YOUR preference. Here’s the results!
777 787 or A321?
Loading ...By an overwhelming factor, you all voted to move over to the Boeing 787. Guess what? I agreed! The 787 was my First choice.
And, who wouldn’t? It’s the coolest new kid on the block!
Then again, the other choices were tempting, too. Fifi the Wonder Airbus has always been a fun machine, and I already know it inside out.
And the 777, well, it’s the biggest bird in the sky for many US airlines, so that’s certainly cool…
So, Cap'n, What Happened Already?!
I had a good chance at the Left Seat of the 787. I really did! There were multiple slots available. But, in the end, it always depends on WHO bids for WHAT in YOUR specific equipment bid—and more importantly, whether they’re senior to you!
In the end, I got edged out of the 787…
BUT!!!
777 Cap'n Aux???
While I barely missed a 787 slot, I was able to snag a 777 slot! So, it looks like, by the end of the year, I may be going into Boeing 777 training!
Note: This is merely the “Preliminary Bid,” and is subject to change. But, at the time, it looks like that’s what’s going down!
For Now, We Celebrate Fifi!
So, for now, let’s enjoy what may be the twilight months with my dearly beloved Fifi! In the near future, I’ll continue to share with you fun pics n vids of our adventures in the sky.
Then, if/when I DO indeed go to training, I’ll do my best to check in from time to time and let you know how training is going, and share some of those general processes for you.
Just how does an airline pilot go about getting checked out on a new plane? We’ll explore exactly that, as it’s happening in real time!
But, I can share with you a saying we pilots have, in regards to training:
Drinking From a Firehose!
You can quite certainly expect a future blog post to be entitled exactly that!
When the final Company bid confirmation of my 777 Captain slot and training date come out, I’ll share that with you here.
In the meantime…
This is Cap'n Aux
Flying Off!
(in Fifi!)
Related Links
- The Bid Life of an Airline Pilot https://capnaux.com/the-bid-life-of-an-airline-pilot/
- The Airline Cockpit in 7 Steps https://capnaux.com/airline-cockpit-7-steps-updated/
- Top 10 Downers of an Airline Pilot Career https://capnaux.com/top-10-downers-of-an-airline-career/
- Top 10 Things to Never Say to a Pilot https://capnaux.com/top-things-never-to-say-to-a-pilot/
- The Post-Covid Future of US Aviation https://capnaux.com/the-post-covid-future-of-u-s-aviation/
- Flying in the Age of Covid https://capnaux.com/flying-during-covid/
- Life of a Test Pilot https://capnaux.com/the-occasionally-exciting-life-of-a-test-pilot/
- WOTR Video: It’s What Pilots Do! https://capnaux.com/word-on-the-ramp-video-its-what-pilots-do/
- Confessions of a Former Airline Pilot https://capnaux.com/confessions-of-a-former-airline-pilot/
- The Making of a European Pilot https://capnaux.com/the-making-of-a-european-airline-pilot/
- Lessons From the Miracle on the Hudson https://capnaux.com/forced-landings-pilot-lessons-from-the-miracle-on-the-hudson-part-1/
