AirGuardianC141747

Yup, I agree. I did modify 357 version and it works well.

Also, I’m screwed in the old western movie reach back memorabilia watching these lever action movie heroes go to town. Even the opening of the series “The Rifleman” starts out just daring you to not buy one of these lever actions to include a live cocking plus stare down at the end. Unsure why he does it as he’s out of ammo, but undeniably cool. I dare you Lord Ratner to watch 30 secs of the opening scene. You will hunt me down with one. Definitely placed a time stamp on myself and it was worth it.

Ruger is a great manufacturer. May have been discussed, but now that the rejuvenated Marlins by Ruger are going strong I can highly recommend them - well at least two of the series so far. Had enough of my standard AR types a decade ago, then moved on to 308/7.62 black rifles, some long range hammers as well as an AK variant = Arsenal. Turns out I’m stuck on these Marlins now. Initially brought on board the 1895 SBL 45/70 to modify it closely to a Mad Pig Thumper. Darn thing was an amazing piece of work in natural form and I just couldn’t do it; however, when the Marlin 1894 - 357 version showed up BAM!!! the Ranger Point Precision hand guard materialized along with the new Magpul stock/internal storage/side quiver, Inforce light and Red dot. Staying away from chaps, but I need a horse as these lever actions are crazy fun to shoot. 45/70 doesn’t kick as much as it’s a push and it’s a blast. Definitely legal in 48 states maybe 49 if the boogie man comes. That 357 rifle puts up some velocity numbers vs a wheel gun and twice as much impact power when relating to ft/lbs. Might over penetrate, but you can adjust with the correct ammunition for home defense. Would I trust it - yes, is it my first choice - not with what’s already in the stable.

Well done! That is pure reality and thank you for sharing. No one knows when your times up so enjoy everyday as much as possible. Too many ways to unknowingly depart the fix which is an absolute. Fortunately I myself have been blessed beyond what I deserve and know it. Went thru a normally inconsequential surgical procedure last summer which turned into a debacle (not the medical teams fault, things go awry at times.) Although it was a bit disturbing, my transition to a strong OneLife viewpoint nearly a decade ago stayed the course afterwards. Airline wise it will be different for me than most as I will most likely miss this job as I enjoy most of the attributes that it brings as it fits like a glove beyond the so called work itself. Having two to three weeks off in between or more and wanting to jump back in says a lot. Rather be lucky than good especially when you might be no good 😉 *May you find your sweet spot and relish the time you have. Not everything needs to be rushed. “Live Like You Were Dying” - Tim McGraw song makes sense.

Late to ask… Pump the numbers up even more into BNA, heck why not. I got bumped out of employee parking when they were bringing in 4-500+ crew members this past Spring. It was definitely more convenient despite paying more than I do now finding my own parking.

Springer had mentioned earlier at some point he hated DH’s and when it’s tight in the back somewhere amongst the cattle especially on long haul I definitely agree. Sometimes I prefer whale riding especially on our -8s and navigating around the security zones, customs/immigration garbage. On the other hand these past two months it has been a nice break being up front Delta One from Korea to Detroit on their A350 as they were both home runs literally (sent home early as my scheduled flights to operate were significantly delayed). 13 hours is 13 hours no doubt, but chilling on a ride home accumulating points on company time isn’t half bad. Service and comfort wasn’t half bad either, but still half as good as KAL, JAL, ANA, QF, SQ, etc. and then there’s EK and QR which not many come close too but oil brings you an unfair advantage as well as strict catering and attendant standards. *Chilling with the Delta crew up front looking at all the wizardry of the A350 before departure the Capt was curious if we were allowed to beverage up on our DH’s… Out of uniform I thought it was a no brainer, but he stated they were no longer allowed when moving on their metal. I contemplated that there might have been an unruly crew member at some point, but he mentioned that because multiple crew members on the same flight had drank all the libations thereby leaving the customers with zero balance that benefit was scratched. Is this true…?

Been many moons since I retired out of an AOC. Probably more opportunities at lower levels. I only say this because I refused to do war college despite sitting in an O-6 position for nearly a year and had an opportunity to transfer from Higher HQ Staff to an AOC with an O-5 position. There were no O-6 positions to just slide into and it makes sense to promote from within. After a year they wanted me to once again do war college for the O-6 opportunity. Humbly let them know thank you, but more than happy to run out my career as King maker or buffer for our folks. One of the best gigs I ever had and blessed to have retired on the ANG side via the active duty taps process or whatever that was. Definitely would have missed a lot of information having been at a remote Guard unit. Apparently I do need a seeing eye dog during that process of drift down soft landing.

Everything is cyclic, can’t count on anything but the “guarantee” and even that isn’t “guaranteed” by any means whenever a black swan event occurs. Some kill it and others fear the job will be killed off and sometimes it does go flat line - oddly enough it can happen at the same time being pax or cargo high and lows. Those anomalies aren’t controlled by any of us, but one can capitalize on such events being at the right place at the right time. That being said, having a job then seniority is everything! The previous data points mentioned are awesome regarding the hustle and it seems in recent times FOs in greater numbers have finally started to figure out the lucrative initiatives they can capitalize on while keeping their lives very comfortable schedule wise. I myself maintain super senior FO and never miss any holidays or important events my wife and I enjoy. Somewhat different at some outfits and everyone’s priorities are different. Some enjoy specific day/night flying, domestic/international, weekends off or not, short runs, longer runs for extended time off, etc. Pay is the predominant priority followed by high pay least amount of work which is desirable. As a crew force we need to understand what drives us individually and know what serves one doesn’t fit the other. When most start out they aren’t high earners so the chase for cash rides high and as time moves forward for the majority. Cash flows increase and your work life still burns, but hopefully seniority increases giving you more flexibility to create a better and better schedule opportunity. Good example of right time right place or wrong place is within the cargo industry currently. Overstaffed Purple with new impact management, UPS hiring for USPS contract good movement for a short period perhaps and Atlas driving away from low profit margin cargo and realignment to the higher profit large cargo aircraft focus. As a senior FO at Atlas I am fortunate (which is a guess by the numbers) to maintain my current lifestyle with little or no impacts which honestly remains to be seen from the actual fallout vs projected musical chairs. Unfortunately there will be those newish Capts falling back to the right seat, crews pushed out the bottom of their bases to less desirable bases and worst of all having lived in a disappearing base where they chose to reside for that lifestyle. Some will sit in current positions maintaining current pay while others will receive increases as well while they sit thru the transition. Definitely a Yes vote from me = All in all it’s a good move to keep folks off the street or at least give them a breather to end up where they intended to be initially. Even if I had moved to left seat in 2016 this really would not have impacted me that much regarding seniority. Regardless of this current event and I was a Capt from 2016 I couldn’t get near the schedules, high paying lines and overtime if I so choose. I can match or exceed at times equivalent Capts with no heartache currently. During the viral debacle I could chase the extremely lucrative lines right down to the last areas of 175% payouts when they dwindled away while Capts within my same year group earned quite a bit less picking up the low hanging fruit. Senior Capts made out like bandits during that anamoly . Seniority is key! No lie there were just a few tuff days every few months BUT - Something to be said about if your work doesn’t feel like work you will never have to work another day in your life. It’s your life and if you’re happy stay put and do your thing!

It’s been well over 15 years since Atlas has stopped their hiring. It will be a minute while Atlas starts to retrain a vast majority of its 76/73 folks due to steering away from Amazon finally. Most of the 76 fleet will be leased to the other subsidiaries under the Titan Division supporting Amazon while the pax birds for mil/team contracts remain. It’s about time we focused on the high profit areas involving the 74/777 fleet vs the low profit margin areas. Picking up eight aircraft this year with more to follow later. Heavy/Large cargo aircraft is the future and hiring will resume once the transitions are finalized. Personally, this was a good move to distance ourselves from low profit areas and the whipsaw that other entities create.

Probably just the tip of the iceberg as others will follow. Definitely a demand out there despite hiring slowdowns due to various issues. Great for those who plan well unless something unforeseen happens which is under no one’s control and that’s our industry. Timing is everything!

Doesn’t matter where you go that would be terrible; no way to spend time in a decent place. Granted, if you’re stuck doing the same rotations or only have five or so to choose from internationally that gets a bit ground hog day no doubt. Even with an augmented crew these days the pax folks don’t seem to get much wandering time as well. *My roommate used to nonrev to Europe for a long weekend during college with an upgrade or something to that effect since his father was an airline guy early 90s - that was cool…Totally agree on the nonrev to anywhere for that matter - nothing like it used to be.

Probably a gem here and there very sporadically, but revisiting them multiple times a year or every other month or worse every month is just a job and nothing more. Definitely crappier now than ever before. Several of my friends do enjoy international runs at the majors, but after a few years of the same runs a few times a month based on pure tourist traps as these rarely change they get burned out as well. Even if I do revisit several cities abroad every other month, many are soooo much cleaner, safer and interesting. Hopping off the standard path to places like Bangkok, Hanoi, Auckland, Nuremberg, Nagoya, Santiago etc., etc., etc., makes it worthwhile. Always better to do it on someone else’s dollar plus more. Doubt I will travel too much beyond 65 - probably need a hover round no doubt so I’m out.

^^^^^THIS^^^^^ Although I will say you might need a few lump sums of cash laying around to keep those airplanes going or at least have your kids enrolled in and A&P program, have a sheet metal shop/hangar and extremely large 3D printer. A refinery next to your bunker wouldn’t be a bad idea as well. The other hand me downs are low cost upkeep aside from how and what you feed them 😉

If I can be President I can fly to 70 at least. Well, 70 in the right seat or 70 in the right seat with another pilot as my seeing eye dog, oh wait 70 with a seeing eye rabid dog hypothetical doctor as my wife or sister the SS and of course Uncle Boise by my side - yeah, 70 I would be fine.

So true! If the right seat meets your priorities than why not. We both know we still do better than some line Captains regardless of the schedule attributes which you and I are both focused on. I dissect lines by when my better half can stand me home for a lengthy period, where I want to eat/chill and then fly less for more duckets in the hip pocket - Or, stay out minimally and pick up a an extra chunk or just stay home although I do get restless after a couple of weeks, definitely a month or more and I will say the last couple of days on an extended trip (normal trip for the majority) I am ready for the hacienda. I do appreciate the various lifestyles we are able to conjure up and make things happen - quite amazing.

Interesting take on cognitive skills, etc. Try asking that to those have been divorced once, twice or more (now I see your point at thrice) - especially later in their career. I have been fortunate thus far and pray to never know, but having flown with many who have I can understand the desire for the option. No one knows if their career was what they wished it had been until it’s in the rear view mirror. *Pitfalls are well beyond divorce of course, just saying. 60 or 62 more likely sounds the best for myself financially, but for those that reach a point/goal prior to the mandatory age it will be interesting who will actually hang it up. I surmise it will be tough for many to walk away from the figures being pulled down unless the job is absolutely horrible. So far I can’t imagine an easier “job” and many of us have had some truly tenuous jobs/careers.

I see both sides in various ways, but kind of irrelevant at many airlines as it becomes a significant issue every bidding cycle. Just sat 2nd seat in a group of four to Korea three days ago. 19 year Capt giving me a bit of crap for not jumping left seat as usual until I showed him my schedule - I mentioned not to hold back as “if you haven’t noticed you’re flying with the top 2% or better senior FOs today, two of us are on open time.” He did say he could rest easy with the experience base on board and I did respond regarding the abnormal amount of complacency we bring collectively! 🤪 Bottom line: People are figuring out that doing a little pain in the beginning definitely brings its rewards at times just a few years down the road. Our seniority gains aren’t nearly as great as the Majors so ponder that for a moment as hundreds are making the same assumptions and living it. Easier for those not driven solely by the $, but you can easily make it up if you have a seniority based overtime system as needed. United is attempting to ratify better schedules, more pay, etc for new hire Captains to alleviate their conundrum. *Focus: “United Airlines grapples with pilots avoiding the captain's chair” ”At American Airlines (AAL.O), opens new tab, more than 7,000 pilots have chosen not to take a captain's job, according to union-supplied data. Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for American's pilots union, said the number of pilots declining promotions has at least doubled in the past seven years.” **I myself won’t consider left until within the top 10% on my equipment, but who am I kidding top 5% is more a reality so I won’t kick anyone out of their seat - perhaps knock someone out of base momentarily is more like it. Not stealing food from anyone’s kids mouths. What an eccentric profession we chose to live in.

Very good discussions and definitely quite a bit off path from what I expected. Multiple perspectives regarding what we predominantly do in our specific realms in the world of aviation. Here I was thinking, dang - they’re going to have all of the conversations we had on our flight. Flights in my little world range from a minimal six hours to 14 hours plus just the other day which is normal. *Bottom line for myself - I will almost always take the Capt/FO who has been with our outfit the longest as we are not a cookie cutter operation. Sometimes none of the crew have ever seen the destination we are headed for and I will once again fall on my sword to the longevity crowd as it’s worldwide experIence that brings the rain. As you can see it’s situational as most things and the “almost always” I mentioned before is because of the known flyers I have flown who are outliers at best. **I can see the various view points on all the sides when pertaining to those types of standard operations. Good stuff!

Forget the extra two years being shot down. Didn’t anyone see the “25 hour cockpit voice recorder” requirement within the bill statement. No one will ever get close to the current 65 year max. Good luck to ya’ll.

Thanks for the info. Goofing around internationally right now, the country only let me have the first part of the article from the link. Maybe if SWA impacted anything in this region they would have been gracious enough to provide the entire picture. Doh! Appreciate the catchup!

If they’re leaving four airports I wonder which ones?

Danger41 gets a definite like for that comment now that I understand. Yowza…

Well put! At least Japan is still able buy Liquified Natural Gas (LNG)…for now.

All very informative and interesting. So - furloughs, door plugs, wheels, engines, engine cover or something off a SWA 73 recently, further economy issues, Boeing issues and delays of certifying Max 10 and other production, etc. - quite a bit of areas need to get their s**t together. At least Brown will be hiring for those interested and a slight boost for them, but overall just a shift of business within the $ spending world we live. Hopefully things will climb back up for everyone next year s we hopefully get past this 2024 year of many impacts and distractions. Stay safe out there.

Side note: While UPS starts clamoring for bodies to fill said 300 or so - This puts FedEx in a higher pilot overage losing that contract. I will not speculate on here, but for any Purple Pilot with actual information what’s next? Will it be just a prolonged attrition thru retirements or any goodness on upcoming contracts (via Tricolor effort perhaps) to fill this void and bring back higher flying hours. Hopefully the later.