FAM Flight Tips/Tricks

I remember reading something about it being in the metropolitan like jfk ewr lga pr mia fll wpb but I think that was in regard to your alternative flight
 
Hypothetical Logistics question. I am planning a FAM flight and it would take us down to minimum staffing. I have leave put in and approved. If in between the FDT office and my ATM approving the FAM flight, and still having those days secured off, someone takes sick leave will that cancel my ability to FAM? We have a controller that could possibly go out on maternity leave by then and with my leave approved they would probably have to call in overtime.
 
Hypothetical Logistics question. I am planning a FAM flight and it would take us down to minimum staffing. I have leave put in and approved. If in between the FDT office and my ATM approving the FAM flight, and still having those days secured off, someone takes sick leave will that cancel my ability to FAM? We have a controller that could possibly go out on maternity leave by then and with my leave approved they would probably have to call in overtime.
If your leave is approved your leave is approved.
 
If your leave is approved your leave is approved.

Yeah but it's not leave anymore once he changes it to FDT. Management is well within it's right to cancel his FDT if staffing calls for it, it happens a lot.

To answer the original question, it doesn't matter whether the FDT has been approved or not. They can cancel it. Flight deck training is not leave and is just like any other training. I'm sure you've seen someone's recurrent training days switched to accommodate sick leave.
 
Yeah but it's not leave anymore once he changes it to FDT. Management is well within it's right to cancel his FDT if staffing calls for it, it happens a lot.

To answer the original question, it doesn't matter whether the FDT has been approved or not. They can cancel it. Flight deck training is not leave and is just like any other training. I'm sure you've seen someone's recurrent training days switched to accommodate sick leave.


If that were to happen to me I'll just buy my own ticket, and go! They can put me back on my scheduled annual leave, or sick leave. Don't recommend this move to anyone not eligible to retire though. :)
 
Can anyone recommend how long of a layover is too short, my connection is in CLT and it's right at an hour layover.
 
I've had connections of less than an hour and they didn't seem to care. If anything goes wrong it can be a little tight tho lol
 
Tight connections aren't too big a deal but you may miss your flight if anything goes wrong. I did a FAM from ATL to DTW on a 747 and then immediately back to ATL and back to my duty station one day. I had a 1.5hr layover scheduled in DTW but we were delayed over an hour leaving ATL due to a mechanical/fuel issue (fuel paperwork was missing and we waited forever for someone to sign off on the fuel amount and run the paperwork up). So my 1.5hr layover turned into a 35 min layover. I ran over to the gate for my FAM back to ATL where they were already halfway through boarding. Luckily there was an extra gate agent behind the desk and I asked her if the jumpseat was still available and she was able to get me checked in and on the plane in about 5 mins. If all the gate agents were busy scanning passenger's boarding passes, I may have been SOL and had to wait for the next flight.
 
My one tip:
Put in for leave on the day before and day after your RDOs before the schedule is published. If that gets approved, then submit your FDT/FAM paperwork, and then your two days of leave will get turned into off-site-training days.

I'm not sure if this changed in 2017 or 2018, but you should make a training request through Web Scheduler. Go to the days on either side of your RDO, go to "Requests" then go to "Training" then there is a drop down box next to Type: Local FAM, E-Learning, or FDT. This is the official way to request it.
 
I've done FDT 3 times now and I do have one very small tip:

The hardest part of the process is getting through security at the airport with the very cheesy-looking "boarding passes" the FAA gives you. Before going through security go to the airline check in desk and show them all of your documentation for the FDT and they will give you a legit boarding pass with no seat # listed on it which will allow you to get through security. I will say, I fly out of a relatively small airport where the check in lines or normally slow.
 
I just got bumped from three flights going to DFW. Been at this airport for 6 hours now. Anyone have this bad of an experience with FDT?
 
What airport? I've always been curious how most people fair trying to get through some of the big hubs?
 
Does anyone know if you can arrive and depart at two different airports on the same trip? I'm looking at flying into CAE and departing ATL for reference.


I'm pretty sure as long as both airports are within 50 miles of each other you can indeed fly from two different airports.
 
The B757 is a good aircraft to FAM on, there were 4 of us in the cockpit and there was room to spare.

You can catch multiple flights even with the smaller carriers. I flew United down to Florida then jumped on I believe Silverwings flight down to key west and then back on my Monday. On the website it some companies will say the flight deck training is also valid on their smaller regional carries, some include it and some are main line only.
 
Got asked "after the door closed" if I wanted to slide back to an open Delta One business class seat on a LAX-JFK A330 flight...heeeeellll yeah I'll take that shit.

Pro-tip: Jumpseating on JBU is dope because they give you a record locator code as if you were a standby pax, so you can pull the boarding pass up on your mobile app and go through TSA Pre-check (if you have it). Airbus > Boeing jumpseats any day of the week.
 
So my RDOs are Mon/Tues and I was looking To take a FAM leaving on my Friday (Sunday). Ya’ll happen to know if I would still get Sunday PREM? From what I understand, the Sup/CIC still signs you into CruArt and you’re dropped down under “other duties.” Just curious if someone happens to know.
 
So my RDOs are Mon/Tues and I was looking To take a FAM leaving on my Friday (Sunday). Ya’ll happen to know if I would still get Sunday PREM? From what I understand, the Sup/CIC still signs you into CruArt and you’re dropped down under “other duties.” Just curious if someone happens to know.
The way I've seen it done, the shift gets changed to an 8.5 hour day in ART, and then not even signed in.
 
Any tips for finding cargo airline schedules? Aiming for ANC in August and would love to go cargo at least one way (LA area or Bay area)
 
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