Richard Yeomans

I’m in Paris and in the sim.  It’s pretty boring and it doesn’t give me much to talk about apart from the people I see in the bar!!  

I ran into someone I have had a falling  out with and he was not at all pleased to see me.  We fell out over a professional matter and it was about 6 months ago.  The time has soothed my bitterness and I have always found it hard to maintain a grudge.  He hasn’t and he blanked me and seemed as bitter as ever.  I would like to say that I don’t care but we all like to be liked and it is human nature for it to eat away at me.  I am getting a little paranoid I think as most people who I fly with know we have fallen out. I think he is ‘briefing’ against me.  

I met another guy in the bar and things were all very jolly until I said that I had a theory that nothing new has been invented for 100 years.  Let me explain, everything we have in our world is just a refinement of something invented 100 years ago.  As an example; a computer is just a modern type writer, an ipod is a record player, the internet is just a refined telegraph.  Anyway, my colleague in the bar didn’t enjoy my argument and got the hump with me.  

Have I lost my charm?

I had to send an email to the Operations Centre to get them to give me the briefing in the morning. I am trying not to call (saving money and jobs!). We had to fly to Rome then Paris, hopefully heading home tomorrow!

The flight to Rome was uneventful and we sat in the sun for an hour waiting for the passengers. Just before we were due to leave, Operations called and said we had a 2:45 slot delay due to problems in Swiss airspace. We had a busy 30 mins trying to re-route but we had to file at a lower level. The new flight plan meant that we now had minimum fuel. Then the galley power failed for no reason. I guessed it was a stray electron so I had to shut down and restart the plane. Great, problem solved and then the passengers arrived. The were totally oblivious to the dramas of the last 45 mins and we smoothly rolled of the stand like a swan. I guess thats what we get paid for.

We were collected from the hotel at 2 oclock (a little later than we should) and we were driven through the suburbs towards the airport. I was worried as we didnt have any passports or the crew permit. The handling agent had taken the permit away to get it extended 2 days before and we were, in effect, illegal immigrants.

It was strange seeing the UK high street stores in Jeddah, there was Marks and Spencer, Debenhams as well as smaller stores like Next and ELC. I guess thats globalization for you. I saw the two extremes, total poverty and massive wealth side by side. There were Aston Martins driving next to tatty Tata cars with no air conditioning in the 40 degree plus temperatures. It is only by the luck of birth I was born into an English family and I didnt find myself cleaning cars in the desert.

We climbed aboard and started the APU to try to cool down the cabin. It was very hot in the plane and I was soon sweating just sitting in the cockpit. The plane was loaded to its maximum take off weight and when the passengers arrived we closed up and set off for Kiev. The passengers were pleased of our little bit of Portugal and soon were enjoying a glass of cold white wine. I have to say I didnt really miss drinking and I did feel better for it when I woke in the morning. Maybe I’ll have a few more dry days!

The flight back to Kiev was good but long. It was nice seeing the sun set over the Saudi desert. When we arrived in Kiev we cleaned and headed to the hotel. I was glad of being back in Europe, the weather suits me more and even Kiev felt like home.

I have been on stand by in the Hotel for the last 2 days and I must admit I am enjoying relaxing a little.  The only problem is I’m not getting enough sleep, I seem to be staying up quite late and then I have to get up for breakfast. The hotel is very nice and the food is great.  Last night we had a the best seafood buffet I have ever seen.  Everything served last night had to be shipped in from all around the world and it was all so fresh, it seemed a little wrong.

The weather is as you would expect, hot and sunny, reaching about 35 degrees at the hottest time of the day.  We went for a walk to look at the shops, there was nothing I really wanted to buy.  Lisa the flight attendant, had to dress up as you can see in the photo.  I did find it hard not to laugh. 

I was struck by the alien culture, it is just so very different to anything I have come across before.  There just are so few women about, it really is unusual to see them in the street and hardly any of them work. Women are not allowed to drive and there are some complex rules about going out unattended that I have yet to grasp. I was expecting the infrastructure in Jeddah to be better than it is.  Many of the buildings are in disrepair and there is poverty in the streets.  Mostly the poor seem to be non Saudi nationals but it wasn’t what I was expecting.  I have met a few Saudis in the hotel and they seem very warm and welcoming and they all seem to speak good English.  I felt safe walking the streets and that is more than you can say for Luton!

The alarm went off at 3:30 and soon after I was in the car heading to Heathrow.  About 10 minutes after leaving the road was closed for tree cutting at 4 o’clock in the morning.  The tree cutters were stealth woodmen as there was no one in sight.  The diversion cost me about 20 minutes and that would mean I would have to rush to catch my airline.

The airline took me to Frankfurt then I had to catch a connecting flight to Kiev.  As I wandered through Frankfurt airport I was struck by the vast array of emotions; I saw people crying with joy of being reunited and others with tears of sadness.  For me, airports are now empty places full of people.  I think the excitement of air travel has gone.

When I arrived in Kiev the airport was totally packed, there was a flight just arriving from New York.  Every time I fly into Kiev there always seems to be a Delta Airlines plane parked up!  Is there really such a big market to connect the two cities?

As soon as we were at our plane we went through our pre-flight routine, loading catering and fuel for the flight to Jeddah.  I had just completed my duties and was going to sit down with a cup of tea when the bags arrived closely followed by the passengers.  Before too long we were on our way and the flight attendant was very busy with the 8 passengers.  We too were busy planning our route across airspace I am less familiar with.  I always take my time and mark the route on a chart, check the frequencies and border crossing points.  I don’t want to get into trouble in the Middle East.

We had a pretty uneventful flight and we had time to enjoy a meal as we watched the sun set over the desert.  An hour before we landed we had to lock up  all the alcohol and this was inspected by customs on landing.   The flight attendant had to find the abaya (a big black dressing gown) and put it on.  I must admit I found it hard to not smile.  Once the plane was packed up we sat around waiting for our visa to be processed, this took about 45 minutes. 

We were driven to the hotel and I before long I was at the check in desk.  The hotel was in total chaos and people were shouting and getting cross with the receptionist.  It soon became apparent that the hotel was full and they had no intention of giving us rooms for the night.  I called our travel department and they had a valid booking reference number.  The Hotel had just over sold the rooms and there were no rooms for us.  They managed to get 3 rooms at a pretty poor hotel just down the road and I jumped at the chance of a bed for the night.

I am getting more annoyed with many mundane things but the thing that is really got me hot under the collar today was ATC. Today arriving in Amsterdam we were told to turn left 10 degrees and to report the heading. My colleague was working hard dealing with the turbulance, trying to slow down but he turned the heading but the wrong way. I hesitated for a second before telling ATC the heading. The controller said, "Do the maths before talking". I was sent into a rage, this controller sitting in an air conditioned room, drinking coffee has no idea of my situation. I lashed out with a, Errr we have a little issue in the cockpit. I just wish I could have come up with a rapid put down. Arent ATC supposed to help us? Why do they want to score points over us. Maybe they are just failed pilots.

Germany was as you would expect, efficient but rules were followed. I had to go through security 3 times, each time I removed all the metal off of my person but I still bleeped. I am not to sure what they are looking for but we all seem to comply without a thought. I find it hard to understand that we all carry on without questioning why we have to be searched just going about our daily lawful business.

The flight down to Faro was fine and easy. The weather was sunny but it was really windy. It was strange being back in Faro after being there a month ago on holiday. The hotel was ok but it was far too windy to sit by the pool.

There has been much talk still about the pilot reduction plans and things are getting serious. People are getting distracted and tempers are being lost as people find themselves under pressure. I feel guilty about being senior and I now dont like telling people my number. When they ask and I tell them, the atmosphere changes. People look at me differently and they think I dont care about the situation the company finds itself in. I would quite like to have a year off and get better at surfing, play some golf, travel and really just spend a year recharging my batteries. The company has not given a 1 year on, 1 year off option, they have a 4 year programme and that is too long for me.

I would like to travel the world for a year, we could spend a couple of months in Asia, Australia, Brazil and the USA. Maybe its just a dream but now I may have the oportunity to go for it.

On Sunday we have a plan to travel to Venice then Amsterdam then airline home. Ill be home late, maybe at 11 oclock but I have 6 days off to recover.

We ended up in Iasi in Eastern Romanina and it was really quite nice. The airport is small, quiet and stress free. If I worked for another employer, an airline, I would never go to these small little places. I would miss that. It must be so dull to fly the line to a handful of destinations.

The hotel was very grand but there was a teenage party going on. There were loads of 16 year old girls tottering around in heels and trying to dance to 1980s euro disco music. I was struck by lack of drinking and drunkeness. If this was the UK all types of badness would be going on.

In the morning we checked out and faced a problem paying the bill. The hotel didnt take the Amex card. I used my Barclaycard. We made our way to the airport with a happy taxi driver. We paid €10 for the cab ride that is only €5 but we dont want Romanian change. Everyone is happy, the taxi driver gets a big tip and for us the taxi journey is still really cheap.

When we got to the airport I was given a bill for the airport fees. The Amex card didnt work so, out came the Barclaycard. Then I was taken to the the ATC tower to pay the air traffic fees, Amex didnt work there too. Nevermind, its good for the points. We filled the plane up and then the refueller wanted payment. Guess what, Amex would work but my Barclaycard did…..again. It costs a fortune to fill up a plane.

We flew to Lübeck in Northern Germany at a reduced, fuel saving, speed. It seemed to take ages but, it was fuel that I paid for so I was happy. As we came into land we could clearly see the path of the old East/West German border. Was it really 20 years ago that the wall came down?

Tomorrow Faro hopefully.

It was the standard day 1 start with an early airline to Nice.  I met with the crew in the airport then we caught the bus to Cannes.  I was a little unhappy about using public transport but, it was great.  I loved the room of the bus and not having to squeese into a taxi for an hour.  The bus was pretty cheap too and will keep the accounts department happy.  The weather was really beautiful and the countryside is just perfect on the Cote D’Azur.  The sea was as calm as a mill pond and the air as clear as I have ever seen it; the mountains were stunning with the snowy peaks looking so close.

When we got to the airport we had a change of plan and had to go quickly to Paris.  In my excitement I managed to break my headset.  I didn’t really have time to fix it before we departed and I just pushed it  together.  Once we were in the cruise I asked the flight attendant for some tape to make a quick fix.  That didn’t work and it looked like mended National Health glasses.  The FA said she had some glue and came to the cockpit with some superglue.  Great, easy fix and I just need to glue plastic to plastic.  I glued and left it to dry for 15 mins; all dry, perfect.  I popped the headset on and was all smug as we arrived in Paris.  As we parked up and shut down I tried to take off my headset but it was glued to my head.  I had a mental picture of having to meet the passenger wearing my headset.  Maybe, I would have to wear it for the rest of the week, how would I sleep?  I just bit the bullet and ripped it off, I was lucky it didn’t take any skin with it.

We ended up in Berlin and I tried to get an early night and rest my poor sore ear!  It was good to do some flying today, I think the company seems busier, maybe we’ll have a busy summer and some of the poor souls will be able to keep their jobs.

Things are looking pretty bad in the world economy and Netjets is not immune.  The company needs to reduce the number of duty days by 60,000 per annum and that means pilots will need to leave the company.  Last night I went to the London roadshow to see the management run through the options on offer.  When I arrived at the hotel I was really pleased to see so many of my colleagues I haven’t seen for ages and it was a little bit of a party atmosphere.  We were soon lead into a room and the management team gave 150 crew members a presentation.  It was pretty depressing introduction to the state of the company.  Things are bad, very bad and the company needs to take measures to protect the company and that means people are going to have to leave. 

They presented the voluntary packages and they seemed really very generous and allow people to take time out of the company.  It all seems warm and fluffy.  It was not until the end that I had a chance to talk to some of the guys affected that it really struck home.  There is a very human cost to this and it will be life changing to many people.  Some pilots will find the next few years very difficult and may have left good jobs to come to Netjets to fly and now they are being asked to leave.  If enough people don’t take the voluntary programmes, then it may be necessary to make compulsory redundancies and the terms will be a lot worse.  It’s going to be tough times for everyone.