Tech Quiz Again!
 

Are we actually getting any money for doing this or is it just duty hours?

Has anyone managed to get an invite code to TechQuiz | All your Tech Quizzes belong to us it might save me the hassle!

Another FREEBIE - all in "good faith" mate :)

"STRICTLY MEMBERS ONLY" - the way it should be.

Brilliant concept, these guys have the Silicon Valley gene to see an opportunity and use tech to provide the solution.

I can only think of one 3rd floor guy who has the intellect to write the code for a counter to it.

Dam it missed out, looks invite code has been enforced now. I have emailed them for one...anyone else been successful?

iflyplanes

It is actually part of being a professional pilot and required by the regulator. FFS grow up.

Right on brother. People like Iceboy make me sick.

Unfortunately, Iceman is probably giving you your next line check.

This is precisely why I print off the tech quiz and do it in the cruise, at work. No pigging way am I doing it in my own time or at even worse on my days off. :ugh:

Regarding the 'techquizVol8s' website. Emailed them and got the password. Works a treat :ok:

If you lot can't complete a Tech Quiz without a Vol 8, you are truly retarded.:ugh:

I could see how the tech quiz COULD be useful if it actually highlighted useful, practical information. Instead, most of the questions are about the arcane, or are retarded, "how-well-can-you-read" type questions like:

Stabilized Approach is defined as:

A) Stabilized on Final Approach Path and Landing Configuration achieved before 1500ft AAL

B) Stabilized on Final Approach Path and Landing Configuration achieved at not lower than 1500ft AAL or below

C) The inverse of answer B with regard to the converse of answer A

Or some dumb sh*t like that

I think everybody should take the Tech Quiz seriously since the demise of Flight Engineers. Could have saved the Polish 767 having to make a belly landing for the lack of knowledge that the reset of an open circuit breaker on the panel behind the F/O's bulkhead, would have enabled the alternate gear extension.

The aircraft has circuit breakers? :}

Hang about, I thought that 'under no circumstances' were we to EVER touch a circuit breaker. I was under the impression that only a ground engineer was allowed to reset a circuit breaker, and only on the ground. :=

Maybe I am not seeing the sarcasm, you are joking, aren't you? I knew a guy who once left the controls, without an autopilot, whilst single pilot, for 20 second stints until he had managed to remove a floor panel with a leatherman, locate a hydraulic line and then cut through it resulting in a huge mess, at least the gear came down though. I never did ask how he knew to do that, I can only assume he vigilantly completed tech quizzes so as well as knowing the colour of light a pushbutton will illuminate, he also knew which hydraulic line to cut in the event the gear was hydraulically locked up and unable to freefall.

Simple: Pay peanuts, get monkeys. But these current new hires come with earrings, hair-gel, a wonderful "I want it now" attitude, but sadly no Leatherman, limited technical knowledge, ability to do tech quiz's without help and bugger all hours or relevant flying experience.

One option: Bring back DEFO hiring of pilots that can fly, or CX will likely end up as JAFAA leaving smoking holes around the region.

By the time our newer hires worm their way into the Left Seat, they will still sadly have acquired little real experience, such that when faced with an out of the box problem, they have no experience to fall back on. Currently, some of the cadets benefit from being paired with experienced/direct entry FO's, but this safety net won't last long at the current rate of hiring people with little to zero experience.

So what do you get then, two ex cadets, a big bang, a random problem, two blank looks and a mutual "WTF do we do now?" when the problem doesn't have an EICAS/ECAM or paper solution.
Years of making bunks, eating sandwiches and falling asleep on the Jump seat taxi-ing out for take-off aren't much help at that stage.

Cranky old guy rant over.

Spot on LTiCX.

LTiCX - still haven't worked out how to change the record have ya? Yes we agree with you, get over it. Hate to see you keel over when we go the MPL way - a course that actually doesn't require you to go solo at any point!

Apparently a manager was heard saying that they would love a bit of DEFO recruitment. Purely to see almost half the AOA (Mainly LEPs SOs/JFOs/FOs) leave the AOA in disgust. Thus weakening an already toothless union.

Not to mention that ironically, LTiCX makes the same mistake that many ill-informed DEFOs made about myself and many of my peers who joined on the DESO scheme. The only avenue of entry for the PAX fleet at that time and indeed for many years prior.

I remember one such conversation on the Flt deck when I was an SO with a newly minted DEFO.

DEFO: " You're a bit old to be an SO, did you change careers or something?"
Me : 'No, I've been flying for over 12 years before I joined CX'
DEFO: "Really?! oh, did you fail an upgrade or something?"
Me : <sigh> 'No'
DEFO: "Ooh, so you just flew lighties then, couldn't get FO like me with my B1900 time!"
Me : 'Err, no. My last 7 years was as TCN on a 50 ton jet'
DEFO: "Whaaaa??? Why are you a cadet then??"
Me : (swears under breath) 'I'm not.'
DEFO: "Huh!? But you're an SO..."

At which point the CN saves me from pulling my own head off in frustration by turning to him and (only half jokingly) saying 'geez you're stupid', before explaining the concept of DESOs and how he is several hundred numbers behind said DESOs on the seniority list. A fact which confused him even more! :cool:

Booger
 

".....pulling my own head off in frustration..."

That's why the bunk has a curtain. :8

Jeez, those dumbass DEFO's.

Only 7 years on a 50ton jet? SO material.

Guilty as charged!

As for Boogers point, extremely valid and I wish more of our current SO recruits had such similar experience. In the not too distant past, I have flown with many SO's well into their 30's with a lot of hours and good, relevant, practical experience. Generally great to fly with, interesting to chat with, and useful in the seat Sadly, hires of that experience are in general no longer being netted.

My red wine fueled rant, was directed at the current hiring policy, whereby we are currently hiring from the bottom of the experience pool, by virtue of the Company acquiescing to a policy (put in place by the Government, which can be worked around when a need to hire expats is demonstrated) of what appears to be only hiring HK ID card holders, who for the most part have bugger all useful experience.

Clearly following 'Govt policy' suits the Company as new hires with experience you can count on one hand, don't have much weight to push their salary scales to where they should be. Whereas experienced DEFO's would be inclined to demand market rates for their experience. Additionally, being generally older and often encumbered with a cook and ankle-biters, they are more likely to need larger housing which the Company will not want to pay for, as that aspect doesn't fit the Company's evolving and gradual plan to eradicate housing allowance.

Here's hoping the gamble pays off and we avoid the smoking hole in the ground.

Just sayin'.

Not paid for doing quiz in leisure time???
 

I thought CX paid a monthly salary. They own your souls chaps 24/7. BTW Hot Dog, most of those posting on this forum would not know what a F/E was. We played a role in aircraft which required our presence, and knowledge. Those with whom we flew, almost all, appreciated our contribution. As always, the bean counters won the day and now we have aircraft flying around with people such as many on here who do nothing but bleat about their employer and probably don't know their ass from their elbow when it comes to their knowledge of the aircraft they are flying. The one's who do know their stuff would likely not take time to post.

Old Fella - Thanks for taking the time to post!

I may be wrong but haven't most airline bean counters bought modern aircraft that have no need for a Navigator (due to GPSIRS MIX) or F/E ( due to FADEC).

WTF is the point of your post Old timer?

"They own your souls 24/7"!!!!!
No they certainly don't. They are my employers when I am at work or contactable. Rest of the time they don't own me at all unless I decide to hit the 'books' for few hours or brush up on something to do with flying their jets.
Otherwise, good luck even trying to locate me, let alone own me!:cool:

Spot on, Arfur!

Even my young son got paid for 6 hours by McDonalds recently when they asked him to complete a 3 hour Elfen Safety course in his own time at home.

Certainly teachers in my country get paid for doing Personal Development, and get time "off the roster" for it.

No, CX is definitely an outlier on this.

Did mine while enroute to CDG!

Poydras. So, what you mean is that you are happy to let yourself be distracted from flying the a/c, and also imply that CX doesn't need to roster you proper time on the roster to complete a work obligation. Idiot

What?!?

It's now distracting to study the aircraft manuals in the cruise? Are you joking? Can't read the news, can't read the manuals?? I hope you don't have a meal...

And, by the way, that's the only place that they are available to us.

I think you missed the point I was trying to make, regarding the bigger picture. Never mind. :ugh:

Perhaps by ending with "Idiot" for no apparent reason you lost the readership's will to delve for your inciteful wisdom. Have you said that to anyone in person recently?

Fact is Moley that the ONLY reading material allowed on the flight deck are Company publications so who are you calling an idiot?? Quiet periods with the other pilot minding the shop seems like the perfect time for some study. Why, anonymously, do you find it necessary to be so scathingly rude??:confused:

It would be the perfect time to do the quiz for many reasons......

If only I could just get motivated........

Haven't done it 2 years running.

Won't this year either.

Did a "Leary"

Turned it on, tuned in, dropped out.

Come on chaps. The only time to do it is in the cruise which passes the time away!

Nope, still not motivated. Maybe next month I'll do it at the last minute.
See how it goes...

Hi mngtmole
few years back you could have provoked me for such words.
Now I just forgive you.
Life is too short.....

The word 'idiot' was unnecessary I confess. The point I was trying to make is that we should receive credit for any and all work related tasks. Apologies for my comment. Cheers.

Mngtmole
Agree with you 100% on that.
Apologies received.No worries.

Tech Quiz
 

betpump5. You are absolutely correct. Modern aircraft do not have need of a Flight Engineer. That I concede, just as I concede that no F/E who is honest could claim that a computer is not able to better monitor all systems. That said however, I would suggest that in those aircraft in which the minimum crew was two pilots and one flight engineer, the f/e was an integral and appreciated member of the crew. You ask what the purpose of my post was. Well, I guess I am of the "old school" who believed that the company paid me a good salary, same as the F/O, because they thought we warranted it and most, if not all, F/E's and other cockpit crew were pretty satisfied with our lot. We also possessed a sense of loyalty to our employer. It seems to me that many of those who post on this forum are not really satisfied or happy with CX as an employer. I also suggest that most of those belly-aching would do so no matter for whom they worked. If the cap fits, wear it. What you may think of me is of no consequence, just as I guess my thoughts of you are of no concern to you. I know I worked for a great outfit when employed by CX and I have nothing but fond memories of HK & CX. I hope you leave with the same opinions when your time to quit comes.