Delta Pilot Puts Uniform Up For Sale at Ebay

As the story goes, ebay pulled a listing in 2005 that a Delta Air Lines Captain had placed on the auction site. Up for sale? Captain Wendall Lewis's Captain's uniform. After Lewis saw his monthly pension of $6500 slashed by 73%, he decided to make a statement.  I post this now as my employer explores the depths of bankruptcy.  Don't get me wrong...I love my job and I'm thrilled and proud to wear my uniform every day, but I find it especially easy to relate to the statement made by this long time airline  veteran.  True or not...these stories often are not...the sentiment is an accurate representation of what many of us experience after a life-long airline career.

And here was his statement:

AUTHENTIC Delta Air Lines Captain Pilot Uniform This uniform was worn by a dedicated Delta Pilot for many years. Now retired and robbed of part, or all, of promised pension, uniform is now offered for sale to supplement income. Suit is worn and empty but filled with memories and honor. Suit has been across many miles and many experiences. Suit was once filled with pride and service getting thousands of passengers to their destination safely. Suit has been through rain, snow, ice, and wind without a single tear or scratch. Suit once controlled multi-million dollar assets, flown throughout the world, with billions of dollars of liability to the company. Suit has never cost company one (1) cent in accident or injury.

Although the suit is worn and has been discarded by the company, it can be yours. Suit is clean but used. Coat may be soiled from hydraulic fluid or grease as plane was inspected. Shirt may be soiled from mad dashes through the airport in a rush to the next plane in an effort to get back on schedule. Tie may have stains from fast food meals that were hurriedly eaten while at the controls.

Tie comes with your choice of pins, Air Line Pilots Association, Air Force, or Airplane. Pants may show signs of wear from may hours spent strapped into a seat, hip shows some signs of wear from firearm used to protect you and your passengers from harm. Shoes are shiny but worn. Suit comes with choice of Old Delta or New Delta emblems. Many prefer the Old Delta.

Suit is thought by many to have APHRODISIAC qualities, although this cannot be confirmed or denied.

BEWARE putting on this suit can have adverse effects on your life. It can cause you to miss your childrens' birth. It can cause you to miss holiday reunions, family times, and weekends. You may miss your Daughter's prom and your Son's graduation. Your family may think Christmas is not always on December 25th. Your wife will have to learn to be a single parent when you are gone for days. The suit can cause you to miss entire nights of sleep or get up at 3 AM to meet your next schedule. Your neighbors may be jealous of you and think you do not deserve to wear the uniform or be compensated for your work.

Originally suit required a four year college degree and an internship of 5-10 years in the military, and another 10-15 years for the fourth stripe. Suit comes with a promise of a pension if you provide years of dedication and service. THE PROMISE MAY BE AS EMPTY AS THE SUIT. Now it can be had for the highest bid. Good Luck bidding.

  

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The Strange and Difficult to Find MD80 Standby Compass

MD80 Standby Compass

Have you ever been in the cockpit of an MD80 series aircraft?  If you have, then you probably weren’t able get over the scrambled and chaotic design of the cockpit long enough to notice that something important was missing…the standby compass. 

I learned to fly in a 1980’s era Cessna 152 with a compass located in clear view in the center of the instrument panel.  The compass had to be checked against a standby “wet” compass and manually corrected by the pilot every few minutes.  If the pilot forgot to make the necessary corrections, then the compass would develop an error over time that would eventually lead the aircraft off course.  Most modern aircraft are equipped with a slaved compass system that continually and automatically updates and corrects the heading information displayed on the cockpit instrument panel, removing the need to continually check the accuracy of the compass system.  A standby compass is still required equipment and must, at a minimum, be checked before each flight and would be used in the event of a failure of the slaved compass system.

The cockpit picture below is that of a Boeing 757-200.  The standby compass is prominently and conveniently located on top of the center window post.  In the event of a failure of the compass system on this aircraft the pilots would be able to easily and clearly view the compass.  Except for the light within its casing, the standby compass needs no electrical power to operate and is functional during a complete loss of electrical power.

Boeing 757-200 Cockpit

The cockpit picture below is that of a McDonnell Douglas MD83.  Now that I’ve mentioned it, you might notice the absence of a standby compass.  Clearly this aircraft does not have a center window post, but it seems logical to me that the compass could have been placed above the post nearest the Captain.  If that wouldn't work, I could come up with at least two or three other options...in the ceiling behind the First Officer would not be one of them, but that's exactly where it is.

McDonnell Douglas MD83 Cockpit

In order to view the standby compass on this aircraft, the pilot must first flip up one of two mirrors on top of the instrument panel…one for the Captain and one for the First Officer.  No, the mirrors are not for checking the condition of your hair, but they are probably used more often for grooming tasks than for checking the compass.

After flipping up the mirror, the pilot must position the mirror in just the right position so that he can see a second mirror in the ceiling in order to view the compass.  The second mirror makes it so that the compass is not viewed backward as it would if viewed through only one mirror.  There’s even a light switch on the overhead panel that turns on a small light to illuminate the face of the compass. 

The video below shows the procedure in full.  After viewing the pictures and video maybe you will have the same thought that I’ve had for years…I sincerely hope I never have to use it on a dark and stormy night.

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