How many of you can ride jumpseat? It's a good ace in the hole. I've used it a few times. How many people would love to ride up there where the pilots fly their machine? I work on the darned things so I am somewhat kind of tired of looking at cockpits, but riding jumpseat in one has saved my hide on various occassions. Once, they seated my wife and the ticket counter lady was trying to find me a seat, and there were none left. She told me I would have to ride the next one. I then whipped out my jumpseat authorization card and told the lady to ask the pilot for me if I could ride the jumpseat. And I did. Another time, I rode jump seat to Seattle just so I could get another nonrever a seat. I'll do that during full flights because as a nonrever myself, I don't like to be left behind, so if I must ride jumpseat so another nonrever can get on, I will. It gets tight in the cockpit with a jump seat rider and most pilots prefer not having you there, but every time I ride the jumpseat, I've been treated with respect. I kind of think that after 9-11, they kind of like having a big doorstop like myself in the way. The flight attendants also ask me if I want anything like water and food up there as they ask the pilots. I usually sit there quiet and only speak to the pilots when spoken to. I watch how they land the plane and observe well because all though I go through instrument and navigational training as a technician, I don't get to see it much in action only when I ride the jumpseat. I like to see them capturing GLIDESLOPE and try to absorb their actions. It's a neat priveledge to ride up front, but I'll take a seat in the back if there is one open. I can't count how many times I've ridden the jumpseat, but lets say at least ten or more times. I rode with the pilots as a flight mechanic in the Pacific going from Guam/HKG/All over Japan. The best one to ride is the B757. It's like a corvette compared to the rest of the planes. Rolls Royce engines. Feels like a rocket taking off from the runway. You're airborne very fast and climbing.
