So, back on the road again. As you may remember, MrsFr8Dog was hospitalized over the weekend and I was supposed to get home on Sunday, Just in time for Mother’s Day, and to celebrate my birthday from 5 days earlier. Before I had learned that MrsFr8Dog had gone to the ER, I had committed to FedEx that I would operate another trip back out to Asia. My plan was to go home Sunday afternoon, and if momma was okay, I could catch a FedEx flight back to Memphis Monday night. Turns out there were no available seats on the flight from RDU to MEM on Monday, and MrsFr8Dog told me to fly the trip and that it would be good for our daughter to take on more responsibility at home. Plus the trip was at overtime pay, so….Gotta make hay while the sun shining she says. 🤣 MrsFr8Dog was able to get home Sunday night and I stayed in Memphis for this trip. MrsFr8Dog is in some discomfort, but DaughterFr8Dog is stepping up — #NextManUp

My trip started as a simple trip, Memphis to Incheon and sit hotel standby for 3-4 days (basically 12hrs on and 12hrs off) then deadhead out over 3 days back to Memphis. That has already changed 3 times. We departed this morning from Memphis with a very unusual departure time of 11a am. Normally our Memphis to Incheon flights are about 7-8 hrs earlier in the day. So today, was all day flying. I was supposed to be the PIC (Pilot in Command) but we had another Captain scheduled on the flight as one of the relief pilots. Turns out she was due for a Line Check (an annual requirement) and since I’m Line Check Airman, qualified in both the left and right seats, we did some crew seat positions swaps and she operated as the PIC, with me as SIC and I gave her a check ride. The original First Officer swapped over to one of the relief pilots. The Line Check and training schedulers are very pleased. 😁

Pretty uneventful flight. Normally when I fly this route, we stay over Canada, go through Alaska, over or near the Bering Strait, down through Russia, then China and west of the Koreas. Today, we went over Seattle and then over the water, over the Aleutians and through Japan. A little longer routing than we would normally take. Winds were not our friend today (except actually they were, since we were getting paid by the hour 🤪)

Visibility was great the whole flight, I got to see some of the volcano peaks on the Kamchatka peninsula, but they were way in the distance. Easy arrival and approach into Incheon. The Captain did a nice job all the way around, with not very much to debrief afterwards, mainly just some technique/polish items - she is new on the B777. Overall, she did a super job.

We’re in the same AirTransit hotel in the terminal from 1.5 weeks ago - small windowless room. One of the 2 first officers on the flight will be with me the rest of my trip. Right now, based on the 3 changes so far, we have almost 60 hrs here, including a 11.5 hr standby period, then we operate to Osaka then Shanghai. We’re supposed to layover in Shanghai for 24 hrs, then operate to Narita, then deadhead our way home. I may offer myself to the crew shedulers, offering to stay out on the trip if they need a body. Since I’m dual seat qualified, they would have lots of options with me. If I can get extended enough, it might make my next trip go away (due to 100 flight hrs limit in a 30 day rolling window) - basically the opportunity sit home for 2 week, with pay. My fingers are crossed.
[Post edited by B777Fr8Dog at 05/13/2020 08:18AM]