Originally Posted by
Rhino12
Flying a 767 is not rocket science. Anyone with a few thousand hours of flying jets will NOT have a problem in a 76, regardless of previous jet(s) flown. Some folks are over valuing their/others prior 767 experience.
Hire the best candidate for the position. Plenty of us had zero 767 time and we aren't struggling despite what some may think/say. Preferential hiring? Give me a break. Plenty of great pilots out there that can figure out this airplane and do just as well as someone from a prior 767 company. Prior 76 experience is not an entitlement for an interview.
If I've offended you - you'll get over it.
You're right that previous jet experience is beneficial to learning to fly a plane like the 767. Anyone can learn to fly it provided the candidate has the aptitude. I came from the CRJ and straight into a 757 job with no problems in training.
However, there is an economic advantage to the company if they get can get not only qualified but current 767 pilots in training, because the course would be shorten dramatically. Less time in training means that they will become useful to the company sooner.
Also, it you flown for other airlines, you'll know that the vast majority of them are represented by a union and work under a collective bargaining agreement. In summary flying for the airlines isn't just a profession, it is permeated with politics.
Union members could argue that recent furloughed pilots represented by the same union should be given preferential treatment from other carriers whose pilots are also the members of the same union. This cannot be dictated by the union, because they have no authority to do so. They can only propose such a proposition to a company.
Perhaps, Atlas management has seen this recent event as a competitive advantage and will exploit it. They aren't not doing it for altruistic reasons.
If you're currently in the pool you have my empathy. It may seem unfair to you. You're right. But business isn't necessarily about fairness, so long as any law isn't broken. Gosh, a business trying to circumvent the law. I don't think that has ever happen?