Originally Posted by
24/48
As deltajuliet pointed out, I was merely referring to 6-12 months of 121 time is sufficient to perform duties as an FO regardless of the size of the aircraft, regional or mainline.
Yeah that I agree with.
A major airlines only hires high time captains from "regionals" because they need to show "regionals" as a viable career path to encourage pilots to work there for low wages and maintain the B-scale system they created. If the majors were just as likely to hire low time pilots as anyone else...and there's absolutely no reason they can't (in fact on some levels it makes more sense)...the entire system would disintegrate because without the implied "flow" to the majors the regional pilots wouldn't tolerate it anymore.
Which point? Huh?........sorry couldn't resist
I have a few ;-)
An international airline, like all US majors carry more FO's than Captains. For instance, at UAL the IAH 777 base has just over 50 CA's and about 110 FO's. Since we augment on every fleet except the Airbus, we have more FO's.
A minimum three pilot crew must be two captains and a first officer. Captain qualified first officers meet the requirement for cruise captain so it depends on the definition of captain. But this is academic and depends on airline policy. From a scheduling standpoint there is greater flexibility in having more captains than FOs.
Often foreign carriers will put their lowest time or least skilled first officers on these routes since the experience gained is not as valuable as short haul...transitioning them to short haul FO later.
It makes no sense to work as a long haul FO in the few years immediately preceding an upgrade to short haul captain. Again, an inefficient distribution of experience.
To your point about seniority, etc. Are you saying that you would prefer a merit based system? If so, just look around the forum and you can read the passion of airline pilots. We are all A types willing to do what it takes to achieve a goal. A merit based system is ripe for manipulation by both management and the pilot. Favorites will be played and at the end of the day it still won't be the most qualified individual using the tiller.
Seniority is the ultimate manipulation. The airlines and unions have successfully brainwashed the pilot population into believing the myth that seniority is needed to prevent sucking up. I've been a chief pilot...no good manager likes an ass kisser. Merit is based on experience, skill and work ethic...all things that type A people like to excel at. Not having seniority is called a free market. Seniority promotes mediocrity and stifles type A people.
Pilots also confuse unions with seniority as if they are one in the same. There is absolutely no reason one can't have a working union without seniority. Seniority shackles the pilots and blocks the natural actions of the free market. Without seniority the "regional airline" business model couldn't exist.
While seniority probably can't and won't go away....it certainly needs to be reformed and looked at differently to stop it's abuse by management and make it work for the pilots again instead of against.
Originally Posted by
24/48
Not sure what your background is, but you come across as a senior RJ Captain that wouldn't/couldn't make the leap to first year FO pay at a major. Meanwhile, many of the folks who pulled gear for you are flying made the sacrifice to go to mainline and it just chaps you a bit.
Actually I've flown all over the world as a captain. I was one of those who always upgraded quick (the "RJ" had not yet been invented). My first transatlantic trip was as a captain. I have about fifteen times more PIC than SIC experience in my civilian career so I am personally aware of the dangers of low time captains...I learned fast because I had to and got lucky more than a few times in my career. I have emerged unscathed of incidents, accidents, or certificate actions.
I'm retiring early and getting back to GA because that's where the fun is...my interest in enlightening "regional" pilots is on behalf of the future generation of airline pilots whom I have a personal vested interest it.
...and I have a lot of free time to think.