Originally Posted by
ethanroy
In order to get hired by fedex you would have to:
Finish high school.
Go to a 4 year college, be in perfect health, have no criminal record.
Get a 3rd class medical certificate by seeing an FAA doctor.
Have no mental illnesses
No illnesses affecting your abilities to fly
8. Get hired by a major airline.
9. Pass an interview and a series of checkrides.
10. Work your way up to the left seat as captain.
If you want to fly 747's, you'd have to work your way up from co pilot to captain. It will take many many many many years before you can become captain of a 747, it's called seniority.
If he wants to fly for Fedex (UPS or any major airline, for that matter) he he's going to need a first class medical. So, while he may only need a 3rd class to start with, getting and maintaining a first class is probably a prudent path. It's always easier to deal with health issues and regain a first class than try to get one initially if health issues come up before you ever got one. Bottom line, he should get a first class ASAP to be sure he can get one before he pursues a career that requires one. If he wants to let it lapse to a 2nd or whatever after that, that's his call.
If he wants to fly for Fedex, why is getting hired by a major airline a requirement?
I also don't understand why getting to 747 Captain is part of this discussion. He wants to fly for Fedex or UPS. FedEx has no 747s. He didn't say he wanted to fly 747s. If he gets hired at UPS, his stated goal, then 747s would eventually be an option. The traditional incentives of max pay for 747 flying are less of an issue at UPS since they pay based on seniority rather than aircraft size. The only guys who fly 747s there are those who enjoy the type of flying, it's suits their lifestyle or have no choice due to seniority.
He might need some extra money to go the civilian route, but plenty of pilots have been hired at FedEx and UPS without "piles and piles" of money.