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Old 12-03-2007, 07:22 PM
  #40  
FliFast
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Joined APC: Dec 2006
Position: I was acquired, Not Hired
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Originally Posted by cessnapilot View Post
actually, TWA and UAL hired 300 hour pilots in the early '60s that were FOs quick.
At TWA, I personally knew a handful of pilots that could not upgrade to Capt (back in the 60's) because they were not old enough for their ATP yet. And "No" they did not spend many, many years at the F/E panel.

At UPS, the ANC domicile, specifically the F/O position, is staffed mostly by new hires. I can remember reading this message board and the intra-union message board (Bar and Grill) at UPS and seeing posts how the ANC flights would be unsafe because only probies and newbies would be in the cockpits of the 747-400 and the MD11. Boiled down to simple terms, it was posted that the ANC Capts would be babysitting the new hires.

Similar to this thread there was a fair amount of rock-throwing and piling-on trumpeting how unsafe these new hires would be in the cockpits.

For those not familiar with UPS' hiring requirements, in the past year they required overwater, heavy jet time and a minimum of 1000 hrs of PIC time.

Stunning to many in the ANC, their pre-conceived notion that the newbie sitting next to them was inexpereinced proved to be unfounded. In many cases the newbie was a heavy jet Capt or F/O at a former airline and had the most overwater experience on the flight deck and the most time in the MD11. Still others had the military equivalent and again were more than competent.

I know I am comparing apples with mangos, but my point is I remember all the banter about how unsafe the UPS newbies would be prior to their arrival in ANC and how they needed "babysitting".
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Good posting JPilot77, glad to hear you are back flying. I myself had a job whereas On-the-job training was the norm. At Focus Air Cargo I had two things working against me. 1. I had zero 747 experience and 2. Some of the places that Focus and all other ACMI carriers fly to are hard to pronounce much less easy to find on a map. I leaned pretty heavily on my F/O and F/E. I learned a lot from them and was humbled on many occasions. I hope the candidates for programs like these no matter what academy or background have the same level headed attitude as yourself.

Ok, back to bashing Riddle...I guess it's a slow news day.

FF-maybe I'm the mayor

Last edited by FliFast; 12-03-2007 at 07:41 PM.
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