Originally Posted by
Hogcapt
Don't forget to factor in the majority of your time as a 747 FO will be as a relief pilot or galley wench. You'll be lucky to get one, maybe two takeoffs/landings per month.
So true!
Atlas is not a beginners airline. Your flying skills will not get better here or at any long haul outfit for that matter. You have to have reached a point in your flying career where you can fly "good enough" to take care of business when things go wrong and for your simulator check rides. This is the nature of this type of flying.
The days of multiple destinations and lots of hand flying are over when you come here. That is not a bad thing if you are prepared for it, but you will be a captain here one day, and you better have your act together.
This would be one of the best jobs in aviation if we only had a fair contract.
Think about this. You just flew a 10 hour leg from PAE to NGO which is about a 13 hour duty day give or take. Then, while enroute, you get a schedule change that says you will commercial from NGO to PVG 2.5 hours after arrival. Yes, you now have an almost 20 hour duty day that is legal and contractual. But don't worry, at least you are in business class on China Eastern!