Originally Posted by
FliFast
FP,
I do offer that a regional pilot would have an uphill transition to flying let's say the MD11 or the -400 for UPS. Here's my humble opinion.
Second, they would transition from a 40,000 lb jet to a 600,000 or 900,000 lb jet. Again, not chinese arithmetic, but certaintly a different perspective from sitting 4 or 5 feet off the ground to 40 feet off the ground.
Third, would be learning Int'l operations. I totally agree with you that none of us were born with Intl experience so at some point we were "new" to overseas flying. IMHO, this area would be the biggest challenge because of its vast scope, ever changing rules, and language challenges. This is just my opinion, but Int'l ops are better learned while doing it, as opposed to in a classroom. Put in other terms, there is more hands-on learning than book learning. This obstacle is surrmountable, but in my opinion the one that would be the most challenging.
I had a friend go from flying SF340s to the whale for Evergreen. Granted he had previous RJ and 727 time, but their international flying is a lot different from even ours. They go to some interesting places for the DOD.