Originally Posted by
Hedley
Considering how many inexperienced pilots we are hiring, I’d think that ALPA could quickly squash any attempt to force new hires into the left seat. Hiring pilots with thousands of hours jet PIC is no longer the norm. If a new hire with the experience to feel comfortable as a captain wants to bid it they can, but I don’t see people being forced. Even the bean counters could see the hazards of forcing inexperienced pilots into the left seat.
Everyone has an opinion about how much experience is needed to be a captain; the only opinion that matters is the FAA’s. The FAA does not allow “inexperienced” pilots to be captains. If you are FAA qualified to be a captain, you are by definition an experienced pilot. If these experienced pilots perform satisfactorily during captain training, the company nor ALPA will have any issues putting them straight into the left seat just because they are new to United.
This is the company’s perspective.