Originally Posted by
JediCheese
The thing is, if they're going to force new hires into the left seat, the lack of 1,000 hrs SIC won't stop them. 121.436(a)(3) talks about the required 1,000hrs SIC, but 121.435(a)(2) talks about an "appropriate type rating for the aircraft being flown". Not many new hires have a B737 or A320 type. If they're going to overlook the type requirements, they're going to also overlook the 1,000hrs SIC because they own the pilot for 24-25 months even after they upgrade.
I feel this argument is really grasping at straws. The new hire will gain the required type rating when they go through training. It’s no different than a 737 FO under the old contract upgrading to the 320. They have the 1000 SIC, but don’t have the type rating when awarded. That comes during upgrade training.
Regionals have been hiring direct entry captains for years. Many hires don’t necessarily have the type rating for the RJ they were hired to be captain on - it comes during training. Even hiring regional FOs these days don’t need a full 1500 hours or the whole whopping 50 hours of multi-time. They can use the time in the sim in training to bridge a small gap in flight time provided they have the necessary time by the time they take their Checkride for their ATP.