paxhauler85

I started this in response to a post I saw on the CRJ checklist thread that was closed.

Tony mentioned that he was fired for not successfully completing the E-120 upgrade course. He made mention of an "up-and-out" policy in which you are fired unless you can successfully upgrade.

While I don't like to see any pilot "fail" professionally, I see the merit in such a policy.

Being a good F/O is an art, and there are many of them out there. At some point, each person needs to be able to upgrade and accept the responsibility of being a PIC. This also prevents a lopsided seniority list, where you have 10 year people in the right seat, clogging up the upper end of F/O seniority lists. I know there are thousands of 10 year F/O's at the majors. This is by no means anything to be ashamed of, as individuals cannot control when their seniority can hold a captain seat. I simply used 10 years due to the fact that we are talking about regional airlines.

SWA also has an "up or out" policy, where when the time comes, each F/O must enter the upgrade process. Their policy, as I understand it, allows each pilot to fail the upgrade process once, and return to the right seat. After at set amount of time back in the right seat, the F/O must re-enter the upgrade process. At that point, unless he/she can complete the course, that pilot is fired.

I know we have a lot of lifer F/O's here at Mesa, one of them seniority number 20. It is rumored that he successfully upgraded once, got into trouble, and was sent back to the right seat permanently. He still wears 4 stripes.

Is this the kind of envionment that is conducive to safe flight? An 18 year employee in the right seat with a 6 year captain - do you think such a captain would have his authority challenged?