Originally Posted by
saab2000
A buddy of mine who happens to fly 777s on trips like you describe is the first to admit that his job is easier than mine flying 4-6 legs per day up down the east coast. He barely stays current with landings.
I begrudge him nothing. But let's try to cut the mysticism of the widebody life.
I have no doubt that long-haul has many challenges. Fatigue is real. I get it. But I used to work for a large European carrier and sat on the jumpseat of one of our MD-11s from ZRH-ATL and for the whole flight wondered when it was going to get tough. The whole flight was less time than a normal duty day for us. During that time they did one take-off and one landing. One of each checklist. Not 6 of each. They did their fuel checks and nav checks. And ate breakfast. Then lunch. Then they took some breaks and watched a movie. Then they landed in ATL and went to the hotel.
If flying long-haul was as challanging as some folks make it out to be, those senior guys would be fighting to get RJs on the list at their companies so they could fly the easy RJ trips.
I guess that's not happening, is it?
Don't start believing your own hype. Your "buddy" may think that he has it easier than you, but the toll his body takes is a whole other matter. One that you don't comprehend.
The language barriers he fights on a daily basis is one you don't comprehend.
The knowledge that he possesses outside of an "international class" is that which you don't comprehend.
The body count in his airplane, and the associated revenue it and the cargo creates buries a 50 seat RJ.
The 737 pilot flying into Tegucigalpa does indeed possess extra skill which you do not comprehend.
Knowing what to do, and subsequently actually doing it when you have smoke in the cabin 2.5 hours from anything that is not water in the middle of the night is something the rj pilot does not comprehend.
Knowing which alternate is better for medical emergencies and which merely meet the minimums are things RJ pilots do not comprehend, and are not taught in "international ground school.
Knowing what to do with an engine failure over critical mountainous terrain is something that the vast majority of RJ pilots do not face daily.
Experience in the ITCZ is something that books and RJ pilots have not the experience with.
While all of these things certainly can be learned, they are merely a few examples of how we indeed do NOT do the same job. There is more to comparison than the "ease" you so callously refer to. Grow up junior.