JulesWinfield

It's a big deal and a big benefit to working elsewhere, even if you don't want to work in the sim.

El Peso

explain how.

chrisreedrules

Uh… I guess that’s just a function of your contract then. It’s a pretty damn good deal for Delta pilots. Carry on El Peso, as usual the point goes right over your head.

chrisreedrules

Oh I don’t know… How about home every night and on holidays if you live in base and work in the sims/training department. How about variety is the spice of life. Provides an opportunity to not just fly the line for decades and do something different. And if your contract is good it can also be extremely lucrative.

At Delta the pilots who teach in the sim are paid the highest of what they can hold in seat (so basically the A350/330 and 76-400 rates since those are going to new hire FOs and Captains are all making at least the 7ER rate). And you can pick up extra. Or go pick up a premium trip out on the line. And most importantly, the more line pilots who teach in the sim, the more overall pilots required on the seniority list. More jobs. More job security.

Zoomie

To add...

It's a break from the grind of line flying, and a chance to really get to know the aircraft you are flying before becoming an evaluator.

All that corporate knowledge on the intricacies of flying the aircraft/sim in non-normals go to a retired pilot who will never fly the aircraft again.

It's a pilot on the seniority list who is senior to you, but isn't filling a spot in your base, thus you move up a number.

It's good paying jobs that at some time were spots on every major airline's seniority list.

This is another scope issue that in the unlikely event a strike were to ever happen again, would you rather line pilots have the keys to training, or a bunch of detached retirees who don't have skin in the game anymore and could just as easily train scabs to take your job.

When United wanted to furlough during the pandemic, it was going to be real expensive/long process, because more than half the seniority list instructors would have been furloughed, so it would have slowed down furloughs or training significantly to displace, then retrain pilots.

Is it the "most important" thing? No. But it is a nice bit of an insurance policy/leverage.

El Peso

Over my head? That’s rich coming from some GED holding, ex PSA guy. Just be thanking your lucky stars every day that you hit the timing right with this pilot shortage, otherwise you’d be a regional lifer.

And if we want “variety” at AA we can go and become a check airman. They spend every other month in the sim. The pay for those Check airmen works the same at AA. Paid based on what aircraft they can hold, not what they instruct on. Bet you thought this was some ground breaking amazing achievement that only existed at Delta didn’t you? Lol.

chrisreedrules

You never disappoint.

J3nkums

You never do either. Commenting in the AA forum on a topic that has nothing to do with DAL. But not surprising. We know you love it here.

flyguy81

Neither does SWA. And training is limited due to lack of people willing to be an instructor. Common sense says you’d have line pilots do it but company is cheap AF and doesn’t want to pay line swine to instruct….they’d just rather give signing bonuses to instructors and watch them quit after 6 mos.

ACEssXfer

Yes. Those are check airman.

There are no line pilot sim instructors.