hello!!! how its going?. Well, i am new to this site and i wanted some info on becoming a FE and eventually work as a pilot for ups, fed, dhl. i have my A & P and i am currently flying a crj as a first officer. Have close to 1500 hours TT but a few hundred PIC.

i am less than 2 years from upgrade. Seems like cargo airlines have close to 12,000 applications on file and its becoming extremely hard to get a job as a pilot. I was thinking that maybe i could get my foot in the door as a Flight engineer and work my way up as a pilot. i am in my late 20's and i am thinking long term, do not wish to work for 5 airlines before i retire. Any help is appreciated. thanks

 

I am sorry to be the one to have to disillusion you, but, being politically correct, it is surprising that someone in and around the ‘flying bidness’ would seemingly not know how ‘things’ work.

There may be one or two 2nd/3rd tier flying outfits who still only hire FE’s (non pilots) as FE’s (and they are getting fewer as the world converts to 2-place cockpits), but I doubt you would want one of those jobs, as you would not be building ‘pilot time’. The ones you mentioned above hire the individual as a ‘pilot’ (one of the 12,000 also mentioned) and they slip into a seat, where needed, after initial training.

Historically, the entry level pilot job at most Majors (Braniff excepted) was as a Boeing or Douglas FE, but FedEx has had a couple periods where the lucky new-hire jumped right into a right window seat. I had the good fortune of being hired as a DA-20 F/O -but subsequently ‘upgraded’ to FE, for quality of life issues.

I am afraid, if I am reading your query correctly, that you will have to queue up behind those 12,000 aforementioned pilot applicants and take your chances, as the definition of ‘new hire pilot’ IS as an FE -for the requisite ‘dues paying’ time. It is called seniority progression. . and there is no back door of which I am aware.


Airline Transport Pilot 29,000+ hours
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Here's some info
http://forums.airlinepilotcentral.co...ead.php?t=1195

Very few airlines hire FE's now days most are guys with FO minimums.

There was a post on the forum were I read Kalitta is hiring PFEs. But be careful because with some FE positions you won't be logging time, it can be a dead end career with possibility of getting fired when the airplane is retired.

 

I fly for one of those airlines that still have PFE's. The thing is you don't need all that much time to get on as a FO. In my class most people had about 3500TT. 2 people had no jet time at all.

 

Seems like cargo airlines have close to 12,000 applications on file and its becoming extremely hard to get a job as a pilot. I was thinking that maybe i could get my foot in the door as a Flight engineer and work my way up as a pilot. i am in my late 20's and i am thinking long term, do not wish to work for 5 airlines before i retire. Any help is appreciated. thanks[/QUOTE]

I've been trying to help a few of my friends get on at FDX. Seems like one common theme is doing more than flying the line. Guys who have had the best luck have been LCA's, training, or some sort of management position at a previous airline. Something to check out anyways.