Maybe some of the 'current' guys can jump in here, but I remember looking at the 'retirees' list before I left, thinking the younger guys were REALLY going to have a great ride up the seniority list in the next few years. Born in 1943, I was well ahead of the 'Baby Boomer' wave, so when it does hit, at least at a growing company like FedEx, the impact on folk's senority will be stunning.

Depending on 'when' you get hired, I doubt you would have to spend more than a year before having the 'opportunity' to an upgrade. BUT, you would still be on 1st year pay and Probation. So, making a move early on would be 'gutsy'.

I would imagine by the end of the 2nd year you would have had a couple shots at bidding out . .and the natural progression would be to a right seat. . . it just depends on what relative seniority you want to hold. We have more wide-bodies than 727's, so I will let someone who has more current insight answer that.

 

Heck - getting to a bigger aircraft sooner wouldn't hurt me a bit!

 

I've been here 1 1/2 years. I held md11 fo based in mem after 6 months on the property and have been waiting a year to go to school as I start in mid-Sept. I could have held and gone to school immediately as a 727 fo during initial newhire training, but elected to forego the upgrade because of the reasons mentioned above (probation, seniority, etc). As of today, I have approx 500 people behind me on the list, some dc10 and 727 so's, and some md11, dc10 and airbus fo's. So as you can see, there is major movement going on.

 

So generally (with the exeption of Captains I guess) you don't keep a seat for very long? Huh... never would have guessed. Thanks

 

Not so . .some Captains stay in junior equipement -when they could be making more in wide bodies. I could have been #30 something in the DC-10 or A300 in MEM or about #19 in ANC in the MD. .but being #3 in the B-727, while about a $10,000/yr pay cut, made life VERY easy, as a commuter. People do the strangest things for quality of life.

Some guys only sit the minimum in a seat, as they are chasing the almighty dollar . . or their ego is writing checks thier pay rate can't sustain .

It is all an individual, personal choice, based upon whatever the person is dealing with at the time. Some folks don't enjoy going to the 'School House' -or exposing themselves to 'scrutiny' all that often . . it is bad enough to have to get the medical every 6 months and the Annual SIM and Checkride . .

Some, who aren't driven by the bigger pay check, will sit for a while in a seat and enjoy the ever increasing quality of life -being able to bid a better schedule provides. Some 'play the system' and won't bid on a certain System Bid because they will activate in the new seat before the annual Vacation Bid closes . . and they REALLY want Christmas off next year -and would not be able to do that at their new seniority.

Commuters tend to stay in a seat inordinately longer than those who live in Domicile, because the more senior you are as a commuter, the easier life is. OR. . the aircraft they operate flies out of thier home airport . .and the higher paying seat does not. 4700 pilots . . 4700 stories . . viva la difference. .it is a good thing that everyone does not want the same thing.

 

I'm guessing that you've never oiled on nor flown the B-727. I don't even want to set foot on one ever, ever again.

 

Ranger, What din't you like about the 72 panel? I have 1500 hrs on it and I thought it was a pretty good machine. But I'm a plumber and not a ATP kinda guy.
The electrical system was kinda weak with the manual parr and all that. Never sheared a shaft, but I came close a few times....
Much easier to plumb than say a Dc-8.
But as I'm looking for a new job I wouldn't turn my nose up at it

 

It's that bad!?


How is time logged as a FE? Third-in-Command?

 

I just finished a year on the panel on the -8, and I actually thought that it was an easy airplane to plumb on. I admit, I love Boeing products, but I'll give the engineers at Douglas props for this airplane. For its time, this airplane was quite advanced, and man, this thing is built like a tank!

 

What airline is still using the DC-8?