CRJ-200

I've been wondering this for quite some time -

From what I understand you begin FedEx as a Second Officer on the 727 (which I am looking forward to; both the position and the aircraft). From there - do you upgrade to First Officer, then Captain before moving onto a larger aircraft? Or do can you move to a larger aircraft at anytime if the position's open?

Am I making any sense?

If you are a 727 Captain and move to say, the A300, would you keep your position as Captain or move back to First Officer since you're new on new aircraft?

aircum

Seniority...Seniority.... If a bid comes out to fill vacant seats, you bid and if senior enough you can hold it. You could go from a 727 FE to a MD11 captain if you could hold it, though I would not do this myself. The progress from the FE seat is usually to the right seat of the 727 for those more interested in quality of life, and to any of the wide body FO seats for those more interested in money or modern equipment. It all comes down to a couple things:
1) Do you live in domicile or commute
2) What quality of life do you want
3) Where do you want to fly
4) Are you money hungry(in no particular order)

CRJ-200

Thanks for the help!

I'm not concerned with getting to bigger and bigger aircraft as fast as I can. I'd rather just take it slow and enjoy my job. I wouldn't mind a few years as a FE at all, or staying on the 727 (it's one of my favorite planes).

MD11Fr8Dog

The answer is, whatever your seniority allows.

I was hired as a DC-10 SO, one year later I was able to hold MD-11 FO, but would not have been able to hold MD-11 FO for the next couple bids after that (~18 months as junior MD-11 FO at FedEx), and then just recently upgraded to MD-11 Capt after 9 yrs in the right seat. I could have gone to B727 Capt almost 5 yrs earlier, but why?

So, seniority is the answer!

CRJ-200

So how is it decided on what aircraft you start on? Is it what ever is open when you're hired, or do the pilots with more experience begin on bigger planes? You were a Second Officer on the DC-10 and bypassed the 727... how were you able to do that?

fdx727pilot

Simple answer, what junior seats have vacancies. We have hired into 727 SO and FO, DC10 SO, ANC MD11 FO and Subic Bay A300 FO. They try to get guys with glass-cockpit experience for the MD11. Again, as mentioned, if hired into a widebody FO seat, you could sit there for quite a while. There is no typical progression. For myself, as I live in Memphis, I have upgraded quickly. Hired as a 727 SO, DC10 SO after 9 months, DC10 FO at 2 years, and 727 Capt at 5 1/2 years. Probably will be a widebody Capt at 8 years, given the growth here. Others camp out in a seat (especially commuters,)and enjoy better schedules. I fly with quite a few 72 FOs and occasionally a SO who is senior to me.

CRJ-200

So if I were to get hired as a 727 SO and stayed at in that position for a few years, I would have more input when I decided to upgrade?

MD11Fr8Dog

Whatever is open when you are hired, based on seniority (the higher the last 4 digits of your SSN, the more senior you are within you class at FedEx). In my class of 30, they took 6 DC-10 SOs and 24 727 SOs. I was #7 in my class, #1 took 727, then next 6 took DC-10). I bypassed the 727 completely - except for myabe a half dozen jumpseat rides!

captain_drew

With a company like FedEx there is going to be a LOT of seat movement, based upon future growth and massive Baby Boomer retirements.

There is ONLY one reason I can think of where you might want to stay longer in the FE position than the first Vacancy Bid the company posts for other seat positions, which your seniority would allow you to hold. Well . . make that two . . I would NOT EVEN CONSIDER going back to the School House for an upgrade until after you get off Probation.

The ‘other’ reason is if you decide not to live in the Domicile and you want to enjoy the relative seniority you would have from the FE’s senior to you moving on and new ones being hired behind you.

IF you live in the Domicile, you might as well make a move (after Probation) and go to a higher paying seat, unless you really have a special seat you want to wait for and hold it at a premeditated percentage of seniority.

Word of warning. The DC-10 FE seat is ‘top loaded’ with a bunch of olde phart, EXTREMELY senior, sexagenarians . . who just can’t bear to ‘cash it in’ and retire. You will NEVER be senior in that seat, as long as folks keep plowing back, post Age 60.

Usually, a Vacancy Bid Posting has several choices for those with enough seniority. You could have to decide between 2-3 seat positions and/or domiciles –at different percentages of seniority. You need to be careful and only bid what you REALLY want to fly. You could bid something on a lark, only to find out the way everyone senior to you bid allowed you to hold it at rock bottom seniority. For instance. . a wide-body FO spot in Subic Bay. “Honey, I screwed up and we are moving to the Pill-ip-peens.” gulp

CRJ-200

Really? I would have thought at a company the size of FedEx changing seats was a long process. I had no idea.

That's what I had mind. Staying FE for two or three years on, say, the 727 would give me a better chance of becoming First Officer on a bigger aircraft, right?

That was very helpful, thanks!