MaxKts

In 37 years the retirement age will be somewhere north of 120 I hope you enjoy your career

Jetjok

What you seem to not realize and what most guys here fail to acknowledge is that usually, by the time you're in your 60's at FedEx, you are way senior and (again, usually) are not doing the job just for the money. Senior at FedEx offers a lifestyle that's significantly different from what junior guys get. The job becomes sort of a pleasure, especially if you have the ability to pick your trips, your vacation, your training dates, etc, etc. It's hard to compare the flying that the senior guys do to the flying that junior guys usually do. Day flights with one short leg in each direction vs. 4 legs in the middle of the night. Of course, many senior guys do the long haul, but again, it's what they want to do, as opposed to what they have to do, and it really does make all the difference.

I hope your plans work out and that you'll be able to pull the ripcord at your earliest convenience. Failing that, you seem to be on the right track to be the master of your own destiny. Good job (so far.)

72Bluestreak31

Well said J/J.

MD11HOG

What percentage do you have to be to fly that? Which bid pack ? I think that may be a stretch in the bidback I look at.

dogbone

[QUOTE=Jetjok;1439888]What you seem to not realize and what most guys here fail to acknowledge is that usually, by the time you're in your 60's at FedEx, you are way senior and (again, usually) are not doing the job just for the money. Senior at FedEx offers a lifestyle that's significantly different from what junior guys get. The job becomes sort of a pleasure, especially if you have the ability to pick your trips, your vacation, your training dates, etc, etc. It's hard to compare the flying that the senior guys do to the flying that junior guys usually do. Day flights with one short leg in each direction vs. 4 legs in the middle of the night. Of course, many senior guys do the long haul, but again, it's what they want to do, as opposed to what they have to do, and it really does make all the difference.


JJ

I'm sure this is true for you but it certainly isn't true for all. With 35 years at brand X and Fedex I usually get my first choice each month, not to mention good training and vacation slots.

Your example of a short leg in each direction sounds great until one realizes they have to get up at 0500 for a 0700 departure to arrive in
Memphis then sit 6 hours only to return to some East Coast city just in time for rush hour traffic for another short layover.

After all those year of hotels, vans, FAA, Company, TSA, medicals, Emails, check rides, FCIF's, CBT's, and crummy catering I for one am eagerly looking forward to deleting my name from our seniority list.

AerisArmis

Anybody remember the Bob Newhart show? His goofy neighbor was a navigator on a major airline.....but when the airlines did away with them.......they were "involuntarily" retired with little hope of catching on with another airline. ATA had 727s and L-1011's with PFEs and went to 737s and 757s....the PFEs got a firm handshake. After 9/11, United and American parked their 727s and the over 60 guys on the panel got "furloughed". Life ain't fair. When I turn 65 I'm going to look for a job as a brakeman on a steam locomotive..........no wait!

pipe

The original post was not about senior guys -- it was about old guys. I fly with plenty of 63yr olds with a miserable schedule. I pray that I will never, ever, ever put myself in a situation where I feel compelled to do that at that age.

PIPE

FLMD11CAPT

It is ALWAYS rosier and nostalgic looking back as opposed to currently slogging it out or looking forward. But JJ, i would like to hear about some trips you could hold in CURRENT bidpacks that would fit the fairy tale you paint.....any Bidpack. Good luck.

Fedex999999

Actually, at ATA PFEs got a chance to get enough time and a Commercial rating to then stay as a pilot. Don't know what the requirements were specifically. They weren't given a "firm handshake." Also they had DC-10's after parking the L-1011s, so some stuck around till the end.

AerisArmis

OK, fair enough but I really don't think 5 DC-10s could absorb all the PFE's from the 727 and L-1011. Assuming the ATA PFE's spanned all age groups, it would be interesting to know what percent of them got their commercial license and what percent of those got hired as a pilot by another airline when ATA declared bankruptcy?............................. I guess the point is that the PFE position is going the way of the navigator and the radio operator before that. That's the reality of the business.