I work on the ramp, loading and un-loading purple planes at night. I see a nice spread of ages among the pilots. I even remember talking to -10 FE one night while he was getting things ready up-front. He was indeed an older gentleman, and said that he used to fly in the left seat; yet now because he was over 60, he was on the panel. I don't remember looking at his stripes, so my question is this: is he still a Captain or do they take away his stripe? Does he now go from Captain pay back to wide-body FE pay? I had respect for this man, yet it must be strange to one day be the leader of the ship, and the next day being the guy in the back.

Thanks

 

Yes you go from 4 to 3 stripes and yes you go from captains pay to FE pay. With proper planning though, especailly being @ FDX, and with the new contract I am not sure why he just doesn't retire...but that is a whole new thread

 

Hey thanks! I would think that they would let him keep his stripes and pay, I mean he earned it. My .02

 

Well, since you asked, there could be a hundred reasons why he (we) decide to go from the left seat (or right seat, for that matter) to the back seat.

1. Poor financial planning
2. Supporting his previous 3 or 4 wives and their homes
3. Wanting to stay "connected" to his previous life of 30 years
4. He feels too young to retire
5. Likes to visit friends/places around the country
6. Hopes to get back in the left seat with the Age 60 rule change
7. Still feels he has something to offer
8. Enjoys the lifestyle he has become accustomed to (being on the road)
9. Likes the smell of jet fuel in the morning
10 Because the Company allows him to stay
11-100 And any number of other personal reasons that are none of your business.

Although once a captain, always a captain, I do wholeheartedly agree with Jack Lewis' dictate to wear the stripes of the seat that you are occupying. It's purpose, I'm sure, is to eliminate confusion. Not within the cockpit, but between ground personnel and crewmembers. After all, if you walked in and saw this distinguished, older guy and two young snot-nosed kids , whom would you assume to be the captain? So wearing the 3 stripes helps eliminate those types of issues, and I'm all for that.

As for the pay. Same thing. You should get paid for the job that you do. Plain and simple.

The bottom line (IMHO) is this: guys go to the back seat for any number of reasons. All personal. If they do a good job, great! If they do a crappy job, then they should be somewhere else. Just like any other guy flying an aircraft. If you don't like it...tough, they didn't make the rule, they are just living by it. If it effects your quality of life, live with it. You'll probably have the same capability at some point in your career, if you decide to exercise it. In the meantime, you might think about the fact that if not for that guy, you might not be where you are now. As an example, if not for the original guys shelling out of their own pockets for gas, this company might not even be in existence now.

 

I like # 9, thanks for your in-put, and yes I have heard about the Falcon drivers back in the early days that would put the fuel bill on thier personal credit cards in order to help the struggling company along. I agree that if those guys had not done that, then the company would likely not be here, so my hat goes off to em'. I'm sure those guys are now well taken care of, as well they should be.

 

At UPS, the over 60 ex-Capts wear 3 stripes on the shoulder boards but are allowed to wear their Capt's wings on their shirt and hat without the braids. The wings represent the level they achieved and earned throughout their years of service and the stripes represent their current position.

 

ABK

We also have retired military guys who got hired after they were 45. Some of them may want to work a year or two to hit 15 years on the pension plan.

Lag

 

Forgot #101 - Good old American greed.

 

Along with the ex-military guys who came to FedEx (and UPS, and every other airline) after their military career, we have other guys who came here from other occupations, and who are trying to either get a high 5 (years of pay) for retirement, or to increase their years of service. The other way to maximize retirement pay is to get the number of years up. If a guy turns 60 with (say) 12 years of FedEx service, his retirement pay is 24% of the average of his highest 5 years. If he goes to the back seat for (say) 3 years, his retirement pay would be 30%. In other words, he gets an additional 2% for each year he stays on.... up to 25 years or 50% of his high 5.

I didn't forget #101 - Greed. There's probably that too. Or #102 - The "I'm gonna stay right here until they have to bury me, because I died in the seat." Or #103, The "I'm staying here to screw someone else out of a seniority number." I agree, it takes all kinds, but it's not for you to tell someone to leave, because you don't know why they're staying in the first place. As well, all you've earned the right to do is ***** about it.

 

#104 - "Learn to fish? Think of all the fish I can buy with the extra $20K-$25K over retirement pay!"