Anyone have the specifics on this?

 

I am in the Feb. 26 class and NO bad news today.

 

Same here, no phone calls from UPS. Kinda sounds like the same deal Archie Bunker went through. I'll let you all know when I show up on the 26th.

 

all that was reported was cancelling a March DC8 class, probably due to congestion in the school house. Don't know if all classes for that week were cancelled or just the DC8 slots

 

I'm in the flight training center every day, and I haven't heard any rumors about class cancellations.

 

My phone hasn't rang either. Last week I wanted it to ring, this week I hope it doesn't. Hmmmm

 

Thew report we had on our internal Bar and Grill (sign on yet?) was from a DC8 instructor. BTW, if you do sign on, you may just want to lurk for a year. We use real names ;-)

 

Congestion in the schoolhouse? REALLY!? If you search my posts for the past 18 months, you'll see I forcast a giant need for training, but no training occuring. Now, the schoolhouse is always a choke point, and on the MD11 (a growing fleet) we are fully choked at the house. We are running 24 hours a day here in SDF and also renting time in the LGB MD11 sim. Our new MD11 sim from CAE will initially STAY in Montreal (where it's being built right now), to train UPS crews 24/7. We can't even afford the down time of shipping and recert'ing the sim in SDF!

I've never seen utilization rates in the sim and FBS so high. Then to make matters tighter, on very short notice we opened a new MD11 domicile in December (ANC), and guess what, it's gone junior.....and as EVERY airline knows: when you open up a new "junior" domicile, you'd better be overstaffed, because you're gonna have to force folks into it during displacement and realignment bids, creating hundreds of additional training events above and beyond the norm. THEN, we announced the new 747-400 fleet would also be based in ANC, and a new fleet is a global system bid, with NO transition locks applying, so there goes another magnitude of training slots...

If anything, the size of the new hire classes will change on a moments notice, depending upon the training house chokepoint. If we slow down, it's because we physically cant train so many folks, and don't count your chickens before they hatch, you might THINK they assigned you as a MIA FO, only to find an MD11 ANC slot in your lap when your half way through basic indoc.

The latest rumor has it that there will not be a reduction in the SDF MD11 Captain slots in the April vacancy bid, because we can't afford the training slots a displacement bid would cause!

 

I remember when I was hired at brand x we went to TWA to us their sims since ours were running 24/7. There are other sims available in the U.S.when you need it.
Short of crews? How about cleaning out the pool. There are at least 60 people who are available and ready to report for training. I don't think they care where they end up for a base. We all have our dream list. Hey ANC isn't that bad. Fishing seasons coming. The brew is cold at Humpys. See ya there.

 

No mention of new hire class cancellations. I received same notice about no new front seat hires in March on DC-8 yesterday. I was also told we front seat instructors were heading back to the line UFN after Feb. This is not unusual on the 8 though. I think everyone can relax a bit. UPS does and will turn on a dime. Next week I fully expect to be told I need to teach in March, oh well it's UPS moving at the speed of business. All that means to me is that they are shifting bodies to other fleets. Most new hire F/O's don't come to the DC-8. It is not a growth fleet <g> The MD-11, 744, 75/76's fleets are. They have reduced the size of the new hire classes, but I think this only reflects as stated in this thread the choke point in the growth fleets. The 72 is winding down and they need to rebid all these folks, once they have, stand by for the big new hire classes again. Remember: 10 MD's +2 744 +90 over 60 moving off the front.