Omni Air
08-12-2011, 12:37 PM
#344
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2007
Posts: 736
08-12-2011, 01:18 PM
#345
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jun 2011
Posts: 29
I've been away for awhile, but regarding all the comments about giving prop drivers "a chance" and so forth, let me address that this way:
I was primarily a single-engine piston CFI when I was hired by a major airline years ago and tossed into a 727 followed soon after by an MD80. That was do-able for the following reasons:
1. Major airline training consists of a lot of spoon-feeding and hand-holding.
2. Flying the Line at a Major airline is a lot of hand-holding.
3. Flying the Line at a Major airline is repetitive, cushy, and easy.
4. It takes 5 to 20 years to upgrade to Captain at a Major, so an inexperienced FO without any heavy jet time has a lot of time in the right seat to get the needed "seasoning."
At a carrier like Omni, with a soon-to-come seniority based upgrade, a new FO will be upgraded to the left seat within 12 months or so. That is not nearly enough time to get up to speed with worldwide "your on your own" operations with little support, where you are just thrown out to the planet and expected to "get-er-done" safely, on time, and legally while flying between two different countries you never heard of 12 hours before being assigned the trip. Only non-heavy pilots with similar worldwide experience, or else experienced heavy pilots (for whom the airplane itself is a non-issue so they can focus on the other crap) will be able to pull that off with a reasonable degree of success without first spending a few years in the right seat. And now nobody at Omni will be in the right seat for very long.
I was primarily a single-engine piston CFI when I was hired by a major airline years ago and tossed into a 727 followed soon after by an MD80. That was do-able for the following reasons:
1. Major airline training consists of a lot of spoon-feeding and hand-holding.
2. Flying the Line at a Major airline is a lot of hand-holding.
3. Flying the Line at a Major airline is repetitive, cushy, and easy.
4. It takes 5 to 20 years to upgrade to Captain at a Major, so an inexperienced FO without any heavy jet time has a lot of time in the right seat to get the needed "seasoning."
At a carrier like Omni, with a soon-to-come seniority based upgrade, a new FO will be upgraded to the left seat within 12 months or so. That is not nearly enough time to get up to speed with worldwide "your on your own" operations with little support, where you are just thrown out to the planet and expected to "get-er-done" safely, on time, and legally while flying between two different countries you never heard of 12 hours before being assigned the trip. Only non-heavy pilots with similar worldwide experience, or else experienced heavy pilots (for whom the airplane itself is a non-issue so they can focus on the other crap) will be able to pull that off with a reasonable degree of success without first spending a few years in the right seat. And now nobody at Omni will be in the right seat for very long.
08-12-2011, 04:40 PM
#347
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2009
Position: What day is it?
Posts: 963
Originally Posted by Omnipilot
I've been away for awhile, but regarding all the comments about giving prop drivers "a chance" and so forth, let me address that this way:
I was primarily a single-engine piston CFI when I was hired by a major airline years ago and tossed into a 727 followed soon after by an MD80. That was do-able for the following reasons:
1. Major airline training consists of a lot of spoon-feeding and hand-holding.
2. Flying the Line at a Major airline is a lot of hand-holding.
3. Flying the Line at a Major airline is repetitive, cushy, and easy.
4. It takes 5 to 20 years to upgrade to Captain at a Major, so an inexperienced FO without any heavy jet time has a lot of time in the right seat to get the needed "seasoning."
At a carrier like Omni, with a soon-to-come seniority based upgrade, a new FO will be upgraded to the left seat within 12 months or so. That is not nearly enough time to get up to speed with worldwide "your on your own" operations with little support, where you are just thrown out to the planet and expected to "get-er-done" safely, on time, and legally while flying between two different countries you never heard of 12 hours before being assigned the trip. Only non-heavy pilots with similar worldwide experience, or else experienced heavy pilots (for whom the airplane itself is a non-issue so they can focus on the other crap) will be able to pull that off with a reasonable degree of success without first spending a few years in the right seat. And now nobody at Omni will be in the right seat for very long.
I was primarily a single-engine piston CFI when I was hired by a major airline years ago and tossed into a 727 followed soon after by an MD80. That was do-able for the following reasons:
1. Major airline training consists of a lot of spoon-feeding and hand-holding.
2. Flying the Line at a Major airline is a lot of hand-holding.
3. Flying the Line at a Major airline is repetitive, cushy, and easy.
4. It takes 5 to 20 years to upgrade to Captain at a Major, so an inexperienced FO without any heavy jet time has a lot of time in the right seat to get the needed "seasoning."
At a carrier like Omni, with a soon-to-come seniority based upgrade, a new FO will be upgraded to the left seat within 12 months or so. That is not nearly enough time to get up to speed with worldwide "your on your own" operations with little support, where you are just thrown out to the planet and expected to "get-er-done" safely, on time, and legally while flying between two different countries you never heard of 12 hours before being assigned the trip. Only non-heavy pilots with similar worldwide experience, or else experienced heavy pilots (for whom the airplane itself is a non-issue so they can focus on the other crap) will be able to pull that off with a reasonable degree of success without first spending a few years in the right seat. And now nobody at Omni will be in the right seat for very long.
08-12-2011, 06:49 PM
#348
Banned
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Position: Space Shuttle PIC
Posts: 2,007
Any predictions on what the fleet will look like in 2-3 years (yeah, I realize anything can change)? Are we talking about 5-6 777s and an assortment of 757s and 767s? Are the Diesel 10s on the way out????
08-13-2011, 04:32 PM
#349
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jun 2011
Posts: 29
Bill,
DC10s have been on their way out for years, but we own them all so aside from the gas they are cheap to operate. So they could be around for a while as long as the company has a contract that fits their capability and makes money.
The 757s will be going away within 6-12 months unless a contract comes along to cause them to stay too. The 757s are both leased airplanes so they'll probably be just turned in to the leasing company within a year.
The five 767-300ERs are all owned by Omni (except one), and that fleet is growing by three more airplanes (relatively new -200ERs) within a couple months. They will be around a while.
Any time Omni can find a good deal to purchase more 767s and 777s, you can bet they will do so and add them to the fleet.
So, basically you'll see the 757s disappear first, then the DC10s within about 5 years I suspect (maybe sooner), leaving us with two fleet types: all 767s (currently about five -300ERs and three -200ERs (arriving soon)) and also several 777s. You could expect both fleet sizes to expand as Omni continues to purchase those types with cash money.
DC10s have been on their way out for years, but we own them all so aside from the gas they are cheap to operate. So they could be around for a while as long as the company has a contract that fits their capability and makes money.
The 757s will be going away within 6-12 months unless a contract comes along to cause them to stay too. The 757s are both leased airplanes so they'll probably be just turned in to the leasing company within a year.
The five 767-300ERs are all owned by Omni (except one), and that fleet is growing by three more airplanes (relatively new -200ERs) within a couple months. They will be around a while.
Any time Omni can find a good deal to purchase more 767s and 777s, you can bet they will do so and add them to the fleet.
So, basically you'll see the 757s disappear first, then the DC10s within about 5 years I suspect (maybe sooner), leaving us with two fleet types: all 767s (currently about five -300ERs and three -200ERs (arriving soon)) and also several 777s. You could expect both fleet sizes to expand as Omni continues to purchase those types with cash money.
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