We already are hiring street captains. Is there really any difference between a pilot who just finished training, who is taking an immediate upgrade, versus a person getting hired to start training as a street captain?

No. If a person holds captain before they have started the majority of their first officer training, they will still complete a similar amount, in addition to captain training requirements, to train to the level as captain. Their initial OE will be longer, but similar in length to the combination in time of an initial first officer OE and captain OE.

As far as no one being excited about it, the law requires 1000 hours 121 SIC or 135 PIC. The insurance companies would be far more concerned with Compass upgrading a pilot with only 300 hours of 121 SIC.

A pilot coming from another airline, with at least 1000 hours of 121 SIC, is more experienced and the insurance companies and FAA agree.

The part you said about the CBA not allowing street captains, there is no prohibition. All it states is pilots will upgrade in seniority order, as long as they are qualified. If no pilots are qualified for the captain position, then Compass just hires more pilots and when they run the new bid, those pilots will hold captain. Pretty simple.

 

Da40,
Street Captains isn't a bad thing nor something to get your panties wadded up over.
Delta doesn't not care about this. It's happened before, and it will happen again. Saying that delta cares about this is a baseless projection. The real question is why are YOU so against street captains? Must be an FO without the time to upgrade....
I don't think this will increase insurance premiums either. It just doesn't make sense. Currently, guys are being upgraded who haven't even flown 100 hours as an FO. Why would a street captain with a lot more experience than 2500 TT mean higher premiums?
Also, show me where the Contract prohibits street captains?

 

Roger

filler

 

So....It's a good idea to take a guy who has his 1000 SIC in a 1900 or a Saab or any other airplane really, no previous PIC, and no experience with our way of doing things, and toss him out there with a restricted ATP FO fresh off of a Cessna to deal with all of the mess that is LAX? It might be what we are forced to do to continue to operate, but it is in no way a desirable solution from a safety standpoint. It is not prohibited by law or contract, but that does not make it good.

 

The other interesting predicament that we are getting into, is since we are already hiring captains right out of first officer training, the deeper we go down the list means the longer the captain upgrade footprint will take. For first officers starting upgrade class before finishing their first officer foot print, means they will more than likely need more time than a upgrade that is already done with first officer OE.

If they need 30 new captains by August 1st, then having a June 29th class date won't cut it for someone who needs to get a majority of the new hire and upgrade training complete. We could be falling farther behind on the staffing in the coming months.

 

I'm confused, so your better and safer solution would be to upgrade a pilot with only 300 hours of SIC in 121 and 1800 total, over a pilot with 2500 total and 1000 hours of SIC in 121?

 

This in itself is going to be very interesting to watch. Training center is saturated as is, and your point is very valid. Don't know how they will handle it.

I don't think that's what he was advocating, and I think he is thinking along similar lines as to my original point. He isn't saying that its a good idea to take someone with less total time and SIC... saying that just because someone has 2500 TT or more with 1000 SIC in another plane and another company doesn't automatically make them safer in the left seat at a new company on a new type of aircraft in a new airport environment. Not to say they wont be just fine...But of course having some experience at the company from the right seat, even if it is 100 hours that some guys are seeing now, makes a world of difference. Just my opinion and not fact of course. I don't claim to have another solution...just an interesting situation to be in...

 

Delta is far more involved in the operations/internal workings with Compass and Endeavor than they are with any other regionals.

Hiring someone, putting them through FO training and then putting them through Captain training immediately after, is not in my opinion hiring a "street captain", and this is what Compass is currently doing. And those guys won't be hitting the line for about 5 months from their DOH.

I don't have an issue with street captains at all, and yes, I am a new hire FO there with 0 121PIC time, but I am not in a hurry to upgrade.

I just don't think it'll get to the point where they'll be hiring guys and putting them directly into upgrade training without going through all of previous steps.

PSA is doing the same thing.

 

Street captains are basically already happening. And no, a person will not be able to pass our current upgrade curriculum as a fresh hire without any of the first officer training. It will require much more time, but is not any more different than a pilot upgrading just after finishing new hire training and then not even going to the line.

 

Yepp, I think we're on the same page.