busdriver12

I think the reality is that most people tend to pick the airplanes that have the trips and the seniority they like, as opposed to anything else.

The avionics are fine, but perhaps not as fancy as the rest of the fleet. A300's and A310's are older aircraft. The only people I hear complain about it are those who come from the MD-11. However, compare the safety rate of our buses with the MD-11, and you decide (FedEx pilots know what I'm talking about).

If you want day flying, the Airbus has more of it than the other fleets. Nothing oddball about the crew, at least not anymore. Our oddballs either retired or went to the 777. The 777 is nicknamed the tool box, the 757 is called the ice box, the 767 is called the sh** box, and I don't think the MD-11 or the Airbus have any other names.

Albief15

My only comment was to encourage some friends to go fly a jet from the left seat that I loved flying from the right...the MD-11.

Impressions I've had only come from jumpseating. It seems to be a hard jet to grease a landing due to the gear, but I'm sure there are guys who do it regularly.

Everyone has their own goals with their airline career, but mine were A) money B) international travel C) variety of choices and D) more long drones and single legs vice mutliple leg days and nights... So...my order if given a choice would be 777, MD-11, A300/767 and finally the 757. Problem with domestic 767 bidpack is you still end up flying crappy 757 trips, but you at least get WB pay.

If there are a bunch of lines to your hometown on the Bus or 757, then throw my list out the window. If you always wanted to fly XXX, again--my opinion is a waste, as I have not flown the 777 or the A300. What I will say is that if you are going to be junior on everything anyway, then why not get paid more for it? If you are going to be flying in the middle of the night, would you rather lay over in larger cities or the smaller ones?

Anybody who gets hired in this wave at FedEx is going to be doing very well. They'll pay some dues, but the days of plumbing 2-3 years for under 100k are long gone. I don't resent the new hires getting such good deals, and in fact am glad to see several old friends recently get hired here. They will be making good money soon, and enjoying fleet growth regardless of what jet they pick/get out of indoc. We have some issues here, but its a great gig.

So--fly the Bus if you like it, or if it gets to your town (or close by) with regularity. I went to the -11 years back, but a UPT friend chose the Bus due to the all the fields near his home served by the jet. While I was going to Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Paris, he was getting DHs and weekends within driving distance quite frequently, and flew a lot of day trips. We were both very happy with our choices.

Hacker15e

Great input, as usual. Thanks!

Lindenian

Or to put it into a rhyme:

The "toolbox," the "coolbox," and the ... "stoolbox."

Check6Viper

Thanks for all the insight about the different aircraft choices. My ssn is such that I suspect the 777 and MD11 will be unavailable when it comes to my time to choose.

Anybody have any additional words regarding the 767 vs 300 choice?

Nightflyer

We are buying brand new 767's. They will be on the property for a long, long time.

The Airbus are being phased out.

Might be a good idea to be an FO on an airplane first, before eventually upgrading to Captain on the same airplane.

Rumor is 767 and 757 bid packs "may" be split, sometime in the next year.

However, right now we have no approved 767 syllabus, as our lone 767 sim is "not quite right".

So, if you get hired in the very near future, you will learn on the 757 sim, then IOE on the 757, then get 4 "SLF" rides on the 767.

We are gradually getting more Boeings. They all use the same or very similar FMS. The Airbus FMS is different.

So, if you want to learn both FMS's, go learn the Airbus. But eventually, you will probably have to learn the Boeing.

Me, I'd save myself the training cycle and go with the 757, 767, or 777 first, if given the choice.

captnmo

What's the fleet growth look like in the future? It sounds like Boeing is going to replace all the Airbus' but is there a net growth in there or is it more replacement?

captnmo

How long would it be for me to be senior enough to hold deadheads in and out of SEA? I'm assuming on the MD-11.

MaydayMark

That's a very good question that's difficult for us to answer. When they announced the 767's several years ago it sounded like the Airbi and MD-10s would all be gone by now.

Previously, while Management actively negotiated that the 757 should be paid at narrow body rates (like the previous 727) none of us knew that we already had plans to buy 87 757's (even my friends at the Boeing mod team didn't know!*?).

I know that doesn't answer your question very well and I'm not sure if Management doesn't know or fleet needs keep changing with a rapidly changing economy? I'm not sure anyone at FedEx can answer your question. The projections they give us are almost never realistic.

It's disappointing for us too ...


.

FDXLAG

No one here knows. Management will know when the accountants tell them. We topped out at 4700 or so pilots. That dwindled to about 4200 before the floodgates opened. My guess would be we are headed back above 4700.