Can an FO be a chief pilot?
 

If so, I was under the impression it was only captains...

Well, the newest Chief Pilot is a First Officer so I guess that’s what you’re asking. Yes.

Being short on company specific experience and having never made a PIC decision during a 121 operation... sure, why not?!

Going to be some extremely entertaining scenarios that come out of this, so many employees operating on min experience, not just here but becoming the norm industry wide, let the great experiment begin!

See 14 CFR 119.67 (b).

Except there's a difference between the one guy listed in the Ops Specs and their responsibilities, and who the company decides to turn into their cop.

Same title, different responsibility.

I fear this could be the new norm in the next few years. It’s not specific to PSA, but to all regionals in general. Pretty soon we’ll have new FOs fresh off IOE flying with captains with just 1-2 years of experience being trained by Instructors with only 2-3 years experience. It’s starting to happen already.

As much as I’d like to see all of us get better pay rates, at the least they need to raise instructor pay to keep them here. We need experience in the training departments. Just because you meet the legal requirements doesn’t mean it’s the best idea. I’ve had some new instructors that were good, but experience is valuable. In my opinion this could be more dangerous than pre-1500 hour rule. At least then you still had lots of people with a 5-15 years experience.

Can an FO be a chief pilot?
 

Yeah, don’t get me started about seeing an FO as a chief pilot......

He’s a good dude though with military experience and previous leaderships positions in his background.

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Yeah he is great dude, plus with 20 years as a police officer and a doctorate as well as having been an acting assistant chief for the better part of a year. I do think he is highly qualified for the position regardless of having a forth strip.


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He is right around the corner from the upgrade.


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Same for all the people in new hire training... twenty years as a cop qualifies him to be a chief pilot no more than me being a pilot for twenty years makes me qualified to be a police chief. You can’t give valuable advice if you have never sat in the seat and seen the issues first hand. Evidently the guy in ORF is an FO too.

Bad boys bad boys, whatcha gonna do?

I agree, the law enforcement or military time does not necessarily equate to a higher qualification, the skill set / experience does not translate 1:1. I have military and law enforcement (police chief) in my immediate family. It is very much a "please my boss and dont think outside the box" mentality that makes those positions work smoothly. A chief pilot should be able to think outside the box, speak from experience and mentor their pilot group on how to dance with management. The chief needs to have the pilots back unless the pilot obviously and intentionally operates outside of sop, making the chiefs hands tied. I'll base my opinion on his actions but if hes a guy who's going to give company answers and "lay down the law" instead of helping the pilot group, then it's going to be an interesting 2019. Too many guys see the position as an opportunity to pad the resume with the goal being to make a name for themself with the higher ups. The desire to be chief should be rooted in a desire to help your fellow pilots, improving their working conditions and mentoring on how to be better prepared for duty. Give the guy a shot but he has to earn my respect through his actions. We'll see if he really is a pilot or if he's still a cop.

If only we still had a Facebook group so I could like this comment. I hope he does well and is a good rational guy that makes up for whatever he lacks in experience and not having a 4th stripe with personality and character.

Although I can’t comment on this specific individual it should be noted that some of your legacy partners have had FO Chief Pilots for a few years now .

Which means they would of had at least a few years of 121 time before they even showed up at legacy. This is the point. They would have actual 121 experience. Not just being a chief flight instructor...

Maybe they should do the same with Union Reps, as it seems counterproductive to have senior CAs responsible for the pilot group when they've already got one foot out the flow door.

And probably time as a Captain at the regional level, before moving up to the legacies.