Quote:
Hey Burner,Originally Posted by 135burner
Doesn't it seem odd that the company is hiring direct entry captains with a 2 year training contract but they aren't upgrading FO's? It's almost as if they know they have these direct entry captains on the hook for 2 years and purposely put off the FO's for upgrade who they know are on the hook for a year. It's a win-lose situation for the current pilots.
First off, let's get you upgraded! Not to be Captain Obvious, but if you haven't already.. start letting EVERY Captain and the CP that you are READY to upgrade and intend to do so as soon as possible. Ask them for a Letter of Recommendation and have them forward it to you and the Chief Pilot. Start pushing hard and ask them, and yourself, what do I need to do to upgrade? I have given IOE to many pilots who became Captains here in 5 to 7 months, so it seems that there is some kind of disconnect for you. We do have several senior FO's who, for whatever reason, chose not to Upgrade, but we also have MANY Captains here who have upgraded quickly, like in 6 months or less..
Sometimes in a non-seniority only based upgrade environment, some FO's get upgraded before other FO's.. Reason's vary, but sometimes you have to push hard for it as opposed to in the Part 121 world, you knew that when B727DRVR retired, quit, was fired, or died, you KNEW that you would be upgrading next. The Part 135 World is different..: Sometimes, First Officers are hired that have their ATP's, but don't have the minimum times to upgrade required by the rating agency Argus Wyvern. When that happens, companies will recruit "Street Captain's" or "Direct Entry Captains (DEC's)".. In the 121 World, these out of seniority Captain hires are hired but only hold a reserve line for a long time because as FO's upgrade, they keep getting pushed back on the Captain's list. In most of the Part 135 World where it isn't seniority only when it comes to upgrade, its based on several factors, ability to upgrade being the common thread among all companies. At our Company, they really avoided hiring DEC's because they knew that upgrading from within was better for pilot morale and that DEC's were an unknown quantity. But when we acquired new fleet types and grew, we didn't have enough typed Captains and they needed to hire Direct Entry Captains. It takes Captains to make Captains, so this isn't always a bad thing.
Now to my tale of 2 First Officers.. I am arriving into PBI after an airline delay in CLT. I arrive at Signature PBI with just an hour before departure for a live leg. I arrived at the jet to find the FO vacuuming the jet and prepping for the departure. He said "Hey, I knew that you were late, so I did the acceptance for you, did the FRAT, filed a flight plan, and did the w&B/Perf.. I hope that I didn't step on your toes, There's 4000 Lbs onboard.. I hope that I didn't step on your toes". WOW! That FO changed the course of my day and went onto upgrade quickly with my eager recommendation.
Fast forward to another time that I was delayed on my airline flight, and arriving at Signature West HPN and the tale of another first officer.. With an hour before another live leg, I arrived at Signature to meet my FO who had been there for two hours in HPN on his Day 1 as well.. When I asked him how much fuel we had onboard the jet, he said "I don't know.. I've been waiting for you"... LOL! Later on in the day, he asked me how come he hadn't upgraded yet?!? Don't be this FO..
If you are on the XL, maybe I can help. I have some amazing gouge that might help for your files. Know the Limitations (for any jet..), Know the Standard Calls and Flows from the FCM (Read it if you haven't).. Know what happens when you Lift Cover and Push the fire Button.. Know when the crossfeed comes on.. Etc., etc. Upgrading is never easy, but it can be manageable. PM me and I would be happy to help you in any way I can to get you upgraded. Sometimes you have to be the squeaky wheel when it comes to Upgrade in the 135 World, so let's start squeaking. Not all Captains are the best mentors, so you might have to give them a kind push. Volunteer to do every FRAT, flight plan filing, W&B, perf, acceptance etc. That, along with knowing your jet, the SOP's, should help you attain that 4th stripe. When the ACP calls you, maybe even on short notice, and asks if you are ready to upgrade.. Make sure that you can say YES!
So PM me and let's get going on this...