Excuse my ignorance but what exactly is a street captain? Do you just have to meet the company's total time requirements or do you have to be typed in that particular aircraft? I see that some places have 4-6 year upgrades and others will hire of the street. How does this whole thing work? Thanx.

 

somebody I am sure will give you a better history/explanation of a "street Captain" then I can, but I will say be careful if an airline is hiring Street Ca it means they dont have enough qualified FO's. So you have to ask yourself, why are there no FO's sticking around for the upgrade???????????? Most likely because the company blows...............

 

Street captains doesn't necessarily mean that there aren't FO's sticking around...it means that for whatever reason, there are no qualified FO's to upgrade. This can be due to attrition, or the fact that the company has hired a whole bunch of people with low time, and those folks don't have the prerequisite experience (flight time) to hold a captain slot.

Pinnacle is a perfect example. A new hire that gets the job with 600 hrs total time might take 2-3 years of line flying before they have the required time to upgrade. In the meantime, captains junior to this person (often from other airlines) are hired off the street.

 

Not qualified because those that are, left for better airlines

 

"Street Captain" implies exactly what it seems. You are hired "off the street" as a captain. It's usually done because not enough FOs are qualified to upgrade. This is popular at places like Gulfstream where FOs pay for their seat, then leave for another airline. It's also popular at airline who hire extremely low time FOs who will take 3-4 years to get the time to upgrade, yet face huge captain attrition. This is most of the regionals now. Expect to see street captain hiring increase in the future.

I would opine that unless you're already typed in the airplane in question, with part 121 experience, it's not a good idea. Your training will be extremely difficult, and you will find yourself held to a higher standard, especially by the FAA. The typical washout rate for street captain programs is above 70%!

Then, once you make it to the line, you'll be a very new pilot flying with FOs who are of very little help. And you'll continuously backslide in seniority as FOs above you upgrade. Expect to spend a VERY LONG time on reserve or flying crappy schedules because of your lack of seniority.

So to sum it up, don't do it.

 

exactly, street captains typically spend ages on reserve...thats one of the bad things if you go to a company and have upgrade requirements already, especially if they begin to hurt for captains, you might get the oppertunity to upgrade quickly, but, a everyone who was behind you in senority eventually upgrades (2 years from now) your captain senority will also slide to be behind those who were hired before you...not a fun place to be. But yeh, everyone hit in on the head, for whatever reason there aren't enough FO's elligible for upgrade, and hiring a captian off the street is the fix...another question...why was that capt. qualifie dpilot on the street in the first place, especially if he's going to the pinnacle, go jet, or transstates out there.

 

Unfortunately some have run into bad luck. I for one was at QX looking at an eternity for upgrade. An opportunity came up to fly cargo in heavy iron...good schedule, quick upgrades, and double the pay. Of course it seemed like a great deal. That is till I was furloughed like the other 90% were at the company. Next thing I know I am a 5 year vet of the business with heavy jet time and no PIC turbine on the street looking at $19 an hour again with 500 hour guys in class with us.

Street captains as mentioned can be good and bad. Pinnacle for example. If you live in MSP is not a bad gig, but if you have to commute you will really hate it as a street captain.

 

I can see everyone's point of view here on how street captain life may stink, but at the same time, turbine PIC is turbine PIC. I would be more than willing to suck it up for a year or so to get the PIC time and then go to Southwest and be set for the rest of my life. At least that is my thinking on it.

 

Just like the TWA guys were set for life...

 

And Eastern, and Pan Am/National, and Braniff, and....

I'll feel secure for the rest of my life when I'm going under that arch of water from a firetruck on my 60th (or 65th?) birthday.