Originally Posted by hoover

2) is correct.

Originally Posted by RJSAviator76

Fill out your class request and go from there. There are some benefits to being in the last class of the month prior to the vacancy:

1) Suppose you live in PHX and you have PHX CA at 100%, but are taking upgrade in LAS CA in December because you'll just miss PHX CA by a few numbers. By taking the last class, you won't do any of your December schedule in LAS because you'll be in class in Dallas. You trigger upgrade in November, take the last class of the month, you'll spend most of December in class in Dallas, and you won't get your UOE done until probably January which will be a whole new bid for you and by then you just might hold PHX and really never commute. The downside of this is that you won't really get much benefit from loading up your board and having everything pulled with pay, but at least you may save yourself some commuting.

2) Someone correct me, but pretty sure you get paid as a CA if your training spills into the month you were awarded the captain vacancy, so your December 5th paycheck will be the captain advance and everything pulled until you're qual'd will be paid at CA rates in the month of your award (December). Otherwise, if you're doing everything in November, only your PC and LOFT's are paid at CA rates.

Originally Posted by e6bpilot

You are correct on both.
However,
In this vacancy, the last class is going to go to the most senior folks. It is post thanksgiving and pre Christmas.

I am going to jump back to being a regular captain for the January vacancy. Lance has been awesome, but I am giving up my last month so that I can get my training paid as a captain. I suspect a few other lances will do the same since the holidays are over and many of us can hold a blank line now.

Originally Posted by Turbosina

What is a lance captain? Sounds rather British...🤔

Originally Posted by RJSAviator76

Captain-qualified FO, limited to a specific number of pilots (the number equivalent to 3.2% of the total FO’s in base) who opt in to the program and are in the top 50 in order to trigger upgrade.

You bid as an FO (your line, your vacation), but are able to pick up captain trips if you can dump your FO flying. Works great if people pick up your FO flying. If you can get rid of your FO flying, you could either build your captain flying from others or bid on captain open time at the lowest possible priority. Great at times, not so great at times.

You can only lance for a year. After that, you either bid regular captain or go back to FO.

Originally Posted by Turbosina

I don't know if my brain could handle being proficient at both seats' callouts and flows at the same time 😬

Originally Posted by Turbosina

I don't know if my brain could handle being proficient at both seats' callouts and flows at the same time 😬

Originally Posted by Mozam

Sure you could. This place works the right seat like a pack mule.

Originally Posted by e6bpilot

Yep. Being a FO here is way more work intensive than being a captain.
I would say after about year 3, you are so proficient that you can do both jobs in your sleep. I fly way more captain stuff than I do FO, and it takes me about 5 minutes to get back into the FO groove. I went 6 months without flying as a FO and it was like I never left.

Originally Posted by e6bpilot

Yep. Being a FO here is way more work intensive than being a captain.
I would say after about year 3, you are so proficient that you can do both jobs in your sleep. I fly way more captain stuff than I do FO, and it takes me about 5 minutes to get back into the FO groove. I went 6 months without flying as a FO and it was like I never left.