Sniper

Since it seems many of you had questions directed specifically at me, I'll try to quickly respond.

This post (yours) is the reason for my post:

1) Spirit's minimum qualifications are determined by management, though mainly flight ops management. Spirit's CP is certainly a pilot, and I believe the COO is to.
2) At some point, everyone has to get their first hour of crew command time. Given that Spirit has plenty of applicants with this experience already, Spirit is not in the same position as the regionals, who must place pilots with no previous command time into flight positions because these regionals don't have the luxury to draw from a pool of pilots with previous crew command time.

Bonus question - That's a joke, right? Our military pilots are supremely qualified and experienced leaders and aviators. If you made it to 2000 hours in a Viper, you can certainly handle the radios in ORD.

I said "likely" for just this reason. Most pilot applicants at Spirit without turbine PIC are 'likely' regional FO's with no command time. A few are pilots with significant crew command time, just none of it in turbines - such as DC-3 drivers.

Yes. Recommendations count. When you recommend a guy with no previous command time, you endorse the idea that previous command experience isn't something an applicant should possess.

Exactly. Being a CA (civilian) or AC (military) is not about flying the plane, it's about responsibility, leadership and the decision making process. Until you've actually done it, nobody (including you, the guy who recommends you, or Spirit) will know if you're capable of doing it well.

I'm sorry for the thread hijack. I just think that those Spirit pilots who did get hired at Spirit without any previous crew command time should realize how lucky they are, not see themselves and their career prior to Spirit as the ideal and/or typical experience for an applicant for FO of an Airbus.

Returning to my previous comments: didn't Spirit have a recall class in early January, and then a new hire class in late January as well? Just trying to see how many folks were hired, and when, to read the tea leaves of Spirit's future.

JUG47

I agree with some of your reply. A few are lucky, yes.
Progression has a lot to do with the pilot market. Sometimes getting hiring into a Bus with only few thousand TT is the norm which would make it typical, but not in todays times I would agree. In several places overseas it has been the norm to hire drivers with much less! Training is the key.
I think whoever gets hired should feel lucky no what their TT or background is. Nobody deserves it any more than the next guy. Luck of the draw is how it works in this game.
As a current Jet, T-Prop and piston driver, I can say that turbine PIC is overrated. Going from a piston to large jet was the norm no that long ago.
And Sniper, I am not trying to bust anyones b@lls, just typing an opinion.

Normann

The correct answers, only for you since most of us got them right (just pulling your leg here take it easy)

1. No. Spirit pilots (as far as line pilots, because that is what we all are) have ZERO pull on deciding hiring minimums. CP and COO are management pilots.

2. Decided by insurance and a combination of supply and demand. That is a fact and we (pilots) have nothing to do with it. There is a reason why every single company has a clause for street captains.

Bonus:
Depends. It depends on the CRJ guy. The CRJ guy will feel right at home but just because you have flown a CRJ into ORD does not mean you are good or able so the F16 guy will easily beat a weak CRJ guy within a few hundred hours. They were hiring everyone during 2006-2007 into the regionals and I saw that first hand. On the other hand it is pretty much given that the F16 or whatever former military will be sharp and pick up things fast. Simply because of the selection process and the huge amount of applicants I have never seen a stupid or hard to train former military aviator. So the correct answer is it depends.

But you are very biased toward military that is quite obvious.

Btw who are you working for? Are you just sniping around casually or do you actually have a purpose or point to make in this thread. Like we have said it before, we have nothing to do with minimums.

Sniper

If anyone would like to continue a discussion with me about qualifications for Airbus FO's, my biases, and other personal opinions of mine, feel free to PM me.

Let's keep this thread on track, and Spirit specific.

Here, I'll throw some stuff out, see if it sticks:

Does anyone have proof the Spirit MEC received an incentive of some kind for either endorsing the current contract, or bringing the pilot group back without an actual contract in place? Is this unprecedented, or just SOP for returning from a strike?

The two most recent ALPA contracts at passenger carriers both don't offer premium pay for overtime. Is this a Spirit specific issue, or an ALPA National negotiating strategy?

Does Spirit have automated trip trade currently? If not, why not?

Has new flight ops management at Spirit made things better, worse, or no change?

captscott26

Automated trip trade was being tested and ran into some major issues. IT and Flica are working on a fix. As soon as it is working correctly it will go live.

As for the new flt ops mgmt...these guys are a pleasure to work with compared to what we had. We are definately better off than we were with previous regimes.

TTOCSMCC

"Does anyone have proof the Spirit MEC received an incentive of some kind for either endorsing the current contract, or bringing the pilot group back without an actual contract in place?

No offense, because I suspect you did not intend it this way, but it's kind of an incendiary question ( ie flame bait ). I am not on the MEC, but I can assure you that nothing of this nature happened. It may have been speculated by guys that are ****ed off by the way our strike concluded and the new CBA, but it didn't happen.

We struck because management forced it. When we returned to work it was because we had reached a point of diminishing returns, and it was time to move forward.

BoredwLife

I am sure he asks this because there is some serious talk that something of this sort happened, not flame. Not sure where/if the proof actually exists or not. But it is something that is starting to be said.

As for Spirits automated trip trade, it will NEVER happen. There are a couple of reasons for this. The most important reason I think is that it no longer allows them control over the schedules and most importantly the relief line holders. The large amount of relief lines are allowing management to circumvent the possible arbitration decision and keep reserve coverage. As far as I can tell 80%+ of the relief lines consisted of 1 trip at the transition and the rest of the line was 100% reserve. Then at least 5 pilots I have spoken to holding said lines say that EVERY single reserve drop and open time pick up have been denied and they are sitting will all reserve on the line. Just my .02.

dudeskibro

Bored,
That's interesting you say that. I've been on relief for 3 months and have never been assigned one day of reserve...

TTOCSMCC

Personally I have had very nice schedules from a relief line award. Remember if you get some reserve days, even if it is the whole month, you can trade with open time.

By the way, BS conspiracy theories destroy unity. BoredwLife if this crap is starting to be said, why believe it?

Sniper

I actually agree. Sometimes the best way to squash a rumor is to call out those spreading the rumors for proof - the rumor either becomes truth or dies when the harsh light of truth is shined upon it.