The aircraft was once considered “senior” and therefore not set up for new hires. It assumed some understanding of United operations. It has improved with the addition of Fleet Introduction syllabus. It is an easy transition from the 737 but if you are coming from the Airbus with no prior Boeing experience it is a challenge. Learning the box is one hurdle and the second part s learning to trim again…

 

These last couple vacancies have really been something...I mean we go from going to furlough 30% of the force to these? Right now 777CAs in the low 5,000s and 737CA at 12,000...I know snap 2, but pretty soon they're going to have to start non-voling people to the left seat that meet the quals.

 

does that come with 100% add pay?

 

Once you get past drinking the firehose preparing for the SV test, the training is great. Plenty of pilots have gone through 756 training as new hires. If you’re a weak pilot that can’t adapt, maybe you should try a different career?

She may not be pretty, but once you’re inside Christine shes just like any other sim, close your eyes if you don’t like the visuals, and remember that it’s always rewarding at the end of a long session.

 

Where is this self certify for hours thing?

 

And when flying Christine don’t worry about how sensitive the rudder pedals are on the ground. That’s not at all how the real airplane is.

The biggest issue I saw with new hires on the 756 was learning the FMC. The problem was that, at the time I was teaching on it (2015) there was no FMC training, you were expected to show up on day one knowing how to operate the FMC. That may have changed in the last 6 years. As a group 756 instructors were begging and pleading for more FMC training for new hires and it was being completely ignored. It used to break my heart watching our new hires struggle with the FMC and by the time I first got them it was for two days then a PV and if they weren’t up to speed on the FMC by then it was additional training time. Which of course is a total confidence killer because most pilots associate additional training as a failure.

The syllabus for the procedural phase was all about approach profiles, reroutes, radial intercepts, place bearing, place bearing distance, place bearing/place bearing, holding etc etc. there was no spare time to teach basic FMC usage. If they didn’t already know what buttons to push and how to push them they were swimming in the deep end with a 50lb weight tied to their ankles.

 

Well it might have taken six years Airhoss, but it seems they finally got the word.

I just went through transition and they have recently added an additional FTD to the footprint. I have been Boeing for the last 20+ years here, so it was actually painful. For those that have never been on a Boeing and especially those that are brand new, I am sure this is a welcome addition. For most of those folks (including my partner who was junior and transitioning from the Airbus) it is probably not really necessary but it absolutely added value to the training. As you point out it is a great confidence booster as it is some extra practice before getting in to the Sim phase. For some folks it is probably completely necessary and is thus a lifesaver.

Either way it helps in getting the FMC stuff down pat, which is critical for the rest of training so that it is not a distraction from the really important part (Fly the Plane!)

 

CCS/Training/Self Certify

 

It's a little better now that all the 752 PW planes are gone...just 4 variants to learn.

 

500 at United is required