I mean, surely it has nothing to do with the fact that they’re mostly heavy and jet guys. . . Just like a commodore, this is how I got here, it’s the path everyone should take. . .
-
Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?
Go here:
Edit Account Details and Profile
The SHOW: Airlines still a "good gig"??
- Thread starter A4sForever
- Start date
I mean, surely it has nothing to do with the fact that they’re mostly heavy and jet guys. . . Just like a commodore, this is how I got here, it’s the path everyone should take. . .
Uh, yeah it could be that.
Or it could be that guys used to flying helos VFR at 100kts have a much steeper learning curve than people used to flying airplanes IFR and arrivals/approaches at 250kts. I imagine I’d have a tough time getting a commercial helo job, given my background. But you’re probably right that it’s a conspiracy to screw chopper pilots.
Your flight attendants must have their own temperature controls in the back too.
Was this really a surprise to you or anyone else?
The golden path as a military dude to getting hired at the majors is fixed-wing turbine PIC time. NATOPS, ASO, Instructor Pilot, etc will certainly help as well. How much? Nobody knows for sure besides the HR folks with the key to the algorithm that scores your app.
The golden path as a civilian dude basically follows a similar pattern: quals and ratings, time-building as a CFI, maybe some 135 or 91 flying, 121 time. Upgrade to CA isn’t absolutely necessary, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. LCA, Management, Union work, all nice to haves as well.
Common denominator: fixed-wing turbine time. It’s just like currency: if you’re leaving the military and don’t have it, you need to get some.
Not on the B737. FA temp controls did not appear until more recent years, and often still, only on wide bodies. I flew DC-10s, and even as a wide body, it didn't have FA temp controls.
What are FAs?
D
Deleted member 24525
Guest
Think of boxes in the back of a FEDEX plane. The FAs would be the people who load the
Boxes and then come to the cockpit and explain how those boxes are annoying them sooooo much.
Maybe Trim Air off if it starts to freeze.
I’m on the 73, I was being facetious. I “believe” based on post history he might have some time in the P-8, hence my comment about his FAs.
This is certainly a valid argument. But I wonder how long it lasts. Major airlines have plenty of applicants right now. Within some legal constraints, they are free to hire who they want to fly their aircraft. For straight trainabilty, it is hard to argue against the regional pilot. He/she has been flying 121 for years. A CRJ is much more similar to a 737 than an F-18. Traditionally, most majors have hired military aviators with fewer hours than their civilian counterparts. I attribute this to some of the intangibles of being a military aviator. Just generally being a professional. Having safety culture. Things like that. I think that military helo bubbs have those traits too. Do those traits lead lead to a safer airline? Or better customer experience? Or a friendlier culture?
We just have to prove that we can fly at 250 kts too. If we do that though, do we get the bump? Or do I get to enjoy years at a regional? I don't know. We'll see.
I wish I could see the statistics for how helo bubbas have done during training. I don't have access to that though. I'll just keep flying the line.
BTW, I landed in DCA this afternoon. There was a huge traffic jam on the ramp. It took us an hour and 20 minutes to get to our gate. Per the rules, that counts as flight time.
Hawaiian allows helo time. They used to hire military helo with no regional experience with the bare minimum needed for a fixed wing CMEL and then later the bare minimum needed for a multi fixed ATP after the law changed. It didn’t work that well. After a the first couple of years, the help guys were unnoticeable but for the first year or two, and especially in training, they were behind the airplane.
Not trying to start an argument just stating what’s what at Hawaiian.
We still count helo toward competitive minimums but require more multi fixed wing too. How much? Don’t know but all new hire military helo now have a good amount of multi fixed wing either military or civilian before being hired.
Not trying to start an argument just stating what’s what at Hawaiian.
We still count helo toward competitive minimums but require more multi fixed wing too. How much? Don’t know but all new hire military helo now have a good amount of multi fixed wing either military or civilian before being hired.
D
Deleted member 24525
Guest
We are more standardized in our entire training processes, and we have more leadership experience than an RJ pilot. But I think the safety and CRM culture is much stronger in the Part 121 world than the military.
What it really boils down to is that we are a known quantity.
I agree. I hope that the HR departments at majors acknowledge that military helo pilots posses those same traits. And I hope that military helo pilots prove we have those traits.
No arguments from me. I don't deserve a job at a major. I need to convince the computers that HR uses that my resume is better than all the other resumes they have. I know it is going to take time. I just hope that I am not thrown in the same pile as a straight civilian aviator. I have been flying professionally for a decade. I hope that is worth something. ASO, CRM-I, Instrument Check PIlot.
Unfortunately, my long taxi in today meant I missed my flight to Brazil tonight. All 8 seats in International First Class were open. I was ready to wear American Airlines pajamas and drink my companies beer.