I do however disagree with the basing things strictly off of flight times without looking at the overall picture.
I said no such thing. In fact, if you will take the time to read, you''ll find I cited a number of criteria that different companies use for determining upgrade. Personally, I find flight time meaningless...I couldn't care how much time you have, but I certainly care how you fly. For the most part, airlines are more interested in your seniority than how well you fly. What you or I think, however, is irrelevant and meaningless.
If my airline was to get 10 more planes, according to your explanation, I'd all of a sudden be qualified as my DOH would be able to hold captain.
I said nothing remotely like that. It's not your flight experience that's lacking so much as your reading comprehension skills.
You're whining that you don't have the PIC experience to be considered for upgrade, and I told you that you can't expect to move up the rungs unless you have that experience. If your employer sets minimums and you don't meet them, what can be said? You're not the first to have to go get more experience.
Let's define "being qualified to upgrade."
As I stated before, that really depends on the operator. You are the one telling us you need to go get more PIC experience in order to hire on with other companies, and complaining that you lack the experience to upgrade, and then complaining that operators require the experience. Simple...either get qualified, or find someone else to work for. Qualified to upgrade is whatever your employer determines it to be.
What basic qualifications are those? In my previous Part 121 job, I passed the captain written, oral, sim check, IOE and the FAA observation ride, flew as a bid line captain. Sure, I had to meet the basic qualifications to upgrade, and that was ATP mins plus time in type, both of which I substantially exceeded at my upgrade time.
Which is all really quite meaningless as you no longer fly that type, or work for that company. You met the qualifications for that company, in that aircraft. Do you think the rest of the world owes you a living based on your past laurels?
You've stipulated that in order to get anywhere, you're going to need to take a pay cut (also irrelevant, but thanks for including it) and return to a place where you can increase your PIC experience...you've shown that you lack the PIC experience to move up in the world to where ever it may be that you wish to be. With this in mind, you've set the ground rules...you lack experience, you need experience, you know what you need to do, and you thinnk it's "crap." Tough. You meet the requirements, or you don't. If you don't, you can whine about it, or go get qualified.
You can't tell me that a pilot who hasn't flown anything bigger than a Caravan or a Beech 99 is better qualified than another pilot with thousands of hours in type (say 737) who hasn't been able to upgrade in their current position because of their seniority and/or the financial condition of their company.
I told you no such thing. You told us. You told us you can't upgrade where you are (for whatever reason...which is also irrelevant), and can't make it where you want to be hired because you lack their qualifications. You told us that. Base on what you have told us, if you lack the qualifications, go get them. Or buy the company and change them. Which do you prefer?
