Alaska Airlines increases hiring minimums.

[Motive Flow]

Not to start a mil vs. civ thread and I'm not a fighter guy either, but flying an ILS or any sort of an instrument approach is second nature for any military pilot (atleast the fixed wing types). Yes, fighter guys do fly approaches to minimums and often with another aircraft on the wing (formation). Flying an instrument approach in the weather after a complex mission would be a no brainer, IMO.

Flying an approach to mins is pretty much a no-brainer in the 121 world as well. Airline captains are paid for judgement and having the "big picture." Approaches to minimums just come with the job once in a while.

But I also think mil pilots are getting the shaft with the new quals.

 

[Old School 737]

They raised their mins to be more inline with SWA. They wan't to be offered employment by SWA after the buyout that has yet to be announced. Comming soon though!

What makes you think SWA is buying Alaska?

 

[Going2Baja]

They raised their mins to be more inline with SWA. They wan't to be offered employment by SWA after the buyout that has yet to be announced. Comming soon though!

God I hope this never happens - I never wanted to work for SW and I sure don't want to get backed doored into it!

Baja.

 

[Baze]

G2B,

I'm with you man. If SWA or AA was to buy ALK, I'd just rather quit and go pick up a shovel and become a ditch-digger.

 

[ExAF]

Not Necessarily

I understand what your saying, and maybe im crazy (go talk to my buddies).

I know that either guy (military of civvy) can be trained at eithers job, im sure ill get flamed for that one.

But when it comes down to it, your going to be training a civilian guy to fly a turbine engine (who has already been dealing with problems with possibly questionable equipement, stuck in the weather, limited options...

As opposed to training a fighter guy to deal with the situations tossed at the guy who is flying the 414, metro, etc....

Im sure its possible im offbased somewhere, but wouldnt it be "easier" to train the civvy guy to work with the turbine engine on a citation series. etc, and throw him into the weather, problems, situations they have already seen before, as opposed to training the fighter guy to operate in this foreign environment, in the weather they arent ever stuck in, possibly flying a turboprop they have never seen before, even though they might have already operated the engine of an F-16?

Im crazy im sure, card carrying certifiable actually, but id pick the corporate/airline/prop guy who has already seen all the crap (except for the simple operation of the turbine engine) as opposed to the fighter guy, as long as the other chap wasnt a lunatic.

Man did we get off topic here.

I don't believe I am even responding to this camouflaged mil vs civ thread...but... Just remember the F-16 guy is doing everything your "civvie" in the metro is, only he is doing it by himself. He gets the same wx and "problems" and has probably done it in foreign countries as well. He does it at faster speeds and has to stay that much farther ahead of the aircraft. He hand flies the approach since the ILS isn't coupled. He also makes all of his own radio calls and jerks his own gear. Most likely he planned and filed his own flight plan (not dispatch). There is a lot more to mil flying than you think and the 121 world is not all that foreign to the fighter world. For most fighter flyers, getting from point A to point B and shooting an approach to mins is the mundane part of the flight. Usually they have to slow down to adjust to the 121 pace of flying. JMHO. OK...flame on.

 

[Going2Baja]

G2B,

I'm with you man. If SWA or AA was to buy ALK, I'd just rather quit and go pick up a shovel and become a ditch-digger.

Ditch diggin' would be less tiring than flying for SW. Those guys work WAY too hard!

 

[AV80R]

“Health: Applicant must hold current First Class FAA Medical Certificate. Vision must be correctable to 20/20 in both eyes. Non user of nicotine products.”

The 20/20 is an oxymoron as your vision must be correctable to 20/20 in order to get a first class (I think I got that right). However the no-smoker rule is something new, didn’t know airlines could require that. I don’t smoke and I’m not trying to move on to Alaska but why the rule?

8 puffs from throttle to abortle? Sry, it doesn’t make sense and I’m seriously rime-challenged.

 

[regionaltard]

I don't believe I am even responding to this camouflaged mil vs civ thread...but... Just remember the F-16 guy is doing everything your "civvie" in the metro is, only he is doing it by himself. He gets the same wx and "problems" and has probably done it in foreign countries as well. He does it at faster speeds and has to stay that much farther ahead of the aircraft. He hand flies the approach since the ILS isn't coupled. He also makes all of his own radio calls and jerks his own gear. Most likely he planned and filed his own flight plan (not dispatch). There is a lot more to mil flying than you think and the 121 world is not all that foreign to the fighter world. For most fighter flyers, getting from point A to point B and shooting an approach to mins is the mundane part of the flight. Usually they have to slow down to adjust to the 121 pace of flying. JMHO. OK...flame on.

Count me as one civilian who agrees (with the standard "must be able to adapt to working as part of a crew" disclaimer) and who is also astonished that rotary wing time is not given more respect by the airlines. Them things is hard to fly!

 

[mach none]

“Health: Applicant must hold current First Class FAA Medical Certificate. Vision must be correctable to 20/20 in both eyes. Non user of nicotine products.”

The 20/20 is an oxymoron as your vision must be correctable to 20/20 in order to get a first class (I think I got that right). However the no-smoker rule is something new, didn’t know airlines could require that. I don’t smoke and I’m not trying to move on to Alaska but why the rule?

8 puffs from throttle to abortle? Sry, it doesn’t make sense and I’m seriously rime-challenged.

We have had this policy for years. The smokers we have on the property were grandfathered in. Given the no smoking policy in the the state of Washington, California and else where, this won't go away.

 

[US Flyer]

Not to change the subject, but when are they getting of "Atilla the Hun" in HR who does interviews?