FedEx chief pilot rant

[active_herk]

The best of the best is only one, and redundant at that; "best" being superlative and all. Grammatically speaking of course. Maybe it is big al or JAM-BRO, but it can't be both. Which one will you recommend?

I don't know, maybe we should have a competition to see which one is really the best. I know... we could have a landing competition, and put a quarter 1500' down a runway, and whichever ones main tires come closest could be determined as "the best". I would imagine though, that in their case a quarter is much too big a target, maybe we should use a dime, or the head of a pin....we will probably need to measure the difference in millimeters.

 

[Huck]

We ought to put each interviewee in the MD-10 sim, fully configured and at the marker, day VFR, and tell them to land it. Maybe they get three warm ups or something, then a test one. Throw in a crosswind, and tell them to put the boot in at 300'.

I would also turn off the auto-throttles, but that's blasphemy.....

 

[Phaedrus]

ATS OFF?! Are you mad, man?

 

[JAM-BRO]

So what (or who) determines what the "best of the best" is? I'm guessing in your eyes, you guys are it!!! Please forward your names and SSNs to me so I can be sure to put in a recommendation for you, I want to get credit for getting the "best of the best" on property. Thanks!

I am not saying I am the best... I only commented on the hiring practices at FeDex. You can't deny the fact that it is a good ole boys club. When a FeDex CP emails their pilots not to reccommend anyone that ACTIVELY works at any other major but will take NON-ACTIVE furloghees shows to me poor judgement. I've got nothing against furloghed guys. It's that some have not flown in some time versus someone who is current.

I know someone that went thru MD11 training at Fedex and his sim buddy was a Navy guy who could not land with a required 25kt crosswind. The aircraft carrier was always sailed into the wind... Learning to land with a crosswind at FeDex is a little too late in the game.

Hiring should be done by your resume and then thru your interview. Not solely by someone going to their chief pilot and reccommending their bunk buddy. Active_herk is proof of that. "Please forward your names and SSNs to me so I can be sure to put in a recommendation for you, I want to get credit for getting the "best of the best" on property."

Believe me, I would love to work for FeDex. This is not a shot at you guys but at the hiring process. I think it should be more transparent and fair to everyone who does not have the insider ladder

 

[Phaedrus]

I think it should be more transparent and fair to everyone who does not have the insider ladder

While, in essence, I agree, I also think that we should have eternal peace, no hungry or homeless people, and it shouldn't rain on the days I want to play golf. Bruce Hornsby sang eloquently about it, but it really is just the way it is. I think when we weed out all the humans we'll have what we want. Except then I won't be able to play golf. Not saying it's right; it just is.

 

[PurpleInMEM]

I think it should be more transparent and fair to everyone who does not have the insider ladder

Transparency in hiring? At a US corporation? Are you really serious?

A company is free to use any process to weed through applicants as long as it doesn't discriminate against people in protected categories (race, religion, etc.). Outside of that, if you don't get hired because you were off-key during your rendition of the FedEx fight song during the mandated 'a capella' part of the interview, you're pretty much SOL.

Pie-in-the-skyers will always find the process unfair. Kiss some butt, get your buds to make the right phone calls and key strokes, and within a few years you'll find yourself on the property. It's not rocket science.

Hell I'm still waiting for United to send me my Scantron so I can update with them again. Sure hope I can get Arnautical to get me into the Frasca before my sim check.

Hoops are hoops, just jump through 'em!

 

[fr8doggie]

I am not saying I am the best... I only commented on the hiring practices at FeDex. When a FeDex CP emails their pilots not to reccommend anyone that ACTIVELY works at any other major but will take NON-ACTIVE furloghees shows to me poor judgement. I know someone that went thru MD11 training at Fedex and his sim buddy was a Navy guy who could not land with a required 25kt crosswind.
Believe me, I would love to work for FeDex.

Actually, It's FedEx, not FeDex. Perhaps if you spelled it that way on your cover letter you might have a shot at an interview.

 

[Whistlin' Dan]

This is not a shot at you guys but at the hiring process. I think it should be more transparent and fair to everyone who does not have the insider ladder

Anytime you have 100 applicants for every position, the process is going to seem arbitrary and/or unfair to 99 of them. Look at it from an employers perspective..they have perhaps an hour or 2 and a background check to ascertain what kind of employee you'll be for the next 30 years. It doesn't hurt to have somebody say on your behalf, "Yea, I know that guy. He doesn't seem like one to pick his nose in the cockpit or f*art before a pack is online, stiff a van driver, trashe hotel room, or spend an entire trip trying to get other crewmembers to buy into his multi-level marketing schemes. And most of all, he seems like the kind of guy who, even when he thinks nobody's looking or cares, would still fly pretty much by the book"

The alternative to personal recommendations for pilots would be for the company to administer a United-style stanine test. Believe me, that has it's own shortcomings.

If you feel you've been overlooked in the hiring process, the only thing I can tell you is to relocate to Memphis and involve yourself in every cultural, civic, and social activity you can think of, paying special attention to those things that appeal to pilot-types in particular. In time, you'll connect with one or more people who will make the necessary introductions to HR.

As for this CP's "rant," I haven't seen it (yet), but if the company has had to cover $170,000,000 worth of broken airplanes and equipment because of complacency on the part of some pilots, he would be remiss in his job NOT to raise he11 about it. FedEx, for the most part, has a pretty good core-group of pilots. Maybe it's time to "cull the herd" a little bit...

 

[sluggo]

I don't know, maybe we should have a competition to see which one is really the best. I know... we could have a landing competition, and put a quarter 1500' down a runway, and whichever ones main tires come closest could be determined as "the best". I would imagine though, that in their case a quarter is much too big a target, maybe we should use a dime, or the head of a pin....we will probably need to measure the difference in millimeters.

Maybe a competition of who knows more people...that's the way it is and we all know it. Your post is funny, really, HaHa. I read it a second time and laughed even harder than the first. Getting on at fx is not about being a super pilot. It's about who you blow.

 

[satpak77]

ahhh the tone of this discussion is "pilot applicant profile" at Delta Airlines circa mid-90's

 

[sandman2122]

Maybe a competition of who knows more people...that's the way it is and we all know it. Your post is funny, really, HaHa. I read it a second time and laughed even harder than the first. Getting on at fx is not about being a super pilot. It's about who you blow.

Sluggo, wtf are you talking about ".....who you blow"??!

Think about this: just maybe the company wants to hire pilots who are well liked by their peers and get along with others vs. taking a pass on loners like some of you guys are sounding like. I have a good buddy that got turned down too by FDX - and this guys a much better pilot than I am. Who the heck knows why......but don't throw out this "it's who you blow" cr@p.

Adios, my beers getting warm & I've edited this enough already.

 

[T-1GUY]

I might add that you can make statistics say anything you want them to say.

My statistics talk to me.... They tell me that I am Gods gift to flying....

 

[active_herk]

Hiring should be done by your resume and then thru your interview. Not solely by someone going to their chief pilot and reccommending their bunk buddy. Active_herk is proof of that. "Please forward your names and SSNs to me so I can be sure to put in a recommendation for you, I want to get credit for getting the "best of the best" on property."

Maybe a competition of who knows more people...that's the way it is and we all know it. Your post is funny, really, HaHa. I read it a second time and laughed even harder than the first. Getting on at fx is not about being a super pilot. It's about who you blow.

Unfortunately, it appears as if I have unintentionally stepped on the toes of some of the fine users of flightinfo.com. Although it wasn’t my objective to infuriate anyone, I was instead trying to provide a little joviality to the tread. Additionally, I was trying to bring light to an issue which may or may not merit discussion, but definitely piques the interest of those involved. Upon reviewing my original post and the responses received from it, I must concede that I wasn’t as successful as I would have liked.

So to my beleaguered friends out there who may have misinterpreted what I meant, I would like to offer the chance for some meaningful dialog with regards to this subject. If you are willing, I would be curious to know your insights as to the following queries:

• Given the notion that FedEx does not hire the “best of the best”, can you please site an example of an airline(s) which in your opinion does, and explain why you feel they do? What criteria should be used to determine what the “best of the best” is in terms of airline pilots?
• Can you also list an airline or airlines that don’t take recommendations into account when factoring in their decision on whom to interview/hire?
• Does an airline exist which arguably not only hires the “best of the best”, but also isn’t receptive to taking into consideration recommendations from their crew force and/or employee group?
• If it is true that FedEx doesn’t hire the best airline pilots available, what can be done to the interview/selection process to ensure that in the future we only gain the best pilots available?
• In your opinion, which hiring practice is more detrimental to an airline: selecting persons to interview based on an internal recommendation who meet the minimum standards as set forth by the company, or selecting those who ONLY meet the basic FAR experience requirements (e.g. commercial instrument rated pilot) but help fulfill said airlines affirmative action quota (I’m probably going to catch heat on this one).

I’m looking forward to your responses.

 

[Brian a300]

Unfortunately, it appears as if I have unintentionally stepped on the toes of some of the fine users of flightinfo.com. Although it wasn’t my objective to infuriate anyone, I was instead trying to provide a little joviality to the tread. Additionally, I was trying to bring light to an issue which may or may not merit discussion, but definitely piques the interest of those involved. Upon reviewing my original post and the responses received from it, I must concede that I wasn’t as successful as I would have liked.

So to my beleaguered friends out there who may have misinterpreted what I meant, I would like to offer the chance for some meaningful dialog with regards to this subject. If you are willing, I would be curious to know your insights as to the following queries:

• Given the notion that FedEx does not hire the “best of the best”, can you please site an example of an airline(s) which in your opinion does, and explain why you feel they do? What criteria should be used to determine what the “best of the best” is in terms of airline pilots?
• Can you also list an airline or airlines that don’t take recommendations into account when factoring in their decision on whom to interview/hire?
• Does an airline exist which arguably not only hires the “best of the best”, but also isn’t receptive to taking into consideration recommendations from their crew force and/or employee group?
• If it is true that FedEx doesn’t hire the best airline pilots available, what can be done to the interview/selection process to ensure that in the future we only gain the best pilots available?
• In your opinion, which hiring practice is more detrimental to an airline: selecting persons to interview based on an internal recommendation who meet the minimum standards as set forth by the company, or selecting those who ONLY meet the basic FAR experience requirements (e.g. commercial instrument rated pilot) but help fulfill said airlines affirmative action quota (I’m probably going to catch heat on this one).

I’m looking forward to your responses.

I may have missed it, but has anyone mentioned the company's inability to release the Enders Report on safety,, something they spent 1 million dollars on and have never let the operators review it at all, they even wanted the Union to sign non disclosure statements.

Don't understand how the SCP talks about safety and there is a document that may help us to perform safer.. ??

 

[active_herk]

I may have missed it, but has anyone mentioned the company's inability to release the Enders Report on safety,, something they spent 1 million dollars on and have never let the operators review it at all, they even wanted the Union to sign non disclosure statements.

Don't understand how the SCP talks about safety and there is a document that may help us to perform safer.. ??

Very good point. We are supposedly the ones who aren't operating up to par, but they won't let us see the report that would allow us to fix our problems.

 

[Brian a300]

Very good point. We are supposedly the ones who aren't operating up to par, but they won't let us see the report that would allow us to fix our problems.

really!!

 

[active_herk]

Are there no retorts to my queries?

 

[wannaBrich]

Are there no retorts to my queries?

I think we are all retorted :nuts:

 

[Longhorn]

Guys, once again.....please no posting of private info or emails on a public forum.

Thanks...
LH

 

[active_herk]

I think we are all retorted :nuts:

You may be onto something there!