Latest rumor on SWA classes

[Snoopy58]

Talking with an assistant chief pilot yesterday; among the good news from Mecca, he said that classes would definitely be starting in January, not February.

I asked him about the new checklist, and he said that it will be sometime in the spring or early summer, and that they couldn't afford to delay newhire classes as long as would be required to start everybody on the new procedures. So, guys in the first class or three will have to learn all new (or mostly new) procedures at the same time everyone else does.

Also heard some very interesting projections for growth. Take this as the optimistic best case, but 12,000 pilots by 2012 was mentioned. WOW!

They'll need a bigger training center to make that work...

Cheers!

Snoopy

 

[CoopDog]

Now that's what I'm talk'n about!!!!

Snoopy,

You Da Man! Thanks for that info.

Coop

 

[BigFlyr]

Talking with an assistant chief pilot yesterday; among the good news from Mecca

Mecca? SWA = Mecca? Good Grief!

 

[SWA/FO]

Mecca = Dallas

 

[Hooch]

Good Vibes!

I am with you Coop, Keep those positive trons coming!

Can't.....be.....much..........longer ..now.

Hey, where did that swim-up bar go? With the drain plug being pulled, maybe they pulled chocks?

Best to all,
Hooch

 

[waitin]

Thanks, Snoopy...keep them positive waves comin'!

 

[Yahtzee]

Snoopy,

Any words on the on-line app sys?


And do you think the People Dept would be willing to play "Let's Make a Deal" with the winner of PT's airplane model contest? I was thinking something like this:

The winner of the model can keep the model or try for:

Curtain Number 1, 2, or 3

They could put a bag of peanuts behind one of the curtains, a fifth of Wild Turkey behind another one, and a 2004 invitation to a SWA pilot interview behind the last one.

Yahtz

P.S. Anyone else have that Tom Petty tune running through your noggan? "...the waitin' is the hardest part...."

 

[Snoopy58]

Yahtzee,

Sorry, haven't heard any rumors about the on-line app. I mostly just get the line-dog rumor mill; maybe I need to stop by the headquarters & try to sniff out some of the People Department rumors.

I like the "Let's Make a Deal" idea!

Snoopy

 

[canyonblue]

Any words on the on-line app sys?

Heard from a CP that the online app will be up soon. Everyone currently with an app in will get a letter telling them they have to re-apply via the online site. The new system will sort apps by qualifications. Requirement for 200 hours in the past 2 years. LOR's will also be weighed strongly but SWA pilot will be tied to the person he recommends to stop any blanket LOR's. No vacancy bid till March. No upgrade class till March. 400 pilots a year for the next 3 years. First class at the end of January. Many on Mil Leave are starting to come back creating a glut of F/O's. New Domicile possibly not until '05. SWAPA doing research on BNA, TPA and LAS as possibilities. At least 1 new city next year. New -700 sim coming soon, when I don't know. Everything I say here is not Official SWA in print so don't quote me Also interview may include the FedEx type scenario where you have 9 minutes to complete a task and grade yourself. Anyone who has been through this can probably tell you more. Still NO sim ride. Good luck everyone

 

[reepicheep]

Sounds like the days of "if you meet the quals you will get interviewed" are over.

 

[belchfire]

Mecca = Dallas

I doubt he means AA! Is it true that the
73 type is no longer required to get an
interview? Getting close to that 1000hr
mark, and need to move on!

 

[737tanker]

According to one of the asst. chief's the type rating is still not required for the interview, only to get a class date if hired. However he didn't say how a lack of a type would affect the ranking of the application.

 

[knelson]

At Higher Power last week, Rebekah Krone came by to give us the current run-down on SWA. The one thing that sticks out is that the sim ride is definately out. They are still looking at the possibility of using a cockpit panel and a laptop computer for some situational-type questions in the interview.

Also, the original plan was to have the on-line application system up and running by the first of the year but that has now been re-stated as ready in the first quarter of '04.

She mentioned projected hiring numbers and I took some notes on them, just don't have them in front of me, but I think the number was not 12,000, it was more like "our total number of pilots will double by 2012". So that means hiring approximatly 3500 in the next 9 years. Sounds a little more like that 400/year number we have been hearing kicked around here.

We asked about the new city and she claimed she did not know and most of us believed her. When I said Honolulu, she laughed. I still have my $ on Honolulu.

For those of you looking for a good place to get the 73 type, Higher Power is the place to go. I just finished on Sunday and I have nothing but good things to say about their training. Plus, you make a couple of great contacts at southwest. Good luck to all.

Kevin

 

[Skyrunner]

Bamboo Bomber????

Holy Shnikeees,

Use a bamboo bomber and a laptop. Will interviewees play minesweeper or solitaire, while doing mock flows and being yelled at that they are late for pushback?

Later,

SR

 

[CoopDog]

Looks like it's more than double.....

Straight from www.southwest.com, it looks like plans are more on the order of 10K pilots by 2012.


Training: On an average day, the flight operations training center will have 80 to 120 pilots in the classrooms and simulators, and instructors will log about 100 hours per day with pilots training in the six simulators. Southwest's Flight Training Center is capable of training up to 500 new-hire pilots each year. The center will conduct proficiency check rides and recurrent training for a pilot population of more than 4100.
People Statistics: Currently, Southwest has 4117 pilots and projects that the pilot headcount will approach 10,000 by 2012 due to growth and attrition.