Besides ABX, who still has PFEs, not pilots (ROPES & Second Officers). Doesn't FDX, UPS and Astar just have pilots versus PFEs? We have 20-25 (3.5% of the list) men that will lose their jobs as the 8's are parked.
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An Epitaph for the Flight Engineer
Dear FLTops TODAY subscriber:
With the recent announcement by Northwest Airlines that it will accelerate the retirement of its 12 remaining DC-10-30 aircraft, the end of the line inches closer for flight engineer positions at major passenger airlines. The last Northwest DC-10 flight is scheduled to land at MSP on January 8, 2007, ending a 34-year relationship between the widebody aircraft and Northwest.
Northwest excluded, there are only a handful of three-pilot aircraft left at the major passenger carriers. ATA Airlines operates a small number of L-1011s. United Parcel Service, FedEx and ABX Air all operate three-pilot aircraft, so there will continue to be a number of pilots "flying sideways," but the virtual demise of the three-pilot aircraft--Boeing 727s, 747-100s and -200s, older Airbus 300s, L-1011s and DC-10s--over the past decade has led to a major decrease in the number of flight engineer positions in the industry. The paradigm shift toward modern, two-pilot aircraft has impacted job growth in the industry. Despite the rapid growth the industry experienced in the mid-1990s, airlines were somewhat quietly retiring the old three-pilot workhorses in favor of new, two-pilot jets.
In 1996, there were nearly 7,000 flight engineers working at the carriers currently classified as major airlines (at least $1 billion in annual revenue). About 4,400 of those worked for passenger carriers. With the retirement of nearly all of Northwest's three-pilot aircraft (it also operates a small number of Boeing 747-200s and Boeing 747 Freighters), passenger airlines will employ a very small number--less than 200--flight engineers. If you exclude Northwest's freighter operation, the number will be less than 100 by year-end.
The number of flight engineers at the cargo operators has also declined in the past 10 years, but not as precipitously. There are currently about 420 fewer flight engineers at ABX Air, FedEx and UPS than were employed 10 years ago. Thanks to engine replacement, major refurbishment and other factors, cargo operators have been less inclined to mothball their three-pilot dinosaurs. However, the number has declined as ABX Air has parked some DC-8s, UPS has made small adjustments to its fleet and FedEx gutted and converted some of its DC-10 aircraft to what it terms MD-10s, which are operated with glass cockpit technology sans a flight engineer.
I suppose it's pointless to speculate on the timing of the loss of more than 4,600 jobs over the past decade--at a time when nearly 8,000 major airline pilots are furloughed--since technology improvements have led to more fuel-efficient aircraft and have allowed more traffic in the same airspace and other factors that have allowed airline growth over the same period. However, there is no denying that the loss of the flight engineer, via the retirement of three-pilot aircraft, exacerbated the furloughs at several major carriers. The loss of one-third of the pilot slots was rarely mentioned as carriers replaced their three-pilot aircraft with two-seaters
during the mid- and late 1990s, primarily because airline profitability, airplane deliveries, traffic growth and age 60 retirements kept working pilots moving up the seniority list to higher-paying jobs and kept aspiring pilots' hopes high because of the hiring boom.
I think it's important to mention that while many (especially narrowbody) flight engineers were technically lower-seniority pilots waiting for an upgrade to the right seat, a smaller number were professional flight engineers (PFEs) and not pilots. Some eventually were given the opportunity to train to become first officers, while others eventually lost their jobs or retired.
Another group forced out with the retirement of three-pilot aircraft is the over-60 pilot. Although not all carriers permitted it, a number of major airlines allowed pilots forced to retire by the FAA's Age 60 Rule to continue to work as flight engineers. The pay cut for those who had made captain was steep, but I've talked with pilots over the years who couldn't stand the thought of leaving the cockpit. Plus, their seniority allowed them to bid second officer on a widebody, which, before September 11, 2001, paid well into the six figures (senior flight engineers at cargo operators can still earn $125,000 or more). Pension rules allowed pilots to fly some period of time without negatively impacting their final average earnings and therefore, their defined benefit pension payments. Some pilots simply gambled that the Age 60 Rule would be overturned while they were flying sideways and they would eventually be allowed to reclaim a captain slot.
The retirement of three-pilot aircraft at the passenger airlines has certainly impacted the industry, contributing to the large number of pilots currently on furlough. But the flight engineer has also left an indelible mark on the industry, and will forever be part of its history.
Sincerely,
David Jones
Contributing Editor
FLTops.com
=======================
An Epitaph for the Flight Engineer
David Jones
7/9/2006
{Editor's Note: The following is an editorial sent via email to FLTops TODAY subscribers.}7/9/2006
Dear FLTops TODAY subscriber:
With the recent announcement by Northwest Airlines that it will accelerate the retirement of its 12 remaining DC-10-30 aircraft, the end of the line inches closer for flight engineer positions at major passenger airlines. The last Northwest DC-10 flight is scheduled to land at MSP on January 8, 2007, ending a 34-year relationship between the widebody aircraft and Northwest.
Northwest excluded, there are only a handful of three-pilot aircraft left at the major passenger carriers. ATA Airlines operates a small number of L-1011s. United Parcel Service, FedEx and ABX Air all operate three-pilot aircraft, so there will continue to be a number of pilots "flying sideways," but the virtual demise of the three-pilot aircraft--Boeing 727s, 747-100s and -200s, older Airbus 300s, L-1011s and DC-10s--over the past decade has led to a major decrease in the number of flight engineer positions in the industry. The paradigm shift toward modern, two-pilot aircraft has impacted job growth in the industry. Despite the rapid growth the industry experienced in the mid-1990s, airlines were somewhat quietly retiring the old three-pilot workhorses in favor of new, two-pilot jets.
In 1996, there were nearly 7,000 flight engineers working at the carriers currently classified as major airlines (at least $1 billion in annual revenue). About 4,400 of those worked for passenger carriers. With the retirement of nearly all of Northwest's three-pilot aircraft (it also operates a small number of Boeing 747-200s and Boeing 747 Freighters), passenger airlines will employ a very small number--less than 200--flight engineers. If you exclude Northwest's freighter operation, the number will be less than 100 by year-end.
The number of flight engineers at the cargo operators has also declined in the past 10 years, but not as precipitously. There are currently about 420 fewer flight engineers at ABX Air, FedEx and UPS than were employed 10 years ago. Thanks to engine replacement, major refurbishment and other factors, cargo operators have been less inclined to mothball their three-pilot dinosaurs. However, the number has declined as ABX Air has parked some DC-8s, UPS has made small adjustments to its fleet and FedEx gutted and converted some of its DC-10 aircraft to what it terms MD-10s, which are operated with glass cockpit technology sans a flight engineer.
I suppose it's pointless to speculate on the timing of the loss of more than 4,600 jobs over the past decade--at a time when nearly 8,000 major airline pilots are furloughed--since technology improvements have led to more fuel-efficient aircraft and have allowed more traffic in the same airspace and other factors that have allowed airline growth over the same period. However, there is no denying that the loss of the flight engineer, via the retirement of three-pilot aircraft, exacerbated the furloughs at several major carriers. The loss of one-third of the pilot slots was rarely mentioned as carriers replaced their three-pilot aircraft with two-seaters
during the mid- and late 1990s, primarily because airline profitability, airplane deliveries, traffic growth and age 60 retirements kept working pilots moving up the seniority list to higher-paying jobs and kept aspiring pilots' hopes high because of the hiring boom.
I think it's important to mention that while many (especially narrowbody) flight engineers were technically lower-seniority pilots waiting for an upgrade to the right seat, a smaller number were professional flight engineers (PFEs) and not pilots. Some eventually were given the opportunity to train to become first officers, while others eventually lost their jobs or retired.
Another group forced out with the retirement of three-pilot aircraft is the over-60 pilot. Although not all carriers permitted it, a number of major airlines allowed pilots forced to retire by the FAA's Age 60 Rule to continue to work as flight engineers. The pay cut for those who had made captain was steep, but I've talked with pilots over the years who couldn't stand the thought of leaving the cockpit. Plus, their seniority allowed them to bid second officer on a widebody, which, before September 11, 2001, paid well into the six figures (senior flight engineers at cargo operators can still earn $125,000 or more). Pension rules allowed pilots to fly some period of time without negatively impacting their final average earnings and therefore, their defined benefit pension payments. Some pilots simply gambled that the Age 60 Rule would be overturned while they were flying sideways and they would eventually be allowed to reclaim a captain slot.
The retirement of three-pilot aircraft at the passenger airlines has certainly impacted the industry, contributing to the large number of pilots currently on furlough. But the flight engineer has also left an indelible mark on the industry, and will forever be part of its history.
Sincerely,
David Jones
Contributing Editor
FLTops.com
