Relief Or Cruise Pilots

[FlyWithSean]

I have a friend who is really looking at the SO position. I just dont know what kind of time this would equate to for the future or how you could even stay current.

No takeoff or landings, no approaches, and I am sure at the altitudes they are flying relief absolutely no actual

I would love to hear from anyone about what they think.

 

[Markm1811]

Thanks For The Info,,,

hey guys,

thks for the info. XTW.. not sure why you would not take it seriously.. Sadly not an adolescent but a dX'r with a regional.. what is your issue. We were discussing this in the soc and I posted a serious question.. Maybe you need to question yourself !!!

Midnight Brit.
on ACARS 4 nights a week..

 

[NoPax]

TyphoonPilot - I know the minimums are 1000 hours now, but this was a few years back, during the trouble that Cathay Pacific went through. I remember she got her CFI, instructed for a few months and went to the interview in Hong Kong.

I also remember she stayed current by going to simulator checks, and the SO position was perhaps for a year or so or until she could upgrade to FO, whatever those minumums were at the time. She was based in Hong Kong.

As for 'what use is this time' - no approaches, no actual (very little actual in jets anyway), and no takeoffs and landings - its very useful, its a foot in the door in a very stable airline that probably isn't going away for some time.

 

[typhoonpilot]

When you are over the ocean at night with no moon and no horizon, how would you log it ? When you are over the Bay of Bengal at any time of year, day or night, you can count on about 25% of the time being actual. I log way more actual that I used to in the States.

From what I read elsewhere the upgrade from S.O. to Junior F.O. at Cathay runs around 3 years. They stay current by flying the simulator.


TP

 

[Hawker rider]

If you go into a company as an SO it's not a matter of fact what "quality the time would be" because those positions plan on you being with the company for a long time. So you will upgrade to captain with that company when time comes.

That's the deal they have you as an SO and they don't expect you to go look for employment elsewhere.

 

[Hawker rider]

I want to add the same to the "logging actual"

It does not matter! once you sit inside an airline like that it has no value how much more actual time you are going to log, once you have a 777 typerating with 1000 hours in the left seat do you think anybody would frown on your actual-IFR time?

I didn't think so

 

[neil armstrong]

In Europe people dont ask for "actual" time.
As soon as i started flying here i stoped longing it!
How long you will be a coco depends on thje airline ,i know a guy in KLM who is already a coco for more then 4 years! but he doesnt want to upgrade this way he sits in a firstclass seat most of the time is highest seniority and gets the best chance to chat up the cabin crew before the make it to where ever they are going.
they stay current in the sim with extra sim sessions ,most of them (at KLM) come from there own flight school and have maybe 250/300 hrs.

Neil

 

[Hawker rider]

I've heard that at KLM it is possible to be in the CoCo seat (SO) for up to eight years. Normally they move on from Coco to FO 737. not too long ago they had to move people from Coco to 737 Co-pilot and result was that the F/O's whose place they had to take had to go back again to Coco!!