Retire as a FO?

[Alaskaairlines]

Hello guys!

I have a questions here.
Has anybody ever seen a pilot who retired as a FO? I thought that would be close to the impossible, but still possible.

So lets here it....

 

[tredding@swa]

sure...

I have a neighbor who retired as an FO from CAL... actually, he downgraded to FE on a 727, flew w/ AirMic until his 63rd b'day, then retired.

Just the way his career path happened, retired from USAF @ 45 as a Col., hired buy CAL when "things" were bad..... almost furloughed, sat on the panel for 6+ YEARS... was SO happy to make FO he never cared about being CPT..... sat FO until 60.

This could VERY likely happen again to persons @ UAL/U and/or DAL & AA..... IF they don't get furloughed and get bumped down the list from almost upgrading, are in their late 40s or early 50s, they may NEVER sit in the left seat. Personal opinion here.... it could take 10+ years for hiring to resume at the "majors" in any significant #s.......

This is a great profession, but it will not be an easy career for quite sometime to come....... hang in there - readjusting one's goals may be in order.

Good luck to everyone in the aviation world........ I sure hope it turns out for the better, soon!

Regards - Tred

 

[Alaskaairlines]

Thanks for the info! That would be rough, 6+ years as on FE!

 

[reepicheep]

At US Airways we have pilots hired on 1988 who are currently furloughed, and based on current projections in a few more years we will start to see 20-year F/O's. So here, at least, retiring as an F/O will not be at all unusual.

 

[P3tarbaby]

I have a friend who got hired at Alaska at age 53. He'll be lucky to make captain before he has to retire at 60.

 

[AK737FO]

Choice

There are some guys who CHOOSE to stay in the FO seat. I personally don't understand it, but there are those who don't want to be Captain. My airline has several very, very senior FO's who stay where they are at - even though they have enough senority to hold an equal schedule in the Captain's seat.

From time to time there is also the occasional upgrade failure. These guys stay in the FO seat since they had their chance (sometimes more than one) and didn't make it through upgrade.

 

[Alaskaairlines]

20 years as on FO! Now thats horrendous, unless they want to stay in the seat!

 

[de727ups]

A senior F/O speaks...

Look....not upgrading makes perfect sense for me. I'm bidding number 12 in the seat as an F/O and, because of that, can get some really easy trips. For example, in Feb and March, I'm flying between BFI and YVR....that blocks at 30 minutes. I'm flying 8 hours a month and getting paid for 75. I was checking the kind of trips I'd get if I were a Capt on the Airbus A300-600. I could hold EWR layovers and fly between EWR and SDF all night long....not my idea of fun.

I'm a single guy with inexpensive tastes....don't really need to make 200K a year.

I'll upgrade either when the easy 727 flying is gone or when I can hold decent trips as a Capt....not really in any hurry.

Some guys upgrade for the prestige. I'm to lazy to care about that...min work for max pay is my motto.

 

[tredding@swa]

choice...

it's a wonderful thing... to each, his own!!

Tred

 

[Alaskaairlines]

DE727, are you able to hold Captain in the Mad Dog yet? Well if so, I have heard from a buddy of mine, who is a FO in it, that the routes are nice. SDF-ANC ANC-HKG, that type of flying, but if working 8hours a month and get paid for 75, well thats just about as good as it gets?

 

[cvgphil]

Bhag Whan Master!

Show me the way...the way to min work for max pay

I met a guy from Airborne who said "I'm the most senior guy on reserve, 10 years on reserve. It's all about not workin' and makin' money." Can I get an Amen!

I'm with you my brother, but with the way things are, I think that the airline pilot as we knew it, and the pay that went along with it, is going away.

First there was $12,000 a year pay for FO's,
Then pay for training AND $12,000 a year for FO's
Then 9/11, them dirty bastards,
Now low cost carriers. How do they get their low cost? That's right, by paying us less.

welcome to the new world...of home building!

 

[FlyLawyer]

Retire as F/O and F/e

Had two friends retire after 15 years and 19 years at TWA in the Right seat - not unusual there.

Had a friend of our family who spent 21 years with Delta in the F/E seat on the L1011. He only Bid Honolulu and trips to other vacation spots. Bid the best trips and do the least amount of work possible for over $90k. Quality of life is everything.

 

[atldc9]

Amen. Whnever you reach whatever the magical amount of pay is for you, the rest is all time off. I had 14 days off on reserve last month. We are pretty fat on pilots, so I know they will only cal me less than half of the 16 I was scheduled to be on reserve. I flew 7 days, and got paid 83 hours. At a Low cost carrier to boot. 8300 + per diem for 7 days work. Now that is a good month.

 

[Johnlp3]

Captain Al Haynes (UAL Flt 232 - Sioux City) sat as an FE for 21 years, FO for 7 more, than CA for 3 years when he retired early.

 

[bobbysamd]

FO and seniority

Look....not upgrading makes perfect sense for me. I'm bidding number 12 in the seat as an F/O and, because of that, can get some really easy trips. For example, in Feb and March, I'm flying between BFI and YVR....that blocks at 30 minutes. I'm flying 8 hours a month and getting paid for 75 . . . . . Some guys upgrade for the prestige. I'm to lazy to care about that...min work for max pay is my motto.

My Citation examiner was a Western Airlines pilot who was absorbed by Delta during that merger. He had seniority and could have upgraded to DC-9 CPT. It would have meant that after being a very senior FO he would have become a very junior CPT. He was living in SDO and had LAX as his domicile. He wasn't flying that many hours and had time to devote to his business. Had he upgraded he would have had to accept Cincinnati as a domicile, which would have meant a big commute and less time at home. He was as knowledgable as they come, but an upgrade did not make sense for him.

 

[Rick1128]

Pan Am

I know of several guys tghat retired from the FE's seat at the real Pan Am. Not because they wanted to, but because they were never given the opportunity to upgrade. They may have been the lucky ones as they were not furloughed.

Heard of one pilot there that retired with one year as a Captain and one year as a F/O.

So it can happen.