Straight to the right seat...FDX

[PurpleTail]

OF THE WIDEBODY...I have been hearing this rumor more and more lately. I know we've hired to the right seat of the -27 and to the Bus in SFS but nothing like this in ANC or MEM.

BUT... I have been hearing new hires straight to the BUS and straight to the -11, so which is it? If that happens than almost everyone in the right seat of the -27 would get widebody passover pay. If that is the case than almost everyone at the company would be widebody pay except for -27 Captains.

Can anyone confirm or add to this? Thanks!

PS- I seriously doubt this upcomiong bid is the last one for a couple of years.

 

[Rock]

The guy who gave me my MD-11 oral 4 months ago was the man responsible for building the MD-11 for newhires academics program. He had just completed putting it together. The obvious intent is to put newhires right into the right seat of the Maddog. Depending on the newhire, that may work just fine. But it is probably not a safe assumption that a guy with nothing but single seat fighter time (like me) or a guy with no experience flying international is the best person to drop into the right seat of a widebody flying over India at 0200.
Having said that...if FedEx can successfully get me through the program, they can probably make it work.

 

[maddoggiestyle]

I think it's better than having some guys camp out for seniority in the back of the 10 or the 72. I remember talking to some of those guys who were plumbers for 5 years and they said that learning to fly again was the hardest thing to do in their aviation career. I say if they can make it though training I'm all for it.

 

[Echopapa]

Anything is possible...but this I doubt. Mostly for seniority reasons. Thats three seniority jumps, 72 S/O, 10 S/O, and 27 FO. Thats a total of over 1000 crewmembers. Its a lot of passover pay.

More likely is that they create professional RFO's that don't either takeoff or land the MD-11. I could see them being trained similar to a FE, where they accomplish the walk around, but don't maintain currency for landing.

Quite frankly I don't think the widebodies are hurting for people...at least not in the Bus. I don't work but half the time I'm on reserve, and don't get called much for draft. I can't speak for the MD...but there really is no need for a big flood of FOs right now.

 

[AdlerDriver]

The guy who gave me my MD-11 oral 4 months ago was the man responsible for building the MD-11 for newhires academics program. He had just completed putting it together. The obvious intent is to put newhires right into the right seat of the Maddog. Depending on the newhire, that may work just fine. But it is probably not a safe assumption that a guy with nothing but single seat fighter time (like me) or a guy with no experience flying international is the best person to drop into the right seat of a widebody flying over India at 0200.

Having said that...if FedEx can successfully get me through the program, they can probably make it work.

Rock,
Just another perspective. I had a few years of domestic passenger ops in various narrow bodies after flying fighters in the USAF. After furlough, I landed a job flying MD-11s for World. 6 weeks, 8 sims, a type ride, some academics and IOE and I was dropped into the right seat to fly worldwide. They did that with guys straight out of the military, straight out of RJs, corporate, you name it. Not a big deal.

When I was teaching in the F-15 RTU, we kind of had the same mentality that seems prevalent at Fedex. We were getting AMRAAM, new upgrades to aircraft displays and software. We all thought it would be too much to handle for some newbie. Probably because of the challenge we faced of unlearning stuff the new things replaced. The new guys didn't know any different, took it all in stride and did very well. Now they're training them out of the shoot with Helmet mounted sights, Fighter Data-Link, NVGs, etc. New guys will adapt to whatever you throw at them. The old guys making the training programs are the ones screwing it up. They assume since it was tough for them that some new guy will be over-whelmed. Reality is, few new hires are as unfamiliar with glass and cosmic aircraft as those old guys are.

I've heard guys on the line and in the training center indicate new hires to the right seat of the Maddog is some kind of big deal. Maybe because it's new to Fedex. The guys running the MD program need to get over themselves. It ain't that hard. The dang training program for the MD is so long, if a dude isn't ready to go fly the line after that 3 month marathon (new hire or not) - he probably needs to do something else.

Just my .02

 

[sandman2122]

This is such a fun job I still can't understand why some people (in the schoolhouse and LCA's) want to make it difficult..........

 

[K-Mart]

Rock,
Just another perspective. I had a few years of domestic passenger ops in various narrow bodies after flying fighters in the USAF. After furlough, I landed a job flying MD-11s for World. 6 weeks, 8 sims, a type ride, some academics and IOE and I was dropped into the right seat to fly worldwide. They did that with guys straight out of the military, straight out of RJs, corporate, you name it. Not a big deal.

When I was teaching in the F-15 RTU, we kind of had the same mentality that seems prevalent at Fedex. We were getting AMRAAM, new upgrades to aircraft displays and software. We all thought it would be too much to handle for some newbie. Probably because of the challenge we faced of unlearning stuff the new things replaced. The new guys didn't know any different, took it all in stride and did very well. Now they're training them out of the shoot with Helmet mounted sights, Fighter Data-Link, NVGs, etc. New guys will adapt to whatever you throw at them. The old guys making the training programs are the ones screwing it up. They assume since it was tough for them that some new guy will be over-whelmed. Reality is, few new hires are as unfamiliar with glass and cosmic aircraft as those old guys are.

I've heard guys on the line and in the training center indicate new hires to the right seat of the Maddog is some kind of big deal. Maybe because it's new to Fedex. The guys running the MD program need to get over themselves. It ain't that hard. The dang training program for the MD is so long, if a dude isn't ready to go fly the line after that 3 month marathon (new hire or not) - he probably needs to do something else.

Just my .02

I gotta agree. In the AF we put 220 hour pilots through KC-10 qual and they seem to do fine (I"m not a KC-10 pilot though). Kind of funny, it really is.

 

[SleepyF18]

1. You don't rate passover pay if they offer these newhires a widebody slot. That has been brought up after the postal contract bid.

2. Professional RFO's would have to be negotiated in the next contract. Enough said.

3. Newhires should be able to fly the plane fine, that is why they get hired. The only thing they have to learn is the "system" once they are on the line.

4. The most important thing you can be as a member is educated, especially now.

 

[Falconjet]

Sleepy is correct. You only get passover pay if YOU bid the seat, and somebdoy junior to you activates in the new seat ahead of you. Since most of the training is in seniority order (except for trades, where you waive passover), they don't normally have to pay much passover. LCA, flex and test guys are more likely to draw more passover, and most of them do already. I don't think going to the right seat as a new hire is that big a deal myself.

FJ

 

[FDXCapt]

1. You don't rate passover pay if they offer these newhires a widebody slot. That has been brought up after the postal contract bid.

2. Professional RFO's would have to be negotiated in the next contract. Enough said.

4. The most important thing you can be as a member is educated, especially now.

You beat me to the post - the Mavs must be playing. Time to get back to the flash cards.
FC