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SWA to lower mins?

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Requirement has always been 1,000.
 
Actually the mins to even apply were raised to 1300 turbine PIC in FEB 06. This is the first I have heard of them being lowered back down to 1000.
 
http://www.southwest.com/careers/pilots.html

Southwest Airlines New Pilot Requirements

Certificates / Ratings:
U.S. FAA Airline Transport Pilot Certificate. Unrestricted U.S. Type Rating on a B-737 not required for interview but required for employment.

Age:
Must be at least twenty-three years of age.

Flight Experience:
2,500 hours total or 1,500 hours TURBINE total. Additionally, a minimum of 1,300 hours in Turbine aircraft as the Pilot in command, as defined below is required. Southwest considers only Pilot time in fixed wing aircraft. This specifically excludes simulator, helicopter, WSO, RIO, FE, NAV, EWO etc. NO other time is counted.

Currency:
A minimum of 200 hours must be logged in the preceding 36 months.

Medical:
Must possess a current FAA Class 1 Medical Certificate. Must pass FAA mandated Drug Test.

Authorization to work in the United States:
Must have established authorization to work in the United States.

Driver's License:
Must possess a valid United States Driver's License.

Education:
Graduation from accredited, four-year college preferred.

Letters of Recommendation:
At least three letters from any individuals who can attest to the pilot’s flying skills, by having observed them over a sustained period of time.
 
It was raised because of EEOC.


According to a friend who works in HR at SW, this is correct. The average of all people called for interviews was 1300, so by law the had to raise it or face a possible lawsuit.

Don't look for it to go back down....
 
1300 turbine PIC and an extra 6 grand to purchase the job....er...type rating. Still a deal breaker for me. But there appears to be no shortage of willing participants, so the joke's on me, isn't it?
 
How is that against the law? I talked to one of the recruiters, she said that they raised it because that was the average people had that they were interviewing. She did say that she expected it to come back down but did not have any time frame. Probably depends on how deep their stack of apps is.
 
she said that they raised it because that was the average people had that they were interviewing.

I'm guessing that 1300 wasn't the average, it was the lowest. Since they hadn't interviewed anyone with less than 1300, they shouldn't bother teasing those with less with false hopes. A friend of mine timed getting his type rating with his 1300th hour and got an interview at 1307 hrs, and was hired. He's starting class in the next couple weeks.

He could passed on the type rating and built up more PIC turbine over the next 6-12 months and hoped for an interview without it, but he rolled the dice and won.

You can't win if you don't play.
 
1300 turbine PIC and an extra 6 grand to purchase the job....er...type rating. Still a deal breaker for me. But there appears to be no shortage of willing participants, so the joke's on me, isn't it?

Yep. I put 7k in a type rating. Over the past 6 years it has paid me back about 85 times that.

Gup
 
Best investment I ever made and ever will make.
 
1300 turbine PIC and an extra 6 grand to purchase the job....er...type rating. Still a deal breaker for me. But there appears to be no shortage of willing participants, so the joke's on me, isn't it?

yeah it is...
 
Does sole manipulator of the controls count for the PIC time?

No. While logging "sole manipulator PIC" may be legal under FAR 61, SWA specifically states on their website that "PIC" for the SWA application is only that time when PIC defined by FAR 1 (Definitions).

In other words, you have to actually be the PIC ("Captain" in most civilian turbine situations) to count towards the SWA minimums (and for total PIC on the app). And yes, they do look at this in your logbook during the interview!
 
A sign of the growing world wide pilot shortage and hiring boom of 2007
 

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