@Adam, once you left XJT, how did you manage to get on a “Heavy” aircraft without being at the company that long?
LaMorris,
I was on a heavy within four years of being hired at Continental. Not everybody at the airline wanted to fly the heavies as the schedules were not as desirable as the domestic schedules. In fact, I was actually displaced from the 737 up to the 767 because the 737 base shrunk and most of the pilots wanted to stay on it.
It isn’t always about flying the biggest and best airplane at an airline, schedules play the largest factor in what people chose to fly.
Chris
@Chris, that makes a lot of sense. Quality of life is the name of the game lol. Flying the 75/76 must have been fun, but one’s schedule DEFINITELY is a priority. Another question, it seems like you fly more hours on a Heavy, but at the same time, you’re flying less. Is that pretty accurate?
LaMorris,
The hours on a heavy or a narrow body are about the same, there are less flights per month as the flights are much longer, but the total hours is about the same.
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Thanks for the info. Scheduling will DEFINITELY be a priority on my end, as I have a family and have already done my fair share of traveling and staying gone for long periods of time.
LaMorris,
Everyone assumes that when you get hired you’ll be assigned to the smallest aircraft first but that’s not always the case. You’ll be assigned to where the company needs you and what equipment is most junior. As Chris said do to scheduling or other factors the heavy may actually be junior. At Hawaiian we have many newhires who are hired straight into the A330.
Adam