Timing.
As far as your questions go, what type of person is a captain of a widebody jet -- just like anyone else! It's a job. I just hung out at a 777 captain's house for most of this afternoon and evening, with his son who is finishing his commercial training in the next few months.
Anyway, you ask about luck, connections, seniority, and being in the right place at the right time. It is all of that. This guy was my baseball coach in little league years ago. That's how I met him. I wanted to fly back then and I've been in touch with him ever since I found his phone number on an old baseball team roster not long after I got my private license.
I've posted his little career summary on here before; I'll post it again for you since he wouldn't mind and it gives examples of the things you ask about: luck, connections, seniority, and being in the right place at the right time.
AA JFK 777 CA said:
I am not sure if I ever told you my whole story about my job hunting. I applied to the airlines when I was 25 in 1977 and 1978. The airlines hired a few hundred. I was turned down by United , Twa and American and Delta. If I would have been hired by United Twa or American, I would have been laid off for about 6 years. Delta wanted you married and alot of the others were pro military pilots. Really not sure why I did not get hired by these airlines. I guess the moral of the story is NEVER GIVE UP. In June of 1984 American started to hire again, I was hired on Oct 1,1984 and I think I was about 180 of the new guys........The hiring stopped in 1990 or 1991 and we had hired 7000 guys. On our first day we were told that we would be Captains in 5 years. I was 727 FE for 1 year and then forced to DC-10 copilot because we had bought a bunch of dc-10s from PANAM and the new copilots were engineers for 7 years and did not want to learn another plane because they were just getting used to flying again. So they forced us engineers up. I stayed on the 10 until Nov of 1990 and was 727 Captain, actually I got paid as a 727 captain in November of 1990 but did not go to school until Dec. In Jan of 1991, officially a 727 International Captain. In April of 1992, I got DC-10 captain. I only lasted there a year as things slowed down and went back to 727. Then I think I went to the Airbus for 4 months, then back to the DC-10. I think I fell off again one more time to the bus for about 8 months and then back to the 10 until 1999 when the 10 left New York. I went back through the whole school on the bus again because I was off it for more then 2 years and in Oct 1st of 2000 was awarded 777. Yes I did get on at a great time and if I would have been hired in 1977, I would have sat at the panel for 7 years or been laid off.. So it all worked out for the best. I am number 1013 out of 13,000 pilots and I have 6 and a half years to go. Timing is everything.
Updated numbers to the story as of tonight: 850 out of 13000 pilots with ten years to go.
So, you can see how getting into one company as a hiring boom commences can yield great things in the years that follow. This captain flies with first officers that say "ever since I got here there hasn't been one bit of good news." They were hired in the 90s, and though times were good then, 9/11 came around and they took a paycut, still in the right seat, now 2008 is here and AA has not grown but rather, has shrunk a bit and will continue to do so. Being in the captain seat during that time would make it less of an issue as the pay is maxed out for whatever airplane one is on.
Also keep in mind: the captain of a 777 or 747 or whatever other widebody is there because there was a vacancy at their company and their seniority could hold it, and they
wanted it. Many captains below them flying domestically might have more seniority but simply prefer to do that type of flying. Particularly if they live near the airport and can get 3-4 easy, productive daytrips in each week. That could mean being home every night and getting 80-90 hours in each month and having 3-4 day weekends every week.
It is all about personal preferences, and what one can do with their seniority at wherever they work.
Others on here will have many more examples for you.