Caelum Deus
Sky God
Damn! Good point!
What does it take to become a 777 or 747 or 380 captain?
- Thread starter Caelum Deus
- Start date
Cptnchia
Dissatisfied Customer
Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, Insurance. Basically it's a charter or wet lease operation. World would be a good example.
Caelum Deus
Sky God
Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, Insurance. Basically it's a charter or wet lease operation. World would be a good example.[/quote]
Hmmm I feels good to still be learning after 10 years
thanks
CaptBill
Well-Known Member
I used to believe when I was young like you that I was in charge of my life, and that It would be ME who would decide my future. Age has taught me that we are all products of a very complicated world that at times makes no sense. Good people often struggle while dirtbags succeed. Children die, while smokers, drinkers and risk-takers grow old. It rains on the day you plan your picnic and the days you work are ironically sunny. Fairness isn't a word that is ever used in flying airplanes.
If you love to fly, go fly. The only constant in flying as a career is change. There is a very good chance you could fly a jumbo jet as a captain, but frankly, it is more up to the universe to decide that than anything else.
You can, based on conventional wisdom, make choices that will help you achieve that goal but the undefinable variables will have the ultimate say.
Think of your dream as getting in a raft and jumping in a river. The tides, jetties, whirlpools and the raging rapids will all have to be conquered to make it to the end. You can steer your boat somewhat, but whether or not you complete your journey is really more up to the river than you might like to believe.
Don't fly airplanes for some eventual prize, fly airplanes because thats who you are. The future will be what it is....
Good luck with your decisions....
If you love to fly, go fly. The only constant in flying as a career is change. There is a very good chance you could fly a jumbo jet as a captain, but frankly, it is more up to the universe to decide that than anything else.
You can, based on conventional wisdom, make choices that will help you achieve that goal but the undefinable variables will have the ultimate say.
Think of your dream as getting in a raft and jumping in a river. The tides, jetties, whirlpools and the raging rapids will all have to be conquered to make it to the end. You can steer your boat somewhat, but whether or not you complete your journey is really more up to the river than you might like to believe.
Don't fly airplanes for some eventual prize, fly airplanes because thats who you are. The future will be what it is....
Good luck with your decisions....
Cptnchia
Dissatisfied Customer
Truth.
I was hired young, promised 727 captain in seven years, L1011 in twelve.
I'm a sixteen year Airbus 330 FO (with narrow body captain seniority albeit)
However, the 727's are gone and 90% of our users haven't seen an L1011 with their naked eye or even smelled that acrid stench of a triple-spooled Rolls Royce smoke up like a radial during engine start.
Everything and anything can happen in the profession. Set broad goals, you'll be happier!
Gosh dammit, Bill. Right when I think I deserve to make my post, drop my mic and walk offstage like a triumphant rapper, you come and vanquish it!
dasleben
That's just, like, your opinion, man
Yeah, we had a 777 CA at my last company who was 27...
Not sure how old the youngest 747 CA is at my current shop... late 30s, maybe? ACMI is definitely the way into big equipment fast, but who really cares about that?
z987k
Well-Known Member
If you're not picky about equipment, go fly freight in a metro out of Texas or Florida/Caribbean. You'll be captain from day one and get to go international daily!
Screaming_Emu
Well-Known Member
So what you're saying is you're Kayne to Bill's Taylor Swift?
If so, the Wookie is after you......
USMCmech
Well-Known Member
I have a friend who upgraded to Captain at Southern in his early 30s (I think), he is on the 777 now.
Autothrust Blue
Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries
Seggy
Well-Known Member
typhoonpilot
Well-Known Member
CaptBill's post is great.
I've been a widebody captain for the last 10 years, but only because I got on with the wrong major
. They said I'd be a captain in 5 years when I was hired................and they were right!! They were right because they didn't specify where I would be a captain 
. It went like this:
Age 22 Commuter - F.O.
Age 23 Commuter - Captain
Age 24 Major - narrowbody F.O.
Age 26 Furloughed
Age 27 Corporate - Captain
Age 27 Supplemental ( could say ACMI ) - narrowbody F.O.
Age 28 Supplemental - narrowbody Captain
Age 30 Foreign airline - Captain
Age 33 Captain/Instructor major aircraft manufacturer
Age 34 back to that major as a narrowbody F.O.
Age 37 furloughed again
Age 37 Foreign airline - widebody F.O. (B777)
Age 38 Foreign airline - widebody Captain (B777)
Age 48 Captain/Instructor major aircraft manufacturer
If we pulled guys out of various places along the way, i.e. guys who I flew with at the commuter. many are F.O.s at major airlines, some are narrowbody captains, and there might be the odd major widebody captain or two. Some have gotten out of flying altogether. Some have gone corporate. There is one guy, who is a good friend, who is at the same foreign airline I just left and is in the right seat of a widebody. He has never been a jet captain. I flew F.O. for him at the commuter. Sounds kind of sad, but he is one of the happiest guys I know. He's married ( to the same woman ) and has two grown daughters. He enjoys life to the fullest not worrying too much about the seat and position.
Having the goal is good, but don't sacrifice other important things in your life to achieve it. Some sacrifice is probably going to be necessary, but be careful just how much or you could end up a lonely old widebody captain.
Typhoonpilot
I've been a widebody captain for the last 10 years, but only because I got on with the wrong major
. They said I'd be a captain in 5 years when I was hired................and they were right!! They were right because they didn't specify where I would be a captain . It went like this:Age 22 Commuter - F.O.
Age 23 Commuter - Captain
Age 24 Major - narrowbody F.O.
Age 26 Furloughed
Age 27 Corporate - Captain
Age 27 Supplemental ( could say ACMI ) - narrowbody F.O.
Age 28 Supplemental - narrowbody Captain
Age 30 Foreign airline - Captain
Age 33 Captain/Instructor major aircraft manufacturer
Age 34 back to that major as a narrowbody F.O.
Age 37 furloughed again
Age 37 Foreign airline - widebody F.O. (B777)
Age 38 Foreign airline - widebody Captain (B777)
Age 48 Captain/Instructor major aircraft manufacturer
If we pulled guys out of various places along the way, i.e. guys who I flew with at the commuter. many are F.O.s at major airlines, some are narrowbody captains, and there might be the odd major widebody captain or two. Some have gotten out of flying altogether. Some have gone corporate. There is one guy, who is a good friend, who is at the same foreign airline I just left and is in the right seat of a widebody. He has never been a jet captain. I flew F.O. for him at the commuter. Sounds kind of sad, but he is one of the happiest guys I know. He's married ( to the same woman ) and has two grown daughters. He enjoys life to the fullest not worrying too much about the seat and position.
Having the goal is good, but don't sacrifice other important things in your life to achieve it. Some sacrifice is probably going to be necessary, but be careful just how much or you could end up a lonely old widebody captain.
Typhoonpilot
Caelum Deus
Sky God
Makes sense to me.... But I think the Gulf-stream girl would have a different story ;-)
Autothrust Blue
Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries
Nifty.
Arguably, she's everything that's wrong with the corporate aviation world rolled up in a somewhat attractive package, but that's a whole 'nother thread that we've done to death here at least twice in recent memory.
But since you asked about airline pilots flying airliners, generally speaking, you are a Captain because of what your seniority number is and your relative position on the list, not because you look good with four stripes on each cuff and a nifty hat with scrambled eggs on it. This isn't a very meritocratic business, mostly because it's very difficult to measure that sort of merit.
It's not so bad, either—compared to all the other ways of handing out Captain's seats.
