What does it take to become a 777 or 747 or 380 captain?

DE727UPS said:
I've flown the 767 to Asia and the 727 intra-Europe. I enjoyed international flying but it's not the end all, be all. Thank gawd there are some people who think it is and want to do it so I don't have to. The cool thing about international flying is the catering is way better and the hotels are way, way, better. I've stayed at the Pan Pacific in Singapore and the Holiday Inn Express in Fresno. That said, with international you have controllers you can't understand, times zone changes that make you a zombie, and.....China. China is a disaster on so many levels. Now, if the company would build schedules where it was one leg ANC-Asia. Three days off. And one leg back to ANC. Well, I'd be all over that. But they build schedules at min cost for the stockholders and min enjoyment of the crewmember. So, I bid reserve in base and make the same pay for working a fourth as hard. When you get to this level, you look at a matrix of working as little as possible for max pay.

Keep your dreams. Nothing wrong with that. There are lots of guys out there that won't be happy unless they get to fly the big iron into Incheon. I just wouldn't say they are anything special. They just like Iteawon.
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All true, but to me there is another aspect. A week of domestic feels like a hole in my life. Nothing really memorable about it. The flying is fine, but there is little to be said about most of the layovers. International is a different ballgame. Longer layovers in some of the World's greatest cities. I love being a tourist and exploring the new places, the cultures and cuisine. I find that a week of that has enriched my life and left me memories that are still fresh even many years later. It is what you make of it, but to me, the opportunity to "make something" of it is far greater on the International side of the house.
 
seagull said:
All true, but to me there is another aspect. A week of domestic feels like a hole in my life. Nothing really memorable about it. The flying is fine, but there is little to be said about most of the layovers. International is a different ballgame. Longer layovers in some of the World's greatest cities. I love being a tourist and exploring the new places, the cultures and cuisine. I find that a week of that has enriched my life and left me memories that are still fresh even many years later. It is what you make of it, but to me, the opportunity to "make something" of it is far greater on the International side of the house.
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I like to get to the hotel in the early AM. Take a good nap, work out, beat down some users on JC, go out for a cup of coffee in the square somewhere, do some tourist stuff. and then have some drinks and some local cuisine. Go to bed when I'm tired and head back late morning.

Can't do that domestic because the layovers are too short because you're shuttling the Clampetts back and forth to Florida.
 
I will admit I differ. I'm a wuss when it comes to strange things and exploration. I'll explore the world when I retire and can do it on my time with no responsibilities. There was a time when we had Europe schedules which were cool. Like CGN-CPH, CGN-WAW, CGN-VIE, layover, and go back. That I can deal with. It's not like that anymore. While you guys are exploring the world I'm getting paid the same for flying 200 hours a year. I ride my bike. I walk on the beach. I go to the brewery. San Clemente is a cool town. To each his own.
 
DE727UPS said:
I will admit I differ. I'm a wuss when it comes to strange things and exploration. I'll explore the world when I retire and can do it on my time with no responsibilities. There was a time when we had Europe schedules which were cool. Like CGN-CPH, CGN-WAW, CGN-VIE, layover, and go back. That I can deal with. It's not like that anymore. While you guys are exploring the world I'm getting paid the same for flying 200 hours a year. I ride my bike. I walk on the beach. I go to the brewery. San Clemente is a cool town. To each his own.
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Don't get me wrong; I'd sit at home for full pay if I had the opportunity to do so. But, when my option is to either do 10 hour overdays in MSP, or 36 hour Taipeis... I know what I pick. :)
 
Yeah, Taipei is a very fun layover. But when the 36 hours become the exception. The 24 is the norm. And you sometimes get the 14 after a 12 hour duty day. Plus dealing with ATC that doesn't speak English, time zone changes, and having to go to China....at all....It just doesn't seem worth it anymore. If I could do Asia with first class commercials in and out and nothing less than a 36 hour layover, then that would be different. It's just not like that anymore. The optimizer aligned with our contract rules and that was that.
 
DE727UPS said:
I will admit I differ. I'm a wuss when it comes to strange things and exploration. I'll explore the world when I retire and can do it on my time with no responsibilities. There was a time when we had Europe schedules which were cool. Like CGN-CPH, CGN-WAW, CGN-VIE, layover, and go back. That I can deal with. It's not like that anymore. While you guys are exploring the world I'm getting paid the same for flying 200 hours a year. I ride my bike. I walk on the beach. I go to the brewery. San Clemente is a cool town. To each his own.
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That's exactly what I think, too.

I've never flown anything but 1-4 hour long domestic flights in my couple years in the airlines so far, but after spending about 80 nights of my life on international flights as a non-rev, I'm not sure I'd like operating it at all. Not because of the length of flight issue either. I often think on trips overseas how the crew that flew me into the launching point is tucking themselves into bed to go back to the states (or NRT) and meanwhile I'm getting some ideas at some bar with folks from some hostel and preparing to head out into the countryside for 5-10 days...that is seeing the world!

I guess my ultimate airline schedule might be some easy domestic thing where I could go months on end without setting an alarm clock. I don't mind layovers in Minot or Kansas City; it's fun clicking off everything at 15,000 on a nice clear day and coasting on in, doing happy hour later and not have to plan out when rest will take place.

That said, given the opportunity at some point, I would like to sample the international flying, for sure. I've enjoyed reading this thread.
 
DE727UPS said:
Yeah, Taipei is a very fun layover. But when the 36 hours become the exception. The 24 is the norm. And you sometimes get the 14 after a 12 hour duty day. Plus dealing with ATC that doesn't speak English, time zone changes, and having to go to China....at all....It just doesn't seem worth it anymore. If I could do Asia with first class commercials in and out and nothing less than a 36 hour layover, then that would be different. It's just not like that anymore. The optimizer aligned with our contract rules and that was that.
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True. I could see that. I talked to a HKG-based FDX A300 guy recently who had a lot of the same stuff to say about their schedules. We've been lucky with how DHL schedules the flying in Asia.

Nick said:
That's exactly what I think, too.

I've never flown anything but 1-4 hour long domestic flights in my couple years in the airlines so far, but after spending about 80 nights of my life on international flights as a non-rev, I'm not sure I'd like operating it at all. Not because of the length of flight issue either. I often think on trips overseas how the crew that flew me into the launching point is tucking themselves into bed to go back to the states (or NRT) and meanwhile I'm getting some ideas at some bar with folks from some hostel and preparing to head out into the countryside for 5-10 days...that is seeing the world!

I guess my ultimate airline schedule might be some easy domestic thing where I could go months on end without setting an alarm clock. I don't mind layovers in Minot or Kansas City; it's fun clicking off everything at 15,000 on a nice clear day and coasting on in, doing happy hour later and not have to plan out when rest will take place.

That said, given the opportunity at some point, I would like to sample the international flying, for sure. I've enjoyed reading this thread.
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This is definitely the exception, but I recently did a 5-day SYD layover for work. Operated NRT-SYD on Thursday, and the jet immediately was taken back by another crew up to ICN where it sat for 3 days. By the time it worked its way back to SYD, it was something like 119 hours at the beach.

I've also spent several days in some pretty cool places waiting for a jet to come back from around the world. I did a 4-day layover in Sicily once...spent a lot of that kayaking in the Med. I also did 5 days in Germany once; we toured all over Germany and France during that one.
 
dasleben said:
True. I could see that. I talked to a HKG-based FDX A300 guy recently who had a lot of the same stuff to say about their schedules. We've been lucky with how DHL schedules the flying in Asia.



This is definitely the exception, but I recently did a 5-day SYD layover for work. Operated NRT-SYD on Thursday, and the jet immediately was taken back by another crew up to ICN where it sat for 3 days. By the time it worked its way back to SYD, it was something like 119 hours at the beach.

I've also spent several days in some pretty cool places waiting for a jet to come back from around the world. I did a 4-day layover in Sicily once...spent a lot of that kayaking in the Med. I also did 5 days in Germany once; we toured all over Germany and France during that one.
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That type of longer layover would be great! Anything 48 hours plus, for that matter. I think that would be the best thing about the type of flying that you do vs. a 121 pax carrier's long haul flying.

I'm just thinking of the more frequent ~24 hour layovers DE727UPS had mentioned.
 
Nick said:
That type of longer layover would be great! Anything 48 hours plus, for that matter. I think that would be the best thing about the type of flying that you do vs. a 121 pax carrier's long haul flying.

I'm just thinking of the more frequent ~24 hour layovers DE727UPS had mentioned.
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Yeah, though to be fair, we do our fair share of 24 hour layovers (sucks). Also, the 121 pax guys more than likely have more time off each month. I'm out for 16-17 each and every month.
 
dasleben said:
Yeah, though to be fair, we do our fair share of 24 hour layovers (sucks). Also, the 121 pax guys more than likely have more time off each month. I'm out for 16-17 each and every month.
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I appreciate the large amounts of time I have off when the 'currency alert' goes off.

I do not miss the commute monday, fly monday/tuesday/wednesday/thursday, get home late thursday night, completely dead friday, feel a little better saturday right before I have to start working on my commute for monday — in perpetuity until vacation starts.

No thanks.

Timebuilders...
 
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