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

Can't speak for HKG, but I currently have the option of afternoon out and backs (leave in the late afternoon and home before 11PM), or 2-4 day hops to Europe or SA. If I don't mind longer trips I might do Asia, but I prefer the shorter trips these days. Hard to imagine a much better deal in terms of QOL and control.
 
Yes, options are good, but they generally don't happen until you've put in years of "paying your dues", flying awful stuff, etc. Good schedules can happen sooner if you don't mind sitting in the right seat of junior equipment, but I never did that. Went to the next thing as soon as I could, moving up through the seats. Now that there is not really any place to go, I finally got senior in my seat due to attrition. I could go to the 777 but currently the schedules are not as good, and it is a lateral move in terms of pay to a less sophisticated aircraft with fewer motors. I will eventually do it, I suspect, but not right now. The point is, those great schedules and options are attainable, just takes a while to get there!
 
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.

The trick in Taipei is to never, ever, under any circumstances, change your stride while crossing the street, no many how many hundreds of scooters are in the phalanx that is approaching.

Speed up/slow down, you die. Keep your pace and live.

As for the whole career thing. Pfft. It's just luck/whim of the gods/circumstance/whatever. If you think it involves anything remotely under your control, you will lose your sanity, and wind up living in a box under an overpass.

Richman
 
The trick in Taipei is to never, ever, under any circumstances, change your stride while crossing the street, no many how many hundreds of scooters are in the phalanx that is approaching.

Speed up/slow down, you die. Keep your pace and live.

As for the whole career thing. Pfft. It's just luck/whim of the gods/circumstance/whatever. If you think it involves anything remotely under your control, you will lose your sanity, and wind up living in a box under an overpass.

Richman
Gotta watch out for the scooters on the sidewalk, too.
 
The trick in Taipei is to never, ever, under any circumstances, change your stride while crossing the street, no many how many hundreds of scooters are in the phalanx that is approaching.

Speed up/slow down, you die. Keep your pace and live.

I don't even know if this is true.

I used to fly into Taipei on the 727 many years ago and was amazed at the scooter mania. The station manager told me at the time that if a motorist ever hit a scooter it was not unusual to have the driver insure the scooter rider was dead. It seems that once a rider is dead, there are no laws that entitle a family to collect on a deceased rider. The right to litigate is with the driver, not the survivors. However, if you only injure a rider, you as the driver must fill in for lost wages and earnings potential missed. If you hit and kill a rider, oh well. If you injure them, it will cost you. So, he said drivers would actually back over riders once hit to avoid the costs associated with them living.

Has anybody ever heard if this? Crazy if true....
 
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