Originally Posted by
dr dre
No sitting in a control seat below FL200. No full type rating on the aircraft, co-pilot IR. Only rostered for LH flights so generally less sectors than a Capt/FO depending on type.
Given all 380s should will be back within time there’ll be plenty of opportunities to get promoted onto that aircraft or recruited directly onto it. If so the salary can be quite lucrative, comparable to 330 or 787 FO and with some ability to control rosters well if senior.
For those who don’t mind not sitting in a control seat remaining an SO for the long term can be quite a tempting prospect. Hence why the seniority of a lot of SOs is senior to other LH types as FO or even SH Capt.
I know what the SO role entails but the attitude that
that is all one would aspire to is a bit odd and certainly isn’t what an airline is seeking. However reading the rationale, I must admit aspiring to an SO position based on work/life balance actually sounds very fair, especially when airline management views us as a commodity or a consumable. Maybe this is the beginning of the wave where the career is seen by many of us as a road to ruin.
All the best mate!