Career-Patterns in the USA

[Flyingphil]

Dear Everyone, reading some Accident_Reports from the NTSB I was pretty irritated about the Pilots involved.
Here are some examples:

AAL1420, MD80 - Little Rock 1999
Rank Age Total Hrs On Type PIC on Type Total PIC
CPT 48 10.250 05.550 05.550 07.400
F/O 35 04.300 00.200 N/A N/A

AAL0587, A300 – New York 2001
Rank Age Total Hrs On Type PIC on Type Total PIC
CPT 42 08.050 01.700 01.700 03.450
F/O 34 07.620 01.900 N/A N/A

ASA2061, MD80 - Los Angeles 2000
Rank Age Total Hrs On Type PIC on Type Total PIC
CPT 53 17.750 04.150 04.150 10.500
F/O 57 08.150 08.050 N/A N/A

DAL1279, MD80 – Pensacola 1996
Rank Age Total Hrs On Type PIC on Type Total PIC
CPT 40 12.000 02.300 02.300 N/A
F/O 37 06.500 00.500 N/A N/A

FDX014, MD11 – Newark 1997
Rank Age Total Hrs On Type PIC on Type Total PIC
CPT 46 11.000 01.300 00.350 N/A
F/O 39 03.700 00.100 N/A N/A

VLJ0592, DC-9 - Miami 1996
Rank Age Total Hrs On Type PIC on Type Total PIC
CPT 35 09.000 02.150 01.800 N/A
F/O 52 06.500 02.150 00.400 N/A

VLJ0558, DC-9 - Nashville 1996
Rank Age Total Hrs On Type PIC on Type Total PIC
CPT 43 04.400 01.100 00.030 N/A
F/O 42 07.700 00.200 N/A N/A

USA0427, B737 - Pittsburgh 1994
Rank Age Total Hrs On Type PIC on Type Total PIC
CPT 45 12.000 04.000 03.300 N/A
F/O 38 09.100 03.650 N/A N/A




(Figures rounded up to the next even digit)

In many reports in the Career-Section of the Pilots it is stated that the person in question had “an ATPL with Ratings for B727, DC9, B737…” or similar remarks, as well as very often it is stated that the particular pilot also had a license as Flight Engineer and had accumulated several Thousand Fhrs in that position.

So my questions are:
->Is it possible in the US to have more than one rating at the same time for quite different planes like DC9/MD80 and B737 e.g.

->Is there no clear Career-pattern?
In all European Countries according to Fhrs, Age and/or Company-Seniority the F/O’s involved would have been CPT for quite a while.

->Is there any policy to make pilots a F/O before grading them up to the CPT-Ranking?
Quite a while ago I was reading the Report of TWA800 and saw that the Pilots (The PIC of that Flight had a Line-Check so the F/O was also a CPT) have flown the 747 as F/O for some years although they have been with TWA since the 1960s and have been CPT on other Types for several years!

Thanx for any answer!