Pilot02...
That meets the accelerated command minimums of 6k total and 2K PIC on jets over 55 tons. The accelerated command program is intended to allow upgrades in as little as 18 months IF the company requires captains and no other current F/O meets the upgrade requirements. At the moment there are a good number of current F/O's that have the required time, so likely you'd be looking at 3 years anyway.
That can be and is flexible, so the company may change the policy tomorrow to something different. At the moment on the 777 the guys are starting the command assesments at 30 months and finishing by 36. Its not much more to wait even if you don't get fast tracked assuming upgrades continue at the current level.
Depending on your background in international flying, you may find the 30 months necessary to really get a good look at the operation anyway. I've flown in several different locations prior to coming here with lots of previous command as well, but because the 777 in particular flies to so many different areas and quality of airports/atc, it's kind of nice to be able to try and go to as many of them as possible before you come due for your command...makes it a much nicer transition to the left seat before you are flying into a place where neither of you have been before.
For example in a period of weeks you can go from dealing with Mogadishu HF/African uncontrolled airspace, high/hot airport ops in Joburg, then off to Moscow with difficult ATC and metric altimetry, then off to New York with associated traffic issues, then maybe YYZ for cold WX ops, throw in NAT stuff, remote ops coming soon, Chinese airspace, Himalayan crossings with escape routes, Far East, Brazil..then Australia. You get the idea. There aren't many places we don't fly so it's nice to have someone who's been there a couple of times show you the ropes before you get thrown to the wolves.
Best of Luck.
Last edited by tbaylx; 28th Feb 2008 at 19:20.