First Officer handling restricitons and limits

[Mungo Man]

I am interested in hearing about any First Officer handling and operating limits and restrictions for take off and landing in other airlines.

In my company FOs are limited for the first 500hrs on type to 20kts wind with a 15 kt crosswind component limit. Min RVR 600m for take off until 500 hrs on type then 400M. No limits on CAT I RVR for landing. No limit on non precision approaches either.

I once heard that at one 747 operator all FOs are permanently limited to something like 15 kts crosswind and 1500M RVR for CAT I approaches. Given that longhaul pilots only get a few landings a month compare to my 20 to 30 landings, how are FOs supposed to gain sufficient experience to enable them to cope with low viz ops and howling gales when they move to the left hand seat?

I love what little handling and manual flying I get to do, so I'm not sure I like the idea of going longhaul where what few landings I get may be further restricted by company regulations.

I'd be very interested to hear how things stand in other companies.

[S44]

747 operator.... F/O's limits: 400M RVR on Take Off... Standard CAT 1 minimums, i.e 550M RVR landing (and permissable to do a CAT 1 autoland if so desired), crosswind limits are 2/3rds of aircraft/captains limits i.e 26 Kts on Take off and 24Kts on landing (dry) (actual limits are 40 and 36)... very rare for F/O's not to be able to carry out their sector due to limits... normally just the case of a CAT3 Autoland, and even then, who cares.. neither of you is doing the landing!!!

[Denti]

Operating 737NGs (both 700 and 800), A320 series (all but A318) and A330s. FO has the usual 400m RVR limit for take off, the same crosswind / tailwind / headwind limits as the captain, normal CAT I landing limits but is allowed to use autoland if he wants. Apart from that some airport restrictions which will be captains landing only even on some Class B airports.

[Gulfstreamaviator]

It will not get better, it will get worse.

The rush to get co pilots rated on the jet transports, by passes much of the real hands on learning, that the old boys considered as perfectly nornal ladder climbing.

Now put the new hires in automated aircraft, there is no handing skills, only game boy skills learnt.

Now go long haul, and perhaps one take off and landing two or three times a month. What happens to your skills.

Now put the Captain in a sleep pod, in the cruise.

(see AF thread for remainder of story)

glf