737-200 or 737-800.....????

[number]

Hello,

Why in order to be eligible for a B737-200 first officer program some flight schools ask just for 500TT while for B737-800 they need couple of hundred hours of turbine jet?
In general it seems so hard to get into the 800 program but at the same time so easy with 737-200 one.
Is it a good idea to pay 300h of 737-200? How's the job offer for this type of plane?
thanks,
a confused wannabe pilot

[A and C]

The 737-200 is almost a dead aircraft in europe as far as jobs go but the 737-800 and all the NG737 aircraft are being introduced in ever increasing numbers.

A type rating on a -200 is only good for the -100 and -200 a type rating for the -800 covers all 737 aircraft from -300 to -900.

In my opinion the -800 is no harder to fly than the-200 but the demand for training on the -200 sim must be dropping fast ,but in europe the NG737 sims are working 25 hours a day.

I doubt if you would find a 737-200 job in europe and if you did it would not last long however hold a NG737 (or A320 ) type rating and you should be employable for the next twenty years.

[number]

Thanks for your reply, actually I'm not eligible for B737-800 first officer course, so I'm thinking of 737-200. At the training facility they told me I could easily find a job after flying about 300h, and they would take care about my job interview. I just hope I'm doing the right choice.

[Gin Slinger]

number:
At the training facility they told me I could easily find a job after flying about 300h, and they would take care about my job interview.
They would say that wouldn't they!

I'd be very, very careful - there are so many stories about this sort of thing ending in tears.

[pilotchap]

which flying school is telling you that? how can they be sure on getting you a job?

[Mindthegap]

A and C
The -200 is not almost dead because it is operated by Ryanair which seems to be amongst few who are recruiting. The -200 is very difficult a/c to start on, but if you can fly the -200 you can say that everything else is **** in the wind. If you can fly the -200 you can fly everything else.

[AMEX]

yeah but the real question is not to know if you can fly the -200 or the -800 but if you are going to get a job in today's market.

[A and C]

the -200 is a contracting fleet across the industry and so apart from the odd exception the rating would not be as much use as a rating on a later type , Number is looking for a job and the advice that I posted was of a general nature I,m sure that some place in the world my Electra type rating might be of use to me but the -800 will get me a job so much quicker.

[Mindthegap]

Fair enough.
I just wanted to put p a fight for the -200, which has been very useful for me inmy carreer. Not to mention my ability to adapt to, or train for a new a/c transition. On a -800 you are more of a system controller or a "monitoring manager" than a pilot.
Just a -200 fan, who gets hurt if anyone lets it down. Sorry

Best regards, Hope you make the best choice for your self.

(To be honest I Would go for the -800 if I hadn´t gotten to know the -200)

[batty]

The 200 is a fantastic aircraft for the new pilot since you still have to fly it. When you finish your inital flying training there is still so much to learn about how to operate and manage a jet aircraft. The 200 will teach you how to do all this, since it is still basically a manual aircraft. The skills learnt on the 200 will follow you through your career and later on if and when all the automatics go wrong you will have something to fall back on.

I dont believe the 800 will give you these advantages, at the end of the day you dont have to even fly holds, calculate and monitor desent profiles or create a mental picture of the current situation.

I believe the 800 rating will give you a strong future in the industry but the 200 will make you a better pilot. I am lucky enough to work for Ryanair and the 800 rating will follow shortly. I am thankful of the 200 rating still.

PS Dont believe a company that sells you a type rating and promises jobs. If it were true there would be few unemployed pilots!!:D

[Gspot]

In my limited experience (about 25 years) it seems that employers are interested in the general aircraft types not specifics. By that I mean multi engine, turbine, pure jet. More important for sure is command time, anyone can sit in the right seat of a 747-400 and watch the computers fly while the Captain makes the decisions. Employers want evidence that they are recruiting future Captains not right seat warriors.

[calypso]

If a had a pound for everytime somebody has said if you can fly a (taildragger, piper malibu, DC3, B737 200... )you can fly anything.

I am quite new to this game but it seems to me that every aircraft and type of operation brings its own challenges. Most people can manage to keep the needles crossed in the end but it is managing the operation safely and efficiently that counts. I hear people say if all the automatics fail... but lets face it is far more likely that you find yourself with a preocupied guy whose mind is elsewhere that day and it is good CRM, awareness and management of resources that is going to help you.

A bit of a rant, but I feel better now :p thanks

C