Oh my God, a go around! Hold for 25min while the storm passes, then land. Why is this news??

who the hell is JulieFlyGal?? bless her naive 18yo cotton socks!

Hmmmm....and the reasons for that award might include:

a) pleasant place to work

b) plenty of new shiny jets to fly

c) choice of many bases

d) wide-body opportunities after a short time on the 320 (A330 and 787 to come)

e) reasonable earnings/lifetsyle package

Gee....what else could there be? Would it really be more fun to sit in the back seat of a 744 and moan?

Yeah it was. I sat in the so-called 'back seat' of the 744 for a few years and thought it was one of the best jobs that I had ever, ahem, landed. You would never have heard me moan about it. However, it (the back seat role)did end eventually.

(and I took home 160K not including super for the privilege):ok:

Ohspareme,

I think your need to look at your figures...ther is no way you "took home" 160k....you would have needed to earn around 280k for this...:uhoh:

unless you are the highest paid s/o in history!!!!!!!

also you must have been pretty senior to make this kind of coin!!

OK you got me. It was a 'gross' figure. (Well I sort of took it home, except I was waylaid by the ATO to hand over some of it).

However,in the interest of accuracy I checked it, and it was only $159,300.87 in my last full year as an SO. Certainly not moaning about that one!:ok:

It was a great way to learn all about heavy jets. S/O's are involved in all aspects of the operation. They have saved many a potential embarassing situation. Have certainly been thankful they are there on many occassions. Coming from a GA background and finally getting in and earning a good income was a dream come true. Unfortunately there exist those who denigrate the position, those people usually haven't done the job.

Given the projections for the industry at large and indeed the company in particular, it would seem that there are many opportunities for those who meet the standard. Each to their own, but for me I think it is better to be rewarded financially than spend time denigrating and undercutting each other.

And what do Second Officers actually do?

The same as you mate - crew an aircraft. And I sincerely hope you do find out one day.

SO's are an integral part of the operation. The aircraft doesn't (read can't) go without them on long haul routes. Not unless the operator wants to employ 2 x Capt and 2 x FO (or 1 x Capt and 3 x FO). The fact that they don't handle the aircraft below 10,000 feet does not make them some sort of a lesser being. I am with QF Insider on this one - those who denigrate usually have not done the job.

It was a great job. I came out of GA and was extremely grateful for the opportunity. A couple of years as a SO will not hurt you. I saw it(and continue to see it) as a valuable period in which to see how it is done, and as equally important on some occasions - to see how not to do it! And it allowed me to partake of one of my favourite pastimes - cruising around the world whilst being paid for it!:ok:

If one wants to shun the SO job in favour of the much vaunted 'window seat' with another outfit then that is their prerogative. But I think they are arguing from a position of ignorance.

OSM is correct. S/O's allow QF to crew it's longhaul flights cheaper than it's competitors. BA or United uses 2 captains and 2 FO's for its ULH flights, QF gets away with 1 Capt, 1 FO and 2 SO's.

Many people forget this. As well as the fact that by definition, SO's get overtime on just about every sector they do. Hence the good pay.

Something you guys cannot accept is that it does not suit everybody to go in an international airline as SO or whatever and spend extended periods away from a home life that needs attention etc etc.

Stop buying tickets on yourselves - it might be difficult, but try to excercise just a little imagination and understand that not everyone wants what you have.......or even think there's anything special in whatever it is that you do.:hmm:

Jet dude- Not one of the posts referring to the S/O role were in any way giving that job a "I am better than you" spin.

In fact are, between Karvorka and The Sherm- who both have rather abrasive posting styles- if we all didn't know better, one would believe that J* was the best job in the world on the most sophisticated contract ever written.

Now on a 'contract' to 'contract' basis between all the Australian airlines operating jet rpt, the J* one sits at the bottom. End of story. If personal life choices are the reason you prefer to work under the J* contract then that IS your prerogative. However Having many mates at all the majors, I am yet to meet one who will say the J* star deal is the better deal.

:ok:

Keith you wrote:

Line Pilots do 4 sim sessions per year, 16 sim hrs per year, 4 days in the sim per year, any other way you cut it it's the same amount of sim check and training (mainly checking) as Qantas Link (eastern) or Qantas Mainline are required to do. Talk to some of the other people outside the Qantas Group and you may also find some similarities between sim programs. Just because it is different to the way Qantas does it, doesnt mean that it is worse.

How are these Sim sessions structured?
Is it a 2 day session every 6 months?
Is the first day a practice session with the second day assessed?
No problem really as this is how many airlines run their licence renewals.
Care to comment on the amount of initial training given to new starts especially when one considers the rapidity of promotion and the general reductions in pilot experience levels that all airlines in Australia are now having to deal with.

Not true, United uses one Captain and 3 F/O's and not too many years back they used one Capt., 1 F/O and 2 IRP's (international relief pilots/SO's)