Qantas FO vs SO
 

Hi Folks,
what is the difference in QF between a First Officer compared to a Second Officer?
Is it seniority? Is the SO something like a cruise relief pilot who is only allowed in the right seat during cruise flight, or is can he do take offs and landings as well?

Thanks

LW20

SO is a cruise relief pilot.

QF long haul flights operate with Captain, F/O and either one or two S/Os depending on the sector length. The S/Os are Cruise relief only. In either seat above FL200.

Promotion to F/O on seniority and competence.

...and willingness.

Easiest way to identify a Second Officer is on Instagram. All in flight photos will be with them in the left seat, accompanied by captions such as “I just ‘flew’ the old girl to London again tonight, now time for beers with the boys”

(In joke with SO mates. No need to post angry replies)

Lol. Of course! :ok:

...to take a pay cut and work harder! :}

Lol. Only if they've been an A330 or 787 S/O more than 6-7 years. It's a decent pay rise for a 787 S/O on year's 1-4 and an A330 S/O less than 6 years.

There's no doubt it's much harder work though!

:D:D:ok::ok:

Thanks for the quick replies.

Brgds.

LW20

The S/O's the one who's eaten 3 crew meals, usually the fish and a breakfast, 2 steak sangas, done 5 hours straight in the bunk and come back in time for the left over First Class brekky and a quick sunrise selfie in the LH seat while the Captain goes for a pre-descent slash.…….

…..between Dubai and London or Singa's and Sydney.:ok:

Well that was all very disappointing, after seeing the thread title and expecting to read about something like a punch-up over crew meals.

The record that I've seen is five meals in a sector......he had the SO stuff worked out for sure.

Christ, sign me up.

Wow the crew meals sound different to ours. Most get sent back, very few eat them.

Does the time to F/O at Qantas take that long? What happens when a S/O is eligible for upgrade to F/O but declines to take it up after a reasonable time?

SO is a rank on a fleet at a base like everything else that can be bid for with attendant seniority considerations. Plenty of people don’t want FO unless on a particular plane at a particular base.

There are already ‘new’ hires who are 737 FOs.

Lifestyle choice for sure-if you don't need any personal satisfaction from your flying 'job' or no professional ambition and have outside interests/family etc then I guess it works for some. Can't think of anything worse than not having a window seat -let alone for for years-even with outside interests there has to be a modicum of professional satisfaction!

Can't think of anything worse than training as a pilot and then my airline forbids me to fly the aircraft.
Do S/O's get a proper Type Rating or are they less qualified than an F/O?
In my Uk airline all pilots recruited are fully trained to operate as co-pilots in a two crew cockpit. Many of the shorter Long Haul trips on 777/787/744/A380 are operated with just two crew.
Extra crew are carried for crew rest requirements on longer trips, but all fully trained on the Type and share the landings as required for recency.
Presumably the S/O scenario is a cost saving exercise by the company.

As has been quoted elsewhere before, the SO is the one who is required to nod and smile politely as the skipper describes the renos to his 5 bedroom Point Piper home, all 110 strokes of his last round of golf and when questioned whether $3 million in cash is enough to retire on...