interesting discussion i had with a friend who was telling me after asking him about what aircraft do captains fly as far as flying the same aircraft like a 727, 737, 747, etc. or would they say fly a 747 on one flight then a 737 on another. he said a captain told him not long ago about the restrictions on pilots and aircraft. said the japanese, i think it was, are restricted to fly the same flight route all the time. they would fly to the same destination all the time. other airlines have restrictions that aren't as tight but the captain told him he had been flying the dc 10 for over 15 years and that is all he flew. i think it's a good safety features myself. at least the pilots know the aircraft and routes very well. anyone else have some input on this? would love to hear it! william

It is fairly complicated, having to do with type ratings, senority, bidding, pay scales, etc. First of all a pilot must be type rated on the airplane, B737, B747, B757-67 and, I believe, B777, are all different types with different training courses. Not all airlines train all pilots for all the equipment for cost reasons. NOrmally a pilot will fly the same aircraft almost all the time, since to change he/she would have to bo go back to school for recurrent training or a new type rating. Then a captain - or FO - bids on routes and aircraft, with the larger aircraft often paying higher base salaries. The bidding is based solely on seniority, but some pilots will bid for a smaller aircraft (and lower pay) to fly better routes to give them more time off at home, etc. Others will take a higher-paying aircraft and worse schedules for the extra pay. In other words, the senior pilots end up with the better routes and schedules while those with lesser seniority take what's left. This is all quite general and varies from carrier to carrier, of course.Bob

thanks bob. very interesting for sure, how it works. i remember a friend of a friend who flew C17s in the AF and was going to work for Boeing. he did mention something about bids and seniority. i would also think that flying the same aircraft type would make it easier on the pilots and even easier flying the same route although it could get boring, maybe. anyone else? let's keep this thread open. i want to hear all about it. william