CloudSailor

4Runner,

Are you flying the ANA contract?

4runner

No, on a different continent.

CloudSailor

Ok, copy that.

I just wanted to let you know that the ANA contract, and the way in which it structured, does not affect the residency requirement for employment with FDX. It is truly a commuting contract, and US residency cannot be questioned. I hope your contract is the same, or similar enough.

Good luck.

SupaflyGuy

I just found this thread and am disappointed it fizzled. Some great info. I had never considered putting community service on my resume.

I'm also very anxiously hoping to get a chance with FedEx, and always looking for some advice. I have only KC135 time (about 3800 hours). Although probably crappy, would anyone consider or advise me to get on with an easier company just to get an MD11 rating (my only interest is FEX)? What else can I do to improve my chances of being considered?

Dadof6

Disclaimer--I have no inside line on hiring past, present, or future. Just a crew dog on the line. Having said that, however, I'll throw in my 2 pennies:

I wouldn't take a job at another carrier JUST to get the MD11 type rating. If you want to learn how to "speak civilian," or stay current & qualified in a heavy jet, or get a paycheck, or travel around the world, then those would be good reasons to seek employment at another carrier.

Instead, I would do some serious networking and find that person or persons at FDX that could sponsor or recommend me, with whom I had flown in a prior life. Dig out those yearbooks and squadron recall rosters. And that means anyone you have deployed with, flown in formation with, etc. etc. Be truthful, but don't limit yourself unneccessarily. Even if they only know you socially, there is an option on the applicant recommendation form for that. It sure won't carry as much weight as someone with whom you have personally flown, but with your other credentials, it might be enough to get "the call."

Bottom line--it's a competition. I just think the time when the MD-11 type was a "go to the head of the line" pass has come & gone. But good luck wherever you go or whatever you do.

Stifler

As a military dude who "successfully" went through the whole process last year, here are my 2 cents:

1. Open your address book/Facebook/etc and find current FedEx pilots you know or have known. Contact all of them. Get one of them to send you the seniority list and then look for anyone you missed. Hopefully you know one of them well enough to sponsor you. Bottom line is there are three lines for references on the PilotCredentials site, but you can have as many as are willing to put pen to paper for you. You can also have non-FedEx employees write recommendations, i.e. SQ/CC, senior pilots you've flown with or a long time, etc. Note that they can electronically submit recommendations via the PilotCredentials website under the "Recommendations" tab.

2. When you fill out the PilotCredentials information, note all of the ratings/schools/etc that are included in the questionnaire. Depending on how far out your timeline is, you might be able to get that IP/EP rating or go to safety school. It all adds up.

3. Speaking of PilotCredentials, go over the qualifications with a fine toothed comb. Upload what needs to be uploaded. The last thing you want is to not be considered because you don't have a Radio Telephone Operators License or a current 1st Class Medical. Once you fill it out, use the "print your profile" button to print and go back over everything. Send a copy to your sponsor to have them look it over. Leave nothing to chance.

4. Spend some quality time with your logbook/flight records folder. This was one of the most time consuming and frustrating things in the whole process. Build a spreadsheet with all of your hours in the various trainers, sims, etc. I think there are some you can download on APC. Make sure it puts in the correct conversion factor (FedEx is 1.2hr/sortie, emphasize sortie). Most importantly, make sure your hours are all correct, and if there is ANY question, err on the side of modesty. Make it look professional, so when you do get the interview, you can slide your logbooks/flight records over with a clear, concise printed summary on top.

5. Consider using a professional resume service to scrub your resume. Military resumes can get bogged down, especially if you've been in for a while. I went with the one page option, and had to summarize a lot. Just keep asking yourself, "What does an international cargo company care about?" For me, that meant focusing on my international flying experience and leaving off a lot of the gee whiz schools and boilerplate medals/awards.

6. Update your profile/resume often. I'm not sure what calculus the website uses, but I'm pretty sure with the 1000's of applicants, one or more of them is within tenths of a percentage point of you at any given time. So I updated my hours at least weekly.

7. Finally, in regard to working for another company to get an MD-11 type, I would take a step back. My understanding is the MD-11 hiring wave was born from a critical shortage of MD-11 pilots in Anchorage last year. Seems that the crisis is subsiding, but someone please roll in if I'm wrong.

That's all I can think of for the application process. One last thing, explore all your options and plan for the worst case. We had quite a few people in my unit apply to major airlines last year. To date, only two of us have been hired, and only one has a line number. Best of luck.

Stifler

Shack 51

Stifler, congrats. When you say "Note that they can electronically submit recommendations via the PilotCredentials website under the "Recommendations" tab." ...are you talking about just adding a recommendation letter as an attachment? I didn't find a recommendations tab, just a place to upload a letter of rec. Probably talking about the same thing. Thanks.
Cheers.

f10a

Great gouge on how to get noticed and hired as a esteemed military pilot. How do the mortals do it?

Unknown Rider

Well, they use proper grammer for one.

f10a

You spelled "grammer" wrong.