hockeypilot44

It’s hit or miss like anything. Sometimes they need to hire a lot and it’s very easy to get the job. Other times the job can be extremely competitive. Check airman is the same way. Almost impossible to get the job my first 12 years here, then I watched a half dozen of my buddies all get it within a year of each other.

FL370esq

(1) SLIs are supposed to clear all of their AE preferences while working in the department. When they leave the department to permanently return to the line, they basically can got to any category they can hold which negates the need to bid for for an AE.

(2) An FO SLI who can hold Captain on the equipment he teaches on may be permitted by his Chief Training Captain to do the short upgrade (and subsequent OE/TOE) and then fly as a Captain on that equipment and get paid as a Captain during his fly month(s). OE is scheduled like any other pilot upgrading to Captain. As for pay, an FO SLI will still be paid FO pay at the highest FO rate he can hold (likely 765B/330B/350B based on new hires having been awarded those categories in the past year or so) during his months in the training department and, as referenced above, he would be paid Captain pay while flying the line as a Captain.
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Valar Morghulis

Thats the big takeaway. You’re hired as a FO SLI or a CA SLI. Just because you’re a FO SLI who upgrades, doesn’t mean you’re a CA SLI.

FL370esq

Exactly. There has to be a Capt SLI slot available in the fleet and, due to PWA language, you have to have at least 500 hours as a PIC of a Delta plane before they will hire you into a Capt SLI slot. As a result, you see FO SLIs leave the department to upgrade and get their 500 hours of Delta PIC and then come back as a Capt SLI if/when there are Capt SLI slots to fill.

It gets more interesting if you get hired as a Captain SLI (PWA requires 40% of all SLIs to be Captain SLIs) but you can't hold Captain on the airplane - more likely for a WB SLI who, perhaps, flew as a NB captain and had the requisite Delta PIC time and maybe flew as an FO on the WB fleet previously. (e.g., 330B who goes to 320A and then gets hired as a 330 Capt SLI but can't hold 330 Captain on the line). Then you get paid at the highest Capt category you can hold (7ERA?) but fly the line during your fly month(s) as an FO at your seniority while getting paid 7ERA pay. Those pilots have a pretty sweet deal until someone junior to them converts as a Captain on the fleet (at any base). Then they are required to upgrade to Captain on their fleet. That is why you will sometimes see a Captain in a category who is noticeably more junior than the next most junior Captain (also applies to project pilots).