> A380 Superjumbo in the air at last!
>
> The first of 20 A380’s to be delivered to Qantas has started flight
> testing over Germany, proudly displaying the flying kangaroo livery and
> carrying the newly fitted out four class cabin. The airplane ascended
> into the skies on August 19, 2008.
>
> Qantas will formally be ‘given the keys’ in Toulouse, France on September
> 19. If you wish to see the inaugural landing in Sydney, the Airbus A380
> is scheduled to arrive on the morning of September 21.
>
> The first passenger flight will be between Melbourne and Los Angeles on
> October 20. When the remaining planes are delivered, the plan is to
> introduce them firstly on flights to the US from Sydney and Melbourne, and
> then on flights to Europe (London) by the end of Jan 2009. A Report By The
> Mole
>
> from the Travel mole site. ...

>
> Snapper y7mail.com.invalid> wrote in
> news:l6u5b4dd30goho4r21ivbvqnppvdi2chuo@yarwho.com:

>> I wonder what the procedure is to select the pilots for conversion to
>> the A380. Would it be seniority - ie. top level B744 captains and FOs?
>> Or some other system?

> I start my conversion around May, but I've had that slot for quite some
> time.

> The Classics will go straight away, and I guess we'll start to lose 400s
> in a couple of years. The ERs will be around for many years yet.

> JB wrote...

>> I start my conversion around May, but I've had that slot for quite some
>> time.

>
> Congrats. Hope it's an enjoyable one for you.
>

>> The Classics will go straight away, and I guess we'll start to lose 400s
>> in a couple of years. The ERs will be around for many years yet.

>
> In the end, how many A380s and B744s will Qantas end up with?

> nospam@usenet.fake (JB) wrote in news:g92dtl$a1j$1@aioe.org:

>> GB wrote:

>>> Snapper y7mail.com.invalid> wrote in
>>> news:l6u5b4dd30goho4r21ivbvqnppvdi2chuo@yarwho.com:

>>>> B744s will be retired?

>>> Just the one :-)

>> Not immediately, and which one are you talking about?

>
> I was referring to 'your' one JB, but with my tongue
> very firmly planted in my cheek!
>
> It's good to have you back by the way. Welcome back, you
> were missed.
>
>
> GB

> GB wrote:

>> Snapper y7mail.com.invalid> wrote in
>> news:l6u5b4dd30goho4r21ivbvqnppvdi2chuo@yarwho.com:

>>> I wonder what the procedure is to select the pilots for conversion to
>>> the A380. Would it be seniority - ie. top level B744 captains and FOs?
>>> Or some other system?

>
> Initially the most senior of the training people are ex-400, but they
> moved to the A330 a couple of years ago to learn French. The initial line
> people are also from the A330. But, from about November, it's simply a
> normal slot which people will bid to (or be assigned to) as per usual.
> Quite a few of the Classic Captains will go to it when their aircraft is
> paid off. Next year, the Captains' slots include blokes from the A330,
> Classic and -400. F/Os tend to come from A330, but a lot are will be from
> the 737. The reason for that is that the blokes from the 747 are generally
> in a position to bid for a command (on 737, 767 or A330), so I don't
> expect many of the more senior F/Os to move to it.
>

>> I reckon blokes who have demonstrated their worth by successfully ...

>
> How do they work seniority with 747 as I did notice the hours on type
> and the FO/Co Pilot has twice the number you have.

>
> Do you know what Sandy's hours end up at?

> Rob wrote:
>

>>
>> How do they work seniority with 747 as I did notice the hours on type
>> and the FO/Co Pilot has twice the number you have.

>
> Seniority has nothing to do with the number of hours. Basically I joined
> the company quite some years before the F/O, and the seniority number is
> simply the sequence we joined in. It is rejigged every couple of years or
> so, to account for the people who have left (for whatever reason).
>
> Actually the number in the report is only my command hours on the 744.
> There's another 1500 or so whilst I was an F/O on it.
>
> When you are promoted you don't go to the bottom of the list in the new
> rank, but you 'push in' in accordance with the seniority number.

>>
>> Do you know what Sandy's hours end up at?

> ...