Becoming an Airline Pilot in the Bay Area?

The flight engineer panel is (was) in view of the captain from the captain seat position - So on flight engineer panel, gauges, lights and switches can be cross-checked by captain - The flight engineer himself is (was) monitoring pilot instruments - The flight engineer is also an extra pair of eyes for traffic - Most flight engineers are trained mechanics (ground engineers) and hold an A&P license - A few flight engineers hold a pilot license - They are not trained as pilots but many are capable to fly the airplane (simulator practice) - Many pilots hired in the 1960's and 1970's started as flight engineers with airlines in USA - Some airlines called them "second officers" (UAL) - I started with Pan American as flight engineer 727, then later 707 for a total of 3 years - FACTS about crews with flight engineer or without flight engineer... Airplane requiring F/E were generally long range airplanes (8+ hours long flights) - So a crew of 2 pilots + F/E was minimum crew (flights 8 to 12 hours) - Then airlines operate NOW long range flights (over 8 hours) with... 3 pilots - The 3 pilots MUST BE 2 captains (by regulations) and 1 F/O (first officer) - 2 captains + 1 F/O hourly cost is higher than 1 captain, 1 F/O and 1 F/E hourly cost - So... where are the savings...? (ROFL).

I guess you don't remember car engines that had the extra gas lever for cold starts and cold run. Well, historically, there have been engines like that on aircraft.. sometimes two, three, four or maybe even eight in some cases. All of those engines needed separate controls for throttle and extra gas, and separate gauges, and might have had run on slightly different RPM.

The flight engineer was able to monitor and tune the engines together. I'm flying mi17. We're using the flight engineer because he takes over the field maintenance and part of preflight.

He has also better access to some parts of the control panels, can do field repairs and works as passenger liason and loadmaster. Also, as a winch operator. Large part of the workload in modern aircraft has been automated and simplified and the systems are more reliable and redundant these days, so there's slim chance the plane would have to divert somewhere without qualified maintenance personnel- which is why flight engineers are gone these days, except applications where you really NEED another pair of eyes and hands and a mouth to do talking.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.