Anyone here work in the aviation business?

Wow, im impressed! 😮 Quite a few of you in the business.

Good luck to all those starting out a flying career.

Ta for all your replies. 😉

Sorry BDP…i don’t work in aviation anymore. Used to work with SQ FA for couple of years before decide being a trainer with SQ and now a lecturer in private institution in Tourism Management.

aviation journalist at the moment. I worked for several airlines too.

welcome onboard Brian! Enjoy your stay!

Hello everyone!

I am new to the forum. I work for American Airlines in Dallas, Texas as a Senior Analyst, Domestic Planning in Revenue Management.

This is a great forum. The Brits have it right- you love commercial aviation and football (soccer, over here). It can’t get much better, except maybe the weather.

Cheers to all,
Brian

Hi Vic, welcome.

I’ve only been here a few days myself but it’s a great forum, a lot of interesting info and views, some excellant pictures too.

I’m BA cabin crew based at LHR T4.

Enjoy.

All the best

Purser

I am a Pilot for Cathay Pacific on the 747-400 based in Hong Kong.

And I don’t wear a face mask.

Airline pilot in the US. Currently right seat in the EMB-145.

technical crew for Emirates here. Yes the downturn has hit us also.

but not so much from SARS, more from the war in Iraq.

I’m about to start my flying training in late October in Australia. I’ll be going to Basair Flying College at Bankstown, Sydney. At the moment, I see that the airline industry is in a downturn at the moment, but during the course, I get to do some airline flying with King Island Airlines in Melbourne flying the EMB-110 Bandirante. Also, by the way, has anyone here flown a Bandierante?

Cheers

have a good trip – interesting reading from above!

Good, that will help me sleep easier. Goodnight, see you all in a few days time.

That was information given to me by Mike Taylor who is head of the Airline Preparation Program there. They recently scrapped there intergrated course and replaced it with the APP. I’ve been to a couple of seminars at OAT that were given by recruitment officers from flybe, air greenland and bmi and they seemed to support this statement

Originally posted by martin_EGTK
I should probably also add that Oxford is unique in the fact that they have an airline selection process which has been put together by a number of airlines including bmi, this removes some of the risk for the airlines as they know they are getting a high quality pilot. OAT only accepts around 1 in 10 of those who apply, the rest don’t meet the grade.

Just one last thing before I head to my pit. Is this statement from an OATS brochure or from OATS sales personnel? I did a part of my training at OATS and can spot selective wording a mile off!

Thanks for your help and support, I really appreciate it. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll see you up there 😛

but…do let me know if there is anthing I can do to help you. The most important quality you seem to show is tenacity so hang on in there and let’s get the job done.

Very true wysiwyg, it’s going to be tough and I don’t expect an easy ride at all. All I can do is work hard and see where it gets me. Thanks for your warning, I do appreciate it.

I should probably also add that Oxford is unique in the fact that they have an airline selection process which has been put together by a number of airlines including bmi, this removes some of the risk for the airlines as they know they are getting a high quality pilot. OAT only accepts around 1 in 10 of those who apply, the rest don’t meet the grade.

I truly wish you all the best. I had a lengthy conversation with a very good friend of mine yesterday who is currently one of the main recruiters at easyJet. I tried to get a friend (500 hours ex-one of the big schools) an interview but they said why should they even contemplate him with no experience. If they want a low houred pilot (purely for time to command demographics) they can remove the risk element by going to the ATP academy who take the risk themselves.
The letters you have received make lovely reading but are more PR than reality. Monarch will not consider you for interview until you have at least 2000 hours of which at least 500 must be on aircraft over 20 tonnes. Write back with an ATPL and 200 hours and you’ll find that they now don’t want your interest. Before you had a basic qualification they could send you touchy feely letters knowing you won’t be back for some time (and in most peoples case won’t be back at all). If you want to see the standard letter I can copy it for you word for word! You will find the other airlines will all follow the same pattern. Ryanair maybe but I would still say the odds are long.
Do the license, work hard and succeed but always remember that no matter how hard you think getting the treasured ATPL is, getting a job afterwards is ten times harder.

wysiwyg, thanks for the warning, I do take it seriously and I thank you for your concern and help in keeping my expections down, obviously I don’t want to get carried away.

However the information I have been provided with is from the airlines themselves. I spent the first few months of this year going to the airlines and I got a mixed response, however Ryanair explained to me that they are currently recruiting in excess of five hundred pilots a year, of which Oxford Graduates make a large number of.

I’ve chosen my school on the merits that the airlines gave me. Monarch we’re very helpful, as were BA, as I said Ryanair were great, Thomas Cook were kind but revealed that they were unable to offer anything, easyJet paid great interest and actually said that I would be an ideal first officer due to my flexiblity and young age..admittedly several others were pretty negative, Channel Express in particular.

Once again thanks for your advice, I really do appreciate it, however from my research and meetings with the airlines and senior pilots at BA I have got a very different angle on the situation.

I guess we’ll see, but whatever happens, I’m not giving up, sadly the truth is so many training school train their pilots for nothing behond training school and so many are not employable. However Oxford is not such a school and I’m speaking from experience of other pilots that have helped me chose the school and some of which have gone there.

Where did you train?

Martin, I really don’t want to upset you but (as I mentioned before when you were logged on as elation airways) what the flight schools tell you about entry into the low costs and any other UK airline is MASSIVELY different to reality. Whether Oxford or Cabair trained I reckon your chances of employment for the next few years after completion of all training (unless airline sponsored) is less than 25%.

I’m sorry but it’s just the way the market really is right now rather than the way the training schools (who are so desperate for recruits) like to portray it.