TR + "Line Training" ?

[bafanguy]

I' ve seen a term used which I don't quite undertand and thought perhaps someone could enlighten me.

I see reference made to someone who is not employed by an airline purchasing a type rating ( this part I understand ) and then getting something called "line training" for some XXX hours for which one also pays.

I assume this means going out and flying revenue trips under supervision of a line check airman. In the USA, we call this IOE.

My question is: does this mean that pilots who are not employees of the airline in question are paying to fly revenue trips ?

If this is the case, I find it hard to believe than pilots not employed by the airline are out there operating its airplanes. I'm not trying to debate the wisdom of this program but rather trying to understand what is happening. It certainly doesn't relate to anyting in my experience in the USA.

[Piltdown Man]

Yep, people are actually paying to fly revenue trips. They would also probably wash the Chief Pilot's car after their day's work as well (a really nasty one may ever charge you do do that as well!). There appears to be a breed here that is so desperate to get a job that they are willing to do anything to get one. But what I wonder is, how many end up a with a job because of what they have done not in spite of what they have done?

[bafanguy]

piltdown,

Thanks for the reply. As I said, I don't seek to pass judgement on people hard at the job hunt. It's a jungle out here.

I just didn't understand what I thought I was reading. Apparently, I did understand.

The airline industry, in particular, has never seen the likes of the meltdown it's experiencing at the moment. This can only produce extraordinary efforts by people determined to stay in the game. Perhaps the "line training" game is but a symptom.

Here in the States, when passengers are subjected to flying by a trainee ( to include myself in the early '70s ), it was by a "trainee" screened on a competitive basis for employment by the carrier, hired by the carrier, and destined to be there career-long.

Things change. But, I've never heard of such a thing here in the States.

[bushboy]

bafanguy

The biggest company (that I'm aware of) dealing with "first officer courses" or "pay to fly revenue trips" is (if I'm not mistaking) American and is called Eagle jet. They place unexperienced pilots who have saved a lot of money or are fortunate enough to have rich dads, with companies like Ameriflight and other 135 operators. Other american companies that has similar buissnes ideas is Central air, Alpine air and a bunch of other smaller 135 operators in the states. Eaglejet places 220h guys with a typerating with foreign companies as well. Flying anything from c182 to A-330.

So, to answer you question. I think they are just hired as any other short term contract pilots. Only difference beeing that these guys are extremely unexperienced to be contract pilots and they will probably leave when they have achieved only the knowledge required to operate the specific type in an normal, non eventfull, daly operation. That is all the airlines is asking for nowadays. I think it is the same in the states and in europe, but the companies I have heard about that does this is mainly based in "second world Europe", Africa or Asia.

/bb

[bafanguy]

bushboy,

Can't say I'm familiar with the American company you mention. Here in the US, there has been the "pay for training" situation in a few places and it is generally frowned upon.

The thing that caught my attention was the idea of someone who only bought training from an airline without being actually hired as a fulltime employee of said airline going out and flying revenue trips.

Paying for training with the idea of being a fulltime employee upon completion of the training just doesn't sit very well with the aviation community over here. I'm not passing judgement as I have no dog in this fight...just commenting.