DESE versus CX Cadets

[celesteazul]

Dear Readers,

I have heard many positive things about being a Cathay cadet pilot such as getting training from zero hour experience. However, I wonder if there will be any effect in a cadet pilot's future career growth within Cathay.

Please correct me if I am wrong in any of these assumptions. I am trying to compare the difference between ex-Cadet SOs and DESOs. Here is he scenario:
Person A: Graduated Cadet pilot programme and has about 300 hours of flying experiece and is now a SO.
Person B: DESO, has 1000 hours from a commuter. Lots of take offs and landing experiences.

Is the skill level of person A and B comparable? How would this affect the wait for promotion?

My concerns:
DESO will get promoted a lot faster because he/she is more experienced whereas the Cadet will hit a "Glass Ceiling".

Any kind of enlightenment welcomed!

[SMOC]

It's in Seniority order (Date of Joining) and when your numbers up you either make the grade or don't. It also depends on how your 'file' looks over the past 4 years as an S/O, Cadet's probably have to work a little harder but after 4 years as an S/O you're probably all up to speed on the "Cathay Way".

[EngineOut]

Mr C,

Re DESO, I know the minimums are 1000 total, but to give you an idea, i have just been invited for a DESO interview and have about 3000 hours, about 2000 turboprop hours and am currently flying PIC on a multi-crew light Jet above 12500lbs.

Is the 300hrs person comaprable to the 3000hr person? At that point-NO.

There is significant difference in experience between 3000Hrs and a cadet. All types of flying with probably 3-5000 approaches and landings compared to a Cadet, but to be honest I don't know how that actually counts in terms of being upgraded in CX!

[celesteazul]

Thanks for the reply.

Is it fair to say that a cadet and a DESO who entered CX on the same day pretty much start on equal footing in CX's terms? Even though DESO probably has 1000-3000 more hours of flying experience than the cadet graduate???:confused:

C

[DDDOF]

Actually NO
Cadets start as what they call Cat C level, and after a year they move to Cat B. Whereas DESO's start at Cat B level and after their first line check they move to Cat A. You have to be Cat A plus have your tech assesment done to be considered for upgrade to JFO. However with upgrades taking 3+ years both Cadets and DESO's hired at the same time if Cat A will be ready for upgrade at the same time, just that the DESO will be Cat A longer but that will have no bearing if they are both Cat A, passed the tech assesment and the the Cadet is one spot above the DESO in senority. The system would only benifet the DESO if upgrades were running around 2 years, as the cadet would take 3 years to upgrade. Thats the way it was back in the day, but not now.
Clear as mud??