Why foreign S/Os and not just local S/Os?

[wondering]

I am curious why isn´t CX going the same way as SIA and fills most, if not all, S/O seats with locals. As far as I know, SIA mainline stopped taking in foreigners for the right seat in 97(?) taking only locals (Singaporeans and Malaysians as I understand) Saving the housing allowances for expatriate pilots along the way. I am sure they must have thought about that. Wouldn´t local pilots be more loyal than foreigners? And what´s the ratio of local pilots vs foreign pilots in CX? No offense to all you expatriate pilots in CX :ok:

[BuzzBox]

CX has a very hard time finding enough locals who are interested in becoming a pilot, let alone meet the required medical standard. There is no military aviation in Hong Kong and virtually no GA either, so interest in aviation amongst the youngsters isn't high. Besides, there are much more lucrative careers to be had in many other job sectors in Hong Kong. CX has been working hard to foster an interest in aviation amongst school children here over the last few years, but any dividends from those programs (if any) are still some way off.

[jacfield]

I agree. With all males required to go for national service(military) in Singapore, that would pretty much ensure there's a constant stream of military trained pilot.

While for HK, that is totally lacking. Also, there's little "flying club" in HK, just because the cost for participating in any general aviation is ridiculously high.

At least there's youth flying club in singapore.

[A/T less]

Across the border recruitment?? (not too sure what the law is on that)

I understand that PC is not fond of us foreigners. I wouldn't be surprised if he went that route and eventually drive all Gweilos out of CX 'pits.

Of course, that would be suicidal but does PC know any better?

Also, the S/Os at SIA actually FLY DA PLANE!!! Not just talk on the radio for 3, 4 years like the ones at CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS.

[neville_nobody]

Singapore still have to recruit locals and pay them to learn to fly. Similar to Hong Kong it is a battle to keep interest up as there are so many other more profitable enterprises out there other than flying and there is minimal grass roots aviation.

I always find it ironic that in many countries people are paying to work or working for free whilst Singapore Airlines and the like are paying their pilots to turn up.

[moosp]

I agree with most of the above. For CX in the mid nineties we worked a simple algorithm for the potential recruitment to a P2X licence. The numbers are dispiriting to say the least. Back then we could suggest that 30 pilots per year would be available for JFO upgrade. Some years we bettered that, some we were less.

It's a bit of everything. As you say, self selection away from the job to start with. Lack of women applicants still takes out about 48% of the Hong Kong population. Family expectations are a prime influence to go to a different profession; better earning prospects elsewhere and the concept of not being your own boss, which is culturally important.

Eyesight and Hepatitis took out nearly 50% of applicants in the early days. Even security branch got into it, if your brother/father was a known Triad.

Prof. Michael Bond at the Chinese U did some work (with Capt Graeme Ogilvy) on pilot sourcing and cultural characteristics, which coincided with the Geert Hofstede cultural measurement work for IBM at the time. NASA got a look in, and Ashleigh Merritt and Robert Helmreich at University of Texas did some excellent work but it got a bit edgy in the politically correct world of early this century so it seems to have been dropped.

Adelaide do good work on the cross cultural aspect of western derivated aviation for CX trainees and for several other disparate nationalities. It can be addressed, and some of it can be taught.

It's fascinating stuff if you want to get into it, and whilst not quite of the, "Japanese cannot fly planes because they have bad eyes", stuff that came out of America before Pearl Harbour, shows that certain cultures are better suited to the Western developed flightdecks of a modern airliner.

Which may well be the point. The Chinese bought Trident aircraft from (then) De Havilland and installed a very different flight deck. The two forward facing seats were for the pilots, neither of whom was the Captain. He sat sideways on the left, controlling the comms. In the mainland culture at the time, leaders did not drive, they were driven, just like the early days of the Royal Flying Corps with their sergeant pilots with officer observers.

Plus ca change....