Smeagel

Depending upon who you believe Netjets Europe (NTAS) is losing one or two pilots a week with four out of five being captains.

The overcrewing in some areas might cover this for a while but for how long? For a long time the company has fast-tracked suitable candidates to the left hand seat but as far as I know none of them have ever been promised an immediate command in writing. Without this what experienced pilot (captain) in their right minds would join? They don't know for which fleet they are destined and when/if they'll get back to the left hand seat.

Netjets refusal to recruit direct entry captains has had its merits in the past. They have always claimed that the nature of the work is such that very few pilots can make the immediate switch from what they were doing to the NJE way. I have seen one candidate do this successfully and by that I mean be an asset on their first tour. That said, an experienced bizjet captain should only need to learn the foibles of the company which, come to think of it, is rather a lot to ask of anyone In fact, come to think of it a little more the 'complexities' of doing a NJE tour are pretty much self inflicted.

If the trends continue the time will come where they will have to consider direct entry captains. Every so often this is raised in Lisbon and the idea quashed because "...that's not how we do it". For how long will this argument hold water though and will they do it overtly or, as in so many things in the past (extra pay for chosen training captains, etc) on the sly? How will those warming the right hand seats in anticipation of their four bars take this?

Discuss.

austrian71

We are all "direct entry" captains, positiv screened with the ability of a commander for this company, we just get the possibility to get used to the standart before we join the LHS. Anyhow, if you are progressing good you will jump to the LHS very quick. I dont have the impression, that there is a lack of commanders, the company does a great job this year with recruitment , better contracts etc.and there is no reason being worried about the crewfactor.

Scroll Lock

Do we actually have Captains ?

I dont know of another company where we need to waste time and a considerable amount of money making phone calls to LIS to be "released" to fly from Luton to Farnborough on a gin clear VFR day. !!!

chinny

.... not a valid point. I've not worked for any commercial company that will allow you to fly willy nilly VFR esp EGGW to EGLF.

Smeagal-

Spot on chap-who in their right mind apart from maybe desperate,low timers or ex-mil, do what netjets want.What are they -a corporate company or an airline? If they are so narrow minded to quash out of hand the "direct entry captain" scenario in this market then they will come unstuck .The attitude of "...that's not how we do it" is so archaic(?).

The point of view of " very few pilots can make the immediate switch from what they were doing to the NJE way' is utter bullS***t. With the right training... esp with a new guy to the industry-ie ex mil, it is easily achievable.Netjets model is not that vastly different from other Operators if at all.

Its time Netjets got off their high horse,pulled their heads out of their a*** sand smelt the roses.

my 2pennies worth.

VTSP
chinny

FourGreenNoRed

Since there is no real seniority on the way from the right to the left, its not a matter of flipp-off crew-members. Its true, the applicant pool would be wider open if we change this to a more DEC favouring position. But: we hired highly experienced CPT with 15000 hours plus which fail when the flying demands more then a 30 deg turn to intercept an ILS final. Highly experienced Pilots who basically refuse to fly into Samedan or Sion.

We have an unstable Crew Pool when it comes to this. A EZ, AB, BD, BE, FR, EK . . . Pilot will have a hell of a time when he jumps right into the left without taking a look from the right. Ex-Mil seem to be more competative to those flying challenges, however, they have to be adopted to the industry.
A way out: Hire them with 4 stripes and leave em on the right til they proved their LHS-Worthiness for NTA. Or design a Linetraining for DEC captains which include a visit to all those fancy places. The month of August seems to be perfect to do this. Low season with a lot of ferries. So ferry from A to B with a short visit to Chambery.

Money? Not a factor . . .

Good topic Schmuck

Smeagel

Scroll Lock has a point though and it was that which I alluded to when I said their 'complexities' are self inflicted. They make it complicated with so many people and departments interfering, the crew are practically castrated. Even so examples abound of Ops in Lisbon just ticking boxes, often the less experienced dispatchers are not even aware of what it is they are looking at on their screens but as long as they tick this and tick that. Aircraft dispatched to closed airfields etc but that's ok as "computer says yesssss".


So how is it that people fail the command upgrade course?

With all due respect austrian you do seem to be perpetuating the myth. "The best of the best and two captains on every aircraft" bullshit. There is nothing mystical and difficult about what NJE do apart from all the goings on behind the scenes. More often than not it is that which new crew have difficulty adapting to, not the flying.

Chinny Value for money old chap, even if it is only 2p. Look after the pennies...............

FourGreen If NJE did openly recruit DEC's then maybe they could afford to weed out the people you describe, at least in terms of those unable to fly an ILS. At the moment we know they are struggling to fill interview slots and the applicant pool is very shallow. Don't believe what Lisbon say publicy, in private they say otherwise. As for them refusing to go into certain airports like Samadan and Sion I don't blame them. Training for those places has, in the past, been pretty hit and miss.

How many NJE captains have been told in the past that they were cleared to go to certain airports requiring special training on the basis of an 'agreement' between the company and the local authority? Quite a few. Did you hear about the crew who were told by the authorities in Italy they would be allowed to leave with their licences this time but never again. What did NJE do? Sent another unqualified crew back there the next week. Is it any wonder some pilots refuse?

A dedicated course of line training for DEC's such as you describe might work and could attract experienced people who at the moment refuse to apply as they see the current system for what it is. However that would cost money and we all know how they have trouble spending on things the customers don't see.

Bikerpilot

Rumour has it they are VERY worried behind the scenes ....

If Easyjet open up a base at Brussels National then approx 75 ex SN rated guys/girls whose lowest rank in NJE is Captain will be looking to join .
More money , home every night. Many of them have young families now etc...