My money’s on BAE Tamworth and suspect that’s who QF may already have in mind.
Ever since I found out there were only 1300 applicantsfor mainline after 9 years of not recruiting I (and others) have been telling our management that they’d likely face a critical shortage of suitable applicants by 2020.
I agree with CurtainTwitcher’s assessment. They’re looking to turn what would be an administrative/ cost burden were it to be a traditional Cadetship (where QF have to provide oversight and so on) into potentially a money spinner.
Of course the real key is selecting the right candidates. Let’s see how that plays out.
The other question is where does this place QLink’s future pilot program? Seems a bit of a waste in the greater scheme of things. It also has greater implications for the the Uni aviation courses if 18 year old HSC graduates start heading toward this Qantas Pilot Academy instead.