As there is no credit or pay for this SIM, nor a bunch of other duties, it's common to have a full months roster polluted with these kinds of duties. It's stealing a day off, and of AED 4200 productivity pay. These duties were once paid for . But one of the higher up muppets decided those lazy pilots are having too many days off . This was in the day of the mighty 345 where pilots were hitting 100 in 28 and 900 in 365, but still getting 15 plus days off . The muppet decreed that anything over min days off was to become a AD (available day). No duty could happen on these days as the pilots were tapped out. So every AD meant another 3.5hrs productively pay (no one said the muppet was smart). All rejoiced, the muppet because he had made the pilots work more (see note about IQ of muppet), and the pilots as the mighty 345 was.....well it was mighty.....and they were getting money for nothing. Alas, when the end of the year came and the bean counters finally got said muppet to understand what had happened, the pay neutral pay cut came into effect. No more credit for leave, no more credit for non flying duties, no more credit for reserve or AD. But the productivity credit went from 84hrs to 78hrs. This worked out to about a 15% paycut. Luckily the productivity target has fluctuated since then, up to 92hrs and down to our now 88hrs. The original paycut gets bigger and bigger . The ocean of experienced pilots that wanted in dried up. Then some bright spark worked out they had paid a whole bunch of money for really wizz bang aeroplanes. They didn't need experienced pilots to fly them . They could take low houred Laura Ashley jet pilots instead. And once again the gates opened and disaster was averted. Then the ocean of baby jet pilots dwindled as word hit the streets that life weren't too rosey .So it was decided that Turbo prop pilots would now be taken . Then it was low houred turbo prop pilots. Then it was you could come back and try the recruitment sim again in a month if you failed it the first time .Then it was you can keep the flight directors and auto thrust when doing the recruitment sim, and come back in a month if you failed the first time. Maybe autopilot at 200 feet next? Who knows .
But the future looks bright . Full manning of flight deck crew by Autumn. Shouldn't be a problem .This stealing from the pilots pocket will continue . Wont be able to make that wonderful profit target without it.