Originally Posted by
redsnail
Centaurus, they might be experienced but I doubt many will have the experience that RFDS needs. Many of their pilots would not have flown a turboprop, let alone any significant single pilot remote area experience. Certainly no one from the MPL background will have the appropriate experience.
krismiler Very few UK airlines pay for ab initio to hero flight training. Not many airlines do it in Europe either. Most cadets are looking at a £100-150K price tag.
Precisely.
And furthermore, those of us with tons of bush experience from decades ago and who have moved on to the gravy train of airline and other multi crew highly automated aircraft have lost the knack of single pilot IFR. Too many years staring at that magenta line addles the brain. I know that I could not do it today.
The pool of genuinely capable pilots from which the RFDS can confidently recruit has shrunk. They can expand that pool by offering the same salary as any mainline airline captain would earn.