Ladies and Gents,
The last time I flew with a 300 hour co-pilot in a war-torn third world country with de-mining units working next to the Apron in Angola or using an unofficial "company" GPS let-down through a sand storm in Afghanistan was about 10 years ago. Not to mention dodging huge Charlie Bravos between Maseru and JIA in a B1900C for Air Lesotho (No guessing who I worked for??) with no autopilot or flight director and with the occasional approach directly through an area of torrential downpour!!
Now I am working for SAA and feel that I am worth every cent I'm paid - and why? Because what I gained operating for the military, UN, Red Cross, charter operators and commuter airlines before SAA hired me, together with my three years of long range P3 flying and 4 years of short range P2 flying and now 3 years of long range P2 flying at SAA, has collectively given me a wealth of experience that allows me to sit and twiddle my thumbs for 6 or 7 or 8 hours on every long range flight because the day the sh
t hits the fan, all that experience will come into play and allow me to make the best possible decision and react in the best possible way that all that previous experience has collectively primed me for.
So I sympathise with those, including many of my own friends, who fly for operators who do not pay as much as SAA does, but we all make our choices in life and if you are not working for SAA then that was either your choice or your destiny, but don't keep bashing away at SAA pilots when most of us have come from your ranks!
And sure times are changing at SAA - In fact, the SAA pilots union has, for over three years, offered management a reduction in entry level salaries because the union feels that the salaries are too high and the pay scales too flat, as well as due to the reduced entry level requirements for certain designated groups of pilots, but SAA management has yet to act on this for whatever reason they may have.
Now going back to the topic, there will be no hiring at SAA for the forseeable future. All pilots with letters of employment will still be taken but everyone else is on hold!! Unfortunately, it looks like SAA will have to shrink a bit, consolidate, and then possibly start expanding again.
Post of the Week Award
- I'm not taking sides (honest) but this is the kind of bloke that this site is meant to serve. Now quit the whinging, get your head down (I don't care what colour you are) and get where he is. It doesn't mean you need to work for SAA - we all have our place in the sky and in the current qualification shortage we can all get where we're going.
Well done 2BSS - you made it. The rest of us are right behind you. 4HP