MVE,
This is going to be my last contribution to this debate. Flybe have an eventual plan to have about 60 turboprops and 15 embraer 195s. In the last few years when the ratio of jets to turbo props was higher it was taking about 7 - 8 years to get a jet command in BHX, and longer than that in BHD, EXT and SOU. As far as I know there are no transfers now from the Q400 to the 146 as it is being phased out, and all those who are transfering to the left seat of the emb 195 are current 146 captains, thus it is probably about 10 years to jet command at the moment.
So, the career progression scenario in a couple of years when the fleets stabilise. Pilot bloggs joins as an F/O on the Q400 earning £23k. All well and good and as you say, no up front payment for a type rating. He/she watches his/her peers from the same integrated course who have invested in a type rating with ctc earning £45k as an F/O on a boeing or an airbus, but our Flybe pilot is prepared to stay where he/or she is. After a couple of years he (I'm going to stop typing "she" as well but please no one get offended) transfers to the emb195 with another bond, having not been in the company for 10 years, and earns £35k per year whilst his peers on the boeing/airbus are earning £45k. Eventually after about 4 years he has enough hours for a command on the dash and earns £52k. (None of these figures include flight pay at Flybe or sector pay elsewhere, of course).
What does pilot Bloggs do now? Above him is a glass ceiling. Q400 LTCs/TRIs/TREs on jet salary plus training increments, which makes them pretty well off, especially with 7 or 8 years of seniority payments. They aren't about to move to the RHS of a jet elsewhere to take a pay cut, or even to the LHS of the emb195 without a lot of soul searching , as they will lose the training pay and be bonded. So there will be very few training vacancies except for those caused by retirement. The same goes for LHS embraer - not many of them and crewed by senior captains who are probably settled and won't want to move (unless of course another UK operator was to buy Emb195s).
So the career progression in the company is limited, whatever you say, and younger captains and F/Os will move continue to move on as they are quite capable of working that out. Because of this - in my opinion which is not a result of being drunk - Flybe will always be a "training airline", at least on the turboprop fleet, as long as the pilot job market remains bouyant. but at least it keeps the trainers from getting bored!
As for Ryanair - I may be naive, but if I was offered two jobs at the same base, one flying maximum hours but with a fixed roster pattern with a reasonable number of days off, and the other earning £35k per year less for max hours 5 on 2 off and only one evening in seven when I could plan to do anything because of starting on earlies and finishing on lates I would find it difficult to convince my wife and kids that the second of those was the better option. I know all about the draconian management, sacked for unstable approaches stuff but I still contend that if you keep your head down, do your job and keep clear of management it is OK for a captain based where he/she wants to be and not commuting.
Anyway, continue to enjoy the dash 8/Flybe. Maybe one day we'll get to fly together and through conversation you will suddenly say "you most be that tw*t excrab because you talk utter tosh"
