It's all well and good for experienced older pilots to sit on here pontificating and slagging off pilots who pay for type ratings, but when nobody else is recruiting pilots with low hours, what the hell else are people supposed to do?
My OH has paid for a type rating and I am FURIOUS that people are slagging him off for it. He is a fantastic, dedicated pilot who had to get through so much before he even got to an interview with Ryanair.
People know before the interview they will have to pay for a type rating with Ryanair, but it's not just the fact they have 23k burning a hole in their pocket that they get past the first interview stage, not just anyone can stroll in and get a job. Two other interviewees didn't get onto the type rating course although they had the money to pay for it.
People slag off Ryanair, but I can tell you that
1) He has a set roster so we know when he is working
2) He has a huge amount of hours already
3) He is flying a brand new 737 around Europe
4) If he hadn't have paid for his type rating he would still be sitting in an office wondering why he had gone through 2 years of college, Instrument ratings etc etc.
It's a step on the ladder, unfortunately, just being a good pilot or knowing the right people won't get you your first a job as a pilot anymore.
Sad but true.
So stop slagging off people who pay for type ratings, I can promise you that anyone who has had to fork out for one would much rather have spent the money on something else.
Nobody would pay out so much money just on a whim......they do it because they are passionate about flying and need a break.
Last edited by Miss Flossy; 27th November 2007 at 14:46.
Reason: spelling