The Job Front - Note to the Unions, Chief Pilots, Agencies and Fellow Pilots
I feel compelled to write this email in response to my current dire situation, the dire situation of the world market, the gloom on the horizon and after reading some other posts on here.
Firstly I will clear some things up regarding me. I have both FAA and JAA licences. I paid for my initial TR, which with hindsight I regret for 2 reasons, a) I picked the wrong type, and b) I didn't have a guaranteed job. However in my defence when I started the course the market was pretty buoyant and everyone from the course before me had been offered jobs before finishing.
I don't regret going directly on to a onto a heavy jet TR before serving (what some other pilots consider) an apprenticeship as a Flight Instructor, Aerial Photography, Air Taxi, Small Turboprop pilot before moving on up. I don't think there are enough jobs in the UK to justify every newly qualified pilot doing so. Some people have a natural aptitude for instructing, I don't feel I have the character, therefore I went to where I felt I would be happiest.
Next to BALPA, those who look out for us .... for their 1%. An issue for me as a UK born and bred citizen is that I see pilots from most Commonwealth & EU nations working here without any caveats. For me to work in NZ, South Africa or Germany there are visa issues and in non-English speaking countries, demands that any employees speak the national language. Granted the majority of us tend to be lazy when it comes to languages because English is the lingua franca of the world and consequently aviation. However I am sure they could do something to promote and foster UK talent, otherwise British citizens will leave to get that first jet job (of course some by choice) and import foreign pilots.
So onto the list:
To Chief Pilots:
1./ Integrated is not the be all and end all. While Oxford, Cabair and Jerez do offer a known quantity, be aware that a great deal of people have to continue working or have to opt to go the modular route for financial reasons. It does not make them a worse pilot, remember they have to motive themselves, study without contemporaries and can't grade themselves with coursemates on a daily basis for extra motivation.
2./ You would have qualified prior to the turn of the century (unless you have had meteoric promotion) can you be aware that things for us qualifying are very different to what I expect you had to do.
3./ We have funded a PPL, CPL, IR, ME, ATPL's, TR's, give us a break, give us the chance you were given, give us the opportunity to have the dignity of working in a job we've aspired to. Give us the chance to stay close to the friends and family (if we wish to do so) rather than scouring the interweb to see if Azerbaijan Air is recruiting.
To Agencies:
1./ I've heard all sorts from different agencies, some would make you wince, like "I had a 10,000 Turboprop guy apply for a job on a startup 747, they were offering TR's but what does a turboprop guy offer, its too big a leap". This is what you get when you cross failed Psychology students reinventing themselves as consultants. Because you are essentially a salesman. You are the middleman who tries to pay the worker as little as possible and charge the airline as much as possible because you are paid on your margin. If you are going to take the industry standard of at least £7 per hour, know and research your industry.
2./ Stop lying to us, if there is bugger all chance of a job then don't string us along. Remember you work for commission, but you also have an influence on someones ability to feed their family and keep a roof over their heads, don't be blase'.
3./ Don't always look for the easy fix, try telling/selling the airlines the benefits of British, low houred pilots rather than moving 7,500+ pilots in constant 6 month/1 year cycles.
To BALPA:
1./ Your hands are tied to a degree as all professional pilots must speak English to a ICAO standard. If they hold a visa or are a EU citizen then they can be employed here. You must recognise the problems associated though for homegrown newly qualified pilots. Please endeavour to do something to protect us.
2./ When you have a jobs conference with 95% of the attendees having a 250 hour fATPL, question having Etihad, Emirates and Qatar airlines giving presentations asking you to apply with .... only 4,000 hours
To UK Flying Club Members:
1./ Do not fear the FAA, yes things are slightly different there, mostly in terms of RT and attitudes. It is more inclusive, open and yes ... much cheaper. To those who wince and consider those suspiciously, I say to you, a C-152 stalls at the same speed in UK airspace as it does in US, however when you land afterwards you don't pay landing fees and you've spent 50% or less for the hourly rate of the aircraft.
To companies selling hour packages:
1./ Rot in the pits of hell
2./ I hope your next girlfriend is SuBo, you get a venereal disease and she is the best you can get and ever hope for.
I apologise to foreign pilots reading this, I am writing this for me and for a number of my friends and former colleagues, we happen to be British and struggling (not that you aren't). It is not Jingoistic.