1. Whats the relationship between AJV and ANA cargo. I see the cargo planes have "ANA cargo" on the side.
Excellent question and one I'm sure a well educated member of our fraternity might be able to answer
All I know is that Japan Post have withdrawn from the contract, so ANA now 'owns' more of the AJV company and, therefore, has more of a say in haow it is run. To be honest, I've never heard of anyone being asked about this in the interview but that's proabably because few of the interviewers know the whole picture anyway
At the end of the day, the 777s have enough capacity to shift cargo to Europe etc but the ANA (AJX) 767s, used around these parts can't carry enough, so we do it for them. Loads have recently gone up substantially and with the Naha centralised base open for business in just over a week, I think we'll see ANA Cargo doing more business in the Far East. And, just to get you thinking, what about 'Allex' written on the side of the aircraft
2. I applied for and will be interviewing for AJV but can/will they offer me a AJX slot instead. I would much prefer the cargo ops. Would they get upset if I say I would prefer the cargo operation?
As Mr Dominican has written, it has happened in the past but it is VERY unlikely to happen to you, as things have settled down a bit since the heady days of TD's course
The companies are pretty well separate entities, though we enjoy each other's company in the pub. AJV are still very actively recruiting whereas, as I understand it, AJX have slowed a bit and are no longer after direct entry captains etc. You'll be interviewed by AJV people for an AJV job. I would consider why you would prefer cargo to pax but, put it this way, you'd have to drag me kicking and screeming back to passenger flying.
3. For the written test I see a few people have said there are questions on locations of emergency equipment in the cabin. I would have thought that most airlines don't have all the equipment in the same place so it seems like a strange thing to ask in a written exam.
I didn't do a written test but I'd be quite certain that, like a lot of airlines, it's a 'filler' i.e. something extra they want you to do but something that's not really looked at too hard. It's all about your knowledge of your current operatations. They don't have a list of where every operator keeps their emergency equipment but they do expect you to know where it's kept. I know they can't check up but whoever thought they would
As I said, it's a time filler and something to get your grey matter thinking about.
4. The contract agency fees are not taken out of the pilot salary is it? I assume this is sorted out between the ANA and PARC.
You don't get involved in any of that and will never know how much Parc get paid. The money they say in the contract appears in your pay slip and, added to that are things like per diem, accomm allowance etc (after training). It's all very simple and no need to get hung up on agency fees. I've been delighted with Parc and have only good things to say about the people that look after the salary side of things (and other facets of the contract, obviously).
5. Have there been anyone leaving AJX or AJV lately?
Nobody from AJV that I know of.
6. Are there many back of the clock flights for AJV?
As I write, no, there's not too many. However, stand by for that to change in 10 days
That's when the Naha base is going to kick into action and the work patterns will change a fair bit. Basically, Naha will act as a cargo hub and we'll be 'spoking' out to our normal destinations more from there, rather than NRT or KIX. This will mean a lot more night flying but, rather nicely, a lot more stops (day) at destinations and some very pleasant ones at that. Overall, I think we'll be at NRT/KIX a lot less and there will be more night flying but we'll be able to enjoy the delights of BKK, HKG etc at more reasonable times
7. I have heard its possible to leave on your last day of work if you have a late arvo or evening flight. Are you able to arrive into Japan on your first day of work early in the morn then do a late flight that day?
It is normal to leave on the last day of work and, for the chosen ones, this does not present a problem as the Oz flights leave in the evening
The European flights leave late morning/lunchtime, so these guys sometimes get screwed by not being back in time to get the flights. The scheduler is normally pretty good at getting you back early on the last day of work and, looking at the new Naha schedules, this will become easier as the majority of flights get into NRT/HND in the morning. As for coming back to work; you must ensure that you are at report on time and suitably rested for your duty (good egg-sucking lesson there
). Again, I believe the new schedules will better allow you to come in on the day of work because they are going to have late reports. So, arrive early in the morning from Oz, sleep during the day in the NRT hotel and then late report is acceptable. It may not be absolutely by the letter of the contract but it is done and everybody respects the need to ensure they don't screw it up for everybody else by not turning up on time or not in a fit state.
8. Is AJV still doing the American flying or is that outsourced to a bigger A/C?
Not bigger aircraft but, as I understand it, UPS in some tie up deal that's far too involved for mortals such as me. We're stopping (for now) the ANC/ORD flying but we are starting HNL. This, at the moment, will be a very short stop and will be only one per week but who knows what it will develop into and if we'll get the other stuff back? This way, AJV keeps all its ETOPS clearances and we'll stay current at speaking 'Merican