Afternoon all,
Firstly allow me to thank you all for participating on this thread. I do strongly believe that experience teaches allot, hence me asking all experienced pilots to share their views on this thread. Secondly I could not agree more that we as a whole must shy away from these pay to fly or SSTR schemes. However much we would like to fly it should not be at the cost of destroying future generations.
I do to a certain degree comprehend and agree on the view that within the UK it would be very unlikely to secure a position without paying for a type rating. However I believe that this must be done in the form of a bond, and not in the hope of securing a job once you have gained your type rating.
As many of you may be aware I have recently returned back to the UK after spending 2 months in Maun and Zambia, my accounts of my trip were shared on this website. The concept of my thread was to show newly qualified pilot as myself the darkness that prevails after one has attained his/her licence. I am certainly not one of those guys who will sit at home waiting for food to fall on his plate, but have demonstrated that it is necessary to go out and find your own food wherever that may be in the world.
I have tried and will carry on trying to try and find the Holy Grail, but at what cost? I have applied to over 400 engineering positions, called every contact in my phone book just to try and get some work. Even after holding a degree in aeronautical engineering and having a licence I do not find myself to be above anyone. I would happily go back to the airport and load bags onto the aircrafts, but even this idea does not seem to shine through.
Hope is certainly one of the best things we have in life, but this quality should not be used to delude ourselves. I will never agree to pay to fly neither would I ever agree to pay for a type rating unless a secure job was offered. I completely agree that the current times we live in are dire, and that they will get better soon. However something’s within our industry do make me feel that we are at the mercy of airlines. For example the likes of Emirates travelling around the world to find cadets when they are fully aware that the world is full of ready to go pilots.
I am not asking for a shinny jet job I’m not asking to fly 747’s or 380’s I’m just asking to FLY but not at any longer at my expense. In today’s climate and please correct me if I am wrong. I find that we have opened Pandora ’s Box only to hit us in the face, for example we opened the doors to Europe and said any job for anyone. But the European airlines are clever and so they should be. They specify that there pilots must speak a number of languages to get a chance with them. Now let’s be honest how many languages do we really know in the UK, not many I suppose.
Anyway I would much appreciate our experience pilots to guide and steer us all in a direction that maybe profitable to us all.
Kash360