Captain Lee Sir!
The ethos in this airline viz the local pilots applies very much across the board and is the culture in SIN.
Only in SIN can you become a General in the armed forces before you are old enough to even be a father or face any other battle apart from the one at home.
The poor chaps who start as Cadets have it in their head that if they are good at brown-nosing the chaps upstairs that their chances of becoming Captains with a position be it a management one or a supervisory post can be achieved armed-forces style. I have flown with some Captains who are far more experienced than the young supervisory ones who frankly don't have the experience at all, they have a "supervisory" role????
I see some serious flaws in the fact that this airline will allow first command on a 744, every Cadet aspires to be on that fleet as they think "its more money". I believe if its money they are after, they should have become bankers or stock brokers.
I was one of the very lucky few F/O's that SQ picked, started my career on the 737 then briefly 744, then was pulled back to 737 where I was told I would be selected for 777... Needless to say, my seat was taken away from me to fulfil the famous
NEP that exists UP NORTH. I left with the others and was offered to join the fleet here.
Upon arriving I was thrilled at my new position, but shocked at the attitude that the younger local pilots had about being on say A310 fleet. I told some of them, who later became good friends that, you can't and don't regularly get 4 sectors on any of the other "Heavies". So how do you build up flying experience? One chap said "Isn't it more money????"
If only some of my fellow F/O's had as much 737 experience as the guys up North do, their whole attitude will be very different.
I would have thought that the young pilots here go do their Command training on the A310 or over at Silkair on the A319 and A320 before being selected for any of the "Heavies". Earn your first command on a twin jet and see if you can manage a "Heavy" from there.
I hate to say; its an accident waiting to happen. The ethos viz blame culture with the 006 incident and press release saying that he was a Malaysian was so very wrong. Does it even matter what the Commanders nationality is? The fall into the blame game so easily if they are not Local.
The % of "other" nationals vs "local" is so much higher. Is that why ALPA-S is so afraid of giving us voting rights? Afterall we do pay our dues, why should we not be allowed to have our say? We are all flying for the SIN Gomen anyway, and operating their equipment so why this Ethos?
I have probably opened up a Pandoras Box here, but I know what I have said is nothing new. Being an outspoken Ba-yee in SQ and a Northerner... I'm already outnumbered!
Be safe!
Peace!
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777 way to go and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!