Experience
It’s funny how those that denigrate the value of experience are generally those that don’t have any.
The whole ‘experience’ thing is not about skill comparisons of the physical differences between flying an Airbus and landing a 207 on a goat track lit by car headlights. It’s not about the relevance of bringing the physical skills of one across to the other either. It’s about developing the mind set and thought processes to go about a task, analyse risks, make sound decisions and not paint yourself into a corner. This is what a GA or Military Pilot brings with them when they start on day one with an Airline. They still have to learn a new job but they have base survival skills already there that can be applied. This can’t be taught at a flying school but is acquired, often by scaring yourself and then analysing the event afterwards.
Ten years or so down the track and the differences between all candidates becomes less and less and there is absolutely no reason why a Cadet with the right attitude won’t be as good an Airline Pilot as his/her counterpart.
I agree with 404 Titan that the reason Jetstar's Cadetship has been set up is reduce Terms and Conditions to a new low, particularly when other pilots in the same group company are being put on forced leave, demoted and taking reduced flying lines to avoid retrenchment. And as for an earlier poster that mentioned ‘impending pilot shortage’. That old chestnut has been bandied around for the last 20+ years that I’ve been flying(And I bet long before then!) and other than a tiny little blip a couple of years back it still hasn’t eventuated and I doubt ever will. (Paradoxically it allowed Jetstar to recruit foreign Direct Entry Captains on 457 Visas and further divide the pilot community to lower conditions.)
For those of you looking at embarking on a flying career I’d recommend the following website setup by an American Pilot. Whilst things are done slightly different in The States it does seem we tend to follow and I think it provides a pretty good insight to the direction the industry is taking here.
The Truth About the Profession - Home
Last edited by Nuthinondaclock; 4th Jun 2010 at 05:00.