Very well said. I fly for a Chinese airline in another big city and what you write is exactly what I would describe here. Actually I enjoy my time flying and I enjoy my weeks off when I can live a comfortable life with my family spending the money I am earning. Maybe it is just for me but I find myself living a quite pleasant life here. There are obviously many things you need to adapt, but for me better China that Middle East...at least 100 times. So please, if you do not like it just quit and do not spend so much time in writing: we that work here prefer to keep the nice relations with our Chinese colleagues.
Regards.
I appreciate the attempt at humour and the attempt to be helpful to would-be expats, but you're painting the landscape with a very wide brush.
At the green & white airline in the big city down the coast things are considerably better than what you describe. There are many good Chinese pilots- good not only as in competent- but in personality. Treat them with respect and fairness and you get it back. While it's true that many things are backwards and frustrating by western standards- the Chinese are growing their industry a heck of a lot faster than we grew ours and we need to cut them some slack.
Maybe the individuals in your story deserve the treatment you've provided but without knowing you and projecting the other side of the story- I have no way of being sure. But I think you're really being unfair in your portrayal of Chinese airlines and the culture and country as a whole. There are a lot of good, high-quality people here.
Providing a required skill or not- we're guests in this country and I wouldn't blame Chinese completely unconnected to Tianjin for being greatly offended by you and your book. I sure hope they don't tar all of us with one brush like you did with them.
Hi Joe and Canuck, thank you both for offering your thoughts and insights. I'd like to begin by referring to the introduction where it is stated and developed that the opinions and methods of 'FUD' and 'Duke' are not going to sit well with all; so, your points are respectfully taken and noted. I'd also hazard a guess that you both possess exceptional negotiating skills, coping skills as well as flight deck skills. China is obviously working out for you with the facilities and mentality you bring to the theatre of operations, and that's
great.
However, it has been my experience that you two are in the minority (maybe not on the flight deck, but certainly in people skills). I have seen firsthand
at least 5x the current on-property expat pilot contingent (~40-50 at the time) interview, come and go at Tianjin, and I've heard similar numbers apply at other carriers over there. Would-be expats have flashy paychecks waved in front of their noses by recruiters (which should be an immediate tip-off: if it's too good to be true blablabla...) when what they
need is an honest-to-gosh discussion, pub-style, explaining the intricacies of the threats and risks they
WILL meet on a daily basis operating over there. Again, we went for the "Jerry Springer" approach over the snooze fest of "Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators" and the numbers of downloads, personal messages of support and thanks in general indicate our choice was well made. Judge accordingly as you find appropriate.
Without going tit-for-tat with you, which would be argumentative and disrespectful, I would like to change the subject and solicit your observations. I'd like to invite you to discuss a number of issues in the preferred "Naval Aerodynamics" style if you have the time and interest.
First and foremost, would you describe the demographic breakdown of the expat pilot group at your respective carriers? Total number on property, Male/Female, White/Black/Hispanic, N. American/S. American/European etc? I'm curious to know the figures at some other carriers (which you mention and we did not have contact with). I'm curious to know if other carriers reflect what comprised Tianjin's contingent as it came and went over the years.
Best regards,
L.G.