LOAJ, wr.t.
AIRLINES SHOULD PAY FOR TRAINING
What a brilliant idea !
But let’s not stop just at self-funding of type-ratings as, surely, this precedent should be extended to cover all ( the hugely risky financial gamble ) of things which people are forced(?) to pay for in order to obtain their (f)ATPL, should it not ?!
Indeed one really can't understand why wannabe airline pilots are so prepared to beggar themselves, to obtain the professional license(s) - can’t they see that it undermines the morality whole industry ?
Accordingly we should all lobby the authorities to have the rules changed such that the only people eligible for airline pilot employment are those whom have been fully sponsored by airlines for the
whole of their training, i.e. from first lesson right thru to (f)ATPL.
This way we’d have a level playing field for all, and it would also provide more opportunities to disadvantaged people who otherwise would have no access to the front seats of a jet airliner.
Yes, it is totally outrageous that the airlines don’t foot all of the bills, but that they ( the airlines ) ultimately benefit from a ready supply of pilots on the cheap - we really must put a stop to this charlatan practice !
Ah, but,..... there's the rub.
Just imagine ( albeit very unlikely ) if the licensing authorities ( JAA / FAA ) were indeed to bring-in an across the board ruling that forced airlines to pay for
all of a professional pilots training.
Then, might I bold so bold as to suggest, that a lot of people ( indeed many here on PPRuNe – me included ) would never obtain their much coveted piloting jobs.
E.g. If, from the outset, an airline was forced to pay for the whole license process, they’d then be free to choose whom ever they want, e.g. just as BA do when they recruit their cadet pilots – and just how often have we heard the tale of some fresh out of college / Uni BA cadet apparently spouting “Oh I only applied to the cadet scheme as it sounded like a bit of a laugh, I’d never really thought about working for an airline, and now I’m a pilot a on a B777” to say nothing of stereo typical “Oh yes, father’s one of the senior training chaps on the 744 fleet. Now when do I start ?”, all while the earnest wannbe gets passed over –
does that sound familiar Sir Donald ?
So, aside from the atrociously fierce competition for such sponsorship places - e.g. just how many people apply for BA cadet schemes as against how many get selected ?! - I’d go so far as to say that many of the people here on PPRuNe would not ( and probably never did ) meet the criteria for airline sponsorship ( Proof - just how many people pour out of self-sponsored fATPL training each year ? ) - e.g. I don’t think I ever met the criteria, always being, just, that bit too old, or some such - and / or are not quite what the airlines are looking for, i.e. it being somebody in their early 20’s, fresh out of Uni, who’s mouldable, etc....... rather than somebody in their 30’s, albeit well qualified from school of hard nocks and university of life.
So, shall we put this proposal to the vote, i.e. that, in order to end this charlatan exploitation by airlines of poor little wannabes, only people who are fully / completely sponsored by airlines should be allowed to gain employment as airline pilots ?
........Now don’t all rush at once !
What I'm getting at - albeit in a slightly long-winded fashion – is, w.r.t. training, where should one draw the line on who pays for what ? I.e. if self-funding of a type-rating is ‘bad’ then surely self-funding of any of the training is similarly ‘bad’ and somewhat morally unjustifiable and elitist ?
Or is it really the case that it’s dog-eat-dog, and the meek will inherit the world ( so long as that’s alright with the rest of you ) ?!