Kenya Airways AB Initio Pilot Recruitment
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Africa
Posts: 412
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Calm down guys.
You've all done great so far. You don't want to roll up at the medical examiner's office wired to the eyeballs and with your blood pressure sky high and blow it because you're too hyped. Get in there in a positive frame of mind and as calm and rational as you can. Most airlines require grace under pressure, ie, the ability to follow the rules and perform flawlessly when the chips are down.
You've all done great so far. You don't want to roll up at the medical examiner's office wired to the eyeballs and with your blood pressure sky high and blow it because you're too hyped. Get in there in a positive frame of mind and as calm and rational as you can. Most airlines require grace under pressure, ie, the ability to follow the rules and perform flawlessly when the chips are down.
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Nairobi
Age: 35
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
KQ
Well,they said that any communication should be done through the abinitio email.Relax,am sure they will contact you in due course because the classes in SA start on November 28th.
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
KQ
I also thought they would have communicated by yesterday, going by the fact that the AME results were to be out by last Friday. With less than 2 weeks to go for the successful, I wish they say something by close of business today. Anyway, my level of patience is thankfully hitting an all-time high.
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Nairobi
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Encouragement
Hey ab initios.
Take a deep breath and RELAX. It must be very difficult to stay patient during this time. Believe in yourselves. I know you gave it your best so there is no need to fret. Faith moves mountains. Keep yourselves busy with other stuff to pass time.
Take a deep breath and RELAX. It must be very difficult to stay patient during this time. Believe in yourselves. I know you gave it your best so there is no need to fret. Faith moves mountains. Keep yourselves busy with other stuff to pass time.
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Kenya
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Congrats
I wasn't going to say anything till I saw how most of you are all nerves, come down guys/ladies, years ago this thing used to take months even upto six, yours is one of the fastest! some corrections, this year's group 1(KQ3) went to 43, KQ4 was meant to follow them but 43 got full and they were diverted to Progress which seemingly is KQ's plan B as always(No disrespect). As for the next intake, am sure its first week of November(43's Bhisho Campus), 28th of November intake maybe for the Port Alfred campus which mostly caters for private students. If I were you I would start hustling for the necessary documents because I hardly know of anyone whose been left out after the medical stages unless you go bonkers during the Orals!! Mark you KQ will/may surprise you with barely a week to go to get the paperwork and believe me that is one tiresome, bribery filled heart-wrenching ordeal. best of luck and hope I was of much help. see you soon. before I forget, any ladies among the 18?? come on, am just curious!! 18 is the biggest number ever so far, are you all coming as one unit or you have been split into two? in that case one group MAY go to Progress, though 43 Bhisho currently has lots of space with two KQ groups leaving for Kenya shortly. Good luck you all.
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
New info
@Swiftfly, Dimbaza... thanks for the encouraging words. When one is really looking forward to something important, it is easy to be anxious.
@Supercap, I called someone facilitating the ab initio programme and I can tell that if you have been asked to avail the documents, you are as good as IN! I enquired on the date of the final interview and to my surprise she said that interviews were long over.
All what remains is for them to forward the documents to SA by Wednesday next week and wait for the departure day confirmation. Am yet to get the confidence whether we made it through or not, my only confidence is that it was from a very reliable source. Please start packing rather than waiting for an email!
@Supercap, I called someone facilitating the ab initio programme and I can tell that if you have been asked to avail the documents, you are as good as IN! I enquired on the date of the final interview and to my surprise she said that interviews were long over.
All what remains is for them to forward the documents to SA by Wednesday next week and wait for the departure day confirmation. Am yet to get the confidence whether we made it through or not, my only confidence is that it was from a very reliable source. Please start packing rather than waiting for an email!
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Nairobi
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
KQ...Interview process
@ Capt Prudent Paul, does it mean that if you have not been called to submit your passport you are out?
. I think waiting for the confirmation would be better. Anyway to all those will make it 
. I think waiting for the confirmation would be better. Anyway to all those will make it
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Confirmation
@gitush, may be... may be not. I agree, we might be happier with a direct confirmation from them.
@supercaptain, was meaning those called to submit their passport numbers. I suggest someone else calls on Monday so that we can have further confirmation.
@supercaptain, was meaning those called to submit their passport numbers. I suggest someone else calls on Monday so that we can have further confirmation.
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Nairobi
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
First of all congratulations to all of you who are making progress with the interviews. I understand the emotional frustration you are undergoing. Good news is once you get to medical its almost unheard of to be eliminated. Even better news is, I was at the administration block this past week and they say more KQ cadets are coming in two weeks time i.e. Progress Flight Academy. That should be on the second week of November. So to all those joining the 9 of us who are here already, better brace yourselves for the experience. I can assure you its nothing like you have imagined before.
Funny thing is the interviews is just but the beginning, don't celebrate now that you are coming to South Africa. Kazi tu ndio imeanza. The going only gets tougher when you get here. The road to being an airline pilot is full of tests and checks. Prepare for a career where delivery is not an option, its mandatory. And not always will u be in a calm environment. More often than not, you will be in a challenging situation, far from calm, and under pressure, and you will have to deliver.
To all those who haven't made it thru yet, there is always another chance, and KQ need so many pilots as it is. What about when the 9 dream-liners check in next year? How many more will they need. So keep your head up, and press on.
Cheers guys.
Funny thing is the interviews is just but the beginning, don't celebrate now that you are coming to South Africa. Kazi tu ndio imeanza. The going only gets tougher when you get here. The road to being an airline pilot is full of tests and checks. Prepare for a career where delivery is not an option, its mandatory. And not always will u be in a calm environment. More often than not, you will be in a challenging situation, far from calm, and under pressure, and you will have to deliver.
To all those who haven't made it thru yet, there is always another chance, and KQ need so many pilots as it is. What about when the 9 dream-liners check in next year? How many more will they need. So keep your head up, and press on.
Cheers guys.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: In and out of cloud
Age: 43
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"C'mon, this training is not as demanding as the courses most of us would have gone to do in university."
Supercaptain, a rude awakening is waiting for you if that is what you really believe.
It's not about scaring anyone, but the amount of work and effort that will be expected from you in the relatively short time this course takes to complete (compared to university courses), if you stay within the allocated time frame, I guarantee will be a challenge.
Supercaptain, a rude awakening is waiting for you if that is what you really believe.
It's not about scaring anyone, but the amount of work and effort that will be expected from you in the relatively short time this course takes to complete (compared to university courses), if you stay within the allocated time frame, I guarantee will be a challenge.
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Nairobi
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
supercaptain SIR, good thing is you will be here in the thread to testify to your demise. Hope you will come to Progress then we can talk face to face and chitchat about it after your first week. With all due respect, we all had a dream and ambition to being a pilot, and as QBY is saying,
...the amount of work and effort that will be expected from you in the relatively short time this course takes to complete (compared to university courses), if you stay within the allocated time frame, I guarantee will be a challenge...
So hope u will have something to say after one week of being in SA, not to scare you but to prepare you for the 40,000ft to climb on your piston powered single engine aircraft, if you know what I mean... hehehe
Welcome to a everyones dream, almost everyone, am sure it will meet, AND EXCEED, your expectation. Even after all the challenges it is posing to us, I cannot think of any other thing ad want to do with my life other than fly fly fly... ITS SOOO MUCH FUN!!! WELCOME
...the amount of work and effort that will be expected from you in the relatively short time this course takes to complete (compared to university courses), if you stay within the allocated time frame, I guarantee will be a challenge...
So hope u will have something to say after one week of being in SA, not to scare you but to prepare you for the 40,000ft to climb on your piston powered single engine aircraft, if you know what I mean... hehehe
Welcome to a everyones dream, almost everyone, am sure it will meet, AND EXCEED, your expectation. Even after all the challenges it is posing to us, I cannot think of any other thing ad want to do with my life other than fly fly fly... ITS SOOO MUCH FUN!!! WELCOME
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Nairobi
Age: 35
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
flying
The next pilot,the course takes one year,right?I reckon the two ways of becoming an airline pilot is to either go through the conventional way of getting your PPL first,then your CPL and multiengine rating which takes like 2 years or to go through an ab initio cadet training which takes 1 year on a very tight schedule.@Supercaptain,we all share a passion in flying but they say a pilots life is full of routine flight hours panctuated with moments of terror,weather scares and all. When you realise the reseliance you need to have to go through the 1 year schedule and the fact that you're flying as a passion and career but delivering to a company which wants perfection and results,only when will you understand.
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Nairobi
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
LG, it takes round about 14months there, and hey, KQ doesn't cut corners in t7e training, it goes in the conventional way as u say. Start with your PPL, get your multi engine and then Comm with IR. From there u do your Jet orientation and Multi crew concepts then you head back to Kenya to convert the license. To be on the safe side, call it at least two years from the day u start is when you'll be in the flight deck on duty. The day to celebrate is the day you check in to that 737 or Embraer as an F.O. Thats the day to look forward to. Thats where life as a pilot starts. I cant wait to get there... As for now were just trainees... But all in all, as I said yesterday, this experience is way more than I expected...
Supercapt, hope to see u here in Nov, all the best. But if you've got to medical, ad suggest you start warming up. Those KQ guys are just last minute pips. They will give u less than a week's notice I tell u... Not unless things have changed.
Supercapt, hope to see u here in Nov, all the best. But if you've got to medical, ad suggest you start warming up. Those KQ guys are just last minute pips. They will give u less than a week's notice I tell u... Not unless things have changed.
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: kenya
Age: 35
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi guys, i wanted to know would any of u know when the next AB initio intake will be? and also i hold a C in MATH, C in ENGLISH and B in PHYSICS in my O'levels do i stand any chances of being interviewed by KQ. Thanx
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Nairobi
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
training
@The next Pilot. Is the training part more tough theoretically,practically or both because i believe flying is something u grasp once and thats it...?
I am nervous because the KQ people ain't telling us anything yet a group is to leave next week for SA..
I am nervous because the KQ people ain't telling us anything yet a group is to leave next week for SA..
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Nairobi
Age: 35
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
training
Keta 3,there's ground school and debreifing before practicals,but obviously flying practically is fun, including the simulator but you apply what you've learnt in ground school,theoretical exams are kind of challenging,but brace urself because there's so much to LEARN, RETAIN and APPLY.If you would like,buy a software called Flight Simulator,it contains everything you will learn in any flight training organisation,including theory and flight practicals.