Eastern Airways
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: NW England
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girlpower,
Starting pay for a First Officer is £21069. Duty pay, I believe, is £1.30 per hour, of which the first £1 is tax free. There is a further increment of £876/£1751 when you become a Senior First Officer. The higher amount is if you fly the Saab or Embraer. You won't become a SFO until your ATPL is unfrozen and you pass an interview at Humberside.
There are increments for every 6 months of service up to a maximum of £6184 after 5 years. There are also increments for every 500 hrs total time and turbine time up to a maximum of £2844 at the 3000 hrs mark in both cases. The current maximum with 3000 hrs total time, 3000 hrs turbine time and 60 months service is £33817 on the J41 and £34692 on the Saab and Embraer.
Bear in mind that you will probably be asked to self fund your type rating at approx. £15000 and will also be bonded for approx. £8000 for the first 12 months.
You are very unlikely to get NWI as it is a Saab base and they need Saab First Officers in ABZ, although if you don't have the experience for OGP work there may be a slim chance of a NWI base. I'm pretty sure they will only take on FO's who already have the required experience for OGP work, i.e. 1000 hrs total time. Times are hard at the moment, so they may well remove all these requirements if they get desperate enough.
Loop
Starting pay for a First Officer is £21069. Duty pay, I believe, is £1.30 per hour, of which the first £1 is tax free. There is a further increment of £876/£1751 when you become a Senior First Officer. The higher amount is if you fly the Saab or Embraer. You won't become a SFO until your ATPL is unfrozen and you pass an interview at Humberside.
There are increments for every 6 months of service up to a maximum of £6184 after 5 years. There are also increments for every 500 hrs total time and turbine time up to a maximum of £2844 at the 3000 hrs mark in both cases. The current maximum with 3000 hrs total time, 3000 hrs turbine time and 60 months service is £33817 on the J41 and £34692 on the Saab and Embraer.
Bear in mind that you will probably be asked to self fund your type rating at approx. £15000 and will also be bonded for approx. £8000 for the first 12 months.
You are very unlikely to get NWI as it is a Saab base and they need Saab First Officers in ABZ, although if you don't have the experience for OGP work there may be a slim chance of a NWI base. I'm pretty sure they will only take on FO's who already have the required experience for OGP work, i.e. 1000 hrs total time. Times are hard at the moment, so they may well remove all these requirements if they get desperate enough.
Loop
Join Date: Feb 2008
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Just out of interest, has anyone else seen the minimum requirements now including 500 hours MEP?
I am sure it had been sat at 1000 hours total time for a while, and this is a new addition. Although this is not stated on their website, I recently submitted a CV and the response included that the minimum requirements want 500 hours MEP.
I am sure it had been sat at 1000 hours total time for a while, and this is a new addition. Although this is not stated on their website, I recently submitted a CV and the response included that the minimum requirements want 500 hours MEP.
Join Date: Jan 2012
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LoopGuru
Thanks for the detailed response. Just what I was looking for. The pay is really low and it's pre-tax too. I wonder how other pilots with children manage to survive on that?
Fatigued Fred
Do you consider it a risk to pay 15k for the J41 TR as well( given that there aren't many operators out there) or were you purely talking about the 8k bond mentioned by LoopGuru?
Thanks for all the useful info so far.
Gp
Thanks for the detailed response. Just what I was looking for. The pay is really low and it's pre-tax too. I wonder how other pilots with children manage to survive on that?
Fatigued Fred
Do you consider it a risk to pay 15k for the J41 TR as well( given that there aren't many operators out there) or were you purely talking about the 8k bond mentioned by LoopGuru?
Thanks for all the useful info so far.
Gp
Join Date: Oct 2013
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Jetstream rating
F Fred has a point.
I always say to myself, what is the worst scenario. And that is you pay £15k for a J41 rating and the business folds/base closes/cutbacks and you are laid off etc. That can and does happen. I have been laid off and/or made redundant/company gone bust on six separate occasions. Ok I have been unlucky, but there you go. So you are sitting there (minus £15k) with no job, but with a J41 rating. Not good.
However, if you invest more in say a B737 or an A320 rating and you get dumped put of work, yes you will be minus £25k, but you have a very good chance of getting more work (and better paid than a J41). It may not be in your favourite location, but you will get work within Europe.
I would be very careful investing hard earned/borrowed cash on a turboprop rating. I did it once myself and it was a big mistake. I swore I would never buy a rating again. But a couple of years later I bought a B737 rating with the promise/possibility of work. A short time later the company went bust - but I got work straight away as I was type-rated and current. Two valuable commodities in this business. After three years my rating loan was paid off and after learning a great deal from my colleagues, I was able to get my first jet command. End of story.
However, I wish you good luck, but thought I would pass on my own experiences to you.
I always say to myself, what is the worst scenario. And that is you pay £15k for a J41 rating and the business folds/base closes/cutbacks and you are laid off etc. That can and does happen. I have been laid off and/or made redundant/company gone bust on six separate occasions. Ok I have been unlucky, but there you go. So you are sitting there (minus £15k) with no job, but with a J41 rating. Not good.
However, if you invest more in say a B737 or an A320 rating and you get dumped put of work, yes you will be minus £25k, but you have a very good chance of getting more work (and better paid than a J41). It may not be in your favourite location, but you will get work within Europe.
I would be very careful investing hard earned/borrowed cash on a turboprop rating. I did it once myself and it was a big mistake. I swore I would never buy a rating again. But a couple of years later I bought a B737 rating with the promise/possibility of work. A short time later the company went bust - but I got work straight away as I was type-rated and current. Two valuable commodities in this business. After three years my rating loan was paid off and after learning a great deal from my colleagues, I was able to get my first jet command. End of story.
However, I wish you good luck, but thought I would pass on my own experiences to you.
Join Date: Jan 2012
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Thanks for all the useful contributions folks.
It does seem risky paying for an obsolete type like a J41 although it does come with a guaranteed job. It's for this reason that I've not done a speculative TR on a more popular type like the 737 or a320. Tough choices ahead..
It does seem risky paying for an obsolete type like a J41 although it does come with a guaranteed job. It's for this reason that I've not done a speculative TR on a more popular type like the 737 or a320. Tough choices ahead..
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Eastern wont go bust due to lack of work or future work. Or lack of profit.
They will bust due to the huge amount of flight crew leaving and onwards, going to leave. With no replacements available.
HUY have thought for years that flight crew are an unwanted necessary evil that its impossible for them to regard us in any other way.
They will bust due to the huge amount of flight crew leaving and onwards, going to leave. With no replacements available.
HUY have thought for years that flight crew are an unwanted necessary evil that its impossible for them to regard us in any other way.
Join Date: Aug 2004
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It all rather depends on what you think you want from - and what you think you can ACTUALLY GET from Eastern.
It used to be that people spent a year or two at Eastern to build experience, as that was the only way to secure a jet job with a better operator. Those days may well have passed and you must bear in mind that there have been many, many pilots stuck at Eastern, desperate to move on, but unable to.
Eastern has a culture built on a scant regard for pilots, viewing them as expensive whingers and the company has been built on the assumption that those 'whingers' will move on, so they don't have to be treated with anything other than scorn. Even though the market conditions have trapped many pilots at Eastern for several years, the company has simply failed (at very senior level, anyway) to change its view or attitude at all. The poor pay and conditions, the terrible rostering and endemic indifference of very senior management remain. Please don't expect them to change.
There seems to be a lot of turmoil at the moment, with people leaving, rumours of the J41 fleet having been bought (rather than being leased - if so, why?) and Loganair seeming to be on the point of buying some Saab 2000s.
I too, would be very wary- but there are few safe options in aviation - just varying degrees of risk.
You must simply decide whether or not the benefits of being at Eastern outweigh the benefits of other courses of action. You must also decide that, were you to get stuck at Eastern as so many have been, could you survive on the pay and conditions and could you tolerate the company's attitude to its staff? If you can get out of it what YOU want - go for it, if not - STAY AWAY.
As Dirty Harry said: "Are you feeling lucky, punk?"
It used to be that people spent a year or two at Eastern to build experience, as that was the only way to secure a jet job with a better operator. Those days may well have passed and you must bear in mind that there have been many, many pilots stuck at Eastern, desperate to move on, but unable to.
Eastern has a culture built on a scant regard for pilots, viewing them as expensive whingers and the company has been built on the assumption that those 'whingers' will move on, so they don't have to be treated with anything other than scorn. Even though the market conditions have trapped many pilots at Eastern for several years, the company has simply failed (at very senior level, anyway) to change its view or attitude at all. The poor pay and conditions, the terrible rostering and endemic indifference of very senior management remain. Please don't expect them to change.
There seems to be a lot of turmoil at the moment, with people leaving, rumours of the J41 fleet having been bought (rather than being leased - if so, why?) and Loganair seeming to be on the point of buying some Saab 2000s.
I too, would be very wary- but there are few safe options in aviation - just varying degrees of risk.
You must simply decide whether or not the benefits of being at Eastern outweigh the benefits of other courses of action. You must also decide that, were you to get stuck at Eastern as so many have been, could you survive on the pay and conditions and could you tolerate the company's attitude to its staff? If you can get out of it what YOU want - go for it, if not - STAY AWAY.
As Dirty Harry said: "Are you feeling lucky, punk?"
Join Date: May 2005
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Eastern are pretty sound financially, they must be making a fortune off the oil contracts alone, but they have a few other long term ACMI contracts too, which will more than support the scheduled network. It's a decent enough company to start out with, but doubt it's a long term career move.
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will eastern have the oil contracts when Loganair win the contracts? If that happens then T3 are stuffed.
If you are thinking of paying for a rating bear in mind the worse case scenario is they go bust before you get the rating. Also if they did go bust I very much doubt anyone would take them over and use the same aircraft. A bit like what they did to South West, took them over then got rid of the aircraft.
I would guess it all hinges on what happens with the Scatsa contract.
Anyhow Ive been out of EA for too long so all I know is what I hear on the grapevine, I was thinking of trying to get back on the Saab a while back when there was a change of management but I'm glad I didnt now.
Good luck guys! Right back to watching the bun fight!
If you are thinking of paying for a rating bear in mind the worse case scenario is they go bust before you get the rating. Also if they did go bust I very much doubt anyone would take them over and use the same aircraft. A bit like what they did to South West, took them over then got rid of the aircraft.
I would guess it all hinges on what happens with the Scatsa contract.
Anyhow Ive been out of EA for too long so all I know is what I hear on the grapevine, I was thinking of trying to get back on the Saab a while back when there was a change of management but I'm glad I didnt now.
Good luck guys! Right back to watching the bun fight!
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I know 2 people who have first hand experience of working in ops/crewing and they said it was the worst experience of their careers. Utter chaos and completely unmanaged. That was last year I admit but I hear things have not improved. Shame they don't pump some of that profit into the departments and people that needed it.
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Wow you guys really are on a downer !!
Some prospective....
16.5 Mil In aviation, a whole years work easily lost twice over In a heartbeat..
I worked at Eastern for many a year and thoroughly enjoyed the time,Yes there was lots of disruption which led to roster changes on a daily basis,Yes a few more pounds would have been nice but that's the nature of the beast and believe me the grass elsewhere is no greener.
So for those thinking of applying don't be put off by all this negativity, If you turn up for work with a positive can do attitude you will enjoy the job..........................I did................................
Some prospective....
16.5 Mil In aviation, a whole years work easily lost twice over In a heartbeat..
I worked at Eastern for many a year and thoroughly enjoyed the time,Yes there was lots of disruption which led to roster changes on a daily basis,Yes a few more pounds would have been nice but that's the nature of the beast and believe me the grass elsewhere is no greener.
So for those thinking of applying don't be put off by all this negativity, If you turn up for work with a positive can do attitude you will enjoy the job..........................I did................................
Join Date: Aug 2004
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It is possible to enjoy the job, but there are very few people who planned to spend circa £80k getting their licence etc, so that they could be treated so poorly by their employer. If the job was that enjoyable, people would stay - or return once they have tasted the non-green grass elsewhere.
The rank and file at Eastern do have a can-do attitude, it just tends to get ground out of them and turned into a don't-want-to-any-more attitude.
The rank and file at Eastern do have a can-do attitude, it just tends to get ground out of them and turned into a don't-want-to-any-more attitude.
Join Date: Oct 2005
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I'm pleased to hear the rank and file still have a positive attitude it's the key to survival and can only ground out of you if you allow it.
See In just a couple of lines the word positive returns and the tone of the thread begins to change..
Think I will submit my CV and see if I can't make a return......Happy Days!!
See In just a couple of lines the word positive returns and the tone of the thread begins to change..
Think I will submit my CV and see if I can't make a return......Happy Days!!
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Fatigued Fred
A
After so long at Eastern, I dream of Mordor. 
re they not possibly the two most important issues for any employee, where on earth could the grass not be greener? Mordor?