BABY recruit baby hours

[DUNLOPS UP]

I hear that Baby have recruited low hour Captains ex ERJ + CRJ who only have 737 P2 time and as little as 500hrs P1 time. Also some low hour regional pilots with no 737 time! I dont think this is safe and MOL and RW wouldnt cosider them. Why dont Baby promote their own experienced Co's????

[Ninjaman]

You don't think this is safe!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like the green eyed monster is showing his head. Good luck with your promotion.

[MaximumPete]

The promotion requirements will be in the baby operation manual and approved by the CAA, even if they are running on the mainline AOC.

As for low hours we all have to start somewhere. I was fortunate enough to secure a job as a first officer on the Viscount at the age of 20 with just 165 hours total time. BEA used to put "hampsters" straight onto the Trident and BOAC onto the 707 and VC10.

MP;)

[DUNLOPS UP]

Fully agree with you, yes we have to start somewhere but the big issue is, if they are promoting ERJ +CRJ captains on to the 737 who have low hours, why not look after their own and promote some of the very experienced FOs they already have. This only upsets their own guys who have been waiting for a command for years.

[MaximumPete]

DUNLOPS UP

You've hit the nail on the head!!!

This is the old old story of empty promises from a totally corrupt and unscrupulous manager. He has been managing in this style from his early days at LHR and will continue to do so as long as he has a hole in his arse.

I cannot name him for obvious reasons but I can relate a string of promises and assurances that haven't been kept but it gets awfully boring after a while.

MP;)

[Capt Homesick]

The "low-houred" ERJ pilots being considered at the moment include at least one TRE.... the lowest experienced of the others has over 4000 hours, with the rest their experience is (AFAIK) in the 6000-10000 range).

[DUNLOPS UP]

Homesick I do not doubt it, but I guess non of them have a 737 rating and probably the ERJ is the heaviest theyve flown. Wat about the X Midland FOs then on to Baby with 4000hrs + and most of it on the 737. I dont work for them and thats why, cause they are being shafted..

[MaximumPete]

TDH

Don't just blame the "hampsters".

The accident report is still freely available and having a re-read it appears to be a classic error chain with them being one link.

Thank goodness modern CRM training takes place on a regular formalised basis throughout a pilot's career. CRM training, GPWS and TACAS are the major stepping stones that I remember most on the development of flight safety.

MP ;)

[Ninjaman]

The staines accident was caused by an experienced pilot with a high number of hours. Just so happens he was an idiot.

There are good low houred pilots and bad. There are also good high houred pilots and bad.

Just as qualifications are no indication of intelligence, hours are no indication of an individuals ability as a pilot.

Hours may indicate experience that however does not guarantee your ability.

[Chalky]

Dunlops Up

I dont work for them

That fact is quite clear from your apparent ignorance of the baby recruiting policy. All current Midland F/O's have already been offered transfers to baby, on various terms, as have any Boeing pilots made redundant after Sept 11th. The agreement was that places would then be offered to suitable Regional people, which appears to be what is happening now.

[Brushtype4]

Just some facts for any baby crews who may be alarmed by the original mis-information.

At the time of writing only 2 bmi regional pilots are transferring to baby and only one as a captain. He has over three times the minimum hours requirement for the position and was a direct entry captain on both the previous types he has flown within bmi group.

There are also a number of baby F/O upgrades taking place at this time.

Hope that clarifies?

[694c]

Exactly right, ninjaman. TD&H's remarks are despicable.
I graduated from Hamble in 1971 and joined BOAC as a 19 year old Second Officer on the 747-136. After flight training at Shannon the boss told us that we flew better than the older guys, who had gold rings up to their armpits and a chest full of medals! We of course didn't have the operational experience and were severely limited in what we could initially fly down the routes due to the 'landing card' system (ceiling and crosswind limits gradually made less restrictive with increasing experience) and the reluctance of many Captains to 'leg and leg about'. Those who joined BEA learned much faster.

[Fuzzy112]

Lets face it. bmibaby have the same problems as all the other 'lo cost carriers'. They can't recruit the required experience at the rate they need to. Experience levels will drop. That does not mean that safety levels drop as well!

[BigGeordie]

Can somebody tell me what a "hampster" is? Apart from a small furry animal, obviously....

[witchdoctor]

Why should x000 hrs automatically entitle anyone to a LHS anymore than x years of service means a cleaner runs the company?

Shouldn't it boil down to suitability and competence?

[Scottie]

Well an ex-cleaner is running the company ;)

Sir Mikey!

[Chalky]

BigGeordie

A "hampster" is a graduate of the (long defunct) BA training establishment at Hamble.