Cathay Base Ports

[Pontius]

I know it's a long shot and I know all the selection hoops have to be successfully jumped through first, but can anyone in the know shed some light on Cathay's basing philosophy and the pilot's input into the equation? Basically, I work for a major European carrier and am considering the jump to the DEFO side of things. Ideally, I would like to be based in PER (no 777 rating but do have 737, 747-400, 757, 767) but would consider any Oz base (and commute from PER).

I know it probably sounds a bit like a spoilt child speaking, "I'm not going unless I can have an Oz base, waah", but this would be such a huge move (pension, seniority loss etc) that I would only jump ship if it meant I could be at home.

Thanks in advance for your knowledgeable replies.

[el commandante]

Yes, you can be based in Australia straight away, but not on the 777 or the -400, at least not in the near future. It will be on the Airbus.

I would act fast, as the bases fill up quickly at the moment.
But think about that, there will probably NEVER be a command slot available on the australien bases.

Now with the retirement age of 65 commands in HKG will be around the 12 to 15 years mark.

And please, think twice to leave a major European Airline for CX.

[Pontius]

Thanks for the reply El Commandante.

I will dig into the Cathay timetable and see how the Perth base is fixed for the Airbus. As I said, all Oz bases considered (how very generous of me, I know) but I would prefer PER.

Command is not a snag if the take-home pay is reasonable but I'll obvioulsy get that information before even applying. Perhaps there's some kind soul who could spill the beans.........:)

Trust me, I know the decision to 'jump' must not be made lightly. Having read a lot of the threads in the Fragrant Harbour section I can see there is a great deal of disquiet (to put it mildly) with the CX pilots. I am sure a lot of it is a result of just being a pilot in a major carrier, because we're exactly the same in ours and you see it World over. Of course, there are some specific areas where CX are understandably cheesed off (the pay deal being the most obvious) but I need to weigh the disadvantages against the lifestyle advantages and a PER base, with reasonable pay would win. All this, of course, assumes I'd pass the Cathay interview. I'm pretty good at flying these things but have preferred, in the past, to leave the design and construction of them to Boeing. Likewise, computers and met men are far better at doing the weather job than me and I'll leave aerodynamics to people with beards and white lab coats. I guess I'll just have to dust the books off and re-learn all that extraneous crap that I dumped years ago :hmm: Oh, and of course re-train my wife not to spit and swear at the cocktail party :)

Chocolates away.....

Edited for worse spelling than usual.

[Waterskier]

Kind of off topic... but curious where the junior bases are in the US for DEFO... I'm in the pool with a couple of friends are we're just wondering what to expect?

[slow and low]

LAX
ANC
JFK

Make sure u thank the AOA(pilot assoc.) by joining.
They turned down the C scale wages on your behalf.

[Naughty S]

Good post Pontius
I nearly fell off my chair laughing about the wife comment, perhaps you could start an interview behaviour class & I'll send Mrs Naughty along for some remedial training too.
:ok:
Cheers
Back to the thread.

[Frogman1484]

Pontius,

Forget about the Perth Base, you will never get one ...there are a heap of FO's waiting for a slot and there are at least 8 Captains waiting for a command slot.

So face the fact, you will never get a base in Perth unless we go there 3-4 times a day. Never is a long time but if you do the figures you will see why.

Look at Jetstar and Virgin Blue f you want to live in Oz. The money is just about the same o the long run...with all of the new a/c arriving in Oz, command will also be a lot shorter.

Cheers

[Pontius]

Thanks for the unequivocal info Mr Frogman. I guess that's a 'no' for PER with CX then :{ I would have obvioulsy preffered a different reply but it is more useful to hear the truth than hold out for something that ain't gonna happen (as they say on the western side of the Atlantic).

I have had a look at the Jetstar malarky, and think their longhaul ops would probably allow me to commute to the 'wrong' side of Oz (stands by for incoming :)). The only snag for me is sitting all those poxy exams again to get an Oz ATPL. Why the UK CAA and CASA can't just accept they are as anally retentive as each other and recognise each other's licences I don't know :hmm: (Even more incoming after that statement.....:))

Time to consider plan P.

Toodle pip.

[Frogman1484]

Pontius If your looking to convert an ATPL CASA will ask you to write Air law and possible IREX (i think that what they call it).

If your looking to live in Oz you can also look at Air china, they are basing in Mel and Syd.

Korean and Singapore airlines also have a base but not sure if they are hiring

[Aussie]

i think youll find some if not most airlines in Aus want/require you to have Aussie ATPLs, so that eliminates the guys who go to the US and Europe and convert to Aussie ATPL with an IREX and Air law exam...