sandkfir
19th May 2001, 19:54
This load of cr-p appeared in the Gulf news yeserday. How can we ever get a fair pay deal let alone have our profession taken seriously if this uninformed drivel is allowed to prevail. Any 200 Hr F/Os out there earning DHS24 000 to DHS40 000 ????. I especially like the bit about 15 000 hrs.
Got nothing to do today when you knock off from McDonalds? Well here is the answer.
Imagine going to work, jetting off to Paris and New York and stopping in at Zurich on the way back. Sound like the sort of lifestyle you could get used to? Well, if you can speak English and are good at Maths and Science, then being a pilot could be the right career.
At 34, Tahir Iqbal Abdul Rashid is happy working as Emirates Flying School Dubai's chief flying instructor. Every day he literally gets to give people wings, and he can take to the skies when he wants to.
Rashid says the first step to becoming a pilot, other than having a love for flying, is to do a commercial pilot licence course at the Emirates Flying School. Costing Dh100,000, the course is usually completed in a year. The licence allows the holder to fly 19-seat passenger planes and to become a co-pilot with any airline in the world, says Rashid.
About 25 people take the course each year, and the natural progression for them is to get a job as a co-pilot, says Rashid. Then with another 15,000 hours of flying under their belts they are able to apply for the Complete Air Transport Pilot Licence which allows them to fly any commercial plane.
At the moment there are a lot of jobs for pilots, says Rashid. He explained that with bigger fleets and new airlines taking to the skies there are always jobs. The pay for co-pilots and pilots ranges from about Dh25,000 to Dh40,000 a month, says Rashid.
Co-pilots spend between 70 and 100 hours a month flying, he adds. The highlights of the job for Rashid are seeing the world, meeting people from all nations and viewing scenery from a different level. On the other hand, the worst part of the job is being away from family and friends. "As you get to be a little bit older and have a family, it is hard because they need you at home," he says.
But Rashid says he loves flying and he knew that before he first flew a plane at 19.
"I had always thought about flying and I knew a lot of people that were fliers so that was my motivation," he said. "The attraction to flying is very natural. Since old times people have wanted to go up and it was the same thing with me."
And when instructing people Rashid enjoys watching their reactions to flying a plane for the first time. "It (flying) makes people happy." While being good at Maths and Science is important, Rashid says it is imperative to speak English. "They must be good at English because they have to talk to the controllers at the stations."
The licence is certified by the Ministry of Communications, UAE, and is internationally recognised. The course requires people to spend a minimum of 95 dual flying hours, 100 hours as pilot in command and 35 hours of ground lessons
Got nothing to do today when you knock off from McDonalds? Well here is the answer.
Imagine going to work, jetting off to Paris and New York and stopping in at Zurich on the way back. Sound like the sort of lifestyle you could get used to? Well, if you can speak English and are good at Maths and Science, then being a pilot could be the right career.
At 34, Tahir Iqbal Abdul Rashid is happy working as Emirates Flying School Dubai's chief flying instructor. Every day he literally gets to give people wings, and he can take to the skies when he wants to.
Rashid says the first step to becoming a pilot, other than having a love for flying, is to do a commercial pilot licence course at the Emirates Flying School. Costing Dh100,000, the course is usually completed in a year. The licence allows the holder to fly 19-seat passenger planes and to become a co-pilot with any airline in the world, says Rashid.
About 25 people take the course each year, and the natural progression for them is to get a job as a co-pilot, says Rashid. Then with another 15,000 hours of flying under their belts they are able to apply for the Complete Air Transport Pilot Licence which allows them to fly any commercial plane.
At the moment there are a lot of jobs for pilots, says Rashid. He explained that with bigger fleets and new airlines taking to the skies there are always jobs. The pay for co-pilots and pilots ranges from about Dh25,000 to Dh40,000 a month, says Rashid.
Co-pilots spend between 70 and 100 hours a month flying, he adds. The highlights of the job for Rashid are seeing the world, meeting people from all nations and viewing scenery from a different level. On the other hand, the worst part of the job is being away from family and friends. "As you get to be a little bit older and have a family, it is hard because they need you at home," he says.
But Rashid says he loves flying and he knew that before he first flew a plane at 19.
"I had always thought about flying and I knew a lot of people that were fliers so that was my motivation," he said. "The attraction to flying is very natural. Since old times people have wanted to go up and it was the same thing with me."
And when instructing people Rashid enjoys watching their reactions to flying a plane for the first time. "It (flying) makes people happy." While being good at Maths and Science is important, Rashid says it is imperative to speak English. "They must be good at English because they have to talk to the controllers at the stations."
The licence is certified by the Ministry of Communications, UAE, and is internationally recognised. The course requires people to spend a minimum of 95 dual flying hours, 100 hours as pilot in command and 35 hours of ground lessons