Alchemy
1st Aug 2008, 02:38
Hello,
I am a EMB-145 captain in the U.S. I have about 4000 total time and 1100 command hours in this type. My company is having a difficult time financially and I fear they may not be around much longer, so I'm looking for better opportunities. No one is hiring in the US, and Emirates or Cathay don't seem to be interested in me.
Recently some recruiters from WASINC came to our hub to talk about opportunies with an airline called "grand china express" based out of Beijing and Tianjin. Supposedly they have a few dozen Dornier 328's, some E145's, and some E190's. The pay is almost double what I could make in the states.
My main questions are:
How challenging would the language barrier be for a pilot such as myself attempting to operate domestic chinese flights? Would ATC and the cabin crew speak english, or would I be relying heavily on a mandarin speaking crewmember to interpret everything? I would make a concerted effort to learn the language but any semblence of fluency would take years, I'm sure.
Are the safety and operating standards of airlines like his on par with their western counterparts? I don't nitpick airplanes, but I would hate to sign a two year contract only to find myself in a situation where I fear for my life when I go to work.
Thirdly, I am single, open to new cultural experiences, and have nothing holding me down in the states. With that said, I have never been to Asia, just europe and latin america. I have heard some good things about china, but also some very worrisome things (can't drink the water, horrible pollution, everything is dirty, etc etc). What are the odds that I could adapt succesfully?
Also, would I be placed on the senioriy list (do they even have these?) of the airline WASINC placed me with, or would I be considered some kind of outside contractor? Also, the WASINC recruiters seemed to dangle the possibilites of promotions to E190 or widebody aircraft at other airlines. How realistic is this, or were they blowing smoke (no offense, they seemed like nice people).
Many thanks.
I am a EMB-145 captain in the U.S. I have about 4000 total time and 1100 command hours in this type. My company is having a difficult time financially and I fear they may not be around much longer, so I'm looking for better opportunities. No one is hiring in the US, and Emirates or Cathay don't seem to be interested in me.
Recently some recruiters from WASINC came to our hub to talk about opportunies with an airline called "grand china express" based out of Beijing and Tianjin. Supposedly they have a few dozen Dornier 328's, some E145's, and some E190's. The pay is almost double what I could make in the states.
My main questions are:
How challenging would the language barrier be for a pilot such as myself attempting to operate domestic chinese flights? Would ATC and the cabin crew speak english, or would I be relying heavily on a mandarin speaking crewmember to interpret everything? I would make a concerted effort to learn the language but any semblence of fluency would take years, I'm sure.
Are the safety and operating standards of airlines like his on par with their western counterparts? I don't nitpick airplanes, but I would hate to sign a two year contract only to find myself in a situation where I fear for my life when I go to work.
Thirdly, I am single, open to new cultural experiences, and have nothing holding me down in the states. With that said, I have never been to Asia, just europe and latin america. I have heard some good things about china, but also some very worrisome things (can't drink the water, horrible pollution, everything is dirty, etc etc). What are the odds that I could adapt succesfully?
Also, would I be placed on the senioriy list (do they even have these?) of the airline WASINC placed me with, or would I be considered some kind of outside contractor? Also, the WASINC recruiters seemed to dangle the possibilites of promotions to E190 or widebody aircraft at other airlines. How realistic is this, or were they blowing smoke (no offense, they seemed like nice people).
Many thanks.