B737-200 or ATR??

[Mr.CB]

Hi all,
I need a serious piece of advice here. I have been offered a job in some south east country on b737-200. but i have to pay for my rating and the total cost along with the agent's share is around 45K$..
Also, before this i was thinking to go for ATR rating. but again there was no job surity.
So guys i am a bit confused as to which way to choose.. an old outdated b737-200 but a job guarantee( jet time especially) or a rating on ATR but dont know how much wait for the job... kindly advice.
its on a contract for 1 year.. and the cmpany says it would upgrade me on an NG after the contract gets over..

[Stick35]

Save your money!!!! They can say whatever they want, but what will be the outcome. To be honest, 45k usd is a lot of money for a vintage 737. Even the atr thing i would forget. Useless if you dont get at least 500h on type. For what belongs what. If you have to pay, make sure it is worth it.

[FlyTCI]

$45k to fly an old clapped out -200? It shows what a sad state our industry is in when someone even has to ask that question.

First of all you probably know what the majority of folks here think about buying your own TR. Secondly, you say an ATR provides no job surity. Although certain types are more desirable than others no type out there means you are sure to get a job. If you do end up paying for a type the only blame you can put should you end up just as jobless after getting the type as prior, is on yourself.

I think you can figure out what my answer to your question is, without spelling it out.

[sevenstrokeroll]

a 737 is a 737 is a 737...

that type rating is good for them alll....while in practicality you do have to have differences training , what good is an ATR rating? zippo in my view


have you looked into other type rating schools....so much is done in the simulator that it really shouldn't be that expensive , at lleast in the usa

[FlyingStone]

Not really... EASA land currently recognizes two type ratings: B737 100-200 and B737 300-900 - the latter one requires differences training between Classic and NG - and vice versa. Check EASA list of type ratings (http://www.easa.europa.eu/certification/experts/docs/oeb-general/List_of_Aeroplanes_--_Class_and_Type_Ratings_and_Endorsement_List-22052012.pdf) for further information.

I have to agree about the money... 45 k$ for a useless type rating (given the number of -200 aircraft flying to/from civilization) which includes paying some awkard agent a fee? Last time I checked it was possible to get a job without paying somebody to get it for you...

[siul]

One is in "licence endorsement" (737 -200)
and the other one (737-300-900) is not under this name. WTF??

[siul]

Price of NG conversion? From 737-200 to 737NG ??? Any ideas?

[pudoc]

If you go with 737, don't expect the company to be true to their word about the NG.

[sevenstrokeroll]

EASA land...hmmmm, sounds like a place I wouldn't want to visit.

listen, to the initial poster

look around the world...look at how things are in the other parts of the world and wonder...and see what flight training costs in other free lands

[ReverseFlight]

Mr.CB, I'll take a guess. The -200 TR is SriWijaya and the ATR is Wings Air, both of Indonesia. SriWijaya's agent is Andy Yeap of FlyGosh.

Your choice is ultimately your own decision. I guess you prefer both an airline-sponsored TR and job security (who doesn't ?). However if you can only choose one, you'll have to bit the bullet and decide which is more critical for your future career progression.

Thank your lucky stars you have a real choice. A lot of pilots don't even have that luxury. Good luck anyway.

[megaloman]

guys,

be away from these people...i post something on other thread about sriwijaya...have a look!

don't give them any money,you will wait for ages in Indonesia without working permis.As soon as you will go there you will realaize what i'm talking about..can the monkey fly?

happy landings!

[Dr Eckener]

a 737 is a 737 is a 737...

No it isn't. In JAA land the 737-100/200 is separate from the 300/900, and the only way to 'convert' is through a new type rating. I know this, as I have a 200 rating from a few years back, not paid for by me, which is now useless unless I want to fly in some rathole like Iraq or Saudi. Jet time as such is not that useful unless it is on a worthwhile type (again from experience), so I would save your money and politely decline, otherwise you will end up buying another rating in the future and be more a hobby pilot than someone who actually makes a living from it.

[AIMINGHIGH123]

This all sounds similar to an email I received:

Thank you very much for your mail and showing interest with us.

Well about us, we Aero Lanka, Air Smiths and Air Linkers are airlines and aircraft leasing company from Sri Lanka and H.O at Miami; The US. We have good number of fleet starting from HS-748-2 A & 2 B, Let-410, CASA, F-27, B-727-200, B-737-200, B-737-300, B-767-200/200ER/300 series and Cessna-404s.

At present we are hiring few cadet pilots (pilot with basic CPL and IR)for our new client at Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and East Africa.

Ground course for B-737-200 batch will start in the month of June/July 2012, which will be held at Colombo; Sri Lanka and SIM at US or Malaysia.

Interested cadet will have to pay for their type rating. One year employment contract will be offered to each cadetpilot. Salary will be US $ 1500/month for first one year which may be renewed with mutually agreed terms and conditions after one year. Free accommodation, food, transportation, three sets of uniform and two air tickets an year will be given with contact.

May please call me at ....... for further information.

Kindest Regards,
.....................

[siul]

AIRLINKERS LLC is the leasing company...( WET LEASING)

[737-NG]

A pilot reading this grammatically challenged $1500 "offer" and still falling for it doesn't even deserve to be sitting in a cockpit in the first place.

[superfire]

Hi guys, I recieved exactly the same email posted by AIMINGHIGH123 (http://www.pprune.org/members/318783-aiminghigh123).
what do you think about this company?

[MKA742]

I have to agree.

Saw the same post a few days ago and purely out of interest I emailed the guy. I got exactly the same reply as above. Then I started asking questions... I will post my emails below. I still don't have a reply to my last and most inquisitive email.

Then I searched for any proof of existance. I found that Aero Lanka did excist in 2010, using a leased B727 TU-TAB, owned by Aviation Buisiness Group out of Miami. I guess this part is true. They do offer that plane for sale and lease on this page: Aviation Business Group Inc. - (http://www.aviatorsale.com/seller/5587/Default.Asp) . It's difficult to say if this is fake or not. Either this is just an incompotent guy working for them, or the whole contruscion is a hoax. I think it's the latter...

My emails (most recent above):

My intrest goes out to the 727. Can you give me it’s registration? According to internet Aero Lanka does not excist, but tried to restart as Lankan Cargo. No news after that.
There is no fleet information anywhere. I can not find any Air Smiths or Air Linkers. The Sri Lankan CAA does not list any of these airlines as an airline with an AOC (http://www.caa.lk/newcaa/vitaldata/registeredairlines/Certified%20Airlines%20by%20CAASL.pdf ).

Am I missing something? Please give me a reference contact. Are you able to disclose the lessee? Any kind of evidence of your operation would be satisfying

Please reply to my highlights behind your given answer below as well.


Thank you!



From: Biswendu Sekhar Das
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 6:25 PM
To:
Subject: Re: Cadet pilot B737-200 / B727-200

Dear Mr.

Thank you for your e-mail.

Answers are highlighted next to your question.

Kindest Regards,
Das,
Calcutta.

From:
To: Biswendu Sekhar Das <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 8:24 PM
Subject: Re: Cadet pilot B737-200 / B727-200


Dear,


Thank you for the swift reply. Let’s assume I say yes to your offer. How do we proceed from there? Do you want a (telephone) interview?

Please let me ask some more questions, I need to know everything before I decide to spend 40 000 USD... I hope you don’t mind.

1) How is the roster like? Is there an opportunity to go to Europe a few times per year? I have a month old baby. ) This between you and the Lessor company. We will issue two tickets in a year. I thought you were the lessor company. Do you mean lessee? Can I contact them?


2) Are costs during ground school and type rating also covered, or is that self-sponsored too? I’m talking about air fares (to Colombo, US,...), accomodation, training materials...) It does includes every thing starting from ground course to till cadet pilot become first officer. But does not includes; 1. ticket to Colombo for ground course, 2. Exatra SIM session if required. Where is the 727 SIM training given? Can i contact the TRTO?

3) Is the pay negotiable? 1500 USD is not a lot, especially if I have to pay for the rating myself. I would say 2000 USD if self sponsored, 1500 USD if the company pays the rating...)The given salary figure is fixed for all of our pilot.

4) Do you have a reference employee I can contact to talk about work conditions etc... ) Can be given.

5) Irrelevant

6) How about licensing? Can I do a 727 type rating on a JAA license in the USA or Malaysia?- We do not follow JAA, we are under ICAO, we can validate your JAA license to ICAO.

I am a very thrustworthy, skilled and motivated person. Therefore I trust you will thruthfully answer my questions.


All the best,


From: Biswendu Sekhar Das
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 2:47 AM
To:
Subject: Re: Cadet pilot B737-200 / B727-200

Dear Mr.

Thank you very much for your mail and showing interest with us.

Well about us, we Aero Lanka, Air Smiths and Air Linkers are airlines and aircraft leasing company from Sri Lanka and H.O at Miami; The US. We have good number of fleet starting from HS-748-2 A & 2 B, Let-410, CASA, F-27, B-727-200, B-737-200, B-737-300, B-767-200/200ER/300 series and Cessna-404s.

At present we (Air Linkers)are hiring cadet pilots (pilot with basic CPL and IR)for our new client at Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and East Africa.

Ground course will be held at Colombo in the month of June- July; Sri Lanka and SIM at US or Malaysia.

Interested cadet pilot will have to pay US $ 40000/ for B-727-200 and US $ 44500/ for B-737-200 towards their type rating. One year employment contract will be offered to each cadet pilot with a basic salary of US $ 1500/month for first one year which may be renewed with mutually agreed terms and conditions after one year. Free accommodation, food, transportation, three sets of uniform and two air tickets an year will be given with the contract.

May please reach me at +91 84202 27454 or +91 89816 78511 or write me at [email protected] , [email protected] for further information.

Kindest Regards,
Biswendu Sekhar Das,
Ferry Pilot with Air Linkers / Air Smiths / Aero Lanka.







From:
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 1:20 AM
Subject: Cadet pilot B737-200 / B727-200


Dear Capt. Biswendu Sekhar Das,


I am a Belgian national holding a JAA CPL IR with ATP subjects. I currently have 550 hours of with 350 flying SEP in Namibia. I speak Dutch, English, French and German.

Please give me more information on your cadet pilot offer, I am very interested. It has always been a dream of mine to fly classic jets.

In the mean time I will include my CV.


Kind regards,


Why would they not pay the flight to Colombo? I can see myself arriving in Colombo, to an empty terminal, after paying the 40k USD of course. Haha right :ugh:

[Torque Tonight]

I wouldn't touch this with a sh-tty stick and anyone who would must be smoking crack. Let me get this straight: you pay $45k for a 737 Jurassic TR, then they pay you McDonalds wages, $1500 per month to fly an knackered obsolescent jet around 3rd world sh1tholes such as Afghanistan. If you survive two years of that you'll still be worse off than if you just put your money under the mattress and went surfing for a couple of years instead. And that's assuming this whole thing isn't a scam and they don't drop you after year 1. Someone will go for it though. Dear oh dear.:ugh:

[flying_peanut]

These positions are still being advertised for both the 737-200 and the 727. I found the Linkedin profile for the chap advertising here -

Biswendu Sekhar Das - Sri Lanka | LinkedIn (http://lk.linkedin.com/in/biswendu)

Having considered the rest of the thread, i've convinced myself this is a scam, so I won't be following up my interest.

[Three.Green]

I found AirLinker job opportunities on a website. E-mailed them. The response I received was too good to be true. And now after reading this post on the forum. I think its a scam. Anyways I continued to inquire about this job and eventually received a training bond draft of some other individual containing personal bank info, tele, addresses, copies of personal documents. I think this is where I'm convinced this is a scam. Why would a company reveal personal info of another individual

[Luke SkyToddler]

Jesus H Christ ...

If anyone who has read those emails still wishes to send their money, then you bloody deserve to lose it all.

Have any of you flown into Afghanistan? Or Sri Lanka? Or "East Africa"? I have, all three, and let me tell you it's scarey enough doing it with a respectable airline operator in a brand new A330 with all the situational awareness tools at your disposal. With some cowboy contract outfit, probably with a third world forged-licence idiot in the LHS, in a barely flyable illegally maintained clapped out 737-200, doesn't bear thinking about.

Even if there was a job waiting on the end of that email (which there isn't) ... and even if you were daft enough to want to spend $45K on a 737-200 rating (which is the daftest thing I've ever heard of) ... and even if you were super duper daft enough to want to get paid $1500 a month to fly in and out of those places (by way of comparison, some of my friends who fly for a South African cargo operator in and out of Afghanistan, Iraq, Peshawar etc earn over $US20,000 a month as danger money, and they have been shot at with RPG's and small arms fire on approach on numerous occasions) ...

... even after all those things, you would have a life expectancy measured in months rather than years and you would be living in a sh!t hole the likes of which you cannot even begin to imagine if you have never ventured outside the circuit pattern in a Seneca in Blighty before.

... and even if you miraculously survived the first couple of years and actually learned enough to survive in that environment, you would STILL be unemployable back in the civilized world, because the rating is worthless and the operators concerned are a joke.

Good luck :ok:

[Sabz]

Hi guys,

I got a mail from Airlinkers too, about B-727 and B-737, has any 1 gone through them, if yes can you'll share your experience please....

[pilot de avion]

Avianca (http://aviancalogistique.com/index.php)

visit this website

this company is providing jobs on airbus 320 and b 727-200

pls share your experience

[abinesh]

@sevenstrokeroll. My frnd has already paid for the 737 first officer program in air linkers. I am also planning to join. I read your comments about this company. You said u are going to do research abt this company. Do you recommend this company. Is this true or fake?

[RedBullGaveMeWings]

$45k for a 737-200???:eek:

The answer is simple: none of them. Keep looking.

[Tailwind743]

Hi, guys

So, I also got an offer from this company. $40k is terribly expensive for a B737 classic type rating. So, I asked the guy from the organization about the cost, and he replied that it included not only a cost for a type rating, but also costs for a base training and a line training, insurance and so on so forth. If this is true, $40k sounds about right.

But I still doubt about this company as a whole. Every time when I asked the guy about a training in detail, it seemed that he intentionally did not give me answers. Even more, he gave me a couple of references so I could contact them to get further information regarding the training, none of them knew much about the training since they had not really started their training yet. I do not understand why the guy gave me references who even has not started their training yet... Every time when I receive emails from these people, my doubt to this company gets stronger and stronger. Sigh...

Should I be the one to explore this full of doubt organization? What do you guys think?

[OAD]

So many people still believe in Santa Claus, :D

The "faces" shown on this avianca web site, are like those mafia guys, would you believe one of those guys???, please wake up.

[Torque Tonight]

Good grief! This thread is back from the dead and still we have new idiots who read the offer, then read this thread and still thinks it:

sounds about right

So aircraft insurance is now a personal expense for the pilot is it? Perhaps they could bump the cost of the rating up to a couple of million because you've got to take into account fuel and spare parts. Still, it sounds about right. Sometimes I despair.

Incidentally Tailwind, a 737-200 is not a 737 Classic (hence my reference to Jurassic in my earlier post). It is not a common type rating with the 737 300 to 900 and is frankly worthless as there are virtually no 200s operating in the civilized world. If you want to blow 45k to lock your career options into flying an obsolete jet in 3rd world :mad: for blacklisted carriers with no job security and still be 9 grand worse off than if you just chilled out on a beach and did nothing for the next two years, then crack on. Sounds great.:ugh:

[Vc10Tail]

Same scam...Air linkers...air stinkers!