Commuting from Launceston

[tangofox]

Hello all. I am an experienced jet captain with several type ratings. I will be moving to Australia from overseas in the next 6 months and the family will be based in Launceston. After some research and following the job market it seems like there are jobs to be had but I would have to commute if I want to keep flying jets. And from what I can gather on this forum commuting to your job in Australia is not easy. Maybe not even worth it if you are a family man. Has anybody here done that out of Launceston or Hobart and is willing to share their experiences? Apart from NJS are there any other operators with a pilot base in Tasmania?
Other option would be to flight instruct or fly for one of the smaller charter companies. 3rd option non flying job.
Thanks in advance if anyone can give me some insights and advice either in this thread or PM.

[Lookleft]

Jetstar has an F/O who commutes out of Wynyard to Melbourne. He has been commuting for a while and the lifestyle in Tassie keeps him motivated. You also have to take into account that getting a jet job possibly means that your initial base won't be that easy to commute to.

[VHOED191006]

I know a F/A who lived in Launceston. When he had a flight into/out of Sydney, he usually commuted on 2 flights via Melbourne. Sometimes these flights are full and the only way to hop on these flights is to use the jumpseat (if it's available). As Lookleft said in their example, you have to be motivated with the lifestyle in order to keep doing that. Hope all goes well with the move!

[Mach E Avelli]

I commuted out of Hobart for the last few years of my career.
Flights were often delayed, so it was impractical to commute to the job on the same day. That meant having accommodation in Melbourne or Brisbane, which fortunately my contract conditions covered. Also I had some control over time off.
I think you’re unlikely to find such flexibility as an employee (I had my own contracting service). If you fly for a domestic operator you’ll be unlikely to get enough successive days off in a block to make it much fun.
Flights are expensive. You won’t get the jump seat on any commercial flight unless you are rostered with that crew in some official capacity.
If you can set your sights lower than jets, occasionally turbo prop jobs come up in LST with the RFDS, and Sharp Airlines recently advertised for Metro pilots. Lifestyle in Tassie compensates for many things…

[engine out]

There was at least one 73 Captain commenting from Launceston to Sydney for a while and another 330 captain commenting from Hobart.

[PoppaJo]

Most operators here don’t really encourage it, or more importantly, become overly accomodating if
it doesn’t work as planned and you start to become late etc.

Launceston to Melbourne should be doable. Generally this route skews cheaper vs most, has decent frequency, and Virgin overnight an aircraft so the last in, first out are rarely cancelled. Jetstar is notorious for delays and cancellations into the place, stay well away.

[Aerodynamicer]

RFDS south eastern section are hiring fairly consistently for the Launceston base, Aeromedical in King Air 200's .

[beached az]

Agree with all the above.

Just a thought, instead of trying to commute for East Coast domestic op's, what about ATLAS (or similar)?
Although not technically a commuting roster it could end up more commutable than working in Aus.
I'm told 17/13 rosters are possible depending on base.

Good luck and good choice moving to Tassie.

BAz :ok:

[tangofox]

Thanks everyone, appreciate it. I am aware of RFDS and Sharp Airlines. Can anybody tell me if Sharp is a good operator? I have been looking at their website and they could certainly be an option. All avenues are being explored. But do the Australian airlines have ID ticket agreements with each other as most airlines do globally? Say you are flying for Virgin, could you get an ID ticket (standby) with Jetstar or Qantas?

[Lapon]

But do the Australian airlines have ID ticket agreements with each other as most airlines do globally? Say you are flying for Virgin, could you get an ID ticket (standby) with Jetstar or Qantas?

No they don't.

I'd aim for rfds out of Launy or a commutable biz jet job out of Melbourne if I were you. I don't know much about either of those, but they strike me as the most viable longer term options.

[Ladloy]

Thanks everyone, appreciate it. I am aware of RFDS and Sharp Airlines. Can anybody tell me if Sharp is a good operator? I have been looking at their website and they could certainly be an option. All avenues are being explored. But do the Australian airlines have ID ticket agreements with each other as most airlines do globally? Say you are flying for Virgin, could you get an ID ticket (standby) with Jetstar or Qantas?
Sharp are all about exploiting workers and complaining about it when they all leave. Go rfds