Qantas Link in Crisis again....now its for Captains!
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Qantas Link in Crisis again....now its for Captains!
Prior to the world economic crises, Qantas Link itself was 'in crises' (C.P.). The current recent unrest has reduced the stem of flow and increase stability in the ranks. The management in Sydney have avioded one crises, only now to be slapped in the face with another!
Much dispair in not being able to fill aircraft with F/O's (whilst screwing many of the possible CADETS and TRAINEESHIP applicants) is over, but now it's lack of experience that is causing the headache!!!
Many of the next upgradable applicants for a command position, well, lets see.......they left! No one is here....echo...echoo!
The incentive 'bonus' that was implemented...with many conditions...has seen little in stemming the flow of pilots.
In the midst of 6 months it is amazing to see how management can be in such a panic. The South African entrants seem all but forgotten and now it looks like captains are going to be worked increasingly overtime.
Next time you fly Qantaslink...good chance there will be no Captain available! Especially out of Brisbane and Sydney. The company is absolutely struggling to find the appropriate experience and may have to bypass its own rules on 1 year on type...700hours ATPL etc... but the thing that gets around these requirments is the ability of the CP to forgo this in unusual circumstances.
It's a real shame those guys/girls who have recently left did not see the incentives to stay....so many great people stomped on...looks like its all coming back to bite the backside!
Much dispair in not being able to fill aircraft with F/O's (whilst screwing many of the possible CADETS and TRAINEESHIP applicants) is over, but now it's lack of experience that is causing the headache!!!
Many of the next upgradable applicants for a command position, well, lets see.......they left! No one is here....echo...echoo!
The incentive 'bonus' that was implemented...with many conditions...has seen little in stemming the flow of pilots.
In the midst of 6 months it is amazing to see how management can be in such a panic. The South African entrants seem all but forgotten and now it looks like captains are going to be worked increasingly overtime.
Next time you fly Qantaslink...good chance there will be no Captain available! Especially out of Brisbane and Sydney. The company is absolutely struggling to find the appropriate experience and may have to bypass its own rules on 1 year on type...700hours ATPL etc... but the thing that gets around these requirments is the ability of the CP to forgo this in unusual circumstances.
It's a real shame those guys/girls who have recently left did not see the incentives to stay....so many great people stomped on...looks like its all coming back to bite the backside!
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SA to Aus
There are still 2 experienced Dash Drivers coming from South Africa to Q-link early 2009, but there are a great deal more that looked at the whole Aus. move and after doing the maths, it is just not worth the move when you work out the real cost of living in Aus and the pathetic sallaries that are on offer, even as a Captain. There will always be one or 2 lured by a safer life, but be warned! You are in for a massive lifestyle reduction moving from SA to Aus.
Something Ive been wondering for a while is with the direct entry min.s being only 250hrs multi command, how does someone with those hrs get a command eventually? Noone seems to know the answer.
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Fonz,
What don't you get? As long as you hold an ATPL (which requires 250 command), you can hold a command in a high capacity RPT aircraft. The kicker is that if you have less than 500 multi command, you can't be PIC of a low capacity aircraft (like DH8B for instance). If pilots in that boat end up with a command, it will be interesting seeing how the company manages the restriction, as it will mean that ops may not be able to "downgrade" flights to a 200 for some junior Captains until they rack up the hours.
What don't you get? As long as you hold an ATPL (which requires 250 command), you can hold a command in a high capacity RPT aircraft. The kicker is that if you have less than 500 multi command, you can't be PIC of a low capacity aircraft (like DH8B for instance). If pilots in that boat end up with a command, it will be interesting seeing how the company manages the restriction, as it will mean that ops may not be able to "downgrade" flights to a 200 for some junior Captains until they rack up the hours.
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Direct entry commands are on the cards 
Q -But are there any takers ??
Forget the SA's - they won't come. SA Express has increased the coin. Too good a deal- QLINK will never match.
Q -But are there any takers ??
Forget the SA's - they won't come. SA Express has increased the coin. Too good a deal- QLINK will never match.
things must be getting dangerous in QL.
so does this mean MD has to go flying now?
can still remember him telling us during induction back in early 2002 that our backgrounds and experience would be considered and that we would be upgraded quickly blah blah blah. mind you this was to a room where the lowest time guy was about 5000hrs/1000hrs jet,the course average would have been 10000hrs.
almost six years later on the day i resigned my command upgrade would have been awarded. a few guys had left before the endorsement, others left over the years and now noone from that course is left.
now all i can do is shake my head and occasionally laugh at the current state QL has mismanagend to find itself in.
i find it very entertainng/schadenfreude watching the dashes fly down final on a calm day 'all over the shop' and then do some of the roughest/hardest landings i have ever seen. thankyou QL for allowing us to see what happens when you put someone at the controls who is obviously way out of their depth. fingers crossed nothing bad happens although the aircraft are a solid testament to bombardier.
merry xmas and keep it stable.
can still remember him telling us during induction back in early 2002 that our backgrounds and experience would be considered and that we would be upgraded quickly blah blah blah. mind you this was to a room where the lowest time guy was about 5000hrs/1000hrs jet,the course average would have been 10000hrs.
almost six years later on the day i resigned my command upgrade would have been awarded. a few guys had left before the endorsement, others left over the years and now noone from that course is left.
now all i can do is shake my head and occasionally laugh at the current state QL has mismanagend to find itself in.
i find it very entertainng/schadenfreude watching the dashes fly down final on a calm day 'all over the shop' and then do some of the roughest/hardest landings i have ever seen. thankyou QL for allowing us to see what happens when you put someone at the controls who is obviously way out of their depth. fingers crossed nothing bad happens although the aircraft are a solid testament to bombardier.
merry xmas and keep it stable.
It's seniority Soup', but that doesn't present problems, in fact it is the only equitable way. If you are alluding to the fact that the guys/girls that don't have the mins for command are more senior to some that do, then these people are simply bypassed in favour to the first candidates down the ladder that meet the min requirements.
The problem for QFLink, and REX for that matter, is that most of the F/O's do not have the min quals for command. REX have decided to mitgate this problem by simply cutting services ( that's a well thought out plan!!!). How QFLink deal with a similar situation remains to be seen. As in REX's case, the employing of Cadets and low time trainees has not solved this particular issue.
The continuing deletion of G/A, along with the desertion of the profession by young Aussies will ensure this aspect of the pliot shortage remains with us for years to come. IMHO, the only solution now is twofold. Pay the existing Captains a remuneration that will keep them, and when neccesary, employ direct entry Captains from other operators. In order to attract enough of the right people however, the T&C's on offer would have to be superior to their competitors!
Surveillance Australia were facing the wholesale destruction of their Billion dollar + contract. They stepped up with the right deal. Not only have they secured the future of the company, but their crewing crisis had been eliminated once and for all.
The question for QFLink, REX et'al, is who will blink first?
The problem for QFLink, and REX for that matter, is that most of the F/O's do not have the min quals for command. REX have decided to mitgate this problem by simply cutting services ( that's a well thought out plan!!!). How QFLink deal with a similar situation remains to be seen. As in REX's case, the employing of Cadets and low time trainees has not solved this particular issue.
The continuing deletion of G/A, along with the desertion of the profession by young Aussies will ensure this aspect of the pliot shortage remains with us for years to come. IMHO, the only solution now is twofold. Pay the existing Captains a remuneration that will keep them, and when neccesary, employ direct entry Captains from other operators. In order to attract enough of the right people however, the T&C's on offer would have to be superior to their competitors!
Surveillance Australia were facing the wholesale destruction of their Billion dollar + contract. They stepped up with the right deal. Not only have they secured the future of the company, but their crewing crisis had been eliminated once and for all.
The question for QFLink, REX et'al, is who will blink first?
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thankyou QL for allowing us to see what happens when you put someone at the controls who is obviously way out of their depth.
Nor can you demonstrate that "some of the hardest/roughest landings" weren't at the hands of Captains with 20000 hours plus.
Last edited by Icarus53; 17th Dec 2008 at 23:43.
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Coastwatch are no longer giving the bonuses to new guys. So anyone starting with them now will be on alot less than the guys they work with side by side. Not a happy situation as a new guy feeling your not getting what everyone else is.
I would love to be a fly on the wall in these management meetings to hear what they think should be done to solve all their crewing problems. I feel there is alot of buck passing going on.
I would love to be a fly on the wall in these management meetings to hear what they think should be done to solve all their crewing problems. I feel there is alot of buck passing going on.
LOL.
I applied a while back, just to see what reaction there'd be.
The only reply was that I didn't meet the minimum requirements - I didn't have a Dash rating.
Got 10,000+ hours, lots of turbine time, etc though ...... !
I applied a while back, just to see what reaction there'd be.
The only reply was that I didn't meet the minimum requirements - I didn't have a Dash rating.
Got 10,000+ hours, lots of turbine time, etc though ...... !
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Krusty
I couldn't agree more. I would love to go work for REX or QL. I have thousands on turbo-prop cammand and at night. The problem is the massive pay cut I have to take to do that and sit in the right hand seat for a couple of years, even when a command does come along its still 10K short of where I am now and thats using the top tier. Not an option for a family man!
As for Coastwatch, I have recently been in touch with them and the deal on offer is as before except that the direct entry command positions have dried up due to the pilot attrition rate having slowed with the increased package. Its a good deal and it has solved their pilot issue for the moment. This REX EBA will define the way forward for the Co, continued pilot woes or problem solved, Its their choice.
Further pressure will only be applied when J* open the office again.
I couldn't agree more. I would love to go work for REX or QL. I have thousands on turbo-prop cammand and at night. The problem is the massive pay cut I have to take to do that and sit in the right hand seat for a couple of years, even when a command does come along its still 10K short of where I am now and thats using the top tier. Not an option for a family man!
As for Coastwatch, I have recently been in touch with them and the deal on offer is as before except that the direct entry command positions have dried up due to the pilot attrition rate having slowed with the increased package. Its a good deal and it has solved their pilot issue for the moment. This REX EBA will define the way forward for the Co, continued pilot woes or problem solved, Its their choice.
Further pressure will only be applied when J* open the office again.
Fonz,
What don't you get? As long as you hold an ATPL (which requires 250 command), you can hold a command in a high capacity RPT aircraft. The kicker is that if you have less than 500 multi command, you can't be PIC of a low capacity aircraft (like DH8B for instance). If pilots in that boat end up with a command, it will be interesting seeing how the company manages the restriction, as it will mean that ops may not be able to "downgrade" flights to a 200 for some junior Captains until they rack up the hours.
What don't you get? As long as you hold an ATPL (which requires 250 command), you can hold a command in a high capacity RPT aircraft. The kicker is that if you have less than 500 multi command, you can't be PIC of a low capacity aircraft (like DH8B for instance). If pilots in that boat end up with a command, it will be interesting seeing how the company manages the restriction, as it will mean that ops may not be able to "downgrade" flights to a 200 for some junior Captains until they rack up the hours.
Last edited by Fonz121; 18th Dec 2008 at 06:20. Reason: grammar
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Yep
Agreed,
If they had the right idea 12 months ago rather than neglecting senior F/O's who had command experience, hours on type and the company history...I probably would have stayed longer
If they had the right idea 12 months ago rather than neglecting senior F/O's who had command experience, hours on type and the company history...I probably would have stayed longer
Dragun, re: Surveillance Aus:
$100K first year Capt, $60K F/O + CPI per year or 2% whatever is the greater.
The bonus from memory is $100K p/a for Capts and $50K for F/O's, rising to $150K for Capt and $100K for an F/O in the 3rd year! From memory these bonuses were not available to fly-in,fly-out crew.
First year F/o with REX-$42K
First year Capt with REX-$69K
Sort of says it all doesn't it!
$100K first year Capt, $60K F/O + CPI per year or 2% whatever is the greater.
The bonus from memory is $100K p/a for Capts and $50K for F/O's, rising to $150K for Capt and $100K for an F/O in the 3rd year! From memory these bonuses were not available to fly-in,fly-out crew.
First year F/o with REX-$42K
First year Capt with REX-$69K
Sort of says it all doesn't it!
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Fonz
You are right in as much as the 200 does not require its operator to hold a High Capacity AOC whereas the 300 & 400 does. Unless things have changed, its the AOC (and its accompanying CAR 217 organisation) not the aircraft which dictates the pilot experience requirements. That is to say that I don't believe there would be any problem with 'stepping back' to the 200 as long as the aircraft was being operated under a High Capacity AOC.
You are right in as much as the 200 does not require its operator to hold a High Capacity AOC whereas the 300 & 400 does. Unless things have changed, its the AOC (and its accompanying CAR 217 organisation) not the aircraft which dictates the pilot experience requirements. That is to say that I don't believe there would be any problem with 'stepping back' to the 200 as long as the aircraft was being operated under a High Capacity AOC.
First year Capt on $100K? ...and they're not even flying 300 series. That's $16K more than a 1st year Qlink Dash Capt and $31K more than a SAAB capt flying pretty much the same size aircraft! I've always thought a Qlink Dash Capt should be on at least 6 figures and Coastwatch is proving they're worth it.
Unbelievable.
Unbelievable.