Any chance you can put that on a poster for the coffee shop located near the QCA, QCB, QCC? I bet 99.9% of the customers there have no idea of those numbers. But they do generally like the fact they are separated from the pilot group by a big shiny building and the street.

2019 will be at least one higher than that....

'Also plans to trend back towards interviews that look for more 'pilot like attributes'

In other breaking news, Price Waterhouse Cooper have announced plans to pivot their selection process toward 'people who are good with numbers'

has anyone on the hold file been contacted this year re a start date for feb, march or april?

Internal or external?

How long was he on hold for though?

i know someone with an april start date. They said they were looking at Perth base as the only preference base which kinda meant that only Perth base was an option at this stage. Can anyone back this up? Would there not be bases over east since the 787 is starting to ramp up work out of Melb/Brisbane and Sydney shortly?

Any rumours re SO recruitment? Main website mentions Trainee SO Scheme however no such position on the HR site.

Hello Everyone,
I've just finished Year 12 (with good grades in Physics, Methods and English) and am looking to become a commercial pilot for a major airline such as Qantas etc.
The Qantas program sounds promising to me but there has been very little news on its progression since it was announced mid-2018 to be situated in Toowoomba - does anyone know the approximate date that applications will open for the program / an outline of the program, costs or simply just more information will be released? Cheers in advance :)

TY777, before you get started down the pilot road, go and get an initial CASA class 1 medical. You would need to pay for this regardless of which path you go if you decide to fly. That way you can be ruled in or out. For instance for males colour blindness is approx 1in 8 which can be problematic. Without a Class 1 commercial aviation won't be possible, this is a show stopper. You need to visit a DAME, CASA has a search function to find your nearest one. You should also look at the fees, further details and information: First-time medical certificate applications. It will probably cost $1000+ for the medical, tests and fees. Annual renewals are cheaper $200~$300 if you don't need additional specialist reports. You should keep your renewal up to date so you don't need to go through a second initial application if it has lapsed.

As for the proposed QF scheme, I would not be holding my breathe. Do not depend upon any airline to deliver anything to you. You could be waiting for an eternity, or they could open applications next week. If and when it does open, it would likely have very similar characteristics to the Jetstar program: JETSTAR CADET PILOT PROGRAM 2019. Study the document extensively, then use the PPRuNe search function get almost all the answers to your questions.

Do you intend to be a Cadet only or not at all pilot? ie is this a binary choice for you? Would you consider doing it yourself if you didn't get into the Cadet program? Between the medical and the Jetstar info, that should keep you occupied for quite some time just getting your head around the key concepts.

There is a huge amount of information on PPRuNe The Pacific: General Aviation & Questions for someone considering this industry, learning to fly and the various pathways. I suggest you trawl there extensively, there is much hidden gold about how this business works. If you don't have contacts in the industry it will take months to begin to figure out how this pilot business *ACTUALLY* works. Before you commit to potentially financially ruinous path, I suggest extensive due diligence before committing a cent. If you aren't ruthlessly determined and a self-directed, this business isn't for you.

Good luck with your research and decision.

Agree with everything Twitcher said in his well thought out post.

I certainly wouldn't recommend putting your life on hold for the Qantas program. It will always be just one of several avenues into QF and given how recently it was announced, I wouldn't expect to see them taking students at Toowoomba any time soon.

Your uni preferences for 2019 are probably already set in stone, but at the moment the quickest way into the QF group for someone in your position is to study aviation at one of the approved universities in the Qantas Group Future Pilot Program. A significant number of graduates of these degrees are already working at QantasLink as FOs and will have a pathway into QF mainline available to them.