Qantas RAAF
 

Heard a rumour today that Qantas were going to review their intake of RAAF pilots?

With an eye to what ? Hiring more of 'em...fewer ? Status of the ones they've already got ?

Sorry RAAFies
 

I spent many years in the RAAF and many in QANTAS. One thing has always happened every time that QANTAS has recruited. The RAAF HR morons finally realise that they haven’t planned for attrition and get caught with their collective pants down. It’s as predictable as night and day. Also predictably they run crying to Qantas and blame them for their predicament and beg them to leave their pilots alone.

Well, it’s happened again.

RAAF (don’t know who) met with Qantas (HOBO and HR) earlier this week. The Chief Pilot confirmed to the new starters this week that Qantas will be a “good corporate citizen in not decimating the RAAF numbers all at once”.

My analysis is what this means in reality is that we will limit the number of ex RAAF pilots in any intake. IE We won’t take 10 RAAFies in a 12 pilot intake one month and then another 10 the next. We are more likely to still take those 20 but only over (say) 5 months rather than two.

Maybe Qantas have agreed to not more than a particular percentage per intake? Who would know. At the end of the day we need pilots and so I expect being a good corporate citizen only goes so far when you’re about to start grounding jets through lack of crew.

One things certain. The RAAF HR morons are even more hopeless than our HR morons.

Qantas HR morons don't realise it takes 2 months to convert a pilot from one type to another, more for a promotional course. Hence the maximum divisors.

The RAAF HR morons can't fathom it takes 18 months, minimum, to train a pilot off the street. Another 3-4 months for conversion. More for a knucklehead. They still think they can take them off the street and have them piloting an F18 overnight. After all that's all it takes it their world. Add to that their insistence in quotas of female candidates while rejecting male candidates purely on sexist policies and is it any wonder they’re in a pickle.

I’d be telling them to get stuffed if I were Qantas HR.

you gotta hand it to HR: they somehow manage to paint themselves as indispensable, when in fact they are completely useless.

yeah, don't know what the RAAF HR are thinking if they think they can get women to fly aircraft, ****!

Don’t let this thread degenerate into another affirmative action slanging match.

If you knew anything about the RAAFs policy in this matter though you wouldn’t make such a comment.

Kindly keep to the subject.

Without wishing to start a thread drift, do females have a higher scub rate in the RAAF?

No, I don’t think so. Not historically anyway.

There are less of them because there are less recruited. There are less recruited because there are less interested in the job in the first place.

Women make as good a pilot as men, no question.

Now. Back on topic.

Apparently almost 1/2 the RAAF QFI's out of ROSO (mostly at the SQNs not at the Schools) have yes letters, just waiting for starts!

Some even with ROSO but that's another story!

I don't think it's that much. Asking around it looks like roughly only one or two ex military guys on a course atm. Most of the new starts seem to be from within the group, other airlines, cadets or GA. I'd guess no more than 10% are ex-RAAF.

Besides if that theory's true and they have to wait a few months to get a start is it that big of a deal? I know about relative seniority but there's thousands of qualified pilots out there who want the job, they'll just have to wait in line like everyone else.

True.

The other fly in the ointment is the requirement to give 3 months notice.

In my time a lot of RAAFies faced with a hold file letter from Qantas would resign immediately so they were available at short notice should Qantas call.

You might find a lot of these guys have done just that. Resigning en masses would certainly send a shock wave through the establishment.

RAAF recruiting is, and has always been, 180 degrees out of phase with demand.

Yes.

At the moment anyway.

The squadrons have been hurting for people lately, considering that they’re bringing in ROSO for conversions now just to hold onto people it isn’t looking any better.

Been a few companies that have had a whinge to Qantas HR about pinching to many pilots, over the years.

Know a guy that missed out a job with a NSW based regional airline, company he was leaving whinged about all the money they had spent endorsing on a turboprop. Fortunately for him he got into Ansett a few months later.

Has increasing ROSO ever worked for them. I know of a number of people who walked out of conversion courses when they suddenly attracted an obligation that they hadn't had previously. It brought their departure dates forward, not the other way around.

Equally, I wonder if it has ever been tested in court. The application has always been haphazard.

Ask the RAAF pilot who was recently court marshaled and sentenced to jail for leaving while under ROSO!

The fact that people are willing to risk that speaks volumes though...

Would that count as a criminal conviction that would prevent them from holding an ASIC ?

Turn it up mate! Name one HR 'moron' you know that thinks that. What are they supposed to do? I know its reactionary but you can't blame HR for speaking with QANTAS to slow the exodus - its obviously so they have a chance to train guys to fill the coming shortfall. Fair enough too I'd say. I'm no fan of the RAAFs personnel management but its pretty difficult to screen, recruit and train in anticipation of QANTAS recruiting. Correct me if I'm wrong but its unlikely that QANTAS tells the RAAF anything of its recruitment plans. Same thing happened in 87-88. However, I've always been of a mind that the RAAF suffers from a retention problem not a recruitment problem so if anything the 'HR morons' are looking at the wrong end of the career spectrum.