Reputation of Aussie pilots overseas
 

Ok here’s a question I’ve been wanting to ask ever since I got to the Sandpit.

Has anyone else encountered the bad reputation or ‘watch out for the Aussie Captains’ comment from other pilots overseas?

As far as I can tell this relates back to the two major exodus’s from Oz, 1989 and the Ansett collapse. I get the impression there were a lot of w***ers that came overseas and told the rest of the world how to fly, because they knew best. Plus I imagine some of them were angry about being forced overseas...

You tell us. You're in the Sandpit.

We are loved and revered by all.

I would concur, HR departments the airline world over speak glowingly of pilots.

especially the standard, quiet, uncomplaining, reserved & retiring Australian Pilot of legend.........................

Not in the sandpit but here in Blighty I've worked with a few Austronauts and find them hard work. Supreme arrogance and the attitude that we somehow owe them something and they know more about the plane that we part build and can teach us a thing or two about how to fly them.

Sorry 'mate' but you chose to come here. You're most welcome, but the attitude that we couldn't cope without you is simply wrong. Don't like us, don't come here. It really is that simple. We owe you nothing.

It surprises me as I have a couple of non flying Australian friends and they're sound as a pound.

What else would you expect from convicts, old chap!

We won’t mention the ashes campaign.

There’s a few around like that, but I also think that in certain parts of the world there’s some questionable standards by others as well, which in turn may result in some Australian pilots going “what the...?!”

morno

Austronauts.

I think unfortunately this mentality is born from the fact that getting a jet job in Australia is a big deal. If you are flying a jet in Australia you are somehow "special". The ridiculous hiring mins of some Australian companies reflect this.

Going straight from flying school to a jet for these people is unthinkable.

You were Motley. Not too sure about some of your mates :}

When I was leaving the Overseas to work for an Australian airline I was quite excited until a Captain I was flying with said to me 'don't go, my experience of Australian check Captains during my time at Cathay is that they are a bunch of c$:ts'. When I joined the said Australian airline I found that Check Captains who were ex Ansett were generally exactly as described. I had never seen a pretty straight forward job complicated to such a degree and such poor CRM from supposed instructors. They are obviously exceptions and I am pleased to say that after a bit of a shake up and cultural shift many of those who give Aussie Captains a bad name have had their techniques 'adjusted'.

Misspelling "you're" twice in one sentence would get you kicked out of my airline.

:) :) :)

Mind you, there have been flight deck punch-ups about whether it's "misspell" or "mis-spell"...

Really? This requires a thread.

Get a life.

No it doesn’t. I thought school holidays had finished!

Thank you spelling police. I blame a fat thumb.

The reputation is as glowing as Aussies in Bali.

Well I never flew with a bad one in the days when you were allowed to work in the UK for a defined period. I flew with quite a few in the 70s and 80s. In fact, guys who’d flown light twins and learned in the Bush were pretty good in my opinion. Just needed taking in hand that’s all !

brilliant thread, and my answer is...yoh mate.

There is nothing worse than working for a company that has the Astronaut factor particularly in the C&T department. It’s miserable and has the opposite effect of what it intends.

The best system is one that recruits self motivated individuals that want to improve and welcome feedback. My current employer has the best CT system I’ve ever worked under. The number of astronauts can be counted on one hand and more often than not are also pretty reasonable but come across the wrong way.

The Astronaut factor is my number one criteria when researching an employer as no matter what the conditions, if you are living in fear the whole time it’s simply not worth it.