Cobham Aviation
 

Go for it boys and girls! It’s a great way to get some jet time.

Old news. The "rumour" is that they have been interviewing solidly for several months, I hope they are not struggling to find applicants. With lines like:

"Cobham is continuously seeking suitably qualified pilots to join our team as First Officers in an environment where career and lifestyle combine" and "Opportunities to progress to command within relatively short timeframes"

Who could resist?

(My bolding etc)

I find it funny that the Cobham freight/146 operation hardly ever advertise and seem to have no trouble with retention.

Makes you wonder why the SAR and Coastwatch operation seem to be a revolving door.

Its it possible to move within the operations or is recruitment handled externally?

Looking at job recruitment adds for truck drivers and seamen I’m seeing companies offering bases of choice , multiply packages , offering big money for working max hours to reduced rosters / trips to barely working options . Companies willing to tailor individual packages to suit ? .

Airlines so so far behind , don’t care except drive the salary down at all costs .

Blitz'
It's a MASSIVE turnover EVERYWHERE mate, Australia; Pacific; USA; Asia; Japan; M.E.; Africa; Europe... f'gen everywhere cuz!
Pilots are moving all over the globe in search of better deals and as you see, the "cat-fish"/bottom dwellers of the industry are short of crew!
I haven't ever seen such desperation in crew-hunting by airlines in Australia (though they hide it for of loss of face), in my 3 decade career BECAUSE of what Toruk mentions above - Airlines so so far behind , don’t care except drive the salary down at all costs.

The stupidity of Australian Airlines (Int/Domestic & Regional) is, that they think they are soooo special and that they have sooo much to offer.
Well it's time to wake up and smell the coffee because no one now, globally is out there to help crew your staff shortages AND now you are meant to have "Fatigue Management Systems" etc you have to deal with-in constraints finally. OUCH! Long time overdue!

Qantaslink searching in Africa? LOL Emirates/Turkish/Qatar dried up that pool of experienced ones in Africa etc years ago, before all the USA majors started huge recruitment's to cover for their massive number of retirements (huge evac from M.E.). You're in a global market of labour resourcing now kids (Airline CEO's) because you failed to invest in your future streams! Reap what you sow because it's going to cost you more now!

The ball is not in your court finally, so show me the money... and we will fix your parked aircraft against the fence, with the return of many & varied highly experienced Aussie operators from overseas to help clear the mire of the current "divide & conquer" managerial (I use that term VERY losely) expertise (that too) who currently see themselves fit to administer aviation companies.
Can I just, by the way - Accountants are accountants... lawyers are lawyers... stay in your qualified jobs and stop transferring to Industries you know nothing about, such as the very unique Aviation Industry! If you think otherwise, you obviously have no clue or any idea of what happened in the past numerous times from those of your ilk.

What makes it even more ridiculous is when an airline screaming for crew will still knock back candidates for lack of twin or or multi crew time.

Can I respectfully suggest that there is no massive pool of pilots overseas who are being held back by these floodgates. The global nature of aviation has seen to that. Chinese carriers, ever the pragmatists, are simply throwing money at the problem. The ME3 have no idea what to do so are looking at a merger. There may well be a few South Africans and South Americans who would like to move to Australia to work but certainly not huge numbers. I know this talking to managers and recruitment companies who have gone looking and found the well to be dry.

I’ve thrown my hat in the ring for a few part time jobs in Darwin, feedback that I’ve received is that they are only interested in full timers as they recon it would be to difficult to intergrate a part time pilot into their CAR 217?? I’m not convinced that this is really a valid reason particularly if the part timers have substantial experience compounded by the fact that some operators are dangling the FIFO carrot.

The reason they don't want part time is because they couldn't plan anything to save themselves.

​​​​​​I know a couple of Southern operators who hire part timers and it works well for them.

What there is a shortage of is type rated ready go kids willing to do anything for little money.

Cobham have been interviewing for a few months, I have friends that have done interview with them and friends that have applied and haven't heard back, only difference is mates that got an interview had over 1000 hrs twin time, they are being very picky and wanting guy/girls with twin time.

Type rated ready to go kids with no experience on type willing to do anything for little money? Accidents generally aren't good PR spins for airlines.

Isn't that the beauty of subcontractors though? All that nasty stuff like accidents can be kept at arms length :eek:

Heard rumours/whispers of the Ejet making a return to regional services. Can anyone confirm?

Funny how simply naming something "a group" manages to blind side so many folk.

If you're mildly interested in flying for "Cobham" as a pilot, better get your head around the fact that there are FOUR operations called Cobham.
Four tribes if you like, each with their own..
Chief pilot
Training department
Aircraft type
Culture
Mission
Career path
Terms and conditions.
Etc.

And:

It is harder for a "cobham" pilot to 'transfer' to another 'business unit' than it is for a needle to pass through the eye of a camel.... or whatever.

For any indignant "a company oughta" posters.... not my circus, not my monkeys... I agree it does not make sense.... but that's their way and they ain't changing for no pilot!

While I agree with most of your points, how is it harder for a Cobham pilot to move between groups?

Just to make it clear Cobham has 4 distinct business units (possibly three). Each one is operated as a separate business. Seperate HR and management. I think SAR and Coastwatch may be under the one banner. Moving between units is like moving to another company. It would be like going from Qlink to Jetstar. Full interview and all the associated nonsense.

I understand they have different groups under the same company, but I wouldn't agree with different interviews going between the different sections, some do defiantly but others seems to work quite well with each other and tend to take the pilot on merit and a phone call.

Sar and Special mission operate under the same Aoc.

[rolleyes]

Ask the Perth 146 FO who applied for a B717 FO vacancy on the East coast to be nearer his dying father. He had the seniority. There were no impediments like base or type freeze and he had solid line check sim check results and a clean history. His chief pilot told him he would recommend him for the transfer. The vacancy went to a new hire. When he enquired, the 717 people told him his application was not competitive.

The only BU pilots that have "rights" to a vacancy in another BU are the pre-2005 BAe146 pilots that used to be employed by NJS BU. Mostly west coast 146 Captains that are no longer interested.

The last transferee had a LOT of influence - the Chief of the B717 outfit took himself out of that role and into a line 146 captain role. Not many 'internal applicants' have that sort of pull.

Prior to that, the last Surveillance to Airline internal transferees were maybe half a dozen D8 captains promised B717 FO spots by "Uday" upon Uday's appointment to GM AS.

By my count, that is 6 applicants out of more than 100 vacancies. All of them had "pull" or positional power. Those that didn't have 'pull' found 'their' jobs filled by external applicants.

Every other pilot that has transferred into the B717 outfit has had to compete directly with external applicants.

That 'even footing' with external applicants is tilted against the BU to BU applicant whenever a chief pilot of one BU says to the other "we can't afford to lose a Captain/FO right now."

And given Cobham's business model of pricing customer contracts based on the number of pilots nominally required to fulfil the contract, and then increasing profit margins later by keeping the base establishments at one or two pilots under that number, paying overtime, and restricting annual leave and LSL, and then pocketing the savings in sims/uniforms/etc, it is rare for a Cobham chief to say "we could afford to lose one!"

Maybe you are an exceptional individual. By all means, give it a try.

I simply think it is easier to get a better job working for nicer people, elsewhere!

;-)

Thats like the situation where if you win a car in a lottery, the lottery organiser pays stamp duty and rego on the car for the winner.
Very nice of them.
But first you have to win the lottery.

Well surely it is incumbent on you at your lofty level to set the record straight?

......................and to address the loss of pilots by maybe, just maybe, trying to look after them. yeah.....nah

Trevor is 100% correct. Looking after the pilots they have and improving morale will cost Cobham nothing and possibly save them alot of money