The Demise of Hong Kong Airlines
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Meccano
Appropriate name as my set always used to have a screw loose.
Going back to the early days, CX always had a majority of Australian pilots. Most of the early DFO's were Australians. It wasn't until the late 60's and early 70's that Brits turned up en masse from the RAF and RN plus some from BEA, Brittania and Court Line. The Australian majority in flight ops was not overtaken until the late 70's. These days it is a pretty even spread between Brits, Australians, Canadians, Kiwis, HK belongers and 'the rest', which includes yarpies, Germans, Danes...and one great Zimbabwean!
After the 89 lockout in Australia, a very few joined CX but the majority went to SQ, Europe, GA or left the industry. From memory the joiners would not have made a cricket team. And for your files, many of the strike breakers that turned up in Australia came from the United States...the connection being America West and Ansett/News cross ownership.
You may well try and blame Australians for degrading the T&C's of pilots around the world but the US domestic feeders seem to have managed to trump everyone...not to mention a/c technology which has proven that a chimp can fly an A330 or a 777 until you reach coffin corner with frozen pitot tubes.
Appropriate name as my set always used to have a screw loose.
Going back to the early days, CX always had a majority of Australian pilots. Most of the early DFO's were Australians. It wasn't until the late 60's and early 70's that Brits turned up en masse from the RAF and RN plus some from BEA, Brittania and Court Line. The Australian majority in flight ops was not overtaken until the late 70's. These days it is a pretty even spread between Brits, Australians, Canadians, Kiwis, HK belongers and 'the rest', which includes yarpies, Germans, Danes...and one great Zimbabwean!
After the 89 lockout in Australia, a very few joined CX but the majority went to SQ, Europe, GA or left the industry. From memory the joiners would not have made a cricket team. And for your files, many of the strike breakers that turned up in Australia came from the United States...the connection being America West and Ansett/News cross ownership.
You may well try and blame Australians for degrading the T&C's of pilots around the world but the US domestic feeders seem to have managed to trump everyone...not to mention a/c technology which has proven that a chimp can fly an A330 or a 777 until you reach coffin corner with frozen pitot tubes.
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Going back to the early days, CX always had a majority of Australian pilots. Most of the early DFO's were Australians. It wasn't until the late 60's and early 70's that Brits turned up en masse from the RAF and RN plus some from BEA, Brittania and Court Line. The Australian majority in flight ops was not overtaken until the late 70's.
These days it is a pretty even spread between Brits, Australians, Canadians, Kiwis, HK belongers and 'the rest', which includes yarpies, Germans, Danes...and one great Zimbabwean!
Maybe all the non-Aussies are living in bases, cos any time I visit HKG the CX guys I 'bump into' are bloody Aussies. Figures in a way - the normal blokes go for quality of life. The Aussies stay in HKG and try to run the show.
After the 89 lockout in Australia, a very few joined CX but the majority went to SQ, Europe, GA or left the industry. From memory the joiners would not have made a cricket team.
And for your files, many of the strike breakers that turned up in Australia came from the United States...the connection being America West and Ansett/News cross ownership.
When was it that the B Scale was introduced at CX? Ooo....around '93 I think...just when the world pilot surplus was really kicking in. Thanks to the thousands of Aussies still out looking for jobs. You do realise that you don't degrade the general market only by TAKING a low paid job? You degrade it by being out there bombarding airlines with pleas for work.
..the US domestic feeders seem to have managed to trump everyone...not to mention a/c technology which has proven that a chimp can fly an A330 or a 777 until you reach coffin corner with frozen pitot tubes.
Speaking of chimps - will you throw that monkey Ex-man a few peanuts and give his cage another rattle.
Good OnƯa!!
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Question for the Aussies;
Is it true that under Aussie Rules it is MANDATORY to carry an additional 1 hour holding fuel if there's a PROB30 CB's within an hour of ETA?
An Aussie told me so once.
I was highly sceptical - but who knows what they might dream up next....
Is it true that under Aussie Rules it is MANDATORY to carry an additional 1 hour holding fuel if there's a PROB30 CB's within an hour of ETA?
An Aussie told me so once.
I was highly sceptical - but who knows what they might dream up next....
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Meccano, depends if its INTER (30 min) or TEMPO (60 min)
And yes there is a 30 min buffer eg TEMPO period finishes at 0830, the requirement stands til 0900, obviously with weather like fog, TS etc its not an exact science. Not sure why they use PROB when the requirement stands no matter what the " prob "
That said, in Oz you don't have to carry an alternate for an airport with no requirements which I found very odd about HK rules.
And yes there is a 30 min buffer eg TEMPO period finishes at 0830, the requirement stands til 0900, obviously with weather like fog, TS etc its not an exact science. Not sure why they use PROB when the requirement stands no matter what the " prob "
That said, in Oz you don't have to carry an alternate for an airport with no requirements which I found very odd about HK rules.
Last edited by hongkongfooey; 29th Sep 2012 at 00:17.
Meccano:
Not necessarily. From the Australian AIP:
"When thunderstorms or their associated severe turbulence or their probability is forecast at the destination, sufficient additional fuel must be carried to permit the aircraft to proceed to a suitable alternate or to hold for:
a. 30 minutes when the forecast is endorsed INTER; or
b. 60 minutes when the forecast is endorsed TEMPO."
The buffer is plus or minus 30 minutes of ETA.
Is it true that under Aussie Rules it is MANDATORY to carry an additional 1 hour holding fuel if there's a PROB30 CB's within an hour of ETA?
"When thunderstorms or their associated severe turbulence or their probability is forecast at the destination, sufficient additional fuel must be carried to permit the aircraft to proceed to a suitable alternate or to hold for:
a. 30 minutes when the forecast is endorsed INTER; or
b. 60 minutes when the forecast is endorsed TEMPO."
The buffer is plus or minus 30 minutes of ETA.
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It's not 'common sense' it's a regulation!
It removes pilot discretion and decision making from the Captains hands.
Dumb rule for hide bound operators.
No wonder Aussies need everything written down and followed slavishly.
It removes pilot discretion and decision making from the Captains hands.
Dumb rule for hide bound operators.
No wonder Aussies need everything written down and followed slavishly.
Geeze Louise Meccano, were you once scared by a koala when Mummy took you to the zoo in your childhood?
Last edited by Captain Dart; 29th Sep 2012 at 12:08.
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It's unbelievable the hatred some guys have for the place when I know guys there very very happy, all could be in KAL or the sandpit or anywhere else..but choose to be in the place for reasonably good coin and enjoying HK...compared to the land of the camel it ain't bad. Friends a skipper there earning 140,000 hkd for 35 hrs flying...the guys on a hammock for half the month.
As far as wide body jobs go, not too many out there for rated skippers...and a lot are waiting for HKA to sort themselves as its a pretty fine job to us here in the pit.
Seems a lot of peed off ex employees here venting..funny stuff. CX and KA don't take take dec so don't compare it to that.. Most guys i know there are rated...if wed been bush flyers and young SOs with the only shot on heavy metal to join as an SO or FO maybe CX or KA an option but to us as a DEC HKA is a pretty damn nice deal if they get it together.
As far as wide body jobs go, not too many out there for rated skippers...and a lot are waiting for HKA to sort themselves as its a pretty fine job to us here in the pit.
Seems a lot of peed off ex employees here venting..funny stuff. CX and KA don't take take dec so don't compare it to that.. Most guys i know there are rated...if wed been bush flyers and young SOs with the only shot on heavy metal to join as an SO or FO maybe CX or KA an option but to us as a DEC HKA is a pretty damn nice deal if they get it together.
Last edited by Typhoontimmy; 29th Sep 2012 at 19:23.
