Quick Question on Training
 

Just got my class date for July 7th for the 744 JFK, and planning on taking my wife with me. Could someone please tell me how long can I expect to be in training before I do my IOE/Line training?

I figure my wife can stay with me in the hotel while in training, but once I start IOE, I imagine I would have to find a place for her to stay every time I overnight somewhere else, so I would nice to know about how many weeks of training can I expect before I start with line training.

Also, does anybody know if I need to wait until my visa comes out before my wife can apply for one?...She's planning of studying or working while Im in training.

All info is welcome,
Thanks

It depends on various slots and timetabling of any requirements you might have, such as performance and Air Law exams to convert your foreign ATPL into a CAD one.

However, as a guideline, plan on around 2 weeks admin/exams, a month in ground school and another in the sim. After that, you'll fly around SE Asia for around 8 sectors with a safety pilot until released to do the rest of your line flying/training from home.

All in all, I'd say 3 months away from home. At least, that's what happened to me. Hope this helps.

BB

PS. The other thing is that if you're on a course lasting more than 30 days, they can send you home or have your family come and visit you (don't have the info in front of me right now - might not apply to inductees).

No need to check out for your (few) overnights during training. What is required though, is your wife need to have a "open door" policy while you are away (with Capt TOGA as chief room attendant).:D

Ahhhhhhh Capt, up to your old tricks again yeh?

One month of SIM? how many SIMs sessions do we get? and after that, what would be a typical roster for Initial Line Training on the 744? how long of layovers? with how many days off in between?

Thanks

I had my first flight about 2 months and a week after I got to HK. Two weeks for CAD exams. Three weeks for ground school/CBT. Approx three weeks for sims. A few days off in there each week and its a about 2 months till you touch an airplane. Line training can be as short as two months and as long as three and a half depending on availability of check pilots/trainers and efficiency of the schedulers. When I got done in December it was four months(total) from beginning to end. I did all of my line training in HK. I've heard its been 5-6 months for some since i've started but I've heard they are at least giving lots of guys training patterns from home. Personally, I would have rather have had a longer training period with rosters from home. good luck....

Ref Visas. If you're not based in HK, you don't need a visa. And you don't need one to do the course. CX will apply for a HK CAD crew card which will allow you to travel in and out of HK while working for them. But it's only HK based personnel who will get a HK visa and ID card. Assuming your wife is a US citizen, she can enter HK on a 90 day tourist visa as many times as she likes. But she won't get a dependant's visa without you getting one, and she won't be allowed to work. WRTo studying, is it's a course in HK she's thinking of, some courses need an HK ID to enrol.

Non HKG based pilots get a "training visa" while in induction training. They are good for 6 months. If you want to get a HKG visa then you have to wait until your training visa expires and then see the basing office.

Hey DC10FO, congrats

When did you have your final interview in HK, and how long til this award of a July class. Any idea how many are in the pool since your interview group and how many in each new class? Also do you earn full pay and PD from the first day of class, or is only after graduation?

Lionel P.