Can Alcione or azdriver or others who have been hired recently talk about experience levels? Do most newhires far exceed the minimums or are they near the minimums? What about flight experience - are we talking about LCC, bizjet, military, regional jet? It would be helpful to know these things for people who are considering applying.

General question to the group: do newhires start as SOs (cruise pilots) or do they start as FOs on the line?

Cheers

Cargolux doesn't have SO's or cruise pilots. Everyone is being hired as FO (junior). Depending how you agree within the crew, you’ll be flying FO or operate as a relief pilot on that very sector. Sometimes even you fly with two captains, then one of them work as a relief pilot.

Cargolux is very easy going in that sense. It is not much of the hierarchy as in, for example, many Asian airlines like Cathay.

Just hired have to start the 10th of Nov.

TT 5500hr
1300hr as Capt on the BAe-146/RJ
1400hr as Capt on the ATR

Ciao AZdriver,
what' your final decision? CV or CX?

Presently about 384 pilots and 16 a/c.
Capt/co approx. 50% so 12 captains and 12 co's per a/c.
Based on retirement at 65 and a steady expansion of 1 a/c per year up to a maximum of 25, the last one on the seniority list would get his/her upgrade in 2026.
To have an upgrade in 10 years 30 aircraft would be needed...

With the pension deal we have I don't see too many people leave before the age of 65.
If 3 pilots per year being higher on the seniority list would leave, a couple of eternal co's, then: max 25 a/c -> upgrade in 2022, max 20 a/c -> upgrade in 2027

CTS, maybe my math is not accurate but, between the day I joined and now we got 3 new aircraft.
With approx 24 crewmembers per aircraft I should have about 72 colleagues behind me right?
I think I'm FO 125 now and the last FO is 193 on my list so it looks like my math is not too bad :confused:
According to my calculation you need 24 new FO's for an extra aircraft as 12 FO's will be upgraded.

What is the Cargolux's pilot profile???
I have been applying for three years, JAR Frozen ATPL, FAA's ATPL,
4000 hrs SIC Heavy (more than 500 in B744), 6000 hrs total time and they
have always replied the same, KEEP TRYING!!!!

I don't speak German, maybe that's the reason...
There is any other way to send the CV than the interpersonal website:confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:

Howdy,
first of all a big thanks to all the contributors of this very informative post. I have read through it several times now in the last weeks and months in order to get a balanced picture of what's going on in cargoland.
I'm currently with a lowcost carrier based in the sunnier sides of western europe, but am finding out that I want something else in my career. I would like to return to my 'heimat' in the lower lands, and commute to luxembourg. So are there many commuters and does Cargolux frown upon that? how about the long run? do commuters eventually decide to move to luxembourg? I don't exclude a move to lux, however for now I prefer not to. I realize that this is a personal decision but I would appreciate to hear some experiences from other commuters, before I go to the screening.
thanks guys('n gals)

cheers

I´d say about 70% of us are commuters. As long as you can stand it and manage it reasonably - be there rested and on time - it´s o.k. Average twice a month.

Just be sensible in the interview.

Yea, I heard 80% commuters (living more than 2 hrs away). The fact is that the company don't find enough pilots in the Glorious Nation, why they hire people further away. But they can't force people to move. Again, they will ask you during your interview if you're willing.

And who isn't?! :ugh:

By the way, did we sort out how long the time to upgrade would be with the current known conditions?

I see they hire many new pilots now, several every month.

Thanks for the input guys,
I'll be discrete about it on the interview. I might want to move in a later stage, but now I just prefer a bit of stability( If I make it through ofcourse :-).
This approach seems a bit odd to me, talked to some other operators and they didn't have any problem with commuters. One of them was even proud of the fact that their pilots were living all over the place. One would think that for a long haul operator this wouldn't be an issue.
Can anyone explain what the thought behind this policy is?

Hard to say, depends on the age at which people retire, people leaving for various other reasons, eternal F/O's and fleet expansion.
Without fleet expansion, retirement at 65, 2 more senior extra leaving per year and 5 eternal F/O's it would be close to 2030.
Same numbers but expansion of 1 a/c per year up to 25 a/c it would be 2024.
1 a/c per year up to 30 a/c it would be 2020.

LBR, that doesn't look too promising...

Cargolux uptate need
 

I need updated info about Cargolux roster.

Thanks to all!!!

You mean: I would like to have ..........:=

Does anyone have some details about the first day in Saarlouis?
would be great.
Thank you....

First advice: Take a hotel and be there the night before, so you arrive well rested for the day.

On the day itself: First thing you have to do, is go to the doctor for a medical check-up.

After that you go to IBF itself on a different location. The atmosphere is quite relaxed I have to say. When I went, I was there alone. You sit in a room with 4 or 5 computers. The guy from IBF will explain you how to use the computer and then off you go!

There are many different tests, like multitasking, concentration, recognizing shapes etc...
Also personality tests have to be done.

All in all, I did not find the tests that difficult, and there is not really a specific preparation you can do. If you play a computer game from time to time, you should be fine. Only thing is that it takes a long time to complete all the tests, and you need to keep your concentration up at all times, so what I did was only eat little portions in between the tests and the break at noon to avoid that lazy feeling after dinner (I only ate bananas that day;-)

Once all the tests are completed you go for a chat with the psychologist, takes about 30mins, he will ask you how you think you did the tests, wants to know your motivation for joining Cargolux etc..., and that's it for the day.

I got a call from Cargolux 1,5 week later telling me I passed the tests, and I got invited for an interview in the next coming weeks.

If there is a Cargolux pilot who wants to share a few of his rosters with me, please feel free to PM me.

Good luck!

thank you Bae,
that gives me an overview. i try to ask you about
the interview if i get that far....