Flybe sponsorship

[Grass strip basher]

I understand where you are coming from but the "learning to fly our way" arguement is a bit lame... imagine if you had built up your hours and done your PPL at a CCAT school!... or are the Flybe grads being taught to fly a warrior in some top secret fashion the rest of the aviation world are unfamiliar with?!

...or I can just imagine a jet FO with 3,000 hours at his interview at BA.... "I'm sorry sir but you have too many hours to be taught how to fly our way".... hmmmm seems like a load of old toilet to me.... anyone from CCAT care to comment??

[ATP_Al]

They are looking for people who will fit in to an integrated course and progressing in line with a very rigidly structured syllabus.

From what I've heard, integrated students are taught to fly as if they were flying an airliner from day one. An experienced PPL will have some general aviation specific skills and knowledge that may conflict with the course content and actually slow progress. On the other hand, someone who has a limited amount of experience and is familiar with the effects of controls may progress quicker and by getting those hours they have demonstrated a measure of commitment to an aviation career.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong, it just seems to be the way it is. I applied to the same scheme in 2003 before they added the 60hr limit. I had a PPL and 265hrs and got all the way through to the final interview. I didn't get sponsored but I was first reserve in case anyone dropped out. I guess I'll never know if it was my experience that made the difference or not. However, I have since gained my fATPL via the modular route and that extra experience has now lifted me above many 250hrs pilots in the job hunting stakes. What I have noticed is that recruiters tend to focus on pilots in certain bands of experience. The trick is not to stay in the gaps between these bands for too long!

Good luck,

Al

[Dogbert]

FlyBe/CCAT

The format last year was two test days.

Day 1/Second stage was 150ish multiple guess maths and physics, annoyingly and expensively on a separate test day.

Day 2/Third stage was the computer test (one used last year was Pilapt) plus headshrinking/perception test and interview; I think they'll be sticking to the the same formula this year. The H/P test was some proprietry thing which i forget the name of;(rummages through folders) ah ha, Morrisby tests is the name. They have a website so you can get a basic idea of the format, but because its all customised to identify optimum candidates(in this case for ATPL) there are lots of things in the test not in the examples.

As to the hours limit; I guess after running a scheme like this for 10 years, they have found that high hours have caused problems, which make them look bad and cost the customer money. I notice the age limit has been raised this year from 28 to 33, but I can't decide whether thats good or bad.:confused:

[UAU242]

can you elaborate on the physics questions? Were they mechanical or the speed-distance-time type questions, or did they involve more than this?

Cheers

uau

[NeoDude]

Where is the training for this sponsorship based?

And is it a similar deal as the Easyjet scheme with the 60k bond thats repayed over your first 7 years employment?

[mcand]

Training is based at cabair.

[jetgirl_99]

Just to let you all know, I received my application this morning, emailed Tim sometime last week. They must be on the way out now to everyone still waiting.

Good luck all!

[c_jephcott]

The 60 hour cap is what is my stalling point above all else. I was strongly eyeing up applying for the sponsorship scheme, but this is going to provide a real problem to me, as I currently have 100 hours odd in a variety of different planes.

Just as a question, is anybody out there going to apply even if they have over 60 hours? Or really, should I just ditch the illusion and resign myself to a big bank loan?

[Biggles_77]

Hi,
Received the application form today. Although I will still apply I am a little concerned about the finance side of the contract. Basically I need more information?, and I don't know if previous applicants can help ?. I'm quite happy/willing to fork out £40K if successful but what i'm concerned about is that FlyBe want you to pay back their share of £20K also. I thought the point of a part-sponsorship was for them to pay an amount (and for it not to be paid back) and for you as the cadet to pay the £40k loan back ??..

The contract mentions that they deduct £3,960 per annum from your salary to repay the costs from them i.e £20k in total, and that you will be paid the appropriate FO's salary (but what is it?).. Looking at PPJN is that £30K ?? or do you enter as a cadet FO on a lower salary ?.

Sorry to talk about money but if recruited on a salary of low £20k it would be almost impossible to repay a loan of that amount and FlyBe ? Can someone shed anything on this subject ? previous successful applicants maybe? - and how they managed?.

It is a great scheme and I appreciate what they are doing for low houred people but the information is vague with regards to finance. I know I will need to ask more questions if I get onto the 2nd stage.

Thanks, Biggles

[Bootylicious]

Guys, if you have more than 60hrs, just lose some of them!

[VarigMD11]

Hi guys

Ive also received my (rather thin) pack about 2 days ago. I have started to fill it in, but am rather perplexed by the payment scheme. I know that HSBC have a deal with Cabair, does this also apply to the FlyBe scheme (paying back the £37000), or do the applicants have to find the funds themselves??

Also, it is stated in small print that FlyBe would favour applicants from the Channel islands and N Ireland. Now I understand the Channel Island bit, as Flybe have many routes to and from the Islands, but I dont understand why people from N Ireland have a greater chance of success, any comments??

Cheers

[Artificial Horizon]

Biggles,

in reply to your question about the salary at FlyBe you do indeed lose around 3 grand a year as a result of being sponsored. I left FlyBe about six months ago and the Dash salary then was 24,800ish + flight pay which will amount to about 2,500 per year. Monthly take home was about 1,700 - 333 for the sponsorship so you could bank on between 1400 and 1500 per month. I think that you will find that there is NO sponsorship scheme still in existance that does not expect you to pay back the training costs. I suppose they should really call it an interest free loan as opposed to sponsorship. A couple of things that I would throw in aswell is the fact that you are also expected to sign the dash _ training bond when you join which when I left was 12,000 reducing over 3 years. The net result is that you owe flybe over 30,000 grand if you want to leave on day one, this reduces over the period of years to 0, so it is quite a commitment. Having siad that though, it worked for me and I now fly nice shiney jets for a major airline

[Biggles_77]

Thanks AH,

I'm interested to know from you how you managed to pay the HSBC (£40k) loan back and how much that was per month ? - also how did you survive a whole year with no salary from FlyBe ? - did you have to take an extended loan ?
Cheers, Biggles

[CrewChick]

Hi Guys

I too sent off for the application pack, sent the email on Wed night and received the pack this morning.

I'm slightly confused with all the financing etc so some of the comments so far have been a great help.

I am a flying virgin, never been at the controls of a plane before, just served tea and coffee for a while now and at 25 years old I feel that there are gonna be loads of 18/19 year olds fresh out of doing their A levels to compete with.

Would be great to chat to any of you that went through this last year.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained I guess.

CrewChick

[Maude Charlee]

Current starting salary for the Q400 is a shade over £26K and the TR training bond £13.5K, reducing over 3 years. No repayment from you in respect of the TR bond, although if you skip town before the bond is up, Barclays will come and hunt you down as it is financed through them with a secured loan.

In respect of the NI bias, I think this is because they find BHD a difficult base to recruit for on a long term basis. The situation with CI is a little different due to the restrictions placed on giving work to those with residency rights only.

[EGTC]

I am a flying virgin, never been at the controls of a plane before, just served tea and coffee for a while now and at 25 years old I feel that there are gonna be loads of 18/19 year olds fresh out of doing their A levels to compete with.

Unfortunately the minimun age for application is 20, so that rules me out

[Audio]

[quote]he situation with CI is a little different due to the restrictions placed on giving work to those with residency rights only.[/ci]

Ive got to tell you i love that law now , so look like they want some based in the CI then.

anyone from CI applying?

[Biggles_77]

I know the first stage of tests are maths & physics to AS Level.
Are they questions that require a calculator or can they be done off the top of your head ?

[Quincy M.E.]

Is it just me or is the 'sponsorship' not that great?

I fully appreciate that sponsorship schemes today are different to those run in the pre 9/11 days and serve as an enabler to a career as a pilot rather than a free-ride. However I can not feel anything but dissapointment at the structure of the Flybe offer.

Speaking as one of the church mice contingent of wanabbees (ie poor as) this scheme is not going to help me in any way that I can see. I have no means of providing the 40K in securites nor do I have access to the remaining funds without taking on an unsecured loan which I don't think the bank would do.

Much better are the recently run Oxford shemes whereby all the neccessary finding is accessed via the bank without the need for securities. I went for those but I don't think I will bother with Cabair/Flybe's.

[just_go_to]

Quincy,

I'd double check the HSBC loan available through places like Oxford. I believe they now need security of some sort. It seems historically they were unsecured but they changed that.

Sorry to be a kill-joy.