RVL / Atlantic Recon cadet scheme
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RVL / Atlantic Recon cadet scheme
Just thought I would start a separate thread for the RVL / Atlantic Recon cadet scheme with a few questions:
What is the pay?
How long can cadets expect to be cadets before starting flying training?
What is the pay once the cadets are actually flying?
How does this scheme compare to others, for example the end result: hours, experience, etc.
There are a lot of rumours that this is 1+ year of essentially ops / driver / cleaner before actually starting flying training and that cadets are pretty much on their own for the ground exams. How does this stack up against the promises?
What is the actual job like?
What is the pay?
How long can cadets expect to be cadets before starting flying training?
What is the pay once the cadets are actually flying?
How does this scheme compare to others, for example the end result: hours, experience, etc.
There are a lot of rumours that this is 1+ year of essentially ops / driver / cleaner before actually starting flying training and that cadets are pretty much on their own for the ground exams. How does this stack up against the promises?
What is the actual job like?
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Thanks for that info matt85, very comprehensive.
Curious as to the bonding issue.
How long is the bond for? These days (I hear) a lot of prospective pilots are looking into going straight into the airlines to recoup the money spent on training.
Obviously there will be no money spent on training in this case but I would be thinking along the lines of: ...once released, how does it look now and am I a viable option for more run-of-the-mill operators (multi-crew time? / experience other than VFR for example)
Curious as to the bonding issue.
How long is the bond for? These days (I hear) a lot of prospective pilots are looking into going straight into the airlines to recoup the money spent on training.
Obviously there will be no money spent on training in this case but I would be thinking along the lines of: ...once released, how does it look now and am I a viable option for more run-of-the-mill operators (multi-crew time? / experience other than VFR for example)
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Well, dont quite believe that day VFR stuff just posted. A common misconception amongst people who have no idea about the life of a recon pilot.
The EA contract is mainly flown at night or day or both, simply due to the fact they need no cloud below a certain height over the specific survey site, and therefore you go when this is the case, day or night. Most of my hours with Recon were night hours. Also, even though it might be clear weather over the survey site, which could be anywhere in the UK, you might have to deal with snow showers, thunderstorms, icing, and all the crap that comes with it on the way to the site. You could then stay on site for anything up to 9 or 10 hours and fly through all that **** on your way home again, when you have had no sleep, food, drink, toilet.......it definately is something you want to think about! Oh and on those nice winter frosty evenings......you will be out for as long as you and the plane can endure it!
The MCA contract requires a certain amount of night hours to be flown. As these aircraft are equipped with SLAR, you dont need to be visual.....again, you will be flying in all sorts of weather at all sorts of times.....DAY VFR is definately not the norm! Oh and on those nice clear nights when you are enjoying the smooth air over the sea 100 miles from anywhere listening to the volmets as gradually all the airfields that had forecast nothing but a nice night gradually become fogged out, even though the weather man didnt think they would, and the other airfields are all shut due to the unsocial hour ..... life can get interesting.....
I wont list all the contracts and all the type of flying. I just wanted to squash the myth. You will learn lots quick, You will fly with a great bunch of people, and when you do join an airline or whatever type of flying your future holds, the skills that have been engrained in you from day one as a cadet and that have been developed at 200' over the sea somehere in the shetland basin will put you in good shape.....
The EA contract is mainly flown at night or day or both, simply due to the fact they need no cloud below a certain height over the specific survey site, and therefore you go when this is the case, day or night. Most of my hours with Recon were night hours. Also, even though it might be clear weather over the survey site, which could be anywhere in the UK, you might have to deal with snow showers, thunderstorms, icing, and all the crap that comes with it on the way to the site. You could then stay on site for anything up to 9 or 10 hours and fly through all that **** on your way home again, when you have had no sleep, food, drink, toilet.......it definately is something you want to think about! Oh and on those nice winter frosty evenings......you will be out for as long as you and the plane can endure it!
The MCA contract requires a certain amount of night hours to be flown. As these aircraft are equipped with SLAR, you dont need to be visual.....again, you will be flying in all sorts of weather at all sorts of times.....DAY VFR is definately not the norm! Oh and on those nice clear nights when you are enjoying the smooth air over the sea 100 miles from anywhere listening to the volmets as gradually all the airfields that had forecast nothing but a nice night gradually become fogged out, even though the weather man didnt think they would, and the other airfields are all shut due to the unsocial hour ..... life can get interesting.....
I wont list all the contracts and all the type of flying. I just wanted to squash the myth. You will learn lots quick, You will fly with a great bunch of people, and when you do join an airline or whatever type of flying your future holds, the skills that have been engrained in you from day one as a cadet and that have been developed at 200' over the sea somehere in the shetland basin will put you in good shape.....
