Jolly Pilot
Are you sure you're being paid the full jet FO salary?? As far as I'm aware you'll be paid the Dash FO salary - otherwise all hell literally will break loose and there will be no company left for you to join!
Unfortunately you can probably also expect to join at the worst time - when morale is extremely low and practically every crew member is thoroughly pi**ed off with the way things are going.
Keep your head down and certainly don't go making a big thing of being on the jet!

You know what - I wish people wouldn't be so negative. Why did we invest so much money and put our lives on the line - for the chance to fly airplanes - there is no better job. We are getting paid to do what is basically a hobby - jet salary or dash 8 salary - its money. Pilots are never going to starve. :}

That would be great to get some 146 time if you can. Why not? The aircraft will likely be gone in a few years and at least you would have some experience on it... Sounds like a great deal and I would enjoy it very much.

From what I hear, the Dash 8-400 performs as well if not better than the 146 anyway - you won't notice much difference except for the full glass cockpit vs. the round dials... At least you will have 146 time - that would be great to have...

Ride The Fire

No-one has actually suggested that we'll starve.....
The problems unfortunately are due to the fact that FlyBE are in a 'spot of bother' (to put it extremely lightly), and as such as recruiting by the bucket-load at the moment.
Because they can't afford to 'lose' crews to training, the Dash FO's who are due to get onto the jet are being told to stay put, and new-hire guys are going straight on the 146 (apparently for 3-8months but we all know that's a loads of balls and they'll stay on it longer).
So you have the Dash FO's waiting to go on the jet, who are effectively losing 8months of increased salary, and 8months of jet time.
A new hire guy will pay £5000 for a type-rating (probably the cheapest you'll get anywhere), will stay with the company for 8months building jet-time, and then when asked to re-bond and go onto the Dash, 99% will turn it down and leave the company, taking with them their cheap type-rating and jet hours, much to the disgust of those of us who want to get on the jet and stay on it.
And when it finally comes to those of us getting on the jet (who the positions should rightly go to now) - there isn't a chance in hell we'll have a bond for £5000. It'll be back to the £13000 it is at the moment.

Fair???? Fair my ar*e. This is only prompting more crews to look elsewhere for employment after being shafted by the company who they helped drag from the depths by working their backsides off for so long.

Smokie,

I didn't know of all those resignations. I know people are off to Jet 2/ Monarch/First Choice/GB/Thomas Cook.......Anyone off anywhere else.

What are they looking for in terms of experience then?

I have emailed and posted my CV recently, and haven't even received an aknowledgement like they normally send out. Perhaps they're just too busy recruiting!

I'm an instructor with 600TT, maybe they're looking for the magic 1000hrs!

Any thoughts?

jollypilot - your initial period on the 146 will NOT be at jet salary levels. This will only occur after you have served your time on the DHC8 and have been selected through seniority to go on whatever jet we have when you reach that point.

Autobrake - get your CV in! For the next couple of years, everyone should ignore comments (even if it's from flybe's Personnel Dept) about flybe NOT recruiting. The fact is we have 20 more DHC8-400s to arrive from our most recent order, and still some left to arrive from our initial order, couple this with the huge amount of resignations recently and it doesn't take a genius to work out that the Company has no choice but to recruit heavily, at all levels of experience.

People I know who have secured jobs with Flybe have been under age 30!

Officer Dibbles, I agree, this is the information that I am recieving too.


Any recent recruits out there over 30? Does flybe have an age restriction. Or is it fair game for all. Even us older farts.:O

Gents, I feel your frustration but please take it out against Flybe and BALPA not the young guys being offered what is a great opportunity, and one that you would have all jumped at in their shoes.

To those of you joining on the 146 you will have a great time, it is a wonderful aircraft and a great bunch of guys to fly with, enjoy and ignore the comments about keeping your heads down.

notac
 

Have no hard feeling towards any of the new recruits, just wondering why only the young guys get an interview invite? Good luck to all. However,are all being included?

howsurflight, sorry for the mis-understanding my comments were not aimed at your post but towards several earlier posts by company dash drivers.

6-8 months of 146 time and then on to Easy?
 

Someone above actually asserted that these newbie 146 FOs could conceivably rack up 8 months worth of jet time and then leave for Easy, Jet2, etc. Do you think that could be feasible? Only 6-8 months of 146 time and you would be that marketable? If so, why aren't more current 146 drivers leaving for Easy, GB or First Choice Airbuses?

I would think the Q400 would be well respected too given its glass cockpit and advanced flight characteristics...

What's the status on 737s for Flybe? I know Astraeus will be providing outsourced 737s for awhile. If that is successful, how soon could you see Flybe 737s on the property? Wouldn't 737s on the property be potentially worth waiting for if you like the company?

Riker....

i was suggesting that those joining from instructing backgrounds, and therefore already have the best part of 1000 hrs (bleed_air for example) could EASILY, in less than 8 months, add the precious "500 jet time" to their total and therefore join..... for example...... Easy as an SFO.

Remember Easy have taken ALOT of people from Flybe already with LESS than 1000 hours..... so when you say "will they be marketable after 8 months on the jet" i would say hell yeah!!!!

Given the choice what would you do? they will easily get 500 hours for their 5 grand this summer - what does that work out at? 10 pounds an hour for their jet time? Against hour building at 100/hr on a warrior? And walk out with a rating AND jet time?

Marketable?.... Yes.

Will they stay and move to the dash?.... No.

Might be proved wrong, but surely these guys are career driven people and wouldn't pass up the opportunity of gaining more jet time (over Q400 time) with someone like Easy?

I've nothing against them doing just that - it's the mess the company has got itself into again that bothers me... and how they continually abuse the loyaly of their existing staff.

Getting off the box now, gotta go to work!!

BPM

notac
Steady on old chap, er82 made a single remark and you've branded her as bitter and twisted! Poor gal, I'm sure she was simply offering some friendly advice based on what happened the last time we took on low-houred 'contract' pilots.

I'm sure that our colleagues on the DHC8 that will be directly affected by this know very well where to point the finger, and it won't be at the new guys!

question for flybe.com, I assume by your name that you must work for flybe, do you know if they have an age restriction which might be why us experienced turboprop chaps who are getting on a bit don't hear anything?
I, and some of my colleagues who have applied would be quite happy to stay on the DHC8 and not go off to easy etc.

They have no problem with older pilots. I'm low-houred and was taken on last year at the age of 37. Another pilot even older than me started just after Christmas with minimal hours. I think they're snowed under with CVs at the moment so it will, unfortunately, be a bit of a lottery.

Ham Phisted
 

Thank-you for your input, this gives us older pilots something to hold on to. We just want as fair a chance, of even being invited to an interview as anyone else. One question remaining, how come someone of your around your age with 1000, 2000, 3000, and even 4000+ hours are being kicked to the curb?:confused:

Flybe.com
I am on the Dash! And I'm afraid I'd be one of those of the prettier gender!
Certainly wasn't suggesting that any new guys would be on the receiving end of abuse from us! We all know this is totally down to the management not being able organise a pi**-up in a brewery. Our grievances lie totally with them.
All I will say, is that just like any newcomer to any airline, it's best not to arrive with some big chip on your shoulder - especially joining flybe as a new 146 driver! It certainly won't help matters when temperatures are already rising quite rapidly in every crewroom!

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for those in the long queue awaiting recruitment) all this is doing is serving to highlight to us existing lot that hard work, going into discretion, putting up with unstable rosters, lack of a decent pay-rise etc etc is not going to be rewarded. I can forsee the future - and there will be even more resignations coming up!


BPM - couldn't have said it any better myself!

er82 - Please accept my apologies, I'll even go back and edit my previous post.:ok:

FatFlyer et al - There is no age limit that I'm aware of, and as Ham Phisted pointed out, older pilots have indeed been taken on recently. However I do know of at least one person, with an impressive CV but low hours (just under 1000) and just over 40, that was told he would be a training risk. Personally, given the right qualities and a solid CV, I would have absolutely no problem hiring those in their late 30s/early 40s, for one thing it would mean greater loyalty.

I'm not in charge of recruitment though, so have absolutely no idea of the 'formula' they use with older pilots, and how they judge someone to be a training risk. Perhaps it's because younger guys, fresh out of CABAIR/Oxford, and willing to do anything for that prized first Commercial job, are easier for our Management to push around!