Airbus 320 type rating & 500 hours of Line training Rate of success??
 

Dear colleagues,

I would like to know if there is someone on this forum, that has applied or knows someone that applied for the the Airbus 320 Type rating and line training.

What I really want to know is the rate of success for candidates that have less than 1000 hours or even 1500 hours, that are know working in an airline company.

In my case for example I graduated as a pilot last year, and currently I have 240 hours total time. I also know that after completing this program my chances increase a lot. Believe me, I'm completely against paying to fly, but without spending more money I will never start flying.

I know some people that had less hours than me that after completing the Airbus program were able to get a job.

I want to know in general if it is a safe bet, the risk is always present, but this will be my last chance of financing a type rating. I'm afraid if I invest in a turbo prop I may not get the chance to pay a jet qualification later.

All comments are welcome.

Regards, and the best of luck to all of us.

Cowhorse,

It's ok I was expecting that kind of reply. As long as they are useful I don´t mind at all.
Guarantees today, well I guess today nothing is guaranteed.

But of course that I'm not going to invest in something this big based in a few comments. I started my research more intensely 6 months ago, Boeing, Airbus and turbo props I have seen all there is for these types of aircraft. I made that question because I really would like to know the rate of success of those applicacants for the A320.

Well I guess that waiting for a job contract to fall on my lap with my current experience will be harder to find. Or to pay for a flight instructor rating so I can fly a Cessna 150, I'm pretty sure that I wont be flying commercially very soon.

Zondaracer,

If you have better ideas for people with my current experience please share, we would appreciate.

Regards

Hi Joao,

Just as I pointed out to you in an earlier pm, this situation IS NOT YOUR FAULT.
It is happening to a lot of us out there, and we are not the only ones, I have lawyer friends who have been incapable of getting a job in 3-4 years.

The market is this way, you are not to blame. Don't think you are a bad pilot, bad CV writer or don't have the right mind set-up. It's just not the moment. Look at all the other comments which sound like this one: " Get a job, any job, and stay current...."

none
 

Here is the deal as I have been informed.
After you have spent your hard earned £60'000 to get your CPL/IR you hand over another £25'000 to a middle man for the A320 TR, then another
£30'000 for you line training. This line training is done by some dubious airline which could be anywhere in Europe. Don't worry they will put you up in a hotel, wait for it, breakfast is included. Hopefully you will get this all done within six months as there isn't any salary during this time. Now you see why the breakfast is important! You then get passed onto an agency if nothing goes wrong, volcanos, oil price spikes etc. The agency then place you with the low cost carrier. Any questions class?

Bom Dia Joao,
A quick question, what have you done to find employment? I'm not having a go, just want to know where you have looked, who've you spoken to etc.
Do you have the ability to change locations?

Joao,

I don't know many guys who have paid for a type rating and paid for line training. Of the guys who I know who have done it, the ones who got jobs were the ones who did it back in 2007, and those airlines were hiring guys without time on type anyway.

I know some guys who got jobs recently (as in within the past 9 months) without a type rating before applying. For some of them, the type rating was paid for by the employer, and some of them they had to self sponsor a type rating after getting hired. None of them paid for a type rating + line training. They got the jobs because who they know. They were also all active flight instructors with the exception of one, and even he had previously been a flight instructor.

What is wrong with people. One guy who replied used his mate getting into Wizzair as an example of success. The starting salary as an FO with them is about Euro 1000 a month. Why are people accepting this s***t, have some self respect.

Cause 1000E/month is better than P2F :}

Does anyone knows how is the market for pilots with the Airbus 320 type rating + 500 hours on type, and less than 1000 hours total time is??

with a type on the 320 and 700hrs TT (500hrs on the 320) you can get good opportunities but only outside Europe (far east/asia). Too many rated drivers waiting on the line in EU.
All the best.

I'm curious as I haven't seen any jobs posted with that low level of experience, can you tell me which company airline you are talking about?

If I had to spend a few years outside Europe building up my total time I wouldn´t mind at all. The problem is that I don´t have any guarantees except if I have a program like eagle jet has for the Boeing pilots, and even that is not guaranteed.

I realy need some good advises on this topic,

regards

As far as i know there is a number of carriers accepting low timers on the 320 in Asia right now.
With 500 hrs on type you can also have access to the hold pool of Easy with flexy crew, for example...
Btw, nothing is really guaranteed in this industry right now and i think that occasions are to be found by yourself (i.e. do the type and take your CV personally to the HR guys).
If you want to do it go for it.
Organize yourself for the worst case scenario and see what comes up after you're done. Now you can only make assumptions...

Mutt, just an example, take it as it is:

Opportunity: Asiana Airlines A320 First Officers - Rishworth Aviation

just my 2 cents.

Eagle,

Fist of all I want to tank you for your comment.

I've seen that many companies ( I risk to say 90%) only request 500h on type, but my main concern is my total time. After the line training I will have 740 hours more or less.

I have also been told that the companies pay more attention to the hours on type than the total time, and they hire pilots with this amount of experience (Less than 1000h).

Do you know if this is true?

If it would I guess that they wouldn't ask for 1000 hours or 1500 hours total time.

Hello Joao,

i am more or less in your situation.
I am not used to tell to others what they would like to hear so i will be straight forward, take it as it is please.
If you want to fly, do everything it is in your possibilities to achieve your goals.
Do it. period.
Do not look for answers inside forums. A forum is good for a general assessment but the final decision is yours.
If you have doubts stop before making a mistake.
If you look for a job that gives you money and stability look somewhere else.
Do not question yourself about hours, age, money etc.
Things in aviation change very quickly.
Flying remains first of all a passion, if you have to suffer its not worth.
I saw 300 hrs TT guys jumping on a 767 as first assignment, i see everyday pilots with 5000 TT on the MD80 looking for a job in Africa because no one is interested to them because of the type they fly (maximum respect for these fellow pilots).
So...
Prepare yourself in the way you think its better for you, make yourself competitive into this jungle and play your cards, possibly with a plan B ready to be put in force.
Forget to work in Europe (unless you know someone) for the next years.
You have to pack your stuff and move east, this is my opinion and probably what i will do in the very next future.
Play your cards. But with a wise approach.

Best:ok:

Eagle, once again tank you for the advise. It's always good to have new ideas and perspectives.

Wish you the best, and I hope we can all meet when cruising the skies.

Regards

There are a number of carriers in Asia who, although they might ask for 1000TT and 500 on type, will consider an application with under 1000TT as long as you have the 500 on type.

It is a risk to just hope to get something with 750TT and 500 on type but then again, this industry is just one big gamble.

I can only speak from experience, I personally know a lot of people who did the p2f scheme with Lionair on the 737ng and also some on Airbus in Tunesia.
Despite of a lot of people saying how stupid they are for paying to work in 3rd world countries..... All of them now have airline jobs some of them are even flying the 777 now and making serious bucks.
Now the situation is a bit worse then lets say 2 years ago, as currently most airlines want 1500TT and 500 hrs on type for F/O jobs but I would say if you are going for the Linetraining your chances of getting a job afterwards will be arround 70%, depending on luck mainly....

Exactly...its a matter of luck and being in the right place at the right moment...70% its a fair percentage anyway.
If you move east chances increase of course, even with less than 1000TT (but always rated with time on type).
Thats the market...