Yes, I am surprised by the claims that we're expendable and/or slave labour. Anywhere you work you're expendable - just ask the 108 pilots that are about to be let loose from My Travel in the UK!!!!!!
As for slave labour, that's just downright bollocks and very over-dramatised:yuk: :yuk: Slave labour is bus loads of building labourers who live 15 to a room and share a bucket to sh1t in....

And why do some describe Dubai as "artificial"? What do you mean? Surely any city is artificial in that it's not natural desert, jungle,tundra or rolling fields..... Or maybe you think that it's generally too clean or neat or getting greener. Shame on you. I always like coming back here after the filth of the far east, or africa and for that matter most of northern europe.

Hey Fellas how are you?
Just a question....I havent done a lot of night flying so perhaps i dont understand, but why is Night flying not liked by pilots?
I love flying at night from what i have flown, and prefer it over day!!!

Why is it considered a bad thing?

Thank you!

Aussie

Hi Aussie
Having worked UK Charter for many,many years,one could say that i'm well used to the delights of night flying.The main downfall with the night flying in Emirates,however, is the START time.Going to work at 7 in the evening and returning back around 5 or 6 is tiring enough,especially if you have to repeat it the following night,but to be picked up and taken to work at 1 or 2am is far worse.Pre duty rest is often difficult to achieve(have you tried going to bed around 6 in evening with wife and kids about),phone usually rings around 8ish followed by bin collection around 10....yes,i kid you not! These start times fall into the "too late for a night flight / too early for an early morning" category.Still,at least you can bid for some short day returns to break it up(an opportunity many pilots with other Airlines can't do flying longhaul) and we do have many departures at more sensible times throughout the day.If you like spending time hanging upside down in dark places and detest Garlic infused food.........we'd be glad to welcome you aboard !Sunglasses not required,night vision goggles optional!
:)

Ahh kool. Thanks mate.
So its not the night flying pilots dont like, its the duty hours.
Starting late and finishing early, i can understand that must be a tough thing to do, and then back it up too the following day...

I guess Dubai airport doesnt have a curfew then....

Cheers

Aussie

Bymonek,

The phonecalls may be free but the speech on them isnt. fact. be careful.
as another expat now in europe i think df has a point, but if its your thang


dungfunnel,

know where your coming from, but it is their choice.i have encountered ek arrogance aka the dark side, also still in europe and breathing a sigh of relief. however a trip back to dubai is in the pipeline. I like vodka so whats better than a woman for the price of a bottle that tastes of vodka. its like two for one at tesco. :8

Bymonek,

..actually it's spelt Jumeirah :E

chow, mad

Aussie
Read my post again.Not length of day but START time!

Maddog62
Thanks for correction.....you are correct and i'm:O
now....to find that dark corner and curl up and hide!

Dicksynormous
Havn't come here for free speech.If i didn't like the way this country is run i wouldn't stay.......which is why i put my money were my mouth is and left UK. Asylum seakers,religious groups,minority factions........their opportunity for free speech and their abuse of the legal system is ruining UK!
Enjoy your break in Dubai by the way,although expect to pay slightly more than a bottle of Vodka for your nights 'entertainment'. Most places like that are happy hour before 10.......well,"every little helps"!

as a one legged multi sexual transgender refugee pilot of colour and a member of the church of benefits, traditionalist offshoot sect , gay subclan i take offence to your intolerance and will be seeking legal aid from the office of such free things to rob you of your rights to be european.

you have invaded my human rights by being in dubai and i will be chaining myself to the overcrowded dentit or gp in protest until you apologise or i get a free operation .

:p

bymonek
i see you are online. i'm on sby in the uk whats your excuse, no totty at scarletts, or have you been excluded from the sailing club again, you can take the man out of charter but you cant take the charter out of the man

dicksynormous

Spot on there matey! Never joined a sailing club in UK as working every bloody weekend ( can i get away with 'bloody' Mr Moderator?) Anyway,might give it a try here if they'll have me but in the meantime,will enjoy other forms of relaxation!!
Would hate to offend and see you chained to an overcrowded dentit so will apologize :rolleyes:
p.s. What is a 'dentit' by the way?
p.p.s Tuesday is the night for Scarletts!
p.p.p.s Hope you don't get called out from your s/by!

Drop the pilot

First of all, you are doing the smarter pilots looking at EK a good service with your post.

You are actually revealing the true nature of your motives to fly with EK, grievance and disrespect for other individuals; I can not possibly imagine that a pilot needs two maids to clean up his mess.

Also, your posting name “Drop the pilot” clearly indicates what goes on in your mind, one dos not choose such a name without any reason.

Once you join EK, you are stuck, leaving early means, you do NOT get the financial bonus and the reality of the place makes it virtually impossible to make any savings.

Therefore I repeat my previous statement, those that go to EK for the money only will be very disappointed. Individuals that are very money orientated are usually very unreliable, with a lack of any sense of morality.

Unfortunately that’s the prototype of the EK pilot and those that want to go there better get it told to them early enough. There are exceptions but these are rare.

Those that do not take any interest in this argument probably fit the profile of the place and they know it.

Good luck on them, they will lead a dull and very superficial existance and since it's the standard over there, no medication needed to bring them back to reality.

In fact one may say that as such a natural selection process takes place and it’s not based on any genuine western values at all on the contrary.

I have made a big mistake in going there and take it to my credit that I try to warn others.

Free speed, First of all congratulations on getting through unlike you I never got through the selection at EK I was really disappointed at not getting through at the time but if I can let you know how things have panned out for my group since April. As you know you are divided in to two groups of four on day one during the three days I have to say I was with a great bunch and as usual we swapped e-mails etc.

Within my group was 1 Canadian, 1 Australian, 1 Swiss and myself UK. The Australian chap whilst he was happy enough his wife was unhappy probably due to the particularly poor villa accommodation they showed us we were even escorted around U/P TOWER as to what we could expect to have if allocated an apartment so on arrival back home he withdrew his application, the Canadian pilot subsequently got through the process and was to start more or less at the end of May that’s four weeks since being there! But during late May his company went through restructuring and he decided to remain in Canada. The Swiss pilot was working already for SQ and contracted for three months before being available he was also offered a position but during his notice period he went to Air China and took there offer instead working out of London or Frankfurt (I think) this was down to money on his decision.
I have just been placed in the pool for the world’s favourite airline this wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been chopped which made me apply, so the relevance of this post is to say if you have any doubt about EK be like my colleagues don’t do it, just do what’s right for you there are other opportunities

Workmatters

You bring some good points to the forum,especially the fact that out of the four of you,3 were offered employment but non took it! That says quite a lot re.either Emirates package or ,as you say,that this Company isn't for everyone.In some ways,having the decision taken from you can be the easy way out,although it may not seem it at the time.You were obviously disappointed,like any of us would be,but it's perhaps worked out better for you now that you've jumped through the B.A hoops instead.I wish you well in your new Airline....i can think of a lot worse.Which,Brings me back to Emirates.Showing married couples around U/P Towers is NOT a good idea,especially as far as i'm aware,that only single F/O's are there and the married guys are elswhere.With over 500 Cabin Crew,it's not known as Unlimited Pu :mad: sy for nothing!Not a good start to impress the wife.Villas are available for guys with families and some single f/o's are now being given villas as well but it will depend on availability.My Major concern,however,is that we are starting to lose too many people after job offers and it's rumoured that some 3-6 year Captains are about to jump ship.Either the package will be improved to attract and keep the guys,or the standards will slip to ensure their profits each year.I just hope it's not the latter!
This place is still good,but it's not the golden egg it maybe once was.It's not for everyone but there are many here who wouldn't go anywhere else.Think long and hard but once you make the decision,don't look back.Life's too short !

BYMONEK

As far as I'm aware the policy is single F/O's, or married F/O's without kids get an apartment, and those like myself who do have a family get a villa. Those who only qualify for an apartment get the option of a villa upon command upgrade.

I was only shown an apartment during the interview tour, as there were no empty villas to look at. Not a good PR exercise it has to be said:{

White Knight

You are correct but some new F/O's who aren't even married have been given villas as the are no apartments available at present.Hopefully just a 'one off' or else people may start getting:*

Back again, and unashamedly cup half empty about EK.

It comes back to relativity: relative to where you are coming from.

EK can offer some people the job they really want or become the rut they didn't want. You don't have to look too far in the past to see that today EK is far from the pearl it once professed to be but just another airline, no better & perhaps no worse.

EK 'is' failing to attract the new pilots it needs and is in danger of losing the pilots it already has. 160 aircraft by 2010 = 1500 more pilots = 250 ish per year....on current terms and with strong competition from other airlines, where are they going to come from?

If you didn't make it into EK I sympathise only to the degree that I wish I hadn't either...the future is bright, the future is probably elsewhere...you may well be better off.

I read all your posts.
Some times good, and sometimes wrong, like anywhere, i suppose.
I would like to jump back on rhs only to seize an A330-A340 or B777 type rating, and if not, i 'll be stucked in short haul, on turbo-prop for a long time, as captain. I am 40, and i think it's time to change my option of career.
There's 2 difficulties for me:
- First of all, to speek english. We are so bad to speek an other language than french, it's a true handicap for us.
-second, it's the system of remuneration, very different than ours.
and when i saw the package with a basic pay of about 4600$, plus a lot of things by hours...don't understand.
Are they working with the system of free time/duty time.
what is exactly the pay you do by month, or year.
I do about 80000$ by year, and so about 70000$ after tax.
hotels and food are supplyed by the company out of base.
what about EK.

ps: excuse me for spelling mistake, i try to improve myself, and it's a hard job.

An other précision, i\'m on hold for EK

Corsica...I appreciate the dilemma you are in and appreciate that a 330/340 or 777 rating may seem very attractive.

Anyway I hope that this helps:

The package for a First Officer approximate to:

18,500 Dhms/month = $5000 US (fixed @ 3.65) = $61,000/year, no tax.

Accomodation is supplied: Villa or Apartment depending on family or single. An allowance can be taken in lieu.

Hotac down route is obviously supplied by the company with allowances based on local rates.

Medical/ child education (primary onwards) included.

7 weeks leave per year (I think).

Days off vary with the rosters.

Command could take some time to come around.

English is important, at the moment at least.

Hope this helps a bit and good luck with your decision but please read other related threads to get a full picture before jumping. Worth beginning the application process to have the option one way or the other.

you're right when you talk about dilemma.

the equation is:

good type rating and maybe a new career against expatriation,lost of captain position and lost of pay (due to the change 1 Euro/1,24 $)

I will resolve it after some time.

anyway, thanks a lot for the informations.

Not as clear cut as it used to be moving to the ME. $ vs Euro rate is making a significant difference. Anyway, Captain in Europe on turboprops sounds good to me. Good Luck which ever way you go.

It's 6 weeks leave, not 7. Or more exactly 42 days.